Noppera-bō

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Beneath the towering structure that loomed over the gloomy city of Amegakure, two individuals stood facing one another. The atmosphere was weird as they stood in silence, their eyes locked in a stare. The young boy's face was stoic and emotionless, while the woman's lips curled up into a serene smile. The contrast between their expressions only added to the intrigue of the scene, leaving the onlooker to wonder what could be transpiring between the two.

"What did you want to try, Dantes?"

"Wanted to see if you could use the paper I can create." Without wasting their time, paper flowers formed around him.

Konan of course, as a very experienced ninja, was unconsciously on edge. Even if she knew the boy wouldn't try to intentionally hurt her.

The horrors and massacres the Flower Demon had done subconsciously affected her.

A bud then floated toward her and bloomed when it reached a meter or so. When she spread her chakra to the paper flower, she found herself being able to manipulate it which brought her some joy.

If they ever were in a situation of danger, she could just ask the boy to escape and produce paper while she did all the fighting. In this way, he wouldn't get hurt.

After a long time of experimentation, she also discovered that his paper creation was extremely sturdy as they would form from the beginning to the end. The material was tough and it didn't need to be folded like origami.

She looked at his serious face and asked for a way to kind of break this barrier. "What hobbies did you have before meeting Hanzo?"

He looked up, his expression kind of pale due to constantly using Reiryoku, and answered in a calm voice;

"I had hobbies, years ago. To tell you a little bit. I woke up one day and told myself;

'Today started just like yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that.'
My perfectly constructed loop of insanity.

I started looking for a way out, but then I realized.

I realized that everyone lived like this. So I stopped looking.

Then I got tired. So I tried to sleep more. But then I discovered that sleeping doesn't help this kind of tired.

I just wished I knew what to do with my life, what to do with my heart. I do nothing all day, boredom settles in. I look at the sky so I get to feel even smaller than I already feel, my mind slowly poisoning itself.

Now I hide this boredom behind temporary masks of false interest, I change personalities so I can find what suits me the most almost every day. I tried to be someone who isn't 'me'.

Sometimes I try to be an empathic and emotional person around people like my family, hoping one day I could feel like one. Yet every time, I get disappointed.

So tell me, am I insane? am I ill? Or am I a defect?" There was a long silence.

"Sorry, I talked a lot. That came out on its own."

Dantes' monologue came to an end, he slowly averted his eyes from her. They had walked out of the underground training ground, now under the night's rainy embrace.

Konan found herself at a loss for words after hearing his response to what she thought was a straightforward question. The philosophical nature of his answer had caught her off guard, and she was left feeling a little stunned by the unexpected depth of his words.

These were words from an old scholar, yet, they came from the mouth of a young teenager.

She didn't know what to say and could only ask a question.

"So you knew what Hanzo would make you do if you joined him?" He stayed silent for a few moments.

"I wanted to feel anger, so I did everything he wanted. Then when I felt nothing, I killed him, hoping I could feel pleasure. I was once again disappointed."

Then the silence was broken by Konan's voice as she grabbed his shoulders and looked straight into his eyes;

"If being you means mimicking what you are not, then so be it. Ah, sorry... Got carried away."

Dantes' response was a slight smile. A smile she didn't know the authenticity of...

...

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Noppera-bō: means faceless ghost in Japanese.

Reincarnated with Bleach System Opowieści tętniące życiem. Odkryj je teraz