Daichi’s heart was in his throat. “Why did Ikaru wait so long to contact me?” He simply could not shake the question burning in his mind. His gut wrenched as the thought… “Perhaps she’s fighting a losing battle and he does not want to distract me? But that’s not his place! Although joing ROOT usually means sacrificing certain rights and privileges…” The young man’s mind was reeling, but he pushed it back, focusing hard on the task at hand; getting home. His feet clapped below him as rustling wing whipped past his face. The leaves of the forest surrounding Konoha crunched as his soles pressed them into the ground. Daichi looked up, peering through the branches overhead catching glimpses of the sky through holes in the foliage. The sky was beginning to darken, though specks of light managed to permeate the barrier. The young boy felt a twinge in his gut as he continued forward. Something felt wrong, though he could not quite put his finger on it. And then it hit him! This was the same sensation he had felt, just before he was forced to flee Kumo. “Shit!” Dai thought to himself, quickening his pace. He began to pant as the scenery flashed by him in a green and brown blur. He could make out the large white wall of the city up ahead, stirring him onwards. The young shinobi’s arms were heavy as they swung by his side, lightly brushing against his uniform. Within minutes he had reached the village gates which loomed well overhead. This did not slow Dai down as he bounded by the guards. He recognized one of the sentries from the ANBU and nodded slightly as he whizzed by. The young female wave the Uchiha on; almost as if spurning him forward.
It did not take Dai long to become acclimated to his surroundings, once again recognizing the streets and shops from his childhood. A lot had changed, but at the same time it all felt familiar, a little comforting even. Still, the young man cared little about these things. Rather, he was spurned forward by thoughts of his mother. For several more minutes Dai continued through the city, quickly closing in on his old home. Soon the door was in view and its familiar blue frame beckoned him onwards. His pace slowed to a walk as he approached his mother’s house. He fussed with his hair as he tried to slow his breathing. It had been a long time since the young shinobi had been his mother and wanted to look his best for her. He tried to slow his heart rate with no avail the blood still pumping heavily in through his body. Dai slowed to a stop as he reached the door extending his right hand towards the knob. As his finger found the cold steel he closed them around the handle. Slowly, deliberately the young man twisted the knob carefully pushing open the door. The hinges creaked as they shifted about and Daichi walked across the threshold.
The young man as hit by a sudden cool breeze, as the inside temperature was much lower than the humid air outside. Dai closed the door behind himself, letting it click shut with a slight thud. Once again he took a deep breathe and exhaled slowly. Walking forward, the young man made his way past the foyer and down the familiar halls of his old home. Not much had changed, the same pictures and decorations lining the walls. He gently touched the walls as he moved as if the contact would sparks some old memory. It did not... Still Dai moved with a silent purpose through the house. As he neared the end of the hall he came to a stop; before him sat the azure door to his mother’s room. Behind the heavy wood Daichi could make out voices. As his right hand touched the knob, he felt a lump rise in his throat. He swallowed hard and gently opened the door. The voices grew louder as he passed through the barrier, seeing two young medical ninjas around a bed. The first was a young man, likely in his 20’s standing in front of the foot of the bed. The second was a younger female likely in her early teens. As Dai neared the bed, they turned around suddenly, startling everyone. After that moment had passed the young, male medic spoke solemnly, “You must be Daichi if I am not mistaken?” The man extended his hand and Dai offered his in return, nodding slightly. As they release hands the young shinobi inquired, “How is she? What’s wrong? How long?”
“Not good,” spoke the young doctor, “She doesn’t have long… Maybe 24-48 hours. Frankly, it’s good you got here when you did. And I’m sorry to say but she is no longer in a conscious state. I’m afraid she won’t be able to communicate with you or see you at all.” Daichi’s jaw sat agape as he tried to absorb the information he had just been told. He shook his head slightly, trying to find the words. There were none…”Perhaps we will just give you some time alone. If you need anything we will be in the next room.” With that the to medical ninjas excused themselves from the room, each giving a slight bow as they left. Daichi closed his mouth tightly, clenching his teeth as he moved closer to the bed. As his mother came into view he had a flood of emotions seeing in this withered state. He was too late… He would never again see his mother’s smile or feel her arm embrace. The young man collapsed to his knees besides the bed, grasping his mother’s hand. He wept as he felt her cold skin beneath her fingers. “I’m so sorry mom!” he exclaimed. As his emotions enveloped him he felt overwhelmed with sadness and anger… At both himself and Ikaru… Tears poured from his eyes and he felt a burning behind his closed eyelids. As he opened them there was a new sensation, behind his own vision he could see waves flowing in front of him, through the electric circuits, through his mother, through the wall and into the front room… Rubbing his eyes furiously he moved to the bedroom mirror. Much to his surprise his eyes had turned bright red with a circle surrounding the pupil and one small dot on the line, slowly moving around the pupil. “What is this!!” He exclaimed in confusion. “Mom… Why aren’t you here! What is thissssss!”
Sharingan Unlocked: One Tomoe Mastery
