Chapter 76 - Changing Masks

…

Then we immediately take off. Jumping from tree to tree… this is another thing that I lost now that I don't have the sharingan. I used to travel with Shunshin everywhere. I would have been in Konoha in twenty minutes tops. 

I then look at my squad…. and with these guys dragging me down, now it will probably take around three days.  

*sigh*  This is going to be a looooong journey.

….

Surprisingly we arrived in Konoha only after two days. But it sure felt longer than that. There was not a lot of conversation going on. I got close to all of them except the Uchihas.

Anyway we are finally here. Seeing the giant gates of Konoha almost gives me a sense of relief… As soon as I go towards the gate the guards greet me and look at my arm. I just nod towards them and the chunin team splits and they each go their own way. Then,  I am about to go towards the Inuzuka clan compound. But suddenly three Anbu appeared in front of me. They all had masks with animal drawings in them so that means that they probably are not root ninja. Then one of them with the eagle mask says to me in a calm voice.

"Jounin Yami you are invited to report your

battlefield experiences to the Hokage. Then there will also be a clan hearing after that."

"Oh.. Ok I will remember to do so after I go and greet my family… I haven't seen my mother and Tsume in a long time."

Then as I am about to walk away the Anbu with the hawk mask touches my shoulder and says in a stern tone like scolding a kid.

"I would suggest that you go see the hokage. 

Yami -san."

….

-Anbu POV-

….

This one armed kid… who does he think he is to refuse the Hokage…

As soon as I grabbed the kid's shoulder he turned around and he had a very serious face. His eyes cold and bloodshot… that put chills in my back...

I could feel a formless pressure from the kid and then the kid says quietly, in a strong voice.

"I will kill you. Right here. Right Now."

*chirp**chirp**chirp**chirp*

Then a heavy killing intent comes out of the kid, and even birds started running away as if sensing the danger…

Suddenly the world turned red all around… 

Then…. I feel like I am being butchered with a dull knife. Pain is ringing all around my body. Blood is flowing like a river from all of my wounds. I could hear the loud scream of a woman in pain right next to my ear. I turn back and see those cold eyes staring at me and the dull knives start to gently skin me alive...

"AAAAHHHHHHH."

….

-MC POV

I look at the guy who is standing in front of me. He has let go of my shoulder and his anbu mask fell off. His mouth is open and his eyes are dull. I put him in a Genjutsu as soon as he touched me. The other Anbu are looking at me in shock and they seem ready to attack. Then I disperse all my blood-l.u.s.t and smile at them slightly with a ridiculing look in my face.

"I am just joking."

Then the Anbu who touched my shoulder, seems like he broke out of my genjutsu and as soon as he does so, he gets on his knees and…

*brlegh*

He throws up on the ground. It seems like I will have to get rid of the innocent & naive kid mask.

I just look at him with a serious face.

"You know you are lucky that I am so nice. If it was some other S rank Konoha ninja..like Orochimaru. You would have thrown up more than your lunch."

And then I started walking towards the Inuzuka clan compound. I don't even stop at my mother's house and immediately go towards the Clan Head's house. When I enter my house, after making sure no one is around. I go into my room and stomp hard on the floor.

*bam*

*Poof* 

A clone appears next to me. I extend my hand towards him and he does the same. We start doing some handsings together.

I use an earth jutsu to move the earth below me, and a hole that only someone around my size can enter. The clone nods at me and waits up there.

Then I jump down again with chakra strings attached all around to slow down my fall …

and at the end of it after 20 meters or so underground. I see a jar with a kanji meaning iron inscribed in it. I pick it up and I  jump up with the help of chakra strings.

After getting to the top. I sit down cross legged. And with my hand I touch the jar, with my clone keeping watch over me… I let my conscience go into the jar...

….

Soon I am in a white space… and I see in the middle of this white space there is a creature that resembles a dark purple leech with a serpent-like body… on its face, it wears a blank white coloured  mask that has the kanji for 'zero' on it, which is tan in colour and five red hair-like strands sprouting from it four at the top and one at the bottom. It is surrounded in chains holding it down together with five giant steel pillars connected by chains in a circular way. All of that is holding the creature down. 

As soon as it sees me it tries to send some dark chakra towards me but it is blocked by all the seals. Then a mouth on the mask and the mouth in the mask moves and it says.

"I see that you only have one arm now… I can heal it for you if you want… I can give you unimaginable power… a power that can strengthen you the stronger your enemy is…

I CAN MAKE YOU STRONGER… THE STRONGEST..."