Arc XChapter20
<strong><b>X</b></strong>
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<strong><b>Arc XChapter</b></strong><strong><b>20</b></strong>
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Asami scrutinised the man from tip to toe, even studying his face. “My sincerest apologies, but it wasn''t on mine own volition that I arrived here to stand before you. It was the magatama that hath called me.”
“... I see, I gather that it must be the magatama then that hath summoned thee.” The sage fell silent, carefully pondering his next words. “It hath been a long time since I wasst approached by so many of my children. Following the fall of the empire and with the regalia lost, contact hath been diminishing each generation. Though, I must confess that thine appearance surpriseth me. Thou art female, my child. Across all of the centuries, I cannot remember to have been visited by a female, a girl no less, before.”
Asamigrinned in response. “I do not intend to fathom the reasons for such, But an observation, it appears your selection process appears to expose error beyond mere statistical margin.”
The sage didn''t share her amusement, for obvious reasons. Her sarcasm wasn''t lost on him, yet he decided to ignore herment out of disinterest or for the sake of politeness. Hisvender eyes, his rinnegan, studied her, piercing her very soul. Nothing escaped his omniscient eyes, and even the most hidden truth wasid bare. “And yet thou standest before me, child of Indra. The magatama, one of three sacred regalia, hath judged thee worthy to enter the inner sanctum, a judgement I do not intend to oppose, although I cannot hide my curiosity. Thou appear not to descend from either main line of my children. Thy soul beareth neither a fragment of Indra, nor of Ashura. Thou hailest from a mere branch family, and even then the blood of Indra is weak in thee to the point of fading. And yet there lieth an iparable strength in thine eyes, a strength I have not seen for ages. Thine eyes, thy sharingan, wield a power far too strong for thy line … Thy very soul, my child, buh with a frightening intensity. Dense, heavy, transcendent. Thy soul is peculiar, different from those who came before you, different from my children. It remindeth me of my mother’s and those of my son''s. Thine is a soul closer to the realm of the divine than to the world of the mortals, but still bound by mortal flesh.”
Asami offered a slight bow in return as a sign of gratitude. “Your wordsare ttering me, Sage. Topare my humble soul with the one of Princess Kaguya.”
The sage remained unmoved. “I would not call such aparison ttering, considering my mother''s many vices and failings. Whether your resemnce goeth beyond mere superficial details remah to be seen.”
“I understand. In that case, I hope I fall short of your expectations.”Asami mustered a giggle. “But let us put aside with time. We both know as to whyI stand before you. I am hereto im the mastery of what is rightfully mine.”
Hagoromo lowered his gaze, musing. “Thine enthusiasm is noted, my child. However, it falleth to me to judge what is thine and what not. Thouyest imto the magatama, but first thouneedest to passmy judgement.I will testthywisdomand thy heart.”
Asami raised an eyebrow. “Withall due respect, the matters of heart and wisdomseem like a rather philosophical exercisein nature, a rather subjective one if I might add. We hardly know ourselves, so how are we supposed to pass judgement on those around us?”
“...” The sage closed his eyes. “It seemeth that thou haste prepared, child of Indra, far more prepared than many of thy predecessors, despite your age.”
“Age is a deceiving matter, Sage. Too easily, we are misguided by mere appearances. ”, Asami borated. “Of course, I came prepared. It would be foolish to im without resolve, without consideration. I am not as thoughtless as to walk a path not contemted.”
“True.”Hagoromo nodded in agreement.“So speak,Asami, child of Indra, what reason dost thou have toy im to the magatama?”
His question elicited a chuckle from Asami. “What a curious question, are yetrying to test my character?”
“...” The sage chose not to respond.
Asami mustered a smile. “Iwill take that a yes. Ye want to know who I am, don''t ye?”
“...”No response.
“I suppose I could answer your question, but the better question is,why shouldn''t I? Why shouldn''t I im whatis mine? Why shouldn''t I possess what is destined to me? I am Asami,st of the Uchiha, and the legitimate heiress to the imperial throne. It is my intention, my destiny, my birthright to rule. As such, it is only logical to call the regaliamy own.”
“It seemeth so”,Hagoromoconceded. “Though,how canst thou to be socertain of thy destiny, child?How canst thou be so certain that it is thouwho hast been chosen?”
A subdued giggle answered his question. “I must confess, I find your question highly amusing. Answer me, how can yebe so sure of the contrary?How can I not bechosen, Hagoromo? Ye know my heritage better than anyone else. Ye know of the strength I possess. Ye know of the power I wield. Who shallest oppose me to deny me? And even then, concerns of legitimacy aside, doweneed to be chosen to realiseourcalling?What is destiny, Hagoromo? What is fate? We both know, unless yehave fallen prey todeterministic tendencies,thatdestiny and fateare nothing but an amalgamation of our own actions and choices. Fate is a force in humanhands. In the end, it matterethlittle to me whether I am chosen, or not, whether ye regard me as such, or not, whether the world recognise me, or not. All such is irrelevant. I am my only true master. I will impose my will on reality. The throne, the magatama, the other regalia, I will make them mine, regardless ofopposition.It is what I have decided. It is where my path will lead me.”
“...” Hagaromo shook his head. “Akin to thyforebears, thou, child,strivestfor higher power. Thou shouldest know that it is a dark path that thou decidest to walk.”
“A dark path?” Asami smirked. “How so, if I might ask? Is it morally wrong to aspire for power? To hope, to master, to dream, to control, to love, to subdue, to live? I would argue, the will to power is the very essence of our selfs. It is a trait, for better or for worse, deeply ingrained in us.”
Hagoromo pondered his words. “And yet it is a force best used sparsely and best kept from mortals hands. Power corrupts even the most noble hearted of people.”
Asami was hardly able to suppress her amusement. “Wouldn''t you say that such is a rather ironic statement on your part?”
“...”His gaze intensified. “How so, child?”
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<strong><b>━━━━━━┛</b></strong><strong><b>?</b></strong><strong><b>?</b></strong><strong><b>?</b></strong><strong><b>┗━━━━━━</b></strong>
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