Yūji held on tightly to Daigo's shoulders, he is a strong man since he easily supports him by his knees
Although he was embarrassed that he was treated that way, " I can walk... I really do not know why you have to lift me like that "
" Isn't it fun? I suppose it is the highest you will feel at this time, you are not so big, kid "
Hearing him, he cleared his throat again through his teeth, looking embarrassed, " It is not necessary for you to tell me, I know very well that I am not as tall as I should be, I suffered from poor nutrition since I was young "
Daigo, while walking relaxed, asked again, " So how old are you? "
" Eight years "
" Well, then I am no longer so surprised that you are in prison, I had thought you were six, it was going to be the feat of your life "
Yūji was no longer angry, he simply gave a small, barely noticeable smile, " You are very much a joker, you know? "
Daigo raised his broad shoulders, quite serenely, " I am the best environment you will find in this prison of grandmothers, look, I will introduce you to people with whom you can hang out, they are like our own organization here in the prison, of course I am in charge " lowering the boy whom Yūji had barely stabilized, but seeing there people who looked intimidating made him give an embarrassed smile, even so, he remained firm before them.
One of the two women, this one has a marked physiognomy, muscles, suddenly reminded him of his companion Maki.
" H-hello, nice to meet you, my name is Yūji " whispered the boy softly, seeing how the intimidating woman, who is as tall as Daigo, stooped down to his face.
" Was this dwarf the one who caused all the commotion? I feel that as soon as I touch him he will end up shattered in two, he is so thin " the woman's voice is husky, cutting through her poor bones, Daigo laughed loudly, striking the woman with a very strong sound, to which she smiled sideways
" I did not believe it either! Until I saw him coming out of the containment room, that is why I went straight before the others could beat us " Daigo said proudly, Yūji was still not used to seeing that this great man, who is serene, calm, can also be spontaneous, as he is now.
Yūji looked embarrassed, a drop of sweat running down his temple, after seeing that the woman who intimidated him behaved just like that man, both walking asteroid balls.
" Incredible, brat! Being a stick does not mean you are weak! Come on, compete with me, we have not had fresh blood in a long time " that dark-haired woman with reddish eyes became intimidating again, those scars all over her body only gave her more shivers, she took two steps back for that reason, listening as Daigo whispered something to her.
" Her name is Hisa, she is a fan of Taijutsu fights, in reality she cannot use chakra due to a rare condition " she murmured softly, making Yūji surprised, cannot use chakra? " I can say that she is someone with whom I have the pleasure of fighting and not getting rusty from fist blows, I do not recommend fighting with her, she is very bloodthirsty... well, she was expelled from the Mist Village because- "
" I killed my squad when those bastards tried to abuse me! " Hisa interrupted the speech, Yūji was frightened by the woman's enormous shout, he went back to Daigo's side as that woman clenched her fists, " I enjoyed delivering their heads to the Mizukage, and any squad that was given to me never learned, in the end they imprisoned me because they never liked that I handed their balls in pretty gift boxes " she growled, disgusted by those memories, although in part she smiled, enjoying how those damn ninjas denigrated her for trying to be a Taijutsu-only ninja who in the end died from her blows
" That is... incredible! " Yūji expressed clearly, after all, those fools died, the boy smiled excitedly.
Although he twisted his mouth in amazement, " If you are strong, why are you here? You do not even have the seal like us " he looked at Daigo and then saw himself
Hisa smiled broadly, " Ha! Well, I made a deal with Mui's puppet, in the end I have nowhere to go, if I get out I will spend all the money I win in bets and I will never have food like here, I enjoy beating up idiots who want to fight with me at these hours, and I have a fixed place, I do not have to go out anymore " she waved her hand wearily, if it were up to her she would have fought with Mui long ago and escaped on her own, but in the end, by talking with that man, she was on good terms and did not want to escape for pure pleasure.
Yūji blinked curiously, " Well, I think... they are... good goals " he scratched his neck slightly as he thought about it, something so simple, and that woman already had her life figured out, " Wouldn't you have liked to be someone bigger? I- I mean, you are a Taijutsu user, I think it would have been great to see you fighting outside of here and for everyone to recognize you "
Hisa crossed her arms again mockingly, " Is that a goal? What a boring goal, playing the hero? There are no heroes here, only fools who think they are something, killing here or outside is the same, people die "
Hearing her made Yūji feel as if someone had thrown a stone at his head, it was so hard that it made him stagger dramatically, Daigo saw that and simply began to laugh, trying to lighten the mood, seeing that the boy again seemed to ask questions or make indirect remarks about what he suffered.
" Well, well, you have already met Hisa, look, let me introduce you to those who are under my tutelage, she is Chouko, she was a healer from the Rock Village " Yūji looked at a woman who appears quite gentle unlike Hisa, with lilac hair with reddish tips, her eyes are very strange, an unnatural turquoise, the iris of her eye divides into geometric shapes, like a circle that seems to radiate a warm glow, at least that is how it appears, strange, the boy only smiled out of courtesy as the woman gave a small bow, then he saw two very similar men, " they are Makai and Takai, they were known in the Third Ninja War as " the sons of the black lightning ", they were some of my companions " Daigo hit Takai on the back who let out a snort from such a strong blow. Both Makai and Takai had blue hair, slanted eyes and somewhat large lips, but Takai's eyes are sky blue, while Makai's have a slightly different color tending to green.
The twins looked at the boy, to whom Yūji only gave a nervous smile, " Nice to meet you, although I planned to stay away in the castle, I did not think I would start meeting people "
" You will never be alone " Takai spoke, his voice is too soft unlike the bloody nickname given by Daigo, " in the end this man will come for you, from the cell he did not let any of us rest, shouting in excitement over who was the brave one who faced Mui " Makai spoke now. Yūji turned to look at the older man who waved his hand smiling
" In part, they are right, in the end sooner or later I will come looking for you " Daigo shrugged, seeing that his companions always know how to read his thoughts.
Yūji looked at him curiously, " Why would you be so intent on looking for me? "
" Well, at first I thought you were someone older and very aggressive, the continuous explosions were so incredible that I myself wanted to leave my cell, but if I went out, the dogs were already scared " he pointed to the guards who thought they were the best in the prison, " and in the end I wanted to wait to see how things developed, I would invite you to join our group and train, we love fighting, well, they love fighting, I prefer to enjoy my days " he pointed to his companions, Hisa being the only one who moved her torso excitedly.
" Well... as you can see, I am only a kid, yes, I am not proud of ending up here " he sighed, thinking that everything happened because of Suiren, he hoped that his friend could wait for him just a little longer.
" And why did you end up here, if I may ask? " a soft and sweet voice sounded in the background, it was Dr. Chouko who repositioned herself where she was seated, her gaze relaxed although with that hint of curiosity.
" I... simply, really... I do not know " of course she would not say anything about Suiren, it would be crazy in the first place to mention her, if you have never seen her, it is better to refrain
" You do not know? "
" Why? "
" Your family? "
" Do you live in one of the five great nations? "
Hearing the twins speak made him think about their questions, the red-haired boy only sighed
" I am a ninja from Amegakure, well... I was... I " Yūji does not know how to explain himself.
" Uhm, I suppose you have a very big reason for running away " Chouko answered for him, to which Yūji opened his eyes in surprise
" Yes, wait, you know? "
Chouko only smiled, very lightly but she did, composing herself better after analyzing it deeply, " Well, your body language tells me everything, that afflicted face, and well, simply in the way you express yourself, you answer me " Daigo covered his face upon realizing what was coming.
Daigo knew Chouko perfectly, that woman, although her appearance may be very gentle and sweet, her personality is not subtle at all, it is as direct as it is cruel.
" You do not know me " Yūji replied in turn, " It is impossible that just by the way I behave you can discover what I carry "
Chouko sighed as if letting out a yawn, " Believe me, kid, since you arrived I saw you well, every gesture of yours is a well-rehearsed script: slumped shoulders, a lost gaze, sighs that demand attention, at least that is what I witnessed when you introduced yourself and started talking with them. It is almost admirable the way you build yourself as a monument to tragedy. But here is the reality that you continue to ignore: no one stares forever. At some point, people get tired of someone who only knows how to sink " her words came out unfiltered, making Yūji fill with patience.
This woman is rude! But she does not want to treat badly someone that Daigo, someone who was inevitably starting to grow on him, treat that way, he clenched his fists, looking at that woman with anger
Daigo approached Chouko calmly, " Stop, Chouko, this time it is not necessary for you to analyze Yūji, he did not ask you "
Chouko ignored him, turning her face toward the towers, her voice in a soft murmur arose again, " You go through life dragging your suffering as if it were the only burden in this world, but the truth is that you are not the only one who suffers. Everyone, without exception, faces their own tragedies, some much darker than yours. The difference is that they move on, without expecting the world to stop to console them. You are not the center of the world, and the universe is not going to pause its course to make you feel better "
Yūji remained still, his face stopped contorting and he remained quiet, Daigo held Chouko's shoulder giving her a look of reproach, but this time the woman remained silent.
When Yūji wanted to speak or say something, he heard an alarm, it seems that the half hour in the courtyard is over, the boy does not know at what moment he stopped breathing, but he let out a small, barely audible sigh.
That faded look, in the depths of his carmine color, that shine was hidden, the words of that woman, now analyzing them even more deeply.
She is right.
He got angry because he knows she is right, what has he been doing all this time? To think that he needed people to know how to get out of his own misery, that is truly pathetic.
Yūji looked at the kids he lived with, this time he no longer appeared angry, he simply had no expression, and this time Chouko, instead of analyzing him, raised an eyebrow barely visible.
" We will see each other tomorrow, goodbye, Daigo, Hisa, Makai and Takai... Chouko " the boy spoke directly, beginning to separate from that small group, with only the soft tinkling of his chains in his hands audible.
When the boy left, Daigo looked at Chouko with his arms crossed, who appeared full of disdain, as if she had done nothing wrong.
" Was it necessary for you to see it with your own eyes? " Daigo was disappointed in her.
Chouko ignored the man, looking at the sky, distracted by the few clouds that could be seen in the overcast.
" I suppose you only needed a push for your own good... you do not see what I see " murmured the doctor in a low voice, she only said the direct words necessary for that boy, Chouko diverted those unique eyes in her, seeing that the turbulent and so unstable aura of the boy was beginning to straighten, although he still emitted that negative aura, at last he no longer appeared as pessimistic as before.
A small smile barely appeared on his eyes, knowing that she had said the words he needed in his reading, at least he knows that she could be direct and very cruel.
But being cruel is necessary sometimes.
.
.
.
.
.
.
[ Illustrations in the comments! And yes, all this about Yūji's suffering, let's suppose it is an arc that is coming to its end ]