dorn-queen-of-thorns - Tumblr blog

dorn-queen-of-thorns · 28 days ago

Text

"The power in me"

20th chapter " A perfidious ultimatum"

In the ruins of Konoha

The abandoned corridors of Konoha's once-progressive scientific institute stood as a cold shadow of their former self. Once filled with bustling activity and a drive for progress, they were now bleak, silent halls steeped in the oppressive presence of destruction. Cracks ran along the walls, and the faint light spilling from damaged lamps barely pierced the pervasive darkness.

Shikadai had retreated to one of the abandoned quarters formerly occupied by the institute’s scientists. His sanctuary consisted of a rickety chair, an old table, and a worn-out mattress. In front of him lay a makeshift shogi board, its pieces carefully arranged. Deep in thought, he pondered his next move. This game, which his father had taught him long ago, was more than just a distraction. It helped him endure the oppressive monotony of life in this desolate refuge and reminded him of better times.

Lost in thought, he often revisited moments with his father—days when Shikamaru not only taught him the strategies of shogi but also the art of the Shadow Possession Jutsu. He vividly remembered his frequent outbursts of frustration: "This is so troublesome!" whenever his father challenged him with seemingly unsolvable tasks designed to push his limits. But those challenges were what had made him stronger—back then, in a world that still seemed whole.

He also thought of his strict but protective mother. She was always there when he and his Team 10 comrades were in danger. Shikadai could still picture her proud smile whenever he returned successfully from a mission and the advice she offered whenever he failed. If she were here now, she would surely know what to do, he thought.

It had been three years since he last heard from her—likely lost the day the catastrophe descended upon Konoha. The same fate had befallen his father. The memory of that moment was still fresh: that bastard Daemon, grinning and laughing mockingly, cradled in Eida’s arms as he pointed at his father’s lifeless body. Shikadai, tears streaming down his face, had activated his Shadow Possession Jutsu, intending to strike Daemon down with it.

The attack had failed the moment he laid eyes on Eida. Her appearance was bewitching. Her flawless, youthful skin exuded pure beauty. Her long, blue hair, cascading into soft curls, sensually framed her body. Her clear, deep blue eyes seemed to encompass everything, and her aura captivated everyone in her presence. Her soft, full lips, which one unwillingly felt drawn to kiss, curved into a friendly smile.

It was a deeply unsettling moment for Shikadai. Eida’s stunning appearance had, in that instant, made him forget all his hatred for her and Daemon, as well as his desire to avenge his father.

At that moment, he had to accept—and quickly learn—that escaping her grasp was futile. He would have to adapt to the new reality.

The institute, now a refuge for a handful of survivors, housed few residents: Shikadai himself, Kawaki, and the unnerving siblings Eida and Daemon, who lived in a bizarre and disturbing symbiosis. Their presence filled every corner of the institute with an oppressive aura.

Kawaki occasionally visited Shikadai, mostly when Eida and Daemon no longer needed him. These visits were rare and laden with unspoken heaviness. Shikadai always tried to ignore the haunted look in Kawaki’s eyes, the trembling of his hands, or the inexplicable bruises on his body. But he could imagine what his friend endured.

Shikadai had only witnessed it once, and the sight still haunted him. He had seen Eida subject Kawaki to a cruel mixture of power and sadism. She called it "the game"—a game where Kawaki served as a chess piece in her twisted fantasies, an object bent to her will.

He had thought such acts were reserved for adults, hidden from children’s eyes until they reached an age when they began to understand such things. But Eida had shown him otherwise. She took what she wanted, without regard for anyone else—much to Kawaki’s suffering.

For Shikadai, the punishment lay in being forced to witness the suffering—compelled to comprehend the horrors without being able to help his friend. For Kawaki, however, it was far worse: physical abuse that shattered every boundary of endurance. And whenever Kawaki rebelled, whenever his will clashed with her sadistic games, Daemon stepped in. Eida’s younger brother was the perfect guard dog—unpredictable and brutal.

Shikadai saw no escape from this hell. Each day in the institute was another chapter in an endless nightmare, where hope and humanity had long since faded. Only the shogi board offered him a small anchor, a faint light in the darkness. But even that light threatened to extinguish one day—and today was that day.

Shikadai had been pondering his next move for hours when he suddenly realized he was being watched by an unwelcome visitor. It was Eida’s deranged little brother, Daemon.

"Yo, you piece of trash! My sister wants to see you!" Daemon spat the words at him, leaping uninvited onto Shikadai’s back and demanding, with a kick to his kidney, that Shikadai carry him piggyback. Using his Shadow Possession Jutsu to retaliate would have been pointless, as Shikadai had once discovered.

Daemon possessed an unknown ability that reflected any attack back onto the user. The result? Shikadai had severely injured himself with his own jutsu, as if struck by a whip, and afterward endured the beating of his life from the pint-sized maniac.

Afterward, Eida had tended to his wounds and explained to Shikadai that if he cooperated, he would experience heaven—or hell, if he disobeyed. The choice was his.

In the past, Shikadai had tried not to make his friend’s suffering worse by feigning clumsiness or stupidity. This often resulted in Daemon targeting Shikadai instead of Kawaki.

But for some time now, Eida had lost interest in him, and Shikadai suspected she had figured out that he was always trying to create some advantage or relief for Kawaki.

"What does your sister want from me?" he asked his tormentor with feigned boredom, wincing as Daemon kicked him again in the kidney area during the piggyback "game"—a game only one of them enjoyed.

The pain that shot through Shikadai took his breath away, and he briefly collapsed.

"Come on! I thought you were tougher than that!" Daemon mocked, disappointed. Shikadai desperately searched for any option, but none came to mind. He had calculated everything, every single possibility. The result was always the same: his plans would fail the moment he faced either of the siblings.

"Didn’t you hear me? Get up!" Daemon yelled, about to deliver another kick when a melodic voice interrupted him.

"That’s enough, Daemon," Shikadai heard the unmistakable voice of Eida. Now, he thought, the real terror begins.

Sweat beads formed on his brow, and his heart rate spiked immediately. Eida had once explained to him that it was her defense mechanism—no shinobi could harm her. She called it desire and love.

Eida smiled at Shikadai with her full lips. "Come with me, Shikalein ♡!"

"You’re so troublesome!" Shikadai retorted defensively, his cheeks reddening. Mentally, he hated her for always calling him that. Physically, he loved being near her. There was no resisting it.

He noticed Eida linking her arm with his uninvited. Gently, she patted his rough hand, as if to distract him from any dark thoughts.

"What do you want from me?" he asked, trying to sound as dismissive as possible. "Tired of your beloved prince already? Looking for a new toy?"

The female cyborg in an adult’s body smiled playfully at him. "Oh, that’s so cute of you... ♡ But you know, my love belongs only to my prince."

By her prince, she of course meant Kawaki. Eida’s affection and advances always met with a brick wall.

How does Kawaki manage not to lose his mind around her? Shikadai often wondered. He hadn’t found an answer yet. Kawaki never spoke about what happened between him and Eida. Instead, he seemed to wear a stoic mask, as though trying to bury all his pain.

"I have a favor to ask, my sweet Shikadai ♡," she cooed sweetly.

Eida’s saccharine words sent a shiver down Shikadai’s spine. This could not be good. Cold sweat formed on his brow, and his throat tightened with nervousness. Swallowing hard, he fought with all his might against this feeling.

Shikadai thought he understood this feeling, even though it was too cruel and twisted for him to fully grasp. The feeling of love—a poisoned love.

"If you want me to be your spectator again for one of your disgusting games, forget it!" Shikadai declared defiantly, only to receive a kick to the ribs from Daemon.

Shikadai reflexively grabbed Daemon’s leg to try to soften the blow, only to realize it was a mistake. Daemon jerked his head back and locked eyes with Shikadai. "Hey, don’t get cheeky with my sister!"

"Daemon, be kinder to our friend," Eida said patiently to her brother. Daemon let go of Shikadai.

Eida then turned her attention back to Shikadai. "Forgive Daemon’s temperamental nature. But you know how protective he is. The reason I called for you is Sarada Uchiha."

Shikadai looked at Eida with a mix of surprise and skepticism as she uttered the name "Sarada." Sarada? The name echoed in his mind, and he couldn’t believe he had just heard it. Sarada had been missing for years, and like so many others, she was assumed to be buried beneath the ruins of Konoha. Her status was officially listed as missing, though the likelihood of her survival was slim. Shikadai recalled that Kawaki had once mentioned losing his first friend three years ago. Kawaki had never mentioned a name, but Shikadai remembered how, in the past, Sarada and even Chocho would often observe Kawaki’s training sessions with Lord Seventh. Chocho’s interest in Kawaki had always been obvious. It was all she ever seemed to talk about. Sarada, on the other hand, had been harder to read. Back then, Shikadai assumed she was just accompanying Chocho for support. However, Kawaki’s friendship with Sarada had always seemed closer than his relationship with Chocho. The memories of both girls stirred bittersweet feelings in Shikadai. Those had been happier times for everyone back then.

" The reason for you're here is, that your beloved mother and your friend Chocho have survived and they will come back to Konoha, together with Sarada Uchha", Eida says.

Shikadai felt the weight of the situation nearly crush him to the ground. Eida had caught him completely off guard, like a shogi player falling into a flawless trap. He didn’t want to believe her words—Temari, his mother, and Chocho alive? It seemed so improbable, so cruelly manipulative. And yet, the way she said it left no room for doubt that she wasn’t lying.

"Your mother and your little girlfriend are still alive," Eida repeated, her voice dripping with icy sweetness. "They managed to crawl their way back to Konoha. Surprising, isn’t it? I didn’t think they’d be so… resilient."

Shikadai swallowed hard, his heart racing. The possibility of his mother being alive sparked a faint glimmer of hope within him—only to be immediately smothered by Eida’s following words.

"But..." Eida paused dramatically, her fingers brushing lightly over his shoulder. "If you don’t fulfill my request, my dear Shikalein, then Daemon will... personally take care of them."

Daemon chuckled, licking his lips provocatively. "Oh yeah, I’d love to deal with them. Maybe they’re more fun than you, shadow crawler."

Shikadai felt as though a cold fist clenched his insides. The thought of that psychopath laying a finger on his mother or Chocho was unbearable. His gaze darted to Eida, who loomed over him with a mixture of playful malice and icy determination.

"Why Sarada?" he finally forced out, his breath shallow and shaky. "What has she done to you?"

"Yes, Sarada," she repeated, with a hint of contempt in her voice. "That girl… she’s a nuisance. To us."

"Us?" Shikadai furrowed his brow, noticing a cold shiver run through his body. "What do you mean by that? Sarada is… nothing more than an old friend. She has nothing to do with you or Daemon."

Eida scoffed softly, as if his statement was ridiculous. "Oh, you’re so naive, Shikadai. Sarada has nothing to do with me – but everything to do with Kawaki." Her words were deliberate, sharp like a dagger.

Shikadai’s thoughts raced as he tried to decipher her words. Kawaki? It was known that Sarada respected him in the past, maybe even admired him, but that was all… or was it?

"What exactly does Sarada have to do with Kawaki?" he asked cautiously, though he already feared the answer.

Eida narrowed her eyes, and her demeanor changed abruptly. The sweet smile vanished, and her eyes sparkled with icy jealousy. "That girl – that… brat – dared to interfere with the bond between Kawaki and me. She sneaks into his thoughts, comes between us, even when she’s not here! Over and over, I feel him thinking about her."

Shikadai stared at Eida in disbelief, as the meaning of her words slowly sank in. Sarada was more than just an old friend to Kawaki – she meant something to him. And that was the reason behind Eida’s hatred.

"He… he loves her." The words left Shikadai’s lips almost inaudibly, yet they echoed in the silent, oppressive atmosphere.

Eida froze, and for a brief moment, a flicker of pain crossed her face before she composed herself again. "Love?" She laughed bitterly, though it wasn’t genuine laughter. It sounded broken, full of resentment. "Maybe. But that doesn’t matter. He belongs to me. Only to me." Her voice was as sharp as glass. "And that girl – Sarada – will no longer stand between us."

Shikadai remained silent, his thoughts tumbling over one another. The fact that Kawaki might have feelings for Sarada changed everything. It explained so much – his constant inner turmoil, the vacant looks he sometimes had. And it meant that Eida’s obsessive fixation was an even greater threat than he had previously thought.

Eida paced elegantly through the room, her words weaving a net around Shikadai. "I know she survived. She’s out there, a threat to the harmony I’ve created for Kawaki and me. That’s why I’ll send you to… eliminate her."

Shikadai froze, the shock of her demanding such a thing only overshadowed by the impact of her next words.

"And if you’re thinking of refusing…" She paused meaningfully, as Daemon stepped forward with a wide grin. "…you know what Daemon is capable of. Not just to you, but to your mother and… Chocho."

Shikadai felt the blood freeze in his veins. Eida wasn’t just cruel – she was calculatingly cold. She knew how to break him, by using the people he cared about most as leverage.

"So, my mother and Chocho are alive…" he whispered, half to himself, half to Eida. A flicker of hope lit within him, but it was immediately overshadowed by the fear of what Daemon might do to them.

"Of course they are," Eida replied in a syrupy tone dripping with false warmth. "I have nothing against them – at least, not as long as you obey. But if you refuse…" She smiled at Daemon, who clapped his fist into his palm with a dangerous glint in his eye.

Shikadai swallowed hard, trying to form a coherent thought. "And what if I don’t do it?" he asked quietly, his voice trembling with suppressed rage.

Eida stepped closer, placing a hand under his chin and forcing him to meet her glittering, cold eyes. "Then," she whispered, "you’ll never see Kawaki again. And Daemon will take care of the rest – your mother, Chocho. Everyone."

Shikadai felt himself collapsing inwardly. Every option he considered was a loss. Yet, deep inside, a thought began to form – a desperate plan that might turn the tide if he played his cards right.

Eida let him go and stepped back. "So, Shikadai… what will it be?"

He slowly raised his head, his eyes burning with suppressed fury and determination. "I need time," he muttered. "To make a plan. Sarada isn’t easy to fight."

Eida smirked smugly. "Of course, take all the time you need. But don’t forget… we’re watching you." She turned and left, with Daemon throwing one last warning grin before following her.

Shikadai stood alone in the dark hall, trembling with suppressed rage and despair. Yet, deep within, he swore to himself to find a way to outwit Eida – and save everyone he cared about.

#kawasara #kawaki x sarada

4 notes · View notes

dorn-queen-of-thorns · 2 months ago

Note

About Kawasara, i'm still thinking about Kawaki staying near Sarada and having Delta check on the group. 👀

Yea, think I said this in a previous post but yea that is an interesting detail, I mean this isnt to say he doesnt care about anyone else cuz of course he does, but Kawaki has never shown any special concern for neither Mitsuki or Konohamaru. He acknowledges them, doesnt want em to die obviously, but hes not especially concerned nor asks about em in particular, if anything their usually just a general concern rather than a specific one.

To show what I mean I'll use Himawari real quick.

Kawaki knew the village was being attacked and WAS protecting it by confronting Jura and Hidari but they knocked him out, he would've gone after them again once he woke up but he sensed Boruto and decided to go after him instead, once Boruto fled because of his and Kawaki's karma resonating, Kawaki, with Delta, went hunting for him because now it isnt just an assumption by Kawaki anymore that Boruto is still a threat, its CONFIRMED.

Kawaki only stops hunting down Boruto when Shikamaru tells him that HIMAWARI is not only the enemies target, but shes there fighting them, he instantly gets angry at Shikamaru for not telling him Himawari was in danger sooner and zooms after her.

This is an example of him showing a particular concern over a general one, he clearly wanted to protect the village as a general concern, but Himawari in particular is a special concern for him because believe it or not, Kawaki views her as family as well and he also always had a bit of a soft spot towards her from their first meeting where he broke her vase unintentionally, so he already had a special bond with her prior to omnipotence.

The same thing applies to Sarada, Kawaki, although subtle, tends to show a specific concern towards her that he hasnt shown for Konohamaru or Mitsuki. He's done this twice in TBV so far which is interesting because their on terrible terms with eachother right now, Sarada is very hostile towards him and he seemingly gives that energy back, yet when Jura shoots her in the arm Kawaki goes over to her and doesnt leave her side until she's healed.

And before anyone tries to say thats not what happened, you can literally see their positions before and after Sarada got shot, before there was a gap between him and Sarada, afterwards hes literally standing right behind her, meaning he walked over to her while Konohamaru was examining her to see if she's ok, theres no debate here.

He easily could've gone over to Sumire and Boruto but he didnt, he may have kept an eye on him from where he's standing, but he never went over to him UNTIL Sarada was healed, so again theres no debating his particular concern for her here, because if he wasnt, nothing was stopping him from going over to Boruto and inspecting him while Konohamaru tended to Sarada.

So yea, theres no other way to explain it other than he was specifically concerned about Sarada and wasnt gonna leave until she was alright.

But thats just the first instance, the second is the one you mentioned.

We'll probably get a flashback next month but for now all we can do is speculate based on what was said in this chapter.

KK said he never saw this future in any of his visions, and that Boruto must have done something in the past few days to change the course of those futures before he got his updated visions just now.

I'll go into how bs alot of KKs prescience is in another post but for now I wont touch on that and just talk about what was presented.

Lets assume what KK said is accurate, this means his visions happened before Boruto's talk with Kawaki, and lets say Boruto talking with Kawaki somehow didnt appear in his visions because at the time Boruto hasnt disobeyed KK [to our knowledge] and so the visions were all based on the expectation that Boruto will continue to be obedient, atleast in all the crucial ways that matter [hence why all his visions of Boruto fighting Jura ended in him being killed, and all the successes were with him not getting involved]

So lets just say thats why it bypassed KKs prescience, because there was no future that predicted Boruto actually going to talk to Kawaki and revealing his limiters to him and the two officially teaming up, as Boruto hints when he talks to him that Kawaki would eventually realize this for himself, meaning that Kawaki was supposed to find this out on his own and get unlimited later, but Boruto did what KK did for him which is give him info in advance for him to reach a much higher power level much sooner than he was supposed to.

So once Boruto did that, KK had already seen the possible futures, and for whatever reason it takes a certain amount of days for his visions to update to any changes that may have occurred within that time.

ANYWAY with all that outta the way, what KK says about Boruto must have done something within the past few days could mean 1 of 2 things, either 1 he's referring to Boruto revealing Kawaki's limiters to him and teaming up, or 2 Boruto had ANOTHER conversation with Kawaki we dont know about that might be revealed in the next chapter.

Lets assume for now its the first thing, then my theory is once Kawaki got his limiters off, Sumire might've told him about the mission with team 7, or Shikamaru told him, it cant be Ada because she was surprised when Kawaki showed up.

Regardless, once he was informed, he went there quickly with Delta, and while on the way most likely told Delta to check on Sarada and co while he confronted Jura.

I say this because Delta is clearly reporting to someone, which is what she did when Jura attacked as well when reporting to Kawaki that Jura was taking shots from that distance, then its more than likely the case shes reporting to him here as well.

In both cases Kawaki TOLD her to keep watch and report to him whats happening, at no point do we see Delta reporting to anyone else when shes specifically assisting Kawaki, its always directly to HIM and specifically obeying HIS orders.

So going by this pattern, its mostly a clear cut and dry situation which is what we see is most likely what it is.

Kawaki found out about the mission, left with Delta to go assist, told Delta to go check on Sarada and co while he went to Boruto's aid, and the rest is history.

The only thing that leads me to believe theres probably more to this is that Delta says "Oh there they are! they made it!" as if she was told in advance of their exact location, which would make sense if Kawaki had talked to Ada beforehand but Ada clearly didnt know he'd be there, so this makes it seem like Boruto had spoken to Kawaki before confronting Jura that he was going to send Mitsuki, Konohamaru, and Sarada to that specific spot, which is why he told Konohamaru to bring Mitsuki and Sarada there.

The other thing that makes me feel like they had another conversation, is that Boruto says 'You're late' as if he expected Kawaki to show up.

This is why I dont think its as simple as what I laid out, Delta and Boruto both hint having spoken about this in advance and having already prepared for this exact situation.

Im gonna take a wild guess and say their second convo was probably around this time.

Crazy I know but Im gonna bet that their 'second' convo was actually the same convo we saw here in chapter 15, we just werent shown the rest of it.

My guess is, after agreeing to team up with Boruto, he probably told Kawaki about the mission coming up, who'd be involved, and to hurry to get his limiters off by then.

In chapter 16 is when team 7 arrives in the sand, and in 17 is when Kawaki confronts Amado.

What seemed like Kawaki just going to Amado and demanding his limiters be removed, may actually have been due to Boruto telling him about the mission coming up and him hurrying so he could get there in time to back everyone up.

Lets assume Boruto didnt know about Sarada's condition, because he didnt know the odds of their success in the mission [KK avoided it] and he also didnt know Yodo would die because again, KK didnt tell him, so most likely he didnt know what exact condition Sarada would be in until after the fact, so Kawaki didnt know either.

Anyway I got way off track with all the specifics [one of the major reasons why the future sight trope, similar to time travel, isnt something ppl use very often because of how complicated and convoluted it can get] but in order to theorize I have to get into the details SOMEwhat to try and make my points ._.

But yes, convoluted future sight aside, its clear Kawaki was specifically concerned about Sarada when she got shot, and its clear he was concerned about her again by sending Delta to go check on them and report to him their condition.

We may get a flashback with more insight on exactly how everything went down, but for now this is all we have to work with.

What Im more looking forward to is once Jura is either defeated or forced to retreat, Im curious to see how he responds to Sarada's condition and if he'll do the same thing he did before when she was hurt, stay by her side until she's better. We'll just have to wait and see.

6 notes · View notes