Reborn in a Daimyo's court in Naruto

Part 18

Chapter 18

UZUMAKI KIRIN

Uzumaki Kirin considered herself in the debt of Lord Akihito, a debt she believed she could never repay given what the young lord had done for her. The fall of Uzushio had taken her by surprise, and, with that, had begun a continent-wide hunt for all the remaining Uzumaki; they had been hunted down one by one by the three Shinobi villages of Iwa, Kumo, and Kiri.

Her own husband had been killed with her barely managing to escape, with their daughter before landing into the crutches of men from Kusagakure. They had sought to kill them as well until she had begged them to spare their lives, telling them off her kekkei genkai.

She had watched as their leader's eyes had landed on her and her daughter, and she saw the greed and hunger in them, yet she endured as they led her and Karin to their village, her heart feeling dread rising at the kind of life that awaited her.

She had felt hopeless and had resigned herself to her fate, and for weeks, her fears had proven right as she and her daughter were kept in a cage, like animals, as the leader of the village and his men came in only to have themselves healed.

Yet she knew she had to endure, not for herself but for her daughter. So, she had put up with the pain, and the hopelessness she would fell every time those deaths would pierce her skin, draining her body of her vitality.

And just as she had lost all hope, she had sensed it. Two chakra signatures stronger than any other she had ever felt, with the larger of the two even bearing some semblance to her own rushing towards them.

That was the day she had met Tsunade Senju and her apprentice, and it was also the last day anyone would ever bite into her skin without her permission.

Life after that had been a whirlwind; they were taken to the capital and then taken into his household by the young Jito of Shinoi, Akihito Shirahoshi.

She had doubted the young lord for some time, doubted his intentions, yet he had won her trust. He had given her much more than she had ever dreamt of protection, safety, food, shelter, and most importantly, a life of freedom for her daughter.

And in all the years, he had never once asked her of her kekkei genkai, never. Until she had decided to tell him herself, yet his response had been shocking.

"I already know, but as long as you are part of this household, you hold no obligation to use these powers for anyone, including myself."

And that was the day she decided that she would use those powers for him. Powers that she had thought a curse at one time, she would use them for him.

And now was that time.

"Are you sure you can do this, Kirin?" Nakiri-san questioned her as both of them stood in front of an elaborate sealing array inscribed on the floor of the castle basement.

"I am," she replied resolutely, her mind made up as she walked to the center of the sealing array and sat down, and after a deep breath, closed her eyes.

And then it happened, as a crushing headache pierced through her, as she felt her whole body burn in pain. Yet she bit through it as she felt small chakra signatures spread throughout the Shinoi lands.

"The enemy forces in the East are now crossing the river, and they are divided into three groups...." And then she began telling Nakiri-san all she could as she ignored the piercing headache, knowing that though this was not enough to repay the young lord for what he had done for her, it was at least something she could do for the young boy who had given her a new life.