Darui had stepped forward and lied for him. He had deliberately claimed the identity meant for him. Darui had done it knowing exactly what would happen.
Kaien curled slightly into himself, hugging his knees as his heart pounded wildly inside his chest.
I don't want to die.
The words echoed endlessly in his head like a desperate prayer hoping for this nightmare to end quickly.
I don't want to die.
I don't want to die.
His body shook as he buried his face against his arms, trying to block out the horrifying sounds coming from Darui's cry.
But he could not block the voice out.
Because Minato was not finished. He knelt beside Darui's collapsed body, his face cold and completely devoid of mercy. His prosthetic arm glowed faintly with chakra as he pressed his palm against Darui's wound.
A soft green light spread across the injury. The torn flesh began to knit itself together. Blood stopped flowing as the wound closed just enough to keep Darui alive.
For a moment Kaien thought Minato had decided to spare him. Then Minato stood up and drew his blade again. The next slash came down even faster than the first.
Darui's scream tore through.
Kaien flinched violently, pressing his hands over his ears as tears gathered in the corners of his eyes.
Why… Why is he doing this?
Minato stepped forward again, pressing his glowing hand onto the wound.
Healing the bruise.
Then another slash. Heal.
And another. Heal.
And another. Heal.
The cycle repeated over and over again. Each time the wound closed just enough to keep Darui alive. Each time the blade opened it again.
Minato's voice remained calm the entire time. "Tell me where the rest of your team is."
Darui did not answer and the blade flashed again. "Tell me where the other Kumo shinobi are hiding."
Darui remained silent.
Another slash came.
Another scream tore through his throat.
Kaien's entire body trembled violently as he listened to the repeated cries echoing through the clearing. He tried to shut it out. He tried to pretend none of it was happening. But every scream made his chest tighten painfully.
This is my fault.
Darui had stepped forward because of him. Darui was being tortured because of him.
Kaien pressed his forehead against his knees, squeezing his eyes shut.
Let this end.
Please let this end.
Another scream rang through the clearing.
Kaien's entire body jerked as the sound tore through his mind... no matter much he tired the sound still found its way into his ears. His hands trembled as he slowly lifted his head.
Darui lay sprawled across the ground again, his body shaking violently as blood pooled beneath him. The wound across his torso had been reopened once more, and his breathing had become dangerously shallow.
Minato stood above him like an executioner. "Speak."
Darui spat out a mouthful of blood and forced a weak smile. "You… talk too much."
The blade flashed again. Darui's scream broke into a hoarse cry.
Kaien's body moved before he could think. "STOP!"
Kaien staggered to his feet, his legs shaking badly as he stepped forward.
"Stop hurting him."
His voice was quiet now. Barely louder than a whisper. "Please… don't hurt him anymore."
Darui forced his head to turn slightly. His blood-covered face twisted into a strained expression as he looked at Kaien.
"It's okay… Kaien…" His voice came out broken and weak. "Don't say a wor—"
The blade struck again. Darui's sentence ended in another cry of pain.
Minato's patience had finally run out. He was no longer interrogating Darui. He was venting the frustration he was in and now he could finally take it out on the Grandson of the Raikage.
Every slash of the blade carried the weight of his anger. Guy's death. Kakashi's injuries. Kushina's capture. Hokage's death.
All of it.
Kaien's fists clenched tightly as tears rolled down his cheeks. Kaien took another shaky step forward.
His voice trembled badly. "It's… it's me."
Minato paused.
Kaien swallowed hard. "I'm the one you're looking for." The words came out painfully slow. "I'm the real grandson of the Raikage."
Minato slowly turned his head.
His eyes locked onto the small boy standing several meters away.
Darui tried to lift his arm weakly. "Kaien… don't…" But he was too weak to finish.
Minato sheathed his blade without another word. Then he walked past Darui.
Kaien stood frozen in place as the man approached him. Minato's gaze remained completely cold.
Then suddenly his eyes shifted slightly toward the horizon. His expression darkened. He had sensed the Kumo's Jinchuriki high in the sky.
"Kumo." The word left his mouth quietly. "Let me show you what it feels like when something precious is taken away from you."
His hand grabbed Kaien's shoulder. The world vanished in a flash of yellow light.
Darui's vision blurred badly as the two figures disappeared. His arm stretched weakly forward. But there was nothing there anymore. His hand dropped into the pool of blood beneath him. His fingers twitched helplessly and his breathing grew slower.
He coughed violently, blood spilling from his mouth. Everything was going dark. So this is how it ends…
Just before his consciousness faded completely, something strange happened. The blood around him began to move into his system.
Darui forced his heavy eyelids open. A few meters away, another body lay collapsed on the ground.
Yushiro.
His eyes were barely open. His body was surrounded by his own blood.
Darui's blood slowly flowed across the ground toward his body. Then it began to re-enter his wounds. Darui gasped as the blood forced its way back into his circulatory system.
The bleeding slowed. His vision cleared slightly. Yushiro's breathing remained weak as he continued controlling the blood.
Yushiro's voice was barely audible. "Don't… die yet…"
Darui's eyes widened slightly. A single tear rolled slowly down his cheek.
"I'm sorry… sensei…" His voice cracked weakly. "I could not protect your grandson."
Then darkness finally swallowed his vision.
~~
A/N: Upto 20 Advance chapters available @ patreon.com/aizenDuchiha0
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