Chapter 117: The Child of Destiny
Some things, once done once, become impossible to stop—then comes the second time, the third time… until countless more follow. Gradually, it becomes a dependency—an addiction one cannot escape.
"Tampering with life like this… one day, there'll be consequences. Maybe I'll become a monster too."
Mizuki felt guilt and unease twist in his gut. But still—there was no turning back now. Survival was the only justification he could give himself.
He watched Hyuga Hiashi and Gaara return from the front line, and without hesitation, injected the cursed mark chakra gathered during Sasuke's previous eruption directly into the clone's body.
"What is that?" Hyuga Ko, who stood closest, frowned at the strange ritual. "That chakra… it's repulsive."
The corpse-like body, sealed with multiple bindings, exuded a sense of deep dread. Once the dark, purplish-black chakra entered the vessel, it stirred—and then began to pulse with a heartbeat, centered near its chest.
"You need to explain this," Ko said warily, tension rising.
"I'll take responsibility," Mizuki said evenly, already resolved. "This is no human experiment. It's an artificial construct."
The clone's body rapidly grew, fed by strange natural energy. Lines of cursed seal markings bloomed across its skin like veins, converging in a pulsing pattern. Faint waves of chakra began to emanate.
"Wait, that's not right…" Ko protested, even as others began to gather—Yūhi Kurenai, Temari, and even Hiashi and Gaara.
"It's almost dawn," Mizuki murmured, deflecting the confrontation. He pointed at the sky.
"There!" Hiashi followed his gaze. "That's—Deidara? He's already recovered?"
The white owl soaring through the air heralded doom. No one needed to say what it meant—Deidara in the sky was an unstoppable pursuer. Ground-bound ninja couldn't outrun him.
"What does that have to do with this thing?" someone asked.
"If you don't want to abandon Gaara," Mizuki replied, voice grim, "then this is all we have left."
His words fell like a hammer.
No one answered. Because there was nothing to say.
Hiashi finally exhaled. "If this will help… then do it."
Mizuki gave a tired nod. "I'll take full responsibility."
The thing—no, the clone—now floated above the ground, despite lacking wings or any support. It was tall now, the size of a teenage boy. The cursed seal markings covered its skin, and small horns jutted from under wild, dark hair. At its fingertips, ash crumbled and flaked away—its form slowly dissolving.
"Let's move," Mizuki said.
Hiashi hesitated. "You're just leaving it?"
"There's no need. And nothing we can do."
It was going to die anyway. There was no saving it. And being too close might provoke an unexpected retaliation from a being they had no way to control.
"Alright," Hiashi said, finally agreeing.
The six of them fled once more, vanishing into the forest.
Moments later, Deidara arrived atop his owl, just ahead of Sasori. The strange creature below caught Deidara's attention.
"What the hell is that?" he muttered. "Creepy thing. Oh well. My art will destroy it all the same."
He tossed a handful of explosive clay down.
The creature didn't move.
Boom—
Flames engulfed it. Smoke billowed high.
And when it cleared—the clone was unharmed.
"What?!"
Deidara's eyes widened in disbelief.
Sasori arrived shortly after, just in time to hear Deidara's shocked curse.
"Having trouble again?" he said, voice bored. "What now?"
Deidara pointed. "That!"
Sasori followed his gaze.
A monstrous presence pulsed from the air. The clone hung there, energy rippling from its body, gravity twisting around it.
"…That's no normal chakra," Sasori murmured.
"We should leave—" Deidara began.
"No," Sasori interrupted. "Look closer. It's already dying."
And indeed, the clone's limbs were disintegrating, turning to ash.
But before it vanished, something changed.
Its eyes opened—ripples like rings in water.
Rinnegan.
"The Rinnegan…" Deidara whispered in horror.
Sasori stared in awe.
"The eyes of the Sage of Six Paths… and here, again?" he said slowly. "The Leader said he alone bore them—that he was heaven's chosen. So what is this? Another chosen one?"
The clone, now fully aware, looked up at them—its expression innocent, confused… betrayed.
Then the gravity shifted.
A powerful suction exploded outward.
Everything nearby—trees, soil, Sasori's puppets, even Deidara's owl—was dragged in.
At the center, the clone hovered, its body unraveling into ashes, but its power peaking.
Sasori and Deidara had only a moment to act.
"…It's dying," Sasori said. "But it wants to take us with it."
And it nearly did.
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