[Mission] Kinkaku Monastery III

[Niro]

Following their success in restoring order to Kinkaku Monastery, Yoshinori and Tsuki remained on-site to rest and strategize. With updated intelligence gained after briefly splitting up, the pair formulated a new plan to investigate both the mountain and the monastery’s cellar. Their aim is to uncover the root cause of the spiritual disturbances.

The bells rang out across the monastery and town, their chimes echoing like a promise of peace. In the quiet of the infirmary, Yoshinori and Tsuki were curled up together on one of the narrow cots. Though the bedding was far from comfortable, it was warmth, safety, and each other that lulled them into rest. Tsuki had done what she could with basic first aid, and the taste of shared rations, meager as they were, had been oddly comforting after everything. Outside their haven, the monks, now freed from the dreamlike curse, were already returning order to the temple. For now, Yoshinori and Tsuki were granted the rare gift of stillness.

Yoshinori stirred, wincing slightly at the ache woven into his limbs. Tsuki slowly woke up beside him, her breath warm against his shoulder. Soft firelight flickered from the wall sconces, casting slow-moving shadows across the room. It would have been easy to drift back into sleep but the sound of footsteps approaching drew him back to full wakefulness. He sat up with a low hiss as his muscles protested, pulling a black shirt over his bandaged torso with slow, deliberate care. Across the room, a middle-aged monk entered, his expression calm and open. He moved with quiet purpose, the torchlight catching on his polished scalp as he came to a stop a few feet away.

"Good morning," the man said with a respectful bow. "I’m Daiken, the head monk here. I wanted to personally thank you for freeing us." His voice was deep and kind, with a reverence that carried more weight than praise. "As long as the bells continue to ring, the seal will hold. The fog, the in-between realm, it will all remain locked away." Yoshinori nodded, piecing it together. That explained the self-ringing mechanisms on the bells. "But," Daiken continued, the lines around his eyes tightening, "the devices that allow the bells to ring on their own have been damaged. Jinroku, the man we once trusted, sabotaged them before he disappeared into the mountain."

Yoshinori’s brow furrowed at the name. "He was part of the last team hired to help reinforce the seal," Daiken explained. "But he succumbed to the spirit's influence. Now... he serves whatever still stirs within the mountain's heart." The monk's words carried a quiet sorrow, as though Jinroku’s fate still haunted him. Yoshinori listened closely, his hand brushing lightly over the healing wounds at his side. He knew too well what it meant to come close to something dark and not return the same. With a final bow, Daiken excused himself, duty already calling him back into the depths of the recovering temple.

"Love, are you awake?" Yoshinori called quietly, hoping Tsuki had been able to listen in on the conversation while enjoying five more minutes bundled within the warm of the cot.

[Lunanana]

Tsuki stirred, hearing footsteps come closer. She nuzzled her nose into Yoshinori’s side but as soon as the monk started to speak, she was already awake. Yet, her eyes opened on the mention of Jinroku, a name she has been warned about. Tsuki didn’t move from his side, not until the monk left. ”I’m here…” She said, slowly pulling herself up and almost falling out of the small cot, grabbing the metal that lined the edge just in time. That woke her up completely and she stretched, climbing out. ”I… Know that name. When we split up, I went to the basement, where I found scrolls.” She explained her turn of events to Yoshinori, mentioning the girl that she found there with a sad shade in her voice. She explained everything: where she was from and also the warning she gave her. ”...Which makes me think that whoever he is now, he will try to trick us. Yet… I’m not sure how ready you are. I don’t want-... Maybe…” She was not saying it but he got it, he always did, they spoke in glances and soft touches. She was scared that he was not healed up enough, not yet at least, considering his chakra reserves. He needed a good meal and a good night's sleep.

”Splitting up is also not an option… We don’t yet know what we’re up against, there still are two ninja unaccounted for. Oh, and… The in-between.” Tsuki sat down on the chair besides the bed again, combing her hair with her fingers and telling him what she experienced, what the in-between looked like, what happened. ”...Only the bells got me out, when you rang them. Thank you.” The tops of her cheeks blushed faintly, her eyes trailing the rest of the infirmary. She knew that now she will be the one fronting, and it was okay with her. What she didn’t want was to put him in any more of that danger. ”We still don’t know what triggers the change, how one gets trapped… But, if there is something in the in-between, we’ll need to know how to trigger it.” Because if it will be needed, he will go there to figure it out while she will fight whatever she will need to fight.

But for now, Tsuki found his hand again, raising it up to her lips and planting soft kisses on his knuckles. ”I’ll go find a proper meal for you, alright?”

[Niro]

Jinroku. The name sat heavy on Yoshinori’s mind as Daiken's words lingered. Whoever this man had once been, he was responsible for the state of the monastery: the corrupted bells, the fog, the death of the young woman Tsuki had encountered. And the detail about the scratched-out Kumo headband… That unsettled him even more. Missing-nin rarely worked legitimate jobs, let alone earned the trust of monks. Something about this mission still felt incomplete, a knot of unanswered questions pulling tighter. The news of a third, unknown teammate only deepened his unease.

“Either trick us or turn us,” Yoshinori muttered, mostly to himself. He couldn't forget the way the fog had taken Tsuki from him, used her body like a weapon. His nose gave a phantom throb at the memory, he was still thankful it had been set properly. “I’m as ready as I think I can be,” he added, swinging his legs over the edge of the cot. But the second he shifted, pain lanced through his body like lightning. His knees buckled and he fell back into the bedding with a strained groan and a sheepish look.

“…Maybe not quite yet,” he admitted, his breath catching in a rough laugh. As Tsuki spoke, he let his thoughts drift into the possibilities of the In-Between. She was right it would be the perfect place to hide, shrouded in layers of reality no one could easily reach. He hadn’t slipped into that world the way she had. So what had allowed her to fall through the cracks? His thoughts lingered on the library... Something there must have been the key. His tired cheeks flushed when Tsuki leaned down and placed gentle kisses on his bruised knuckles, soft, reverent gestures that caught him off guard. He leaned back into the cot with a faint, grateful sigh. “Fine, okay,” he murmured. “Just… make sure you eat something too, alright?”

Meanwhile, in the monastery kitchens, not far from the infirmary, two young monks bustled around a boiling pot of stew. Steam curled around them as they bickered, halfhearted complaints about being stuck on kitchen duty while the others cleaned the temple grounds or tended to the ringing bells. One of them muttered how, if the bells ever stopped, the fog would return and with it, the nightmare of the In-Between.

They spoke in anxious tones about the broken bell mechanisms and how monks had been assigned in shifts to keep them ringing manually. Slowly, the mood in the room changed. Loud voices softened into whispers as their topic turned to Jinroku, the rumors that he and his team had been tainted by something more ancient than they could understand. A spirit of fortune, they said. A blessing turned into a curse. The door to the courtyard slammed open, breaking the tension like shattered glass. A gruff-looking monk stepped in, barking orders and demanding extra hands. The two boys scattered, abandoning the simmering stew and leaving the kitchen empty in their rush.

[Lunanana]

Tsuki worried when he winced and placed a hand on his forehead, brushing raven bangs upwards and placing a soft kiss. He’ll be okay to rest, and she turned around, opening the door and walking to the kitchen. Tsuki blushed as the monks bowed to her, thanking. She wanted to say that their job was not done, that there were still unresolved pieces to the puzzle but she decided against it. There was no need to cause a panic, and after a series of bows, she sighted, placing her hands on her waist and stretching it a little. She followed the scent of food to the kitchen and two monks ran past her, leaving the stew unattended. ”E-Excuse me, can I…” She eyed the older monk reading a book and he raised his hand. “By all means… Do what you wish, lady.”

Tsuki dipped her spoon in the pot, bringing it to her lips and as soon as the stew touched her tongue her expression became impassive. She didn’t say anything but if she was a color, she’d be either green or blue. The stew was bland, no taste to it but it was hearty. With a blush, Tsuki helped herself to the spice rack, glancing for permission from time to time and the monk just waved her off to do as she wanted, and so she did. Adding this and that, she was finally somewhat satisfied with it, and gladly poured a bowl for Yoshinori. Tsuki blinked, noticing how small the bowl actually was and with a sigh, she found a much bigger one, pouring the stew in it as well. Finally satisfied, she took the both bowls, placed on plates, and carefully walked back to the infirmary.

She found Yoshinori laying with his eyes closed and silently approached his bedside, holding the food, when he stirred. ”I… Tried. Let’s eat, and we’ll rest a little more.” She gently placed the food on his lap, sitting down by his feet on the other end of the bed, and taking her food as well. She felt guilty that they have not resolved their mission but a stop is what he needed and what she needed too, even though she didn’t want to admit it just yet. A shinobi had to know when to draw back and re-think his or her actions.

[Niro]

Yoshinori's eyes fluttered shut as Tsuki pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, her warmth grounding him like an anchor in a storm. Wrapped in that quiet comfort, he drifted once more into sleep’s embrace. But rest didn’t come easily. His dreams fractured and splintered into a whirlwind of distorted images, like snapshots taken too quickly, one bleeding into the next. The In-Between invaded his mind in harsh flashes: a dark void, voices crying out as if underwater, warped and distant. It was disorienting and relentless.

Then, abruptly, everything changed. A single image cut through the chaos. A woman. Red-haired, blue-eyed, her expression filled with desperation as she clutched a scroll tightly to her chest. The colors around her were muted, but she was vivid, frighteningly real. And then she was gone. Yoshinori stirred awake, his chest tight and heart pounding. His eyes darted around the infirmary, needing to see with certainty that he was back in the real world. The steady tolling of the bells echoed in the distance, a comforting reminder that the In-Between had not claimed him.

The scent of stew pulled him further back to reality, grounding him. He glanced down at the bowl in his lap, then up his breath catching. Tsuki sat beside him, her eyes gentle, her presence normal. Not a puppet of that realm. Just her. Emotion swelled unexpectedly in his chest. He swallowed it down. “…Thank you,” he murmured, voice hoarse with sleep and something softer. He shifted and sat up with a wince, then took his first spoonful of stew. The warmth seeped into him, chasing away the last tendrils of that terrible dream.

But the peace didn’t last long. He paused mid-bite, a frown forming between his brows. The woman from his dream, it hadn’t felt random. That image was burned into him. Intentional. Urgent. “I think there’s someone still trapped in the In-Between,” he said suddenly, the words escaping before he could second-guess them. A flicker of color rose in his cheeks, not from fear but from guilt. “A woman. She… she was trying to reach me, I think. In my dream. I know how that sounds, but it felt real.” He looked at Tsuki, hesitating. “I really wasn't planning to dream about other women, but… this felt like more than a dream. Like she was calling out for help.”

[Lunanana]

Tsuki froze, catching the frown in his expression, her spoon halfway to her mouth. She slowly dipped it back into the bowl, her eyebrows slightly knitting together.”...Why would you phrase it like that, Yoshinori?” Something tugged at the bottom of her heart. Should she be worried…? It was an unfamiliar sensation. Not like the one you feel when you have to train while other kids are playing outside. This one felt a little murky, green, slimy. She never thought of that – well, not until now at least. While what he said was very relevant to the mission, Tsuki’s gaze trailed away for a moment. For a long time it felt like only them both existed in this world but… She heard stories. Was this a dark side of…? She didn't like the feeling, waving it off in her mind like a fly. If she let those thoughts take root it would just rot her from the inside, that she was sure of.

”Whoever she is… I trust your intuition. What’s curious is that she reached out to you. Specifically. I… Don’t think that’s random.” It in fact was strange but everything about this was strange and mysterious. She placed her half eaten meal on the bedside table and slowly stood up, wrapping her hands around herself and pacing back and forth slowly, thinking. When she finally stopped, he could read her face like a book – she was worried. ”I’m afraid we have less time than we imagined…” What she didn’t say is that they will need to go to the library and possibly split up again. If the woman called for him, that means she knows that he needs to take her back and that he has the means to, whatever they were.

Tsuki shifted uncomfortably, pacing again. ”...If Jinroku is the threat… “ She stopped by the end of his bed, placing her hands on the metal frame and clenching her palms around it. ”...Then he exists in the In-Between and in here.”

[Niro]

He didn’t have an answer. Not a good one, anyway. So he fell silent and focused on his stew, spooning it into his mouth with absent motions. With someone else, maybe he would’ve laughed it off and chalked it up to the nonsense of half-conscious dreaming. But not with Tsuki. Not now. The guilt lingered, thick and uncomfortable. He wasn’t even sure how to name it properly, only that the dream had left a weight on him, and trying to push it down had only made it heavier. Maybe it was because, deep down, some part of him was still afraid he hadn’t fully come back. That some piece of him was still adrift in that other place.

He sighed quietly and set the mostly empty bowl aside on the table next to the cot. Sliding toward the edge, he swung his legs over, preparing to get up then stopped. Instead, he reached for Tsuki and gently pulled her into his lap, holding her there with a seriousness in his expression that wasn’t born of panic or fear, but something deeply sincere. His eyes locked onto hers. “I’m sorry,” he said, voice low. “I felt… guilty. I know it was just a dream, but it left me feeling... dirty, almost. Not because of her, but because it wasn’t you. I didn’t know how to say it without sounding stupid… but I’d rather say it wrong than not say it at all.”

His hands rose to frame her face, thumbs brushing over her cheeks. He kissed her softly, once, then again, and again, featherlight touches that spoke more than words could manage. When he pulled back, his expression had softened, the burden of unspoken emotion a little lighter. “I don’t think it happened because it was me,” he added quietly. “I think… I was just the closest. After you and the monks came back, I was the closest to it. Everyone else was gone or… already lost. I was the only one left to hear her.”

His steel-blue eyes searched hers, warmth and apology flickering behind them. Then he leaned in, pressing his lips to hers in a deeper kiss, slow and full of unspoken promises. His hand supported her as he gently dipped her backward, cradling her before drawing her upright again. When they parted, a faint string of saliva lingered between them, and he laughed under his breath as he wiped it from her lip, a hint of color rising to his cheeks.

“Let’s check out that library,” he murmured, standing and offering her a hand to rise with him. His body protested, muscles still aching, cuts still raw. He winced and rolled his shoulders but steadied himself. There was more to uncover. Two missing shinobi still unaccounted for… and something dark waiting in the heart of the mountain.

[Lunanana]

Tsuki slowly slid to his lap, her hands close to her chest, looking up at him with doe eyes, and blinking owlishly at the sudden closeness. He apologized and she moved, her palm gently pressing on his chest.”N-No, no. Don’t feel guilty, you don’t need to be guilty for something you can’t control…” She slowly moved closer, ready to tell him that everything was okay, that they needed to move, that… ”Yoshino-...” The end of his name dipped between them in a shared kiss, and her eyes closed at the same time as a blush rose to her face.

Each kiss landed with a promise, affection, emotion that was better understood like this. Each one received, accepted and returned with the unspoken me too and always. When he pulled away, it took her a moment to open her eyes again, watching him, listening to him and hearing him. They both stared at each other, searching what was behind the gaze, and hers was filled with understanding, her hands already trailing to hold him close but he was faster. She gripped his shirt, her face already a shade of crimson, safe and loved in his embrace. She was gentle in receiving his kiss, yet the taste of eagerness shortwired her, parting her lips just a little more, inviting him, and when he accepted she felt like she’ll melt then and there. The coldness of the lack of him so close almost made her beg and yet the realization was quicker. As red as a person could be, she patiently waited for him to wipe her lips, only to hide her face in the crook on his neck, with her hands wrapped around his waist. It almost felt like Tsuki could burn his skin from her blush. She hid there, for a few long moments, feeling safe.

But they had a mission to complete. Her shoulders slumped slowly, letting him go to her deep displeasure and gently taking his hand to stand beside him, grabbing some cotton from the medicinal supplies. She didn’t talk, her face still painted with a deep blush but they began walking to the library, their steps following the same rhythm.It seemed that Tsuki lost her ability to speak for some time. Or maybe she was afraid if she did speak it will scare away the feeling that was dancing in circles around them. It was pink, light and warm… And Tsuki tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach.

Finally, they arrived by the library door that was now opened, as well as the passage. She even noticed the lavender thread from her scarf to her big surprise. That means that no one wanted to go down there. The butterflies hid, a turning sensation now taking place, and she almost showed her worry on her face. ”Yoshinori… When you enter there, you will feel nothing. Your wounds won’t hurt… But the longer you stay the less you will feel… I will go to find him. And then I will come back for you.” Tsuki turned to him with cotton in her hand, extending it to him slowly. Once he put it inside his ears, she mouthed “I love you” and stood by the entrance to the basement with a smile on her face. Before he descended, she kissed his shoulder while he was passing by her. Soon, Yoshinori was out of sight and she gulped, fear and worry now all written on her face. Tsuki turned around, her Byakuugan active. It was time to find the man in the heart of the mountain.

[Niro]

Yoshinori’s fingers intertwined with Tsuki’s as they walked together through the monastery’s hushed halls toward the library, the place where she had first discovered the manual passage into the In-Between. They moved slowly, unhurried, letting the silence between them settle comfortably. Outside, flurries drifted softly past the frosted windows, and somewhere in the distance, the monastery bells continued their measured toll, a distant reminder of the fragile safety they clung to.

He had expected the halls to be bustling with monks, but the silence was complete. Those who remained alive were scattered, either tending the ever-ringing bells or cleaning what they could of the shattered grounds. The absence of others made everything feel suspended, like a breath held just a little too long. The library was no different. Only the soft glow of wall torches welcomed them, their flames flickering quietly as if whispering among the shelves. Yoshinori’s gaze found the frayed lavender thread trailing from one of the sconces, leading downward into a shadowed passage. Tsuki’s scarf, torn and left like a trail in the dark.

He looked to her then, listening as she described the strange shift between the upper library and what waited below. This, she explained, was where the threshold had first opened for her, where she’d been taken. A quiet unease stirred in his gut, but he didn’t voice it. Instead, he took the small wad of cotton she offered and gently plugged his ears, letting the sound of the bells fall away until only the dull hush of his heartbeat remained. Her voice faded too, but before stepping away, he leaned in and pressed a lingering kiss to her lips. Silent, reassuring, a promise of return. Then, with a final glance, he nodded and turned toward the stairwell.

The moment his foot touched the first step, he felt it: pressure, like descending beneath the weight of deep water. Shadows thickened with every spiral of the narrow staircase. He followed the scraps of her scarf like breadcrumbs, conjuring a small flame between his fingers to guide the way. At the bottom, the stairwell opened into a low, narrow corridor, a surprisingly well-lit tunnel cut from the mountain itself.

Tsuki had mentioned encountering another shinobi down here, and he crept carefully forward. The silence was different in this place, too complete, too expectant. He reached the final chamber just before a sealed door. There, sprawled across the stone floor, lay the still body of the teal-haired woman, cold and unmoving.

Yoshinori approached cautiously, crouching beside her to examine the body for any sign of life, or clues. But as he gently turned her over, a flash of icy cold clamped around his wrist. He gasped. The woman’s eyes flew open, now glowing ice-blue, and her breath escaped in a hiss, her fingers locking around him like a vice of frost.

Meanwhile…

The great door at the base of the mountain now stood shut once more, but the fog, sinister and searching, had slithered its way back into the depths beyond it. Normally, monks stood watch at the entrance, warding off the curious and protecting the secrets sealed within. But with their numbers so diminished, the door had been left unguarded. Behind it stretched a vast spiral descent, far larger than the library’s. The passageway opened into a sprawling subterranean cavern where an immense crystal, suspended impossibly in the air, filled the chamber with a supernatural light.

Inside the floating crystal raged a monstrous, shifting form. Fluid and formless, its movements ceaseless, its fury palpable. Opposite it, settled at the bottom of the chamber in a mirrored crystal of his own design, Jinroku knelt in quiet meditation. His body was lean and sinewy, more monk than shinobi now, though no less dangerous. The flickering crystal light revealed his ashen skin, long untouched by daylight, and the fine network of chakra-burn scars winding up his arms and neck, living proof of how deeply he had tampered with powers not meant for mortal hands. His hair, once dark and thick, now hung in tangled streaks of silver at his jaw, unkempt from long isolation.

There was no peace in his aura, only tension, the barely-contained storm of a man locked in eternal struggle. His chakra pulsed dark and heavy, infected with the spirit sealed above him. It throbbed like a second heartbeat in the cavern, and though his posture was calm, his soul was in chaos. If he lost control, even for a moment, the spirit would consume him. And then it would be free.

[Lunanana]

Tsuki stopped by the doors that led out of the main monastery building, her hand a few inches from the handle hung in the air. She sighted, turning it and opening the door to the snowy outside, breathing in the air. The cold was biting, it seemed like even nature was getting cautious. Tsuki decided to walk slowly, gather her thoughts, maybe go over a list in her head for the plan… Which reminded her there was none. She frowned. She just wanted to be in the Nara forest, with him, with their cat. She thought for a moment how Shinya was doing, to ground herself with something familiar.

It took her some time to get to the door leading to the base of the mountain. There was nobody here and for a moment she hesitated again - was this really the right call? Biting the inside of her cheek, the equivalent of pinching oneself, Tsuki pushed the door and he breath hitched. It was something she hasn’t seen before, ever, and it took a lot of will to not just stand there and sightsee but to actually focus on the mission. She was quick to assess what was happening here: the crystal and the man, Jinroku, as she assumed, were both in a dance unseen to the naked eye.

Tsuki wanted to do it her way: stealthy, unseen, quick. Yet, she felt this was not the best course of action and attacking the man would only cause issues she did not have the knowledge to measure, at least not yet. Instead, she revealed herself from the shadow, standing with her back straight and staring at the man, at the crystal, taking everything in. Her hand was conveniently placed on her weapons pouch and her senses were working overtime. She won’t speak first but her chakra was enough for him to notice her.

[Niro]

Yoshinori didn’t hesitate the moment the dead woman’s icy grip clamped around his wrist. Instinct propelled his free hand to his weapons pouch, fingers moving with muscle memory born of too many close calls. Flame licked to life along his blade as he plunged it into the corpse’s eye. The possessed body gave a violent jolt, then went still, slack fingers sliding from his forearm like melting frost. He lingered, staring, breath coming in fast and shallow. The silence that followed throbbed in his ears.

Only when he was sure she wouldn't rise again did he let his body collapse backward, falling onto the cold stone floor with his arms bracing behind him. The cellar was dim, and the air clung to him with the scent of mold and old blood. He let his gaze sweep the room. Nothing moved. Nothing stirred except the tattered bag clutched protectively in the corpse’s other arm. With a wince, Yoshinori crawled back to her side. Her body was stiff, fingers still curled around the satchel like a memory that wouldn’t release. He gently pried it free, whispering a quiet apology he couldn’t explain.

The satchel yielded its contents: a few cracked tools, two kunai which he took with a soft, almost reverent touch, and something unexpected. A key. Brass, cool against his calloused fingers. He turned it over thoughtfully, its weight oddly grounding. There’d be no returning this woman’s body to her village. Not now. But he could give her rest. He left the kunai in her eye socket, where its flames began to flicker across her face. The fire kissed her skin without smoke, held in check by the unnatural frost in her veins, until the body was still again, truly this time. Only then did he retrieve the weapon.

Yoshinori turned toward the door leading deeper underground. A brass lock barred his way. He raised an eyebrow and gave a dry, tired laugh as he fished the key from his pocket. With a click, the lock turned, and the door creaked open. The next room mirrored the last: stone walls lined with barrels, the air rich with the scent of preserved herbs and dust. But at the far end, half-shrouded in shadow, stood an altar. Unease slid down his spine like a cold draft. His eyes narrowed as he spotted a thin smear of blood trailing behind it.

Meanwhile…

Jinroku raged within his crystalline prison, his soul entwined in a struggle with the spirit of the mountain; a battle of wills that defied reason or time. The arrival of Tsuki fractured his focus for a moment, just long enough for the spirit to surge forward. A wave of raw, oppressive energy escaped, sweeping through the cavern like a storm without wind. Jinroku’s body convulsed, arching in pain, a scream caught in a throat that could no longer form sound. And then, stillness save for the flicker of rage and desperation behind his closed eyes.

But the energy had not dissipated. It had summoned others. Shadows uncurled in the corners of the cavern, seeking corpses that lay forgotten beneath the dust, fallen monks who had come long ago in hope, only to die in silence. Icy tendrils, like smoke laced with frost, slithered into open mouths. Limbs twitched. Fingers curled. Then, with a jerking lurch, three of the dead rose, their movements disjointed and wrong. Black-blue veins pulsed visibly across their faces. Their eyes glowed with a cold hunger as they turned toward Tsuki. They didn’t walk. They charged.

[Lunanana]

Tsuki tightened her grip on the kunai that was already in her hand when Jinroku’s movement shifted. She watched him through the view of her Byakuugan now, trying to make sense of what was unfolding before her eyes. She followed the flowing and clashing of chakra, yet her attention was drawn elsewhere. She inhaled, shifting her focus to the monks now reanimated, their chakra networks flowing. For a second, Tsuki was confused how she didn’t see them before. Of course, it clicked. This was not their chakra.

They charged and she took a few steps back, shielding her face with her arms. One of them was alright to block but the second two charged in as well with a delay, sending her to slam into the wall behind her. She was quick to channel some chakra to her feet, allowing her to jump back and attack the monk in the middle with a combination of blows, closing off the tanketsu points around his chest and belly, including his arms. Her wrists were caught in the motion, Tsuki’s eyes widening. One of the issues of her Byakuugan was that she was so focused on one target, ultimately making her blind to the other ones. They spun her, kicking her both sides and Tsuki landed on her back, catching her breath as her lungs numbed. Then came the hits, one after the other, as she was moving her head to the sides as much as she could to avoid the fatal blows, hitting the ankles of the monks with her Byakuugan to numb them, winning a little time to crawl away.

Tsuki jumped back on her feet, she was still feeling good. One down, two to go.

[Niro]

The trio of possessed monks surged toward Tsuki in eerie silence, their forms jerking with unnatural speed. They struck in unison, fists whistling through the air, but Tsuki moved like flowing water, slipping between their blows with graceful precision. Her hand glowed faintly as she retaliated, striking the first monk clean across the chest. Jyuuken strikes shimmered over his heart, disrupting the corrupted chakra that kept the spirit tethered. The monk’s body convulsed once, twice, before slumping backward. A shrill hiss echoed through the chamber as the icy spirit burst free, writhing into the ether with no vessel left to anchor it.

But the remaining two came harder, driving her back with relentless strikes. Tsuki’s feet slid across the stone floor, but her focus never wavered. She ducked low, her hands snapping out in a flurry, pressure point strikes aimed with pinpoint accuracy. Their chakra flow collapsed at the ankles. The corrupted monks stumbled, feet suddenly numb and useless beneath them. They collapsed like puppets with cut strings. Yet the spirits weren’t finished. The icy shadows oozed from their hosts, crawling across the floor like living mist, inching toward her with snapping teeth and frozen malice.

Across the cavern, Jinroku remained locked in his own brutal contest of will. His body trembled as the spirit within clawed at his chakra network, black tendrils laced with an eerie hue beginning to spider up his veins. He gritted his teeth, but his resistance was fading fast.

---

Yoshinori followed the trail of blood behind the altar, every step cautious, kunai gripped tightly in his hand. His breath caught as he rounded the stone slab and froze. Lying crumpled against the far wall was the red-haired woman from his dream. She was barely conscious, her breath shallow and ragged. Confusion rippled across his face, but instinct took over. He sheathed the blade and dropped to one knee beside her, scanning for wounds.

Her body was mottled with frostbite burns and lacerations, eerily similar to those he'd received fending off the wraith’s ice. Clutched tight to her chest, half-hidden beneath a bloodstained tunic, were several scrolls. He frowned, torn. She was a missing-nin. An enemy, yet something in her presence didn’t feel like a threat. The last one he’d fought had twisted into a monster after death. Could she do the same?

As he hesitated, her eyes fluttered open, sharp, vivid, and haunting. With trembling fingers, she pulled the scrolls free and pushed them into his arms. “Use these… to reseal the spirit,” she rasped, blood slipping from the corner of her mouth. He stared at her, stunned. Then at the scrolls, their ink running crimson with her blood. Slowly, he unrolled the first one, skimming the symbols. The basics were familiar, fuuinjutsu of the simplest form, but as the script spiraled into more advanced work, his understanding thinned. Still, he nodded, rolling them back up with reverence.

Beside him, her hand fell limp to the stone floor. The decision had been made for him. Yoshinori rose without another word, the scrolls held tightly in his grasp. He cast one final glance at the fallen woman, then turned toward the tunnel beyond. His footsteps were soft, steady, each one taking him closer to a choice he no longer had the luxury to ignore.

[Lunanana]

Now a taste of panic was in the back of her mouth. The spirits crawling out of the bodies were crawling to her, their phantom touch freezing the stone beneath them. She took a few steps back and then they launched at her. Tsuki began avoiding their touch, falling into the defence stance, ducking, tilting and jumping when needed with familiar ease. Evading them was not the problem – erasing them was. She hesitated. She didn’t know how Yoshinori was able to fight the monks back there – she only saw how their fate unfolded in the In-Between.

Tsuki was thinking hard now, searching for the answer somewhere in her mind and she slipped. She slipped on the ice that formed under her feet, trying to catch herself in time only to land face first on the ice. Tsuki winced as pain shot through her nose and then let out a grunt through her teeth as a sharp icicle stabbed at the back of her shoulder. Just for a second they pinned her, coldness freezing the blood in her veins already. She tried to close her eyes, snowflake patterns already forming in her vision, when her hand slipped into her weapons pouch and gripped the second box of matches that Yoshinori gave her. Without knowing, he saved her life again…

Tsuki raised her hands, lighting the match. She almost wanted to smile, when the fire just… Went out. In an instant. It was too weak. She almost let out a whimper, out of ideas right now of all times. She didn’t have time to think, Tsuki had to rely on her instinct now. So, she launched herself up, the spirit behind her in two manifested sprites followed her right to where Jinroku was.

She activated her Byakuugan, trying to get as much information as exactly four seconds can provide.

[Niro]

A flurry of ice knives shattered against the stone floor, frosting over the ground beneath Tsuki's feet. The possessed monks swirled around her in a chaotic dance, catching her blows with unnatural precision, their own strikes tapping into her defenses like echoes of death. They weren’t just attacking, they were testing, waiting for the moment she would falter. One feint led to another, and in a heartbeat, they closed in ready to bring her down.

But flame flared between them. A burst of fire lit the narrow gap, the flickering matchlight scattering them like startled crows. They recoiled, the heat briefly forcing the spirits back but the reprieve was brief. A pulse of chilling energy spilled out from the crystal at the cavern’s center, washing over the fire and snuffing it out in an instant. Still, it was enough. Enough for Tsuki to breathe. To steady her feet.

Meanwhile, the spiritual battle inside the crystal raged. Jinroku's chakra pulsed and recoiled against the encroaching presence, but the spirit's will was relentless. Tendrils of violet energy slid like ink through water, twisting through the air until they began to seep into the crystal. Slowly, the light surrounding Jinroku began to shift. Pale at first, then deeper, darker.

Purple energy crawled upward, staining the crystal from the base. Jinroku's body trembled inside, convulsing as his spirit resisted with everything it had. But resistance was slipping, and the last of his defenses cracked. Everything screamed for Tsuki to run, to retreat. The wraiths. The flickering crystal. The rising tide of darkness. All of it whispered the same warning: leave, or be swallowed next.

---

Yoshinori sprinted through the tunnel, lungs burning with each breath. His heartbeat pounded in his ears and with every blink, the world shifted. One moment, he saw the stone passage ahead. The next, Tsuki. Her body caught in a flurry of strikes, her form silhouetted against the unnatural glow. Another blink, she was pinned to the ground. Then upright again. Fighting. Fading.

"Run!" he shouted, his voice cracking with panic, though there was no one in the corridor but him. Still, the warning tore from his throat like a prayer. Fury overtook his fear. With a growl, he launched forward, boots scraping across the damp stone as he ascended the spiral staircase. His limbs ached, stumbling more than once on slick cobblestone, but he never slowed.

The scrolls were pressed tight to his chest beneath his tunic, a heartbeat away from breaking. He spotted it, the edge of Tsuki's scarf fluttering up the steps like a trail of smoke. He followed it, driven, and burst through the threshold above. The bell above him let out a deep, resonant clang, an omen foretelling divine wrath rolling through ancient stone. Yoshinori yanked the cotton plugs from his ears, the sharpness of the sound clearing his head like cold water. He didn’t stop. Boots thudding against the library floor, he ran with his eyes locked on the distant doors that led to the courtyard, where battle waited and the future was still unwritten.

[Lunanana]

Tsuki watched what unfolded in front of her, equally focused, curious and afraid. The energy shifted and she almost formed a thought in her own head to run. 4. Her eyes shifted to Jinroku, his body, twitching and trembling, swallowed by the unknown. 3. What if we can help him?... What if he is not bad? What if he was just a victim of circumstances? What if… 2. There was no time for what ifs, she turned around in speed, hair flying upwards as she dipped lower to jump and run away. 1. First, there was a light, a deep shade of violet striking everything and in the same second a loud rumble was heard. 0. Tsuki jumped, from instinct, as everything around exploded. The shockwave hit her in the back, sending her further as she lost her balance.

In that very brief moment, if she would not have been so scared of the upcoming impact, she would’ve noticed the bird view under her. The dirt path that led to the mountain door, the forest, and the smaller buildings. Tsuki’s body finally started to descend, the gravity increasing her fall speed. In that brief moment, she saw him, running the path, his eyes burning with emotion she has not yet seen.

The sight of him caught her off guard and the chakra she was forcing into her feet faltered, making her fall and slide, leaving a trail in the snow, tumbling downhill through the bushes and trees until she finally caught onto a tree stem, holding herself from falling further. Tsuki slowly let go with a wince, at first crawling, then standing up and running towards Yoshinori, emerging behind him, not enough to talk to him, but enough to see him clearly. Her own heart was thundering in her chest, the Byakuugan eyes catching the glimpse of a scroll in his hands. He found something… She increased her speed, even if it meant more strain on her body.

[Niro]

Jinroku had always been drawn to spirits and fuuinjutsu. From a young age, he had devoured every sealing technique the Iwagakure archives had to offer, but it wasn’t enough. Restless and ravenous for forbidden knowledge, he abandoned the village in search of more. Rumors whispered of an ancient technique, a fuuinjutsu created by the first head monk of the Kinkaku Monastery, said to be powerful enough to seal even the most formidable spirits. The legend ignited something in him. It began with innocent questions and ended in betrayal.

Two other rogues joined him, lured by promises of wealth and strength stolen from the spirit itself. The monks, bound by trust and tradition, had welcomed the trio with hesitant kindness. Jinroku, cloaked in charm and expertise, asked to see the problem firsthand. His deep knowledge of sealing arts made deception effortless. But they hadn’t come to help. They came to take. One companion slipped away to silence the monastery’s protective bells, while the other was sent to ransack the tomb of the first head monk, where the sacred scrolls were said to lie. When the younger of the two returned with news that the bells had been disabled, Jinroku struck her without hesitation, his staff thrust into her gut, sharp and cold. The look of betrayal in her eyes? He found it laughable. She disappeared into the dark, bleeding and broken, and he never looked back.

With the monks either dead or deep in forced slumber, Jinroku waited for the final scroll. But impatience overtook him. He reached out to the mountain’s spirit, too early, too recklessly, and the price was steep. A battle for his soul ignited, and he lost. Now, he was little more than a shell, his body a prison of its own, possessed by the frost-bound wrath he had sought to control. A violet light burst from deep within the mountain, blowing open the great doors that led to its heart. Jinroku rose with unnatural grace, his form wrapped in the same freezing mist that haunted the monastery’s lower halls. Veins ran black with ice, and jagged frost began to creep across his skin like spreading armor. He hovered above the steps, a figure more wraith than man, and drifted through the gates.

Screams echoed from within the monastery. The monks, what few remained, cried out for the bells. They had been the last defense against the spirits’ escape. But the mountain’s guardian was far too strong. The bells could not hold it back. Above, in the courtyard, the wind howled and a blizzard took form. Yoshinori’s heart nearly stopped when the mountain shuddered. He hadn’t even seen her, hadn’t realized Tsuki had been thrown into the sky like a broken bird, until it was too late. His gaze had been fixed on the gates, on the rising horror above them.

And all at once, everything sharpened. He sprinted into the storm, the snow whipping past his face like shards. His breath came in hard bursts, white in the cold air, but he didn’t slow. Rage and fear propelled him forward, faster than his body should have allowed. And then he saw him. Jinroku. Or what was left of him. The possessed man rose into the air, enshrouded in storm and shadow, his features barely human beneath layers of blackened ice.

Yoshinori didn’t hesitate. With a roar of defiance, he leapt, body like a drawn bow, energy honed into a single strike. His boots collided with Jinroku’s chest with the force of fury and love intertwined, and the two of them crashed back into the mountain's depths. “Where is my woman!?” Yoshinori shouted, voice ragged and raw. “Where is Tsuki!?” The blizzard screamed with him, as if the mountain itself had been waiting for his cry.

[Lunanana]

She ran, trying to catch up with him, everything blurring in her peripheral vision. Whatever was left of Jinroku was now glowing, bleeding energy, light and chakra around brightly, making her lift her palm and shield her eyes from the glow. Reanimated corpses rose again and Tsuki caught herself in time to avoid them as best as she could, sliding, squeezing and turning through them like water, until more and more of them came. surrounding her in a circle. There were too many to keep them all strong, unlike those she encountered before, so some fell easily, some she re-directed to hit one another instead trying to make her way to Yoshinori.

The last she saw was him leaping to Jinroku, hitting him as they both fell down to the depths of the mountain. Her scream died in her throat. She can’t get through, not now… “Oi! You!” Tsuki ducked, pulling herself away from the overwhelming buzz of misdirected punches and kicks, and feeling her hand grabbed. With force, she landed nearby the innkeep, her eyes blinking owlishly. “We’re here to help. Tell us what to do.” Said another man, the one she saw entering the baths. Even the monks were there, with shovels and pitchforks. Ill equipped but well spirited, the villagers waited for her to say something and she nodded, tilting her head to the crowd that was approaching them again.

”It’s a fight with time. Do what you can to keep them busy.” She didn’t need to explain more, the innkeep nodded in understanding and readied everyone, while Tsuki turned to them as well. She had to get to him, one way or another. She braced herself, stepping forward and raising her hands, when another back touched to hers and she tilted her head to see. “Dance with me” The tall woman from the inn said with a smirk and they both started making their way through the crowd, Tsuki armed with her hands and the innkeep with a butchers knife, moving in a circular motion they stormed the crown like a typhoon.

[Niro]

Yoshinori and Jinroku spiraled through the frigid air, locked in a deadly dance as they plummeted into the mountain’s gaping heart. Each strike came fierce and unrelenting; blows exchanged with precision and desperation, their silhouettes twisting like shadows against the dying light. Jagged stones broke free from the cavern walls, tumbling alongside them into the dark abyss, while the torches above flickered out one by one, swallowed by the descending cold.

Yoshinori straddled the possessed husk mid-fall, his obsidian hair whipping around him. He drove his kunai in savage arcs, slashing and hammering at Jinroku’s cursed form. In return, the staff clutched in the fallen monk’s hands rained down strikes against his ribs, shoulders, and back. Flesh bruised, steel clashed, and still neither relented, their descent as violent as it was inevitable. As the cavern floor surged up to meet them, the air turned sharper, colder, frost licking at their limbs. Then, suddenly, a slick sheet of ice bloomed beneath them, condensing from the mountain’s breath. Jinroku hit first, crashing through the slide with a sickening crack, bouncing off a shelf of frozen rubble. Yoshinori followed, rolling through the impact before plunging into the ice.

Silence reigned in the dark. Breathless. Still. Then, the frost stirred. From the broken ice, the two figures rose still tangled in the heat of their fight. Yoshinori’s knuckles were bloodied, his breathing ragged. He held Jinroku’s staff with one hand, straining to keep the weapon from striking him, while the other clenched a kunai, its blade glinting in the dim, poised for the final blow. But Jinroku, though diminished, was not yet beaten. He caught Yoshinori’s wrist mid-strike, the two locked in a tense stalemate, foreheads nearly touching, frost biting at their skin.

Behind Jinroku, the cold gathered, solidifying into jagged icicles that hung in the air, ready to spear through Yoshinori’s back like the judgment of the mountain itself. Above, the wraiths, those twisted echoes under the spirit’s command, slithered out like smoke and poured into the broken bodies of fallen monks. One by one, they stirred, limbs moving like marionettes. Even the weak, too injured to resist, fell under their sway. Eyes glowing faintly, the possessed rose with single-minded intent and turned their gaze upon the lilac-eyed woman in the courtyard.

They remembered her. They remembered her interference. Tsuki. She had been the one to sever their hold once before. Now, she was marked. As the reanimated monks began to spread out through the grounds, she became their target, their steps growing more coordinated, more sinister, with every passing moment. But fate was not done dealing hands. The arrival of the townspeople, armed and desperate, shifted the tides. Reinforced by the surviving monks, they surged forward to meet the threat. Chaos erupted across the courtyard, but it was not hopeless. Together, they could push the possessed husks back and reclaim the monastery from the brink once more.

Through the frantic crowd, Tsuki fought her way forward. Snow melted beneath her steps, the chill of the air curling through her lungs. Then, she would see it—half-buried in the snow where Yoshinori had fallen before: the blood-stained scrolls, torn loose from his tunic in the melee. Inside, etched in fine strokes, was an intricate fuuinjutsu far more complex than anything she'd seen before. Inside it were clear instructions for her to follow; draw the seal and apply her chakra.

Far below, metal struck metal, a harsh, echoing clash, as the two men fought on beneath the earth, each refusing to fall.

[Lunanana]

She knelt, slender fingers gently taking the scroll and wiping all the remaining snow on it. Her eyes scanned the writing, eyebrows knitting first in confusion then in focus. It was all laid before her – the instructions specific and clear on what she needed to do and yet Tsuki understood that with her given chakra reserves she’ll probably be entering the dangerous territory. The fight with the crowd, even if swift, took its toll. If it’s all it took – she was okay with that. If this gave Yoshinori the upper hand to win, the village another chance to thrive, and the monastery to be restored, it was a small price to pay. The chance of her being attacked while passed out was slim.

This time she didn’t hesitate. With the scroll in her hand, Tsuki limped to the now rubble of what was once the entrance to the mountain. Slowly placing the scroll nearby, she almost used her Byakuugan again to ensure no mistakes were made but then logic kicked in and Tsuki frowned. She focused on copying the seal, everything around her not existing for the moment – just the solemn vow to come back whatever it took. She did as the scroll instructed and with a slow and steady exhale, extended both her hands, ignoring the pain on her shoulder to the best of her ability and clenched her teeth. She let the chakra flow, slowly, steadily until it has taken enough.

Slowly, her lips parted to whisper ”Is it okay?...” Before she blinked slowly and everything slowly turned to black. Her body gently fell on the soft snow with a dull thud, coldness soothing her bleeding nose and swollen eye. Even now she looked peaceful. The seal started glowing and everything that happened next was unknown to her.

[Niro]

Yoshinori and Jinroku tore apart from each other only to collide again in a storm of steel and fury. The sharp ring of metal rang out as Yoshinori’s kunai scraped along the length of the staff, now capped with twin blades of ice. With a twist of his wrist, he knocked the weapon downward, pinning it against the stone. His foot followed, solid and swift, driving the possessed husk of Jinroku into the cavern wall. But the ice had its own will.

A sudden sheen spread across the wall, catching Jinroku mid-impact and hurling him back like a slingshot. He soared through the air, gaining speed but Yoshinori was ready. He dropped low, the cold air biting at his skin as the man passed overhead, then pivoted sharply to drive a vicious kick into Yoshinori’s jaw. Bone crunched. Yoshinori staggered, a grunt tearing from his throat. The blow had lifted him an inch off the ground. His lip split; the coppery taste of blood flooded his mouth. He turned and spat into the shadows at the cavern’s edge, the sound sharp in the stillness. Only faint light filtered down from the ruined entrance above, casting long, uncertain shadows across the chamber.

The glint of sunlight danced across the ice, across the staff, across the fire that now flickered along the edge of his kunai. The two clashed again, fire and frost colliding in violent rhythm. Jinroku’s staff cracked against his ankle, drawing a hiss of pain, but Yoshinori drove his kunai deep into the man’s chest in return. The contact unleashed a frigid pulse, throwing Yoshinori back against the stone wall. He hit with a grunt, the wind knocked from him. Still, he rose. His breath caught as he found his footing. The sharp pain in his ankle made it clear it was broken. But there was no time to limp. No time to yield.

Agony lanced through his leg, but he gritted his teeth and kept his balance. His eyes locked onto the black ice that smoldered on Jinroku’s chest, flames flickering and then dying out. Of course. Fire alone wouldn’t be enough. Jinroku stood with a twisted smile, brushing ash from his robes. A warped laugh escaped his throat. Distorted, inhuman. It scraped against the air like claws across glass.

He advanced. The air thickened. Cold gathered like breath holding in the lungs of the world. Behind Jinroku, shards of ice formed midair, lethal and silent, poised to skewer Yoshinori where he stood. But something changed. Jinroku’s body shuddered. Twitched. Convulsed. “No, no!” the figure shrieked, but the voice was not his own. From the cavern ceiling, light bloomed. Violet chakra washed through the chamber like a storm tide; shimmering, radiant, absolute. Beams of maroon light speared downward, each one striking Jinroku as if divine judgment had found its mark.

A haze began to rise from his skin. Purple and ghostly, steam that screamed as it lifted. With every lance that tore through him, the spirit writhed, clawing to stay tethered to the man’s flesh. Yoshinori didn’t hesitate. He summoned what chakra remained, his veins screaming from overuse. The red haze of annihilation bloomed around his hands, seething with violent power. He shaped it, forged it, drew it inward like pulling breath through bloodied lungs.

A crackling sphere emerged between his palms. It was dense, angry, pulsing with raw energy. A snarl twisted his features as he leveled it at the staggering figure. “Eat this,” he growled, and released the shot. The orb screamed through the air, lighting the cavern in a crimson blaze. Jinroku raised his arms to shield himself, but they dissolved first, atomized in an instant. The blast tore through him, chest, spine, soul, just as another lance of violet light fell from above.

The body crumpled, lifeless. But the spirit wasn’t done. It surged free, screaming, a swirling cloud of anguish and malevolence. It clawed at the air as if to flee, but the lances came again, pinning it to the earth one after another. The spectral wail was deafening, filling every inch of the cavern with its dying wrath. Then, silence. The spears melted slowly, their glow softening as they coalesced into something new: a crystalline prison. Violet and translucent, it shimmered like a monument to everything lost and everything saved.

“Tsuki... damn it, where’s Tsuki...” Yoshinori muttered under his breath, voice hoarse and cracked. The chaos of battle still echoed in his bones, but her absence screamed louder than anything else. He hadn't seen her, hadn't found her body, and the pain lancing through his head and chest made everything feel muffled, distant, like he was underwater. He stumbled to a halt, eyes flicking across the destruction. The cold silence of the cavern mocked him. Dust hung thick in the air, glittering like ash in the shaft of pale light still spilling through the shattered entrance.

A guttural roar tore from his throat, raw with grief. He sank to his knees, fists clenched against the stone. His breath came in shallow bursts, and for a moment, just one, he thought of giving up. Of letting the cold take him. Of lying down and becoming another nameless piece of the mountain’s wreckage. But then, faint, barely more than a whisper, a voice inside him stirred.

Get up.

He grit his teeth, wiped the tears from his eyes with the back of a bloodied hand, and began to climb. His hands trembled, his body screamed, but he pressed chakra into his limbs and scrambled upward, every inch a defiance of despair. And when he crested the top, he saw her. There, amid the snow-dusted rubble and broken branches, lay Tsuki. Unconscious. Still. But breathing.

His heart lurched so violently it nearly knocked the air from his lungs. For a beat, he couldn’t move. Just stood there, tears slipping freely down his cheeks, unbelieving. Then he ran. The pain in his ankle was forgotten as he half-stumbled, half-sprinted to her side. He dropped to his knees, hands shaking as he gently brushed strands of hair from her face.

“Tsuki,” he whispered, voice catching. “Hey... come on, talk to me.” She stirred faintly, a quiet mumble leaving her lips. Nonsensical, but alive. Relief slammed into him with the force of a tidal wave. He laughed, a raw, broken sound as joy and pain tangled together in his chest. Chakra exhaustion, he realized. She had just pushed herself too far. He gathered her into his arms carefully, cradling her against him as though she were made of glass. Her weight was familiar, grounding, and something in him finally began to breathe again. Standing was agony. A sharp hiss escaped him as his ankle protested but he stood anyway.

Because now, he wasn’t leaving the mountain alone.

[Lunanana]

Yoshinori and Tsuki successfully resealed the malicious spirit bound to the mountain and neutralized the missing-nin Jinroku, who had come under threat of possession. The monks were safely evacuated, and the mountain’s spiritual safeguards were restored. Both shinobi sustained injuries during the confrontation and were transported to a nearby hospital for recovery.

Yoshinori limped forward, slowly but surely, with Tsuki in his arms. He didn’t need to go far to see what had happened nearby – old, torn monk robes lined the snow, their essence turned to dust now that the spirit was once again contained. Villagers and monks were resting, tending to each other’s wounds and when Yoshinori appeared all of them turned their heads to him. They didn’t say anything directly just a wave of thankful murmurs trailed to Yoshinori’s ears.

“Good work, kids. I called the medic nin to tend to you right after you left my inn. They'll be here shortly.” The innkeep said, exhaling smoke with a smirk. She was proud but she’d never admit it. That was the friendliest she’ll ever get. Some villagers wanted to come closer to him, to thank their hero and yet, the innkeep shoo’d each and everyone one of them away. She knew better than to overwhelm hurt shinobi. Now was not the time. The cigarette fell down in the snow, going out in a silent hiss and the sound of footsteps in the crunchy snow quickly followed, two medical ninja approaching them both. The woman took Tsuki from Yoshinori’s arms, while the other one sat him down, tending to most uncomfortable injuries first before taking them in.

Tsuki stirred, seeing a green glow through her eyes which were barely open. She blinked, her vision blurry but she could make out the shape next to her. If she’d be blind she’d still know it was Yoshinori. Her gaze softened, relief washing over her and the darkness taking her in again. It was okay. Everything was okay.
. . .
They transferred the two shinobi to a nearby small hospital to patch them up enough for them to return to Konoha. Their job at the monastery was done – everything else was left to the monks and villagers to tend to. The spirit was once again sealed and contained, recent events pushed forward even more security measures. With time, more and more visitors will come to the village, boosting its economy and the village will rise anew.

Tsuki was the first one to awaken. She didn’t think twice before placing her feet on the cold tiles and slipping her hand into her backpack to take out her book and notes. She had a very specific priority right now and it was to find him. She silently exited her room, noticing a nurse by the door right next to hers. Tsuki was not allowed in and she blinked a few times, stuttering, inquiring why, and the only response she got was that this was not allowed. She blushed, veins appearing on the sides of her eyes and with a quick move, the nurse was now silently sleeping by the door. Tsuki made sure to position the nurse’s head so that when she wakes up, her neck wouldn’t hurt. With that, she silently slid into his room and found him fast asleep.

She didn’t realise she was holding her breath before she saw him so she inhaled, air filling her lungs finally, gently stroking his cheek with her thumb. She placed one, four, seven kisses on his face before sitting at the end of his bed. She watched him for some time and then it hit her that fire was the only counter element during their mission, which made her take out her book again. She began reading the last chapter, her focus shifting there, as she patiently waited for Yoshinori to wake up so they could go home.