Yukio and the Hanzo ninjas left Hebijo, and arrived back at Hanzo academy. They reported everything to Kiriya, their Sensei, and went to their dorms to rest.

Yukio sighed as he laid on his bed. It was about an hour since he was last in his dorm, but it felt like days to him because of his restarts.

Kagura...a goddess. Red Orbs...the source of both her and my power. What else is there to know about this side of the world? Where do I fit in all of this?

"You fit in everything, Yukio. You just don't know 'how' to fit in." The voice in his head said.

"Kagura?!" Yukio exclaimed, shocked from her voice.

"Why are you so shocked from my voice now? I've always been talking to you." Kagura responded.

Oh, so you've always been in my head?

"Exactly, now you understand." Kagura replied.

Actually, I don't understand. I don't understand anything about this part of the world that I never knew about.

"Well, this part of the world is definitely more treacherous. The civilian world is definitely more peaceful, and naive. However, the normal world can't make you stronger. Do you wish to stay as a normal human?" Kagura asked.

Yukio went silent, he didn't know how to answer her question. He was done with all his suffering, he didn't want to die anymore. He didn't want to be cursed with anymore knowledge. On the other hand, he met amazing companions, got physically stronger, and most notable for him, he strengthened his resolve and willpower.

What a bunch of 'high risk, high reward' BS! If I were to go back to an average life, what would I get in return?

"So what is your decision, Yukio?" Kagura asked again.

"I'm not going back, I'm too deep into this side of the world to walk away." Yukio decided.

"Good choice. Whenever you're ready, see me at the usual shrine." Kagura ordered.

"Whenever I'm ready? You make it sound like I'm going on a journey." Yukio suddenly yawned, and he started to fall asleep.

After some sleep, I'll head to the shrine.

In Yukio's dream, he found himself in his parents house with blurry figures that reminded him of his mom and dad. However, he wasn't able to see their faces.

It hasn't been that long since Yukio last saw his parents, but he completely forgotten what they looked like. All he could see was smiles on the blurry figures' empty faces.

Yukio heard himself giggling like a little kid. The figures' mouths moved up and down, he assumed they were giggling as well. The figures held their hands out to Yukio, and he reached out to them. However, as his hands got closer, the floor underneath Yukio's feet gave way, and he gradually fell downward.

With the figures too far away for him to see anymore, Yukio's arms gave up and sulked down to his sides. He looked downward and saw himself falling towards a dark cloud.

"Ahhhhhhh!" Yukio woke up from his dream. After taking a minute to calm himself down, he realized that his eyes were tearing up. "What was that? Wait, why am I crying?"

Yukio wiped his tears away, but they wouldn't stop. He tried, but he couldn't stop crying. He eventually gave up, and sobbed on his bed.

After a while, he eventually stopped crying, and got out of his bed. He looked at the clock.

"It's midnight?!" Yukio exclaimed. "What am I supposed to do when it's midnight?!"

Yukio looked at his phone, and scrolled through his contacts. He knew everyone he could call would be asleep, but he felt lonely.

I guess I have no choice...hey, Kagura? You there?

"Kagura is not available at the moment, please try again later." Kagura responded, Yukio heard her chuckle.

Yeah, sure...nice joke.

"If you wanted someone to calm your mental state, you picked the wrong person." Kagura said.

Well...you're a goddess, not a therapist.

"Correct, so I would suggest not talking to me about your problems." Kagura suggested, and didn't say anything after that.

"But how am I supposed to deal with this loneliness?" Yukio said, hoping for an answer from Kagura.

However, Kagura didn't reply back, and Yukio sighed after a moment of silence. He got dressed, and decided to walk around the city.

Maybe some sightseeing will distract me.

He walked around the bustling nighttime city. The lights were blinding, cars in traffic and chatter can be heard from a mile away. However, Yukio was too deep in his own thoughts to even notice it all.

Even with all this happening around me, I still can't shake this sad feeling. Why am I even having this feeling?

Yukio looked forward, and saw a small family walking around. Something about that sight, a young boy standing and laughing in between his smiling mother and father, brought Yukio to tears. He realized he was crying, and rushed out of the city.

"Damn it, what is wrong with me?" He cursed himself, and ran out of the city.

He rushed towards the outskirts of the city, and looked at all the lights. It was somehow a nostalgic feeling for Yukio. The feeling made Yukio smile.

Why do I feeling so nostalgic? I was crying just a few moments ago, but now I'm smiling.

Yukio sat down at a nearby bench, and listened to the sounds of nature. He immediately felt relaxed. He looked back at his cell phone, dug through his contact list, and found his mom and dad's phone number.

I haven't talked to them since I left the house and decided to live on my own. Why haven't I ever messaged them? Why haven't I ever called them? I was so happy back then, when I lived at their house. So...why? Why haven't I contacted them since I left?

"Why did I leave it all behind?" Yukio asked himself. He took a deep breath, wiped away his tears, and dialed his mom's phone.

"Hello?" A woman's voice answered the phone.

"Mom? It's me, Yukio." Yukio responded. He could tell that his mom was shocked on the other line.

"Yukio? Wow...I missed you so much, how have you been, sweetie?" Yukio's mom replied, gleefully.

"I'm doing good, mom." Yukio replied, trying to hold back his tears. "How are you and dad doing?"

"We are doing just grand now that you called, we missed you so much when you left. We were thinking you've forgotten about us." His mom chuckled.

"I'm so sorry if I made you worried. So much has happened." Yukio said.

"I would love to hear all of it. Do you want to tell me what has happened since you left?" His mom asked. Yukio was shocked from her question.

I can't, I can't tell her about my death's restart power, nor can I tell her about the Shinobi world. I want to though, I want to get it all off my chest. I want to tell her everything.

Yukio opened his mouth to speak, but his mother interrupted. "Hold on, let me get your father real quick." A few seconds later, Yukio heard another familiar voice on the phone.

"Hi bud, it's been a while." The man's voice greeted.

"Hey dad, I've missed you too." Yukio greeted back to his father.

"Are you doing ok?" His father asked.

"Yeah, I-I'm doing great. How are you?" Yukio stuttered with his words. He was so happy to hear from his parents again, he stopped himself from crying again.

"I'm doing great as well. Me and your mother have missed you so much. How is school and everything over there?" Yukio's father asked.

"It's going good, I've already made some friends. I think I'm getting used to living alone." Yukio said.

"That's good to hear. I expected you to come running back to us within the first week, but you've lasted more than a month without us or your stuff." His father replied.

"Yeah..." Yukio went silent, he thought back to how his life was at his parent's house. He begun crying again. "Give me a minute."

Yukio put the phone down on the bench, wiped his tears, and looked towards the city.

Why did I even leave? I had a perfect life at my parents house. Why didn't I just stay there?

He wasn't sure what the answer was. After he left his parents' house, he didn't laugh, let alone smile. Was it the loneliness of living alone? Was it his boredom of everything around him? Or did something happen that he couldn't recover from? The answer wasn't any other those, his depressed state was a side effect of leaving everything that he loved at his parents' house.

My perfect life, I had everything I ever wanted. Toys, video games, plenty of food, butlers and maids, I was such a spoiled rich kid. I wanted that life to last forever. Then my mom and dad told me I would have to live on my own someday. I got scared, I wanted my whole life to be handed to me on a silver platter, but that's not how life is. I accepted that when I left for high school. I wasn't ready to start working for a living, so I ended up not doing anything at all.

"God, I'm still such a baby." Yukio insulted himself, he then picked up his phone.

I really wanted to see my parents again, but I guess that'll have to wait.

"Yukio, is everything ok?" His father asked when Yukio returned.

"Yeah, I'm doing great. Dad, mom, I'm gonna be ok. I'll be sure to stay in touch if I can." Yukio said, he wasn't ready to say goodbye to them.

"Oh, ok. Bye bud, we love you and miss you." His father paused. "...Hey, bud? I could tell you're having a tough time living on your own. Remember, your mom and I will always be proud of you, living on your own isn't an easy step. You're doing great bud."

Huh? How did...heh, I guess he still knows when I'm feeling anxious.

"...Thanks for everything, dad." Yukio said.

"Goodbye, sweetie! I'll miss you so much."  His mother yelled goodbye.

Yukio chuckled. "I'll message you both another time. Bye, love you!" Yukio hung up the phone, and covered his face with his hands. "I'm sure I'll see you again."

Ok, I'm ready. Whatever Kagura has for me at that shrine, I'm ready for it. First thing in the morning, I'll head over to the shrine, and talk with Kagura.

Yukio walked back to his dorm, flew into his bed, and fell back asleep.

To be continued...