Chapter 74.3- One Thousand Hands

XXXXX- RIKU THE GOLDEN FISTED MONK

She’s fucking insane, he thought to himself as he took another swig from his flask. His flask. His trusty flask. It was the only thing that made any fucking sense these days. It had only been three. Three days since they entered the land of Earth proper and in that time this woman had done things that nature would never have countenanced. Part of him told him to kill her. Part? Fuck no. The whole of his being told him to kill this woman and end these abominations she created with every breath.

But even if he could— and at this point he was nearly certain that he would fail if he tried— he would be cut down the second he did so. Because he was the only one who saw something wrong in what she was doing. The dead were meant to stay dead.

“They’re not dead, you know?” Her voice cut through the stillness of the night. He froze. She had caught him staring at one of her creatures. The thing— the body of an Iwa Jounin with black hair and features that would have been beautiful when there was life flowing through those cheeks, and now she spoke through it.

“Wh-what?” He stuttered despite himself and took another swig from the flask. Bless the gods for Sake, he thought.

“You’re staring at this body. I can see the revulsion. The hate in your eyes. You want to destroy this body, maybe even destroy me. Ah, there it is. You do want to destroy me. I suspected, you know? But I was far from certain.”

“So what? What you do, it’s unnatural. Let the dead rest. I have never judged you shinobi for killing without ceasing. I pledged my services to your Kazekage even despite my faith because I could see a certain nobility in what you did. Service to the village. To a higher calling. But you? You have no respect for the dead. You kill not because you need to, but you revel in it. Enjoy it” He spurned her and enjoyed the wa his rage tasted in his mouth as he let the words free. Instead of flinching. Instead of deciding to repent her ways, she laughed. A full throated laugh as the head of the Jounin flapped back nearly one hundred and eighty degrees.

“I said I don’t kill them. This woman, she lives. And you speak of higher calling? I serve a calling higher than any other. Revenge for blood spilt. Let me explain my technique to you, Riku” She spoke in that same voice. Why did she sound so amused. She stood as she spoke, and against his training, Riku tried to flinch backwards. He could not. He felt his muscles betray him.

“Wh-what did you do Ch-Chiyo?” He stuttered out, barely managing to make his lips move.

“You drink from that flask at least nine times an hour. I wondered how long your constitution would let you resist” Poison!