(Utakata's POV)

  Utakata woke up feeling... strange.

  Lighter than he had felt in years, sunlight streamed through the open window, the cacophony of sounds alerting him to the start of the morning: birdsong, rustling leaves, the distant voices of civilians...

  Utakata slowly raised his torso, placing his hand on his head, feeling a slight headache behind his eyes. He frowned slightly, confused, trying to remember what had happened to him.

  At least in terms of how he got to her bed.

  Then he remembered something: Tayuya's hard face telling him that the time had come. There was clearly a different feeling there, but Tayuya simply followed orders.

  Utakata didn't fight, there was no point in fighting given his current weakness.

  He was taken to an underground space by Tayuya, who left soon after without looking back. Utakata watched the girl's figure behind him as she walked away, feeling a complicated feeling inside.

  Then he came, Jugo, the leader of Otogakure.

  He took him to a room full of stamps and then... nothing.

  He passed out.

  Was he in the Pure Land now? Reliving memories of his life?

  But before he could think any further, the traditional wooden door suddenly opened, revealing those irritated eyes, disheveled hair, and...

  -Still sleeping?! You lazy bastard! You're worse than Jirobo!- Tayuya's voice completely woke Utakata. He sighed, yes, he wasn't dead. Miraculously or not, he was still there.

  But that weight in his abdomen, that constant presence connected to his spirit... it was gone. This confused him, the norm was that a Jinchuuriki should die when the Biju is extracted.

  But he didn't die, why?

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  Tayuya's foot lunged toward Utakata's face, who luckily managed to catch it in time.

  Looking slightly annoyed at the woman, who merely snorted in amusement, he sighed, slowly rising and asking the question he wanted to ask. -Why am I not dead?

  Tayuya paused, her irritated gaze softening slightly, just slightly, then she spoke. -Jugo-sama completed the extraction, but managed to keep your life , you should be grateful to him!

  Utakata looked at the girl for a moment, then looked at his own hands... did that mean... he was free?

  Well, he was still a prisoner in Otogakure, but at least he no longer had a monster inside him.

  Utakata looked at his hands with some confusion, for a moment he didn't know what to do.

  -You are free.- Tayuya's voice rang out again, pulling Utakata from his thoughts and making him look up.

  He was a little confused before he understood the context. - So I... can I go?

  -Yes. - Tayuya's gaze turned angry again, even more so than before, looking at him as if she wanted to tear a hole in his neck.

  Utakata spent enough time with Tayuya to be able to determine her mood by the degree of irritation her face displayed.

  Now he knew she was upset, very upset.

  Utakata sighed inwardly, he wasn't a fool and could see that Tayuya was the classic type to say one thing and mean another. Even her perpetually irritated face could only be read by those who knew her well, distinguishing her subtle expressions.

  For a moment, free from the "inner demon", Utakata didn't quite know what to do. But the trauma his master had put him through was still present, although now there was a hint of doubt, but it was quickly sidelined, so Utakata skillfully locked his heart away.

  -Does that mean I can leave?- he finally asked.

  Tayuya stared at him for a long moment, he could see her irritation had doubled. She let out an annoyed snort, turned around and left without speaking to him again.

  Utakata felt a brief urge to call her, but he suppressed it.

  He gathered his belongings, donned his blue Yukata and with his bubble blower now free of his chakra, Utakata slowly left the house, then calmly walked through the village towards the gate.

  He walked slowly, looking around, remembering the peace he felt during his time here.

  Finally he reached the gate, paused for a moment, but no one appeared, no one to stop him from leaving.

  He could sense someone following him from a distance, he could say he didn't know who it was, but he did.

  Sighing slightly, he resumed walking, passing through the gate and heading away.

  No one stopped him, no one rebuked him, he went further and further, always calmly, until he left the surrounding territory of Otogakure. All eyes on him stopped, but he didn't stop, walking ever further...

  Not far away, a woman with messy red hair glared at Utakata's departing figure with seething anger, but she didn't stop him until he had gone too far to be seen, until morning turned into afternoon and then into night, she finally looked away, slowly returning to the village.

  But at that moment, the irritation on his face had disappeared, leaving only a certain regret.

  (A/N: Is this the end of Utakata and Tayuya's story? Find out in the next episode of Dragon... cough, cough... wrong program.)