Setsumi's sincerity caught Kyomu off guard. People had always regarded him as the enemy, so he got used to playing that role. No one had ever asked his motives, his reasons for doing what he did. He sighed, not because he was irritated, but because he was ready to get something off his chest.
"All right, I'll tell you. Come with me." Kyomu led Setsumi into the kitchen, where there was a large table with two chairs. "Have some tea, there's a lot to say," he offered, pouring two cups and setting them down on the table. A small gesture of kindness because she actually cared. "Adjust the temperature however you like," Kyomu told her, knowing that she could with her ice chakra.
The silver-haired young man sat down opposite Setsumi and told her everything. "The first memory I have is of falling from the sky and landing in a forest. That was 5 years ago, and I don't remember anything before then. But I knew I wasn't normal, because wherever I went there would always be someone pledging their loyalty to me, claiming that they've awaited my arrival for a long time. Wherever I 'arrived' from..."
He continued. "What I'm saying is... what I've been told... is that I'm not from this world. I'm from a place called the Village Hidden in the Scrolls. An alternate dimension that's vastly different from this one. The village is a lone sky island that floats above miles and miles of ocean. And it's currently facing a threat greater than the ongoing war in this world."
Kyomu paused so Setsumi could follow along, because it was a lot to take in. "The oceans surrounding my village are infested with creatures whose power rivals the tailed beasts of this world, but there are several of them. Every day these sea monsters leap from the waters below and attempt to swallow the sky island whole. These creatures evolve rapidly, reaching new heights each year."
Setsumi claimed she wanted to understand him, but Kyomu doubted that she could. He knew this was hard to believe. "Humans evolve slowly, so the people of my world can't compete with these beasts and will soon be wiped out. It's like the gods don't want humans to exist there. They've only survived up until now because the village head, the Kyomukage, has kept the island afloat using her chakra. And she raises it higher and higher each year to escape the beasts, though it puts enormous strain on her body. In a few years she won't manage."
"But there's hope. She developed a jutsu that would open a rift in space and allow one to travel between worlds. The Kyomukage was already using up enough chakra keeping the village afloat, so she couldn't open the rift wide enough to push the entire island through to this world."
"So when I was born, Lady Kyomukage began sending the most skilled shinobi in our village to the new world through the rift. Their mission was to study this world and develop a jutsu to open the rift from the other side. One that's large enough for the entire island to pass through. But when the shinobi got here, they found that they were much weaker in this world than their own. Their chakra reserves were greatly diminished."
Kyomu held an empty teacup in his left hand and the one he was drinking in his right. "Think of it this way," he demonstrated. "When you pour tea from one cup to another, there's heat lost in transfer. The tea's cooler in the second cup. Same principle applies to traveling between worlds. There's chakra lost in the transfer, and you end up weaker in the next world. That's why my men are so weak."
"To prevent the same thing from happening to me, Lady Kyomukage began sealing my chakra into scrolls ever since I was born, and the shinobi she sent to this world would take the scrolls with them. So when I came of age and got here myself, I could regain the chakra I lost by releasing it from the 200 scrolls brought here using my Chakra Surge. If I do that too often and defy the physical limits that this world has placed on me, I could die..."
Kyomu relaxed a bit, because his story was nearing its conclusion. "I lost my memory when I traveled between worlds. I came here when I was 13, no idea who I was, and worked my ass off to become a jonin. When I met the Kyomukage's men, they filled me in about my past and became my followers. They had perfected the 1000-handsign jutsu that would save the village. I just needed to amass enough chakra to perform it."
"I've tried obtaining it through peaceful means. Setting up chakra donation centers in Iwagakure. But charity only got me so far, and soon the war broke out... I didn't have much time to accomplish my goal," Kyomu explained.
"That's why I've been taking shinobi hostage and draining their chakra! That's why I'm siding with Tobi and Madara! If I can tap into the chakra drained from everyone caught in the Infinite Tsukuyomi, I can save my village! The place I lived before I lost my memories! The Eye of the Moon Plan has to succeed!" Kyomu told Setsumi passionately. "Lady Kyomukage has the power to restore my memories..."
"I've given you plenty of reasons to hate me, but this war is just a means to end. I need chakra, and I don't have much time. I drain myself every night and endure excruciating pain, because I'm willing to lay down my own life in pursuit of my goal."
"I have no past and no future. I don't know who the hell I am," Kyomu confessed. "In this world, I'm a wanted man and an S-class missing-nin. In the other world, Lady Kyomukage is my mother..."
"So now you know..." he said, after a long pause. "I'm Kyomu Eiran, heir to the Kyomukage."
