Saints and Suffering: A Naruto Fanfiction

Chapter 53- The Desert Bloom and the Fall of Babylon

Shijin had been wandering the decaying battlefields for days. The first day, he had found several Kumo squads, the next even more. but fairly soon after that, it started becoming harder and harder to find them.

And while Kumo ninja had been attacking him on sight at first, now they only ran, causing him to spend a little effort in chasing them down.

Shijin was still in the process of awakening his eyes, and each Kumo nin helped the process along just a little further, as he absorbed their chakra and life force with the Preta Path.

The last group of Kumo shinobi he encountered taunted him at first after seeing his Konoha headband. They slowly encircled him, and after cutting off all escape paths, they considered Shijin as good as dead.

There were 4 of them, all chuunin, and one of them was a decent sensor, and had let his teammates know that Shijin was low genin level and posed no threat. Still though, more ninja had died to underestimation and explosive seals than almost any other weapon other than kunai.

Shijin was unimpressed with their display and posturing, and simply looked on without comment.

The team leader finally spat out a curse.

  "Cat got your tongue, fucking tree hugger?

  Not gonna say anything before you die?

  I can't believe that Konoha keeps sending out brats like you.

  I'll carve another mark into my hilt for you."

That however, finally caught Shijin's attention.

  "Brats?"

The Kumo nin laughed.

  "Worried about your friends? Well they're all dead, idiot!

  You fuckers shouldn't have sent kids to a warzone.

  You fucking hypocrites, so high and mighty, will of fire shit this and that.

  You're the fucking worst!

  You sent them to die, and we obliged,

  I can see it in your eyes.

  You hate me don't you?"

Shijin said nothing as the man continued.

  "You're the only ones that do that shit you know

  Even those donkey fuckers in Iwa wait until their kids are useful enough to die productively.

  You Konoha bitches though

  You send em early. What's the youngest we saw boys? 8? 9?

  That kid wasn't ten! I know that much...

  And you fuckers gave him a knife and told him to come kill us.

  And when we defend ourselves, we're the bad guys.

  And you fuckers go home, beat the war drums.

  Talk about the will of fire, and send more kids into the reaping fields.

  What, you gonna cry?

  Fuck you!"

Shijin stood their motionlessly, head held low, staring at the ground.

His eyes, no matter their current state, were once Sharingan.

And the defining feature of the Sharingan was that it grew stronger with hate.

How lucky for Shijin to find someone so deplorable in this battlefield full or corpses and the stench of rot.

Someone responsible for the death of many children. Someone it was so easy to hate.