Chapter 44
HIKARI HYUGA
Hikari was supposed to leave two days ago, when suddenly he was called into the Hokage office, and told he was to stay in the village for two more days. It all felt a bit strange, but he was happy to have a few more days for himself.
He chose to spend that time with Ino, Shikamaru, and the rest of his friends. However, a part of him did wonder why Lady Tsunade had stopped him so suddenly. Still, at that time, he found himself receiving a missive from a rather unlikely person, as his former mentor and colleague asked him to come and see her.
Uzuki Yugao still wore her usual ANBU uniform, though as he reached the training ground, he frowned as he saw that she was not quite alone. That there was another woman standing just beside her, one whose hair was very similar to her unique purple locks, though her outfit was far more revealing.
"It has been some time, sensei," he greeted the woman who had trained him in the ways of the ANBU, as she smiled back at him.
"I don't really think I deserve that title, captain," she answered back sweetly, and he had heard that the woman in front of him was considering taking a break from the ANBU, as she looked to start a life with her long-term partner, Hayate.
"Well, I am afraid you will always hold that title," he added, and it was no secret that he had long surpassed the woman in front of her, yet still, he would not be in his current position if it were not for her, and so she would always hold a special place in his heart.
At that, he turned towards the woman beside her, who was chewing on a stick of dango as her eyes examined the mark on his neck.
"And I believe you are the reason she asked to meet me, Anko-san," and at that, the wild Tokubetsu jounin raised a brow.
"Oh, so you have heard of me?" she asked, and he nodded.
"You were our proctor during the second phase of the exam," he reminded her, and her eyes widened in realization.
"Oh, with so much going on, I had almost forgotten about that," she added, and he was beginning to have a hunch about this rather impromptu summons.
"Yes, it has all been rather chaotic," Yugao sensei agreed, solemnly.
"Still, Anko is an old friend of mine and perhaps the only one within the village who can help you with your current predicament," the ANBU woman added softly as her eyes turned towards the cursed mark as well.
His eyes met Anko's, and he saw a semblance of pity and rage in them, as she frowned.
"You should have had it sealed," she suggested quietly, and the idea was tempting, but the Cursed Mark had its own uses, and even within these two days, Hikari had begun to notice its effects over his body—both the good and the bad.
He could feel it invading his chakra network, as it tried to spread its influence, yet he could also feel his body growing more and more familiar with the concept of senjutsu, as he began to sense a hint of the hidden natural energy that lingered all over the world.
"I don't think that is a permanent solution. I believe the only way to be rid of this thing is to conquer it," and she gave him a weak smile as she rubbed her own mark.
"Well, I am afraid you aren't the first one to think like that," she added, hinting at her own struggles.
"Still, it is your choice," and with that, she reached into her pocket and threw a scroll towards him. Hikari caught it and raised a brow as the woman added.
"That contains everything I was able to put together about this damned thing," she snarled with some frustration.
"Honestly, it's not much, but if you are serious about conquering it as you say, then that will be a good place for you to start," and this would indeed be quite helpful.
"Thank you," he said as he pocketed the scroll.
"Don't thank me. Thank her," she said, pointing a thumb towards Yugao-sensei.
"She was the one who bribed me with a yearly supply of Dango just to help her dear student," and that was a rather steep price to pay.
"I will be going now. I have a lot of work piled up. So, best of luck, kid," and with that, she blurred away, leaving him alone with Yugao-san.
"Thank you," he repeated, and she shook her head.
"You don't need to say that," and they plopped down on the ground, as Hikari chose to ask her about the rumors himself.
"So, is it true?" he asked, and she frowned.
"What?"
"You and Hayate-san," he added, and saw her face flush slightly before she nodded nonetheless.
"Yes, it is," she answered with a sweet smile.
"We were planning on having it this year, but with everything going on, we have pushed it by a year," and that seemed a bit wise.
"We can only hope that things calm down quite a bit by then," and he gave her a nod.
"Don't worry. They will...."
.
.
.
And with that scroll in his pocket, he found himself summoned to the Hospital, before he was led to a rather secluded and secret room at the back, where Lady Tsunade stood beside a rather unlikely face.
"Hiashi-sama," he frowned, taken aback by his presence.
"Hikari," he greeted warmly as he turned towards the blonde woman.
"What is going on?" he asked, as his body tensed slightly and the Godaime Hokage did not rush to answer him, as she looked him in the eye.
"Years ago, you were robbed of your Kekkei Genkai because of the prejudice and short-sightedness of my father," and it was Hiashi-san who began, as he stepped forward.
"I have long moved past that," Hikari retorted, and now the man was dead. He had not really cared much for it then, and that had not changed even now.
"I know, but you were wronged, and as the clan Head, it falls onto me to rectify that mistake," and Hikari scoffed.
"Well, unless you can magically repair my chakra networks and find me a pair of Byakugans, I don't think that will be quite possible," he mocked as the room grew still at those words, as the implication dawned on him.
"You cannot be serious," he gasped as his eyes shifted between his uncle and Lady Tsunade.
"I am afraid we are," Lady Tsunade added as she stepped forward and slid forward a small container which contained a pair of eyes.
"I am still conflicted about this entire thing, but we need every little advantage we can get. And if you have the Byakugan, it gives us an advantage, then I will make that possible," and he gulped down nervously.
"Are those his eyes?" he asked, and Hiashi-sama nodded.
"Hittori Hyuga is now a dead man. He was the one who wronged you, and so it would only be fair that he pays penance for his actions with his own Kekkei Genkai," and so his guess was right. They were indeed the eyes of Hittori Hyuga.
And the idea was tempting. One would have to be a fool to underestimate the abilities of a Byakugan. The power they offered was on an entirely different level.
"Is it even possible?" he asked.
"Who do you think you are talking to, kid?" Lady Tsunade teased as she stepped forward.
"I may be a sore loser, but I can bet everything I have on the fact that there is no better iryo-nin on this planet than me," she announced as she looked him in the eye and answered.
"So, yes. It is possible...."
0000
DARUI
The area along the border between Konoha and Kumo was filled with tension, as clashes between forces became a norm. Whispers and rumors about Konoha being betrayed by Sunagakure and Otogakure had begun to surface some weeks ago, and while initially there was skepticism about it, such an event was near impossible to keep under wraps.
In the end, the death of a Hokage was something very hard to keep silent for long, and so it became evident that the rumors were indeed true, and that Konoha had finally been humbled by its own allies.
It was a chance for their own village to exact its revenge for the death of their Third Raikage and the many humiliations they had suffered at the hands of Konohagakure.
Despite being considered equals, the truth was that Konoha had always enjoyed an upper hand over Iwa and Kumo because of its diverse Kekkei Genkais and history.
But the past decade had not been kind to the village, and it had suffered one loss after another. And now many within Kumo believed that their time had come, and they could finally push back against Konoha and reclaim their lost honor and territories.
And so, after a month-long campaign, they had finally conquered a major outpost along the border.
"Do any of the captives belong to a clan?" Darui asked, and the mission would have been far more easier had they been asked to kill everyone within the outpost, but the Raikage-sama had ordered them to capture the enemies, especially focusing on those who belonged to a clan and possessed a kekkei genkai.
"I am afraid no," Cee answered, as Darui clicked his tongue.
"What a drag," he complained as he strapped the blade back and began to examine the base.
They had a squad of twenty inside the place, and it was rather mundane looking and no taller than a single story. There were a few rooms with beds inside them, along with a store room down below, and a rather large hall in another wing.
The place was rather well hidden, and despite its simplistic structure, had been an absolute disaster to conquer.
"Honestly, it's not much...." Yet as Darui was about to comment, suddenly he felt Cee's arm push down his head, as his dear old friend shouted wildly.
"Everyone down!" and Darui frowned, yet let his friend push down his head before suddenly a massive storm of fire tore apart the entire upper half of the building.
BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOM!
Screams filled the halls, and the Konoha captives were able to avoid the attacks by virtue of being on their knees, yet those of his own fellows who had not reacted in time were all burnt to a crisp in front of his eyes, as Darui's heart sank.
"AGHHHH!" "NOOOOO!" "FIRE! FIRE!" "IT HURTS!"
But the cries were quick to die down, as their upper halves were burnt to a crisp, and he saw Cee grunt as well, as the raging fire touched his shoulder
"SHHH!" Cee grunted as the fire died down, and Darui found himself staring at open skies, as the entire upper half of the building was blown apart.
"What was that?" he gasped, and it was Cee who answered in reply.
"They are here," he whispered, and immediately the survivors all huddled together in an instant, as shadows jumped atop the half-standing wall. They wore masks shaped in the form of animal faces, as was characteristic of Konoha's ANBU.
Each village had its own set of masks for its special forces, and Konoha's ANBU were no different. The animal masks hid their identities, yet in the world of espionage and assassinations, these very masks became a shinobi's identity.
There were quite a few files about Konoha's ANBU in the records, especially one who wore teh mask of Crow and Wolf. Those two were known to be exceptional shinobi who had yet to suffer a singular defeat.
Yet it was neither of them leading the group, though Darui had begun to hear whispers about this one as well.
"It is him. The Sparrow," Cee was amongst the few besides him privileged enough to have access to the files on ANBU ops, and the Sparrow was a relatively new face, but one that was no less scary than his predecessors.
"How many of them are there?" Darui questioned as he began to assess the situation.
"Five," Cee answered, and there were ten of them. Despite their initial assault, they still outnumbered the ANBU, yet much to his surprise, suddenly the sparrow masked shinobi raised his hand as if halting the rest as he jumped down onto the ground, and began to walk forward as if challenging them.
"He is the one," Cee added, and Darui believed that he had a rather good instinct as a shinobi, and right now those instincts were screaming at him to run away, and he reckoned that this was all because of the one bastard in front of him.
"Yeah, I know," and he still held a blade in his hand, though the metal had blackened as if it was soot, and soon enough it began to crumble away as the masked nin glanced at his hilt and then threw it away, as he turned his gaze towards him.
And that gaze was not normal. Not at all.
"He is trouble," Darui whispered as everyone followed his command and prepared themselves for a fight, and Darui had the numbers, yet his instincts were screaming at him to run away.
"We are going to retreat," he answered, for he much valued his life.
"What?" Cee was taken aback.
"Yes, facing him. It's giving me the same vibes as facing Raikage-sama, and I doubt he will be as merciful as him," and so they would simply retreat.
"I will help," Cee added, as both of them quickly cycled through a set of handseals.
"Suiton: Suijinheki…"
"Raiton: Kangekiha..."
And the combined might of their attack sent a flood charged with electricity barreling towards the masked nin, who did not seem phased about the attack at all, yet just as the water was about to crash into him, the masked nin moved.
"Ninpo: KAITEN!"
BOOOOM!
And a dome of blue chakra surrounded the boy, as Darui and Cee found themselves taken aback as their combined jutsu was parried away, while the masked nin simply stood there unfazed.
"It seems like this won't be as easy as I had hoped," and so Darui began to move forward as he began to cycle through another set of handseals.
"Raiton: Kuropanther…."
0000
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