Where am I?

 

Hiashi activated his Byakugan but was unable see anything even with it activated. He tried to run but it felt as if his legs were stuck in wet concrete. Lifting his legs took all of the strength he had and raising them halfway. The longer he stood still the more effort it took to attempt to move.

 

It's suffocating, what kind of genjutsu is this? Did that little girl really cast this on me? That can't be! She's weak, and she has no chakra. No, this must be an enemy attack on the Hyuga clan!

 

"That's a cute hypothesis, Hiashi, but you are wrong. Though, to an extent you are right," Mikoto said, emerging from the shadows. "This is no genjutsu. Unfortunately for you, I am not weak, and this is not an attack on your clan, this is an attack on you." Mikoto materialized a few meters away from Hiashi with a wide smile plastered on her face.

 

Hiashi sneered.

 

"You think a little girl like you can actually harm me? Even if you have some genjutsu-related kekkei genkai, you still can't truly harm me with your meager amount of strength."

 

"Hm, I suppose it is difficult to take me seriously when I'm still a toddler. Fine. Just know that the more you push my buttons, the greater your trauma will become."

 

Loud popping and cracking noises began as Mikoto's body deformed and reformed itself countless times before Hiashi's eyes. With his Byakugan he could see that the deformations were truly changing the very nature of the body before him. However, at the end of the transformation, all he could see was darkness. He was forced to disable his Byakugan.

 

"Don't you know it's rude to peek at a lady while she's getting changed? Not only are you scum, lower than a human being, but you're a lech as well. I'm thoroughly disgusted, Hiashi," Mikoto chastised. She had aged up by twenty years, now looking like a woman in early adulthood. Her irises and hair had changed colors: both were now pitch black. Her clothes had reformed and now took the shape of a long black dress. Both her hair and attire melded with the shadows, making only her face, shoulders, and arms visible in the darkness.

 

"Hiashi, you do not know your sins, but fret not, for I will tell them to you. I have been aware from the moment I was born. I have been aware of your disdain for me. However, that is insignificant. What is truly appalling is how you've treated Natsu- how you've treated the woman that I call my mother. She has committed no sin, yet you allow her to be abused on a daily basis. For what, might I ask? Simply because she took me in all those years ago? Even then, this is still acceptable. You told her the risks of adopting me and she accepted those risks. Now, however, you've crossed the line. In particular, you have crossed my line. You chose to cripple Natsu simply because she didn't wish to abandon a child she cared for and adopted. Do you believe yourself to be a god? Do you think that your worth is so far above others that you can dictate how they live and how they die? Is torment fun to you? Do you think bringing others pain is a worthwhile way to live your life?"

 

As Mikoto spoke, her speech became increasingly fervent and the darkness moved in an agonized and vicious manner, grasping at Mikoto's arms like an impatient lover.

 

"Hiashi Hyuga. I will show you true fear. I will show you true pain. I will show you how it feels to have one stand above you, their heel on your nape. However, I am not cruel. I will give you an allowance. Should you survive for five minutes, I will let you walk free, and I will never seek revenge for today's events."

 

With a snap, the light returned in a five meter radius around Hiashi. Mikoto was also in the light but siphoned it out of the air around her, surrounding her in a pitch-black aura. This light gave the darkness around them some contour, and in the darkness Hiashi could see countless arms, legs, tentacles, bones, and many indescribable things that made his stomach churn. Their reaction to the light was violent, lashing out at it and screeching once it landed on them.

 

Mikoto snapped once more, making several creatures crawl out from beneath her shadow. Five small humanoid shapes made of shadows appeared. Their height only reached to Mikoto's waist and they held no weapons, but their aura was quite menacing. Hiashi readied himself for combat.

 

"Good, good. It seems that you're beginning to understand your place here, Hiashi. You are no longer the aggressor, but instead the defender. Fight well, you might last a few minutes," Mikoto chuckled before walking to the edge of the makeshift arena.

 

I can finally move again, thank goodness. I don't know what that darkness is, but once I get out of here I swear I'll kill that woman. These shadows shouldn't be too tough to beat, they look like simple children. Perhaps she's been bluffing the entire time. Time to end this.

 

One of the shadows shakily stepped towards Hiashi, who wore an arrogant look on his face. Once the shadow was less than a meter from him, a spear bolted from its head and nearly pierced his eye. Barely dodging, the Hyuga clan head escaped with a large gash on his cheek.

 

What? What was that? What is this thing?

 

Hiashi's mind was in disarray but he still managed to retreat to the edge of the arena.

 

"I wouldn't recommend going there," Mikoto called out. Just as she did, a tentacle as thick as Hiashi's torso slammed onto the ground where he had just been.

 

Shit!

 

Hiashi sprinted away from the spot and decided to attack one of the shadows. His punch connected and the shadow flew backwards, landing on the ground. Much to his dismay, it shakily stood back up and began approaching him, just as it did last time.

 

This is good! If I can hit these things then I can simply use my Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven to wait out the five minutes!

 

Hiashi began to move his chakra and started spinning, creating a barrier around him.

 

"Fool. I told you to fight well. If you don't wish to play by the rules, I may as well add another contender on my side."

When Mikoto finished speaking, a gargantuan, clawed hand made of shadows crashed down on the hemisphere of chakra, shattering it instantly. Hiashi coughed out blood and laid underneath the massive hand, his bones creaking and on the verge of shattering.

 

"Well, Hiashi, you couldn't even last thirty seconds due to your own actions. I'm thoroughly disappointed in your behavior today. Well, you wouldn't have lasted long anyways. My children were about to get serious. Time to start your punishment," Mikoto said with a hauntingly sweet giggle.

 

Writhing shadows grew from the ground and tied Hiashi down. He was laid out like a frog on a dissecting tray as the five aforementioned children approached him. Now that the arena had quieted down some, Hiashi could hear a gnashing sound coming from the shadows that grew near.

 

"Be careful, my children like to bite."

 

The sound of hundreds of mouths opening and closing grew louder as the figures drew closer.

 

"No! Please, no! Keep them away from me! I'm sorry!" Hiashi screamed as he realized he fate.

 

"Sorry. It takes absolutely no effort for me to tell that you are saying this out of fear rather than genuine remorse. Enjoy your suffering. I'll stop once I'm satisfied. Let's hope that it doesn't last for more than an hour… Don't worry though, every time you're about to die or lose your mind, my children will heal you."

 

With that, Mikoto truly disappeared into the darkness and Hiashi was left to his torment.

 

 For the next several minutes, all that could be heard was the tearing of flesh and screams as Hiashi's bloody figure was covered in bite marks with pieces missing from his body. The shadows pierced holes in his body, tore chunks off of it with their many mouths, and used their teeth as knives to lacerate his body.

 

As long as I stay alive I will not break. I will not break. I am Hiashi Hyuga, the head of the Hyuga clan. I will not be beaten by mere torture.

 

A voice spoke out in the darkness.

 

"Oh, right. I forgot the most important part of this. Having only my children teach you pain will not teach you fear. Be grateful, you will be the first to be baptized in my darkness and live to tell the tale, that is if you can recall what is about to happen without breaking down."

 

The light that shone around Hiashi disappeared and the voices began speaking. First they whispered about his clan, his family, his colleagues, and his traits, but as if evolving based on his reactions they soon became more and more specific, digging into his deepest fears and insecurities. The whispers tore at his mind, promising him futures more terrifying than anything he could imagine. The whispers were soon aided by a cacophony of sounds. These sounds were like nails being driven into his mind, every moment passing bringing him unimaginable anguish, fear, and distress. These sounds ignited instinctual terror within him. They coupled with the whispers and brought his mind to the brink of collapse. The whispers had become noise and everything was turning fuzzy. However, just as he was about to go insane, a needle pierced into his ear, reaching his brain. Upon contact, his mind regained clarity and he began perceiving the whispers once more. They continued to bring terror.

 

The torment did not stop there. The creatures previously held back by the light began to attack Hiashi. He was torn into pieces, dissolved, swallowed, cut, skinned, and destroyed completely multiple times, but he could not die. His body always returned to its original form and was rendered to pieces by the shadowy creatures once more. Sometimes he was killed quickly, and sometimes he was killed slowly. While the voices tore at his mind, the beasts tore at his body. Hiashi was helpless to do anything about the torment and grew to the point of mental collapse faster with every moment. Each second felt like a millennia and time was slowed for him to the point that every injury's pain began compounding, including injuries that had already healed. As time passed, the rate at which Hiashi neared mental collapse increased. After an hour, he was always on the verge of it, never reaching a truly stable state even when the shadow children healed his mind.

 

However, even when the visions brought about by lingering voices destroyed his mind and the darkness destroyed his body, Hiashi still was not allowed respite. The torment continued for multiple hours and Hiashi began to approach the point where even with healing, his mind would be permanently damaged. Seeing this, Mikoto decided to end it.

 

The voices stopped. The creatures stopped. It all stopped. All that was left was a small beam of light shining down on Hiashi, covered with only his own blood and sweat.

 

"Hiashi Hyuga, just know this: your life now belongs to me. You will force the elders to allow my stay and you will personally treat both Natsu and I as if we were main family members. You will remove the cursed seal from Natsu and you will become my servant. If I tell you to kill, you will kill. If I tell you to die, you will die. You will accept any and all commands of mine, and should you fail to accomplish them, your life will be forfeit. Not only will your life be taken, I will brutally take the lives of every single one of your precious clan members before your very eyes. Let the nightmares that plague you every night as you sleep be a grave reminder of this fact. When you see a shadow, remember that I am watching. Never become complacent, never believe that you are free. Until the day you die, you belong to me. You are dismissed."

 

The darkness then disappeared, leaving Hiashi in the same spot he had been at the start of the affair. Natsu and Mikoto were nowhere to be found, but the rest of the Hyuga clan was unconscious and pale. Hiashi was still alone, even after being freed from his torment. He could only sob. All he did was cry, and cry, and cry, as he lamented his actions. His mind was healed but his memory still remained. He was filled with fear. He remembered Mikoto's commands and immediately stood. He went to clean and clothe himself, then he went to summon the clan elders to reverse his decision. He needed to do it, and quickly. He would also remove the cursed seal in private, but the matter could be known to no one.