Sasuke POV
Clang. Clang. Clang.
"Add more force," I instructed the blonde elf in front of me, parrying her blade with my own.
"Yes, Lord Light," she answered without hesitation, muscles tightening as she swung with noticeably more strength.
Honestly…Who knew I would be the one establishing the Shadow Garden?
Well… I did. Obviously.
Cid certainly didn't. He'd been too busy as he got chakra, and then magic from the mushoku tensei. After that, all his interest went straight into ninjutsu and new magic. Reversing the possession phenomenon? Yeah, that completely fell off his priorities.
But I knew the truth. I knew these people could be cured. And more importantly, they could become extremely profitable assets.
So of course I wasn't going to ignore them.
Alpha stepped back, adjusting her stance.
I'd treated her. I'd saved her. And just like in the original timeline, she insisted on repaying her debt.
Naming her was awkward though. Using anything other than Alpha felt wrong. I'd known her by that name long before I ever stepped into this world, so why pretend otherwise? She accepted it with surprising ease, like the name already belonged to her.
I gave her the basics of the Cult of Diablos too… well, the parts that mattered. I left out the biological factor explanations, no need to drop a science lecture on a medieval swordswoman, just said it's a curse. Let her focus on revenge and justice for now.
Alpha. The second member of Shadow Garden.
Cid, of course, felt betrayed when I explained that the organisation was being established. He sulked dramatically. So to calm him down, I made one small adjustment:
I gave him a leader position. Co-leader, technically. We both sit at the top, I am Light, and he is Shadow.
I still remember how fast his face changed.
He lit up like a child getting candy, completely convinced the entire organisation was made solely for his chuunibyo fantasies. Never mind the actual global threat, the real cult, the experimentation, the conspiracies…
He thinks we're doing it all for his story. I'm not going to correct that.
Because I'm curious too. I want to see how far his insane luck and "story-accurate" words will take us. How much he'll accidentally accomplish simply by playing pretend.
Sometimes I wonder if Cid's existence itself is a cheat code.
Alpha charged again, her blade cutting through the air with a sharp whistle. Each strike came faster, tighter, more precise.
Her mana alone…it was ridiculous.
Even now, her total mana reserves were higher than Cid's though his mana quality was superior thanks to his freakish talent. Still, with proper training, her sheer quantity alone could push her to Kage-level in terms of chakra output.
And once I introduce her to chakra? Yeah. That's going to be fun.
I shifted slightly, letting her sword pass a hair's breadth from my cheek.
She didn't trust me completely yet. Anyone with eyes could see that.
But instead of bothering me… it actually made her more pleasing to deal with. A functioning brain was always better. Alpha was cautious.
Good. That meant she might actually survive long-term.
And as for loyalty?
I wasn't interested in brainwashing her or any of them. Loyalty, affection, gratitude… those things don't matter much to me right now. I saved them because they were useful, not because I felt some noble compassion.
As for betrayal? I don't even know if any emotional incidents can affect me anymore. Probably not. Not after everything I've lived through.
So for now, it's simple.
A clean, transactional exchange.
I give them strength, purpose, knowledge. I help them take revenge, regain their lives, fight their demons.
In return, they help me achieve my goals gathering information, acquiring resources, expanding my influence, and building a foundation strong enough to survive whatever madness this world hides.
"That's enough for today," I said, lowering my stance.
She was already close to her limit. One more set and she'd collapse outright. Pushing beyond this point wouldn't strengthen her it would just tear muscles she would need tomorrow.
Alpha stopped immediately, dropping to one knee as she tried to steady her breathing.
Huff… huff…Her chest rose and fell rapidly, sweat dripping down her jaw as she struggled to regain composure. Even then, she kept her back straight, refusing to appear weak.
After a long minute, she finally stood up.
Which, admittedly, forced me to tilt my head up to look her in the eyes.
A deeply unpleasant experience.
She was taller than me.
Cid was taller than me.
Almost everyone I'd met so far was taller than me.
Ofcourse thanks for the templates I am growing fastly but jt still needs time.
I crossed my arms, pretending the height difference didn't bother me in the slightest. (It absolutely did.)
Controlling the… urges I occasionally got thanks to the Rudeus template, I kept my expression calm.
"Any problem with your mana flow?" I asked, keeping my tone neutral.
Alpha shook her head. "No. I can maintain the flow freely."
I already knew that, of course. Her control was stable, her output consistent. But asking verbally mattered it confirmed whether she felt anything unusual. Internal perception was just as important as external performance.
I took a moment to observe her again.
Even if I didn't consider her supposed connection to Beatrix her "aunt" according to fandom theories it was obvious Alpha wasn't from an ordinary background. Her movements were too disciplined. Her posture too controlled. She already knew the fundamentals: basic footwork, proper grip, balanced stances.
Her mana circulation was better than most seasoned guards in Cid's mansion.
She was trained. Conditioned. Someone had taught her the foundations long before I ever stepped into this world.
But she still hadn't shared anything about her past with me.
I was curious, sure curiosity came naturally when you had Batman paranoia fused into your brain but it wasn't important enough to pry.
If she didn't want to talk about it, that was her problem, not mine.
************
Cid rank in Narutoverse