Mari Makinami
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________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 21. Seeking Answers
Hiashi cleared his throat, peering straight into the Uchiha's impassive mismatching eyes searchingly and perhaps even daringly, as if trying to see through the mask the boy was constantly wearing on his face that always appeared to be completely devoid of any emotion. To the amusement and, at the same time, to the apprehension of the Hyūga clan's head, it seemed to be absolutely impossible – and the man was finding it rather ironic that even with his famous eyes that could see through anything he wasn't able to read this young man's face at all.
It also meant that he was about to get himself a very powerful ally, and it was right in time to say the least, given what they were going to do this night. The nearly suicidal operation was about to turn into an ensured success now, thanks to this boy.
Perhaps it was their destiny, after all? With the boy by his side, he would ensure the safety of his clan for many years ahead. And ...
Mayhap ... he could even help them against that man …?
Hiashi nearly shook his head, annoyed by the sudden idea that was so tempting and insane at the same time. After all, he hadn't lied; everything was going in the exact way he had told him it would. Hinata had broken out of her cage, just like that man had predicted, and was now getting more and more powerful with every day passing. She needed to be killed as soon as possible before it would become too late for them, there was no other way.
After all, he had no reason to believe that the boy would want to help him if he found out the truth …
"So, Uchiha-dono … seeing as you don't mind the traditional Covenant of Alliance between two ancient clans, I concur as well. However, considering the circumstances of our … deal … I understand you probably have some special conditions. I'd like to hear them out before we seal this agreement and get down to what's supposed to come afterward."
They were standing on the opposite sides of the ornamented pulpit in the middle of the ceremonial hall of the Hyūga compound, surrounded by nearly the entire clan of Byakugan users who were staring at the two of them silently – nobody dared to make a single sound in this epochal moment.
Ignoring everyone but the older shinobi that was standing in front if him, Sasuke smiled inwardly and said,
"First of all, I want to make it clear – I'm loyal to the Hyūga clan of Konohagakure, not to you personally or to any other Hyūga in particular. Which means that should some of your clansmen ever decide to betray Konoha, I will stay by the side of those who remain loyal to the village. Same goes for any member of my own family, of course."
A wave of indignant whispers flew across the accommodation, and for a split second it seemed to Hiashi that the Uchiha grinned triumphantly as his gaze met the indifferent eyes of Kō who was standing right next to them, writing down the additional points to the scroll that was supposed to become the Covenant once Sasuke and Hiashi would finish their negotiations and sign it.
But the man brushed this ridiculous thought away nearly instantly as the teen looked into his eyes again – apparently it was but his imagination and the play of light coming of the nearest torches, after all.
Besides, his reasoning was pretty much justified. Considering that the boy already knew what really had happened to his own clan, he obviously couldn't ignore the possibility of the same happening to Hyūga someday, so Hiashi couldn't really blame him for taking precautions. In fact, the man found that pretty smart, much like every move Sasuke had made so far. And although the Hyūga patriarch would never admit it to anyone, he was beginning to actually like the boy.
"That is acceptable. But I hope you understand that this is going to be mutual, Uchiha-dono. Our village has some … sad history with your clan." To his surprise, the teen didn't react to his taunt at all, nodding casually instead as if it was nothing at all to him.
"I also want a bride," he suddenly added, taking everyone completely off-guard.
Hiashi's eyebrow twitched and his eyes widened slightly in shock while everyone in the hall became dead silent once again.
"Excuse me …?" He mumbled, unsure if he had heard him correctly. This was exactly what he had anticipated just few minutes ago when they had met at the entrance to their compound … could it even be possible?
Sasuke sighed, looking at him as if the man was but a silly child who didn't understand the obvious things.
"I intend to restore my clan, so I want to marry a Hyūga woman of the Main House one day, whenever I decide that the time has come. Your clan is known to be the strongest in Konoha aside from the Uchiha, isn't it? That's why I don't see a possibly better opportunity to ensure that my future off-springs are not weak by any chance. Besides, it would only make the ties between our clans stronger, don't you think so?"
Hiashi gasped, and so did most of the ninja around them who were listening to their conversation in complete awe.
Not only they were about to witness a historical agreement between arguably the most powerful clans their world had ever known, but they also could see it first hand – the living legend Uchiha Sasuke was, and he certainly was making quite an impact with such ambitious claims, only strengthening the impression.
"I … suppose that can be arranged," Hiashi uttered finally after a short pause. "However, since we're talking about the Main House, I must warn you that if the woman of your choice will object, nobody is going to force her to become your betrothed."
The corner of the boy's mouth twitched, and although Hiashi couldn't see any kind of ill intent in the young man's plans aside from pursuing his own goals, which wasn't a bad thing at all in his opinion, for some reason which he failed to grasp this small smirk the boy's lips curved into made the man want to second-guess his decision for a short moment.
However, Hinata's father was a very rational and calculating man himself – and these were mere emotions, nothing more, nothing less. He couldn't afford showing any sign of weakness or hesitating in front of his family, and certainly not in front of the head of the Uchiha clan.
"Of course," Sasuke replied, sounding a bit irritated. "Who do you think I am, a slaver? This would only be possible if the woman I choose agrees to my proposal willingly."
Hiashi nodded slowly, allowing himself to let out a barely notable sigh of relief. His vis-à-vis didn't turn to be an immoral egoist as many people in the village said he was, after all.
"Anything else?"
Sasuke's smile vanished as he said,
"Yeah. Just one more thing. Any children of mine will be members of the Uchiha clan, even if they are born with the Byakugan. I shall not allow any seals to be placed on them, either. Therefore I suppose they would need to be allowed to study some basic techniques of their dōjutsu."
Ignoring multiple murmurs coming from here and there, Hiashi nodded approvingly again. Fortunately enough, this was a standard procedure for those Hyūga females who decided to marry someone not from their clan, and an Uchiha would not be an exception here.
"Without a doubt. If such children are born, they will receive the same rights the Branch House members have in our clan."
"That's fair." The teen activated his Sharingan, glancing at the scroll for a moment as Kō was finishing writing down the last sentence, and nodded. "I've read it, and I'm fine with every point we have made. On behalf of the Uchiha clan, I'm ready to sign it."
Putting the pen aside, Kō handed the scroll to the young shinobi gently and bowed down, avoiding to look into his eyes.
"Please, Sasuke-sama."
Sasuke raised his only hand – the bright purple chakra embraced the tip of his pointer, and then the teen carefully pressed it to the bottom of the scroll, holding his finger still for a second before moving it away – the stamp of his personal chakra signature was perfectly visible, imprinted into the special chakra sensitive paper.
"Please, Hiashi-sama." The older man did the same, not moving his eyes away from those of the Uchiha, still trying to figure him out, even though realizing that it was already too late anyway.
"It is settled, then," the head of Hyūga turned to his people, giving the crowd a warm smile. "Rejoice, my dear clansmen! This is a truly amazing day, to all of us!"
The hall got consumed by the wave of loud applause which made Sasuke wince inadvertently for a second, but fortunately enough nobody noticed that as Hiashi was cheering his multiple family members.
"Everyone who hasn't been assigned for any missions tomorrow, you may celebrate this glorious event until the morning. As for the special group–"
"Proceed to the nearest lobby. We will depart shortly," Sasuke's calm yet rather loud voice interrupted the older shinobi, making him frown.
Said group hesitated, awaiting for the affirmation of the Uchiha's order.
"What are you waiting for?" Hiashi barked, making some of them flinch. "Do as Uchiha-dono said. The rest, dismissed." A few ninja nodded, and everyone else finally allowed themselves to talk freely, making the hall sink into the cacophony of multiple excited voices.
Hiashi turned to Sasuke, glaring at him with slight displease.
"I understand that you are in the position to give orders to my people during missions according to our agreement unless they contradict my own, and especially right now, but please, Uchiha-dono, avoid interrupting me like this in future. My authority must not be questioned among my people."
The teen shrugged simply, watching Kō walking towards the exit alongside the other few Hyūga.
"Yeah. It's just that I thought that you didn't want you and your people to get noticed leaving the village."
The man gave him a baffled look, apparently not quite getting his point.
"Well, it's true, but what does it have to do with–"
"You guys were gathering near the gates, and it is possible ... no, likely that the area is being watched constantly by ANBU. Haven't you considered the possibility of a trap being set by the Sixth in order to compromise you?" Sasuke asked, sounding curious and somewhat lazy, as if they were sharing a cheap chat instead of discussing the matters of utmost secrecy.
Hiashi gasped again, completely stunned by him voicing out such an assumption.
Of course, this idea had come to the man's mind before, but the Hyūga patriarch had decided that it was nothing but him being paranoid as usual. What would be the point for the Sixth to do such thing? Of course, he wouldn't be foolish enough to back them up should their operation fail, but to set up a sabotage himself …?
And apparently since even the Uchiha was thinking this way about his old sensei now, this actually wasn't impossible …
This boy was a true blessing to their clan, without a doubt.
"I … I see ..."
"That's why I thought it would be wise not to open the portal outdoors. And it would be plain stupid to ask them to get back inside after they would've got outside for the second time this night, don't you think so?"
For the first time in many years, Hiashi was about to blush, feeling incredibly embarrassed. Sure, he always was considered to be one of the brightest minds and strongest shinobi in Konoha, but the Uchiha was just something else. He was outplaying him on every field they met, and the man could only thank fate silently for not making them enemies.
The man collected himself, nodding again and retaining his own calm mask.
"I understand. It was a wise decision indeed. Now then … should we get started?"
"Not quite yet." Sasuke turned to face him, "I didn't want to include this into the formal part for obvious reasons, but I'd like to share a word with you in private."
Hiashi looked around them with his Byakugan, checking everyone carefully – but apparently nobody was trying to overhear them now as the others were too busy with discussing what had just happened.
"I believe it is safe to talk here, though we better do it quietly. What did you want to discuss?"
The Uchiha leaned against the pulpit, looking away.
"It's mostly about the marriage issue."
"Huh? I thought you said it's going to be later in the future?" Hiashi stared at him questioningly.
"Yeah," Sasuke said slowly, hesitating for a second. "However, as the fellow head of a clan, I want to make sure that you understand that when the time comes, the ritual has to take part in our domain, not in yours. Which means that as the only surviving Uchiha, I will be the one to perform it."
The man nodded quickly, finally getting the point.
"I see. And you are not that familiar with the way it is supposed to be done, are you?"
"Not exactly ..." Sasuke drawled slowly. "I did some research on the matter, and I know how to do this. What I wanted to ask you is if there is some specific information I must know concerning the Hyūga chakra insignia? I've seen it many times with my Sharingan, and it looks a bit complicated. I don't want to damage the signature accidentally."
Hiashi smiled warmly, giving the teen who looked a bit sheepish a slightly teasing yet friendly, even fatherly look.
"I understand your concern. And it's not a simple question, so you did a right thing to ask me about it, especially since some of us may not make it back to the village alive after this night." The raven haired boy's face remained impassive as the man continued, "Traditionally, concerning the specifics of the past relationship between our clans, your future bride would be forced to receive the Caged Bird Seal. However, now that we have this alliance … it is not necessary anymore, so all the woman of your choice will have to do is forming the specific sequence of hand signs – Bird, Boar, Dragon, Hare, Tiger, Snake – and then releasing a significant amount of her chakra in order to give up on her legacy and thus to get rid of the Hyūga insignia. And while I understand your desire to do it on your own perfectly, I still would like you to notify me beforehand when the time comes."
His grin looked a bit disturbing once again, but then it turned to be rather polite and friendly as Sasuke turned his head to face the man.
"Of course, Hyūga-dono. You will be the first one to know about the date, have no doubt."
The head of the Hyūga clan smiled warmly again, clenching Sasuke's shoulder tightly and reassuringly.
"It would be an honor for me, Uchiha-dono."
The teen nodded, turning away again and stepping down from the plinth.
"We should get going now, then."
They walked into the hallway a minute later – the sixteen Hyūga ninja aside from Hiashi were present there, clearly waiting for their arrival in complete silence and looking at the two shinobi expectantly as they approached the group.
However, taking a look at them with his left eye, Sasuke frowned. All of them aside from Kō were from the Branch House – the chakra that was radiating slightly from the seals on their foreheads was clearly visible to him.
And on top of that … their expressions bothered the teen the most. They looked completely resigned, each of them, actually – as if they were absolutely sure that their death was about to come, and they had already given up on it beforehand.
Sasuke clenched his fist, narrowing his eyes slightly.
Just what is Hiashi planning to do…?
"I understand you are already fully prepared for what's to come, so I'll only give you a short briefing," said Sasuke, looking across the small vanguard that didn't react to his words at all. "I'm going to open a portal directly into the Akatsuki hideout. It's unknown what and who awaits us there, so be ready to face literally anything after you pass through the rift. Once we are inside, I want all of you to keep your Byakugan deactivated and your chakra concealed until we have no choice but to engage a combat. We must move as stealthy as possible inside the building, and according to the intel we've received, they have two strong sensory type ninja in their current line-up, so it's the only way to make it possible. Any questions?"
None followed, and Hiashi added, clearing his throat,
"Kō, stay close to me no matter what. The others, you are to guard us from any possible threat. That goes for Uchiha-dono as well – you must protect him with your lives, so–"
The uncovered glimpse of hatred in the teen's eyes made the man break off and give him a puzzled look.
"I don't need any kind of protection, Hyūga-dono. With all due respect, I'm far more powerful than any of you."
So I've hurt your pride, huh? Hiashi held back the urge to smirk. The nerve …
"Of course. I apologize, Uchiha-dono. Now then, I suppose we should go now, then. Our time is running out."
Sasuke's features softened, confirming the man's earlier assumption. The young shinobi turned away, channeling the chakra into his left eye. A mere second had passed before the broad rift has opened, making the best of the best shinobi and kunoichi of the Hyūga clan gasp in amazement and awe – they could see a gloomy, foreign dark passage right in front of them.
Empty, fortunately enough.
Sasuke stepped in, passing through the breach in the fabric of reality, and, confirming that it was safe, he gave them a signal to move out.
The rift closed as soon as the last Hyūga walked through it, and although the desire to use their dōjutsu was very tempting for each of them, they were disciplined enough not to disobey his order, much to Sasuke's relief. Even though he himself knew for sure that there was no threat around for them right now, they weren't supposed to be able to scan the building with Byakugan for obvious reasons, and they certainly would do just that now that they weren't busy fighting someone.
All that remains is to lure them into the right direction and to get away … Don't fail me, Yutaka ...
"So, what's our next move? None of us is familiar with this building's infrastructure, and we can't use our eyes," suddenly said Kō, looking at Sasuke thoughtfully without any sign of aggression.
The Uchiha ignored the stare, striding onward through the dirty passage that looked more like a service tunnel of some sort rather than a corridor of headquarters of Akatsuki.
"Yeah. But unlike you guys, Hinata can and will use her Byakugan as soon as we do something to draw her attention. I'm fairly sure that she's going to come to face us on her own once she spots us here, so all we'll have to do will be waiting for her arrival."
"But how exactly are you going to make her notice us? I thought you said we're supposed to be stealthy–" before Kō could finish his sentence, Sasuke formed a hand sign, and a loud explosion echoed through the building, shaking it's very foundation.
The Hyūga ninja stopped as Hiashi and Kō gasped in confusion, apparently unsure how to react to the unexpected move of the Uchiha.
"What on earth are you doing? They all will definitely notice us now!" Hiashi barked, clenching his fists and giving Sasuke an angry glare.
The teen turned his head, glancing at them impassively.
"No. They will notice the explosion on the other side of the building, whereas Hinata surely will use her dōjutsu to check what is going on and thus will see us down here."
Hiashi's features softened slowly, though he still looked a bit worried.
"Don't you think she may bring reinforcements along?"
The Uchiha shook his head slowly, walking forward again.
"No … I don't think she would do that. But even if she does, I'll take care of them," he replied confidently, which made everyone relax visibly a little bit.
He doesn't think she would do that … but how on earth can he know? As far as I'm concerned, the two of them barely have interacted throughout their years in the Academy …, thought Hiashi, but before an idea could form in his mind, they entered a spacious round shaped hall – apparently they happened to be on one of the lowest levels of the building, perhaps even underground, seeing as the whole place was covered with dirt, web, moss and dust, and multiple rusty pipes were running across the walls and the ceiling high above them.
And in the middle of the hall stood a single man dressed in an infamous Akatsuki coat. His hair was black with reddish tint, and his eyes …
Hiashi stopped, activating his Byakugan, and so did everyone else – since they obviously were about to get into a fight, further hiding would be pointless anyway.
His white eyes widened.
"Uchiha-domo …! It's ..."
"Yeah … I see," Sasuke uttered quietly, stepping toward the man and turning his head to look at Hiashi over his shoulder. "I hope you understand that it's my duty as the clan's head to handle this."
The older man nodded, bowing in respect.
"Of course. I couldn't expect any less of you."
The raven haired boy turned away, meeting the emotionless gaze of Yutaka who was waiting for him to make a move first.
"I'll take him out of here. You better stay in this hall and wait. I'm sure she'll be here shortly."
"I knew it was a mistake to let you get away from Amegakure the last time we spotted you," Yutaka's voice echoed through the hall, nearly making Sasuke smirk victoriously.
It was a right decision to make you a part of this plan … all the obstacles are gone now, thought Sasuke, taking his sword out of its scabbard.
"Yeah. That certainly wasn't very wise of you," with a wicked smile on his lips, Sasuke charged towards his clansman.
Yutaka activated his Susanō in an attempt to block the attack, but it was too late – his younger relative touched his shoulder, and then they already were standing in the middle of the familiar room.
"The Gate …?" The older Uchiha muttered as his chakra avatar vanished. "Why here?"
"It's the only place in the entire village where they can't see us. Karin made it impossible with some complex seals of her clan. And since we have some spare time for now … where is Orochimaru?"
"In his new lab, I suppose. It's two floors directly above us."
Sasuke nodded quickly, teleporting away again, this time alone. It didn't take him longer than five seconds to appear back in the room with Orochimaru who looked a bit surprised, although his usual mocking grin never left his lips. Along with the sannin, the Uchiha had brought a man who appeared to be absolutely lost, staring into the space in front of him and smiling insanely.
"So … I assume you've retrieved what it takes to use the jutsu, then … have you, Sasuke-kun?" asked Orochimaru, giving a puzzled look to his former student.
The teen nodded as his hand slid into his pocket.
"Yeah. I took it from the special storage in Konoha's hospital." He handed a dust covered vial with dark red liquid to the Sannin while Yutaka narrowed his eyes, looking at the clearly mad man they had brought along.
"Who is this?" The older Uchiha asked, pointing at him.
"One of the fanatics who have attacked Hinata-chan the other day. Don't worry about him, though. He is completely mindless now, and there is no cure for him." Orochimaru smirked, coming closer to the man and channeling his chakra into his arms.
Yutaka frowned, looking at them incredulously.
"And why exactly should I be worried for him? What are you going to do?"
Orochimaru giggled, finishing one of his favorite sequences of hand signs.
"I'll put him out of his misery. But at least he's going to do us one last favor …," he took a scroll out of the sleeve of his coat that looked identical to that of Yutaka, and, opening the vial Sasuke had given him with his thumb, the sannin spilled the blood it contained onto the paper covered with a few seals.
Yutaka's eyes widened slightly as the snake master slammed his palm onto the floor.
Edo Tensei no Jutsu!
For once in a while, Sasuke felt a bit nervous, noticing distantly that the vessel for the soul of the person they were reviving apparently truly was insane – he didn't even react to very painful effects of the jutsu as the fragments of something that looked like paper to the Uchiha appeared out of nowhere, covering his body completely within a few seconds. And even White Zetsu had cried in terrible pain back when they had used him and his clones to bring the four Hokage from the afterlife during the war ...
The eyes of the revived person opened slowly, meeting the mismatching pair of Sharingan and Rinnegan.
"Sasuke …? Is that you?" The familiar voice that sounded exactly like the young man remembered made his heart clench, and he nearly winced at the sudden searing pain in his chest he thought he had long forgotten.
"Yes … It's been a while, father."
_______________________________________
"I wonder where did he take him to … I can't see either of them anywhere around," Hiashi mused out loud, scratching his chin thoughtfully as he scanned the nearest floors of the Tower with his Byakugan.
It's been about three minutes since Sasuke and the Akatsuki member had left them, and the wait was getting more and more frustrating and unnerving with each second passing in grave silence .
"I have a bad feeling about this, Hiashi-sama," Kō scowled, narrowing his eyes at the only way out of the room aside from the one they had come from – it was clearly visible on the upper level of the hall, right between the two large pipes nearly under the very ceiling. "Perhaps you should wait before–"
"She's coming," he replied simply, not letting his subordinate finish the sentence and watching through the massive walls as the kunoichi was approaching them with quite impressive speed. "Everyone, prepare now! The time has come!"
The fifteen ninja who remained frighteningly silent and appeared absolutely indifferent during this entire time formed a circle around Hiashi while Kō walked slowly out of the formation, not moving his eyes off Hinata who was already pretty close to them, jumping down through the air shaft – looked like she chose the shortest route in order to cover the distance between them as fast as possible.
It was a matter of seconds now …
"There she is," Hiashi uttered quietly, looking at his older daughter who was dressed in the familiar Akatsuki coat, looking down at him – to his surprise, her Byakugan was deactivated.
Apparently she truly has grown very confident, thought the head of the Hyūga clan, suppressing a satisfied smile.
No matter what he felt about this girl, no matter what his duty demanded to do ... as her father, he still felt incredibly proud for his child, gazing at her blank face now as she stopped near the edge of the platform above them, her eyes finally meeting his own.
"Father … you've come, after all."
All of sudden, Hiashi felt utterly insecure as he heard her smooth voice. She didn't look surprised one bit … had she been waiting for them?
"Yes, daughter. We've come to end this. You will die here, so you must accept the inevitable," he replied equally as calmly, forming a few hand signs as the Branch House members knelt down around him simultaneously, closing their eyes.
Hinata's face nearly didn't change at all as she watched them, but Kō noticed her eyes widening slightly before squinting, as if she was surprised by her father's response.
"This formation …," she finally uttered after a few seconds of watching them, "So you've decided to come this far, huh? And all of this … is just to take your own daughter down?"
Hiashi lowered his head, smiling sadly.
"I must admit that I always was wrong about you, daughter … you're probably the most powerful off-spring our family has seen in decades. However … what you've done is unpardonable. Killing your clansmen and joining Akatsuki ... after putting such a shade on the face of our noble clan, you must be executed in order for us to redeem the name of Hyūga. Which is why I have no other choice but to put an end to your existence."
The kunoichi cocked her head slightly, peering at him searchingly for a moment before the shadow of a weird smile played on her lips.
"I wonder what your true reasoning is … although I suppose I'll only be able to take it out of you when Orochimaru-san revives you with Edo Tensei for interrogation later on," she replied, and Kō, who was listening to their conversation quietly, looked at her incredulously, as if suspecting something to be wrong yet not having enough time to figure it out.
"I'd like to talk to you a bit longer, Hinata. But I'm afraid we don't have much time." Forming the ram sign, Hiashi clapped his hands in front of him.
Byakugan Gisei: Tensei no Nagare!
Although Hinata winced, raising her hand reflectively to cover her eyes from the blindingly bright light, neither of the three present Main House members looked surprised when the fifteen ninja screamed in horrible pain while the black circle of seals formed around them, connecting its black lines with everyone's Caged Bird Cursed Seal and lighting the dark hall with incredibly bright azure colored chakra that streamed rapidly into Hiashi's body, bathing him completely the next moment.
It only lasted for a few seconds before fifteen corpses fell onto the cold floor, breathless, while the girl's father clenched his left hand that was shining with unusually potent chakra that reminded of Naruto's Kyūbi Chakra Mode a bit.
A single black orb formed near his palm, shifting its shape into that of a bizarre sword the next second.
"Hiashi-sama …!" Kō gasped, turning to his senior. "Is everything alright?"
The older man's eyes shined – they didn't look like Byakugan at all anymore. In fact, they now had black pupils and the irises were bright blue, though it seemed like the light was already slowly starting to fade.
"Y-Yes … It's fine, although I'm not sure for how long I'll be able to hold all this chakra inside of my body. But a few minutes should be enough–"
They were interrupted by Hinata's grim laughter that echoed across the hall, making both the surviving men stare at her in confusion and disbelief.
It was too much unlike Hiashi's older daughter to react like this … on top of that, she clearly had recognized the jutsu Hiashi had just performed, and she had never known about it to begin with as it was one of the clan's nastiest and very well protected secrets – one of the true reasons for the Branch House's existence.
In nutshell, this technique allowed a member of the Main House to connect with the chakra system of those from the Branch House through their seals in order to drain the chakra from their bodies and their eyes completely, thus multiplying the user's power dramatically for a short time. In a way, it was similar to the power of the Eighth Inner Gate, although the difference there was that while the one who opened the Gate of Death sacrificed his own life, this technique required sacrificing lives of the others. The more shinobi were drained, the more power the user attained, although there was a specific limit for whoever would dare to try it – if the amount of borrowed chakra was too big, it would tear the user's chakra system apart and hence kill him.
Kō gritted his teeth as a drop of sweat flowed down his forehead. Something was off with her, that's for sure … but his Byakugan confirmed that it wasn't a Henge.
Then what …?
"You sure were quite in rush to use this atrocity of a kinjutsu … by sacrificing so many lives of your own clansmen, you were only able to attain the power that hardly rivals that of a perfect jinchūriki. And this ball ... it's a Gudōdama, isn't it? Naruto has shown these to me once before … it's supposed to allow you to negate the effects of any ninjutsu around, but it wouldn't help you much against either of us. At least I mostly rely on taijutsu, and now I surely won't be using any ninjutsu, so thank you for the hint," she said calmly, though sneering venomously by the end of voicing her analyses out.
"Us ...?" Hiashi clenched his fists, slowly raising up in the air – despite the kunoichi's mocking, the temporal chakra boost had provided him with quite some power, including the ability to float in the air …
Which made the girl grin victoriously, shaking her head and laughing once again which sounded a bit maniacally – in fact, she was having a hard time controlling her rage as she witnessed the tremendous act performed by her father, someone she once had considered the most noble man in the world.
"To think that your insanity would lead you this far … to murder so many of your relatives only because of your obsession with killing your own daughter … you are the true disgrace to the Hyūga clan, father. Fortunately enough, no matter how good your eyes are, you're still a prideful, naive idiot who can't see anything past his own nose. What a shame … and to think that I had some respect for you not so long ago ..."
"What … what on earth are you talking about?" he exclaimed, raising the weird looking sword midair, apparently preparing to launch an attack yet hesitating as he heard her words.
It was too unlike her … as if she was …
His face paled under the burning chakra cloak, and the familiar sinister glare of her eyes made Hiashi's breath stop for a few seconds.
"Still haven't figured it out, have you?" The black haired woman sighed. "You're not that different from the other idiots of our clan, so it seems. Well, anyway, you have lost – it's already over. And as the person who outplayed you in every possible way has told me once … people live their lives bound by what they accept as correct and true. That is how they define reality. But what does it mean to be correct or true? Merely vague concepts … their reality may all be ... an illusion."
Hearing her last line, both Hiashi and Kō stopped their chakra flow simultaneously, dispelling the genjutsu … and then the older shinobi gasped in complete, utter shock.
"To think that Hyūga Hiashi would get defeated by a simple genjutsu … like I said, you have lost, father," said Hanabi, standing there dressed in her ANBU attire and barely suppressing another triumphant laughter. "I've sealed the door to her room, so it will take Hinata a while to get down here. And although Tensei no Nagare would surely give you an upper hand in a fight against her as her style mostly relies on ninjutsu now, your chakra will burn off before she comes down to face you. Until then, I'm going stall you and this rat you've brought along. Neither of you are leaving this place alive."
Hiashi's expression was hardly describable, which, to her relief, only worked in Hanabi's favor – the more time he wasted on the hollow talk, the more precious chakra he lost.
"How … why? Why did you betray us, Hanabi?!" he yelled desperately, still hesitating to attack his younger daughter.
The genjutsu … Hanabi had absolutely no talent in genjutsu, and certainly wasn't skilled enough to use something his eyes wouldn't detect. Then how …?
The girl sneered again, cocking her eyebrow.
"Betray you? My allegiance is to Konohagakure and to the Sixth, not to an insane traitor who has just murdered so many loyal ninja of the Leaf for the sake of satisfying his own foolish agenda. You have fallen for this trap long ago, the moment you have declared your desire to execute Hinata, and it all went exactly according to my plan ever since," enjoying her father's frightened and shocked face, she continued with a wide grin. "As to one of his loyal ANBU members, Hokage-sama have given me the permission to take you down, as well as this foolish bigot you call your right hand. And I will do so, have no doubt. And then … I'll be able to truly cleanse our cursed name of arrogant slavers. I shall fix it all, and Hinata will help me with it. There is nothing you can do. Not anymore."
Hiashi's body was shaking in anger and despair as he clenched his fists, trying desperately to calm himself down.
"You won't be able to! The Uchiha will be here soon, and he will stop both of you!" Hiashi shouted out, but Hanabi's widening, nearly bloodthirsty grin somehow made him doubt it the instant he noticed her reaction.
What Hanabi missed there was Kō's expression – despite the shocking revelation of the heir's betrayal, he didn't look surprised at all. Instead, his gaze was focused on Hiashi, as if he was analyzing his current state and thinking rapidly on some kind of a plan.
"Oh? I wonder if he will," she cocked her head again, taking a deep breath. "Anyway, enough talk. Let's settle it now!" She clapped her palms.
Hachimon Tonkō: Daiyon Hōmon. Kai!
Hanabi's skin reddened as her dark brown hair stood on end, the green vapor covering her entire body.
"Here we go!" Despite the incredible amount of chakra he was controlling, Hiashi didn't manage to react in time as Hanabi's foot slammed right into his ribs, making the man bounce back, trying to catch his breath.
Just what … why? How was this possible …?
His eyes allowed the man to see it clearly - four out of eight of her tenketsu, commonly known as Inner Gates, were open, and she wasn't supposed to have anything in common with this kinjutsu Maito Gai was so proficient with. How on earth could she be able to utilize it, let alone with such mastery?
Had she been training in secret all along ...?
Another heavy blow made him flow down, hitting the stone surface of the floor hard with his back and barely dodging the next strike – he rolled to the side, flying up in the air as Hanabi landed on the exact spot where his head was just a moment ago, making the stone crumble under her foot and wincing at the same time.
"Stop it, daughter! I don't want to kill you!" He blurted out desperately, raising his hand in front of him.
"Huh …?" She gasped, narrowing her eyes at him and trying to hide the painful expression. The drawbacks of opening the Fourth Inner Gate were much more straining than she had anticipated … perhaps she didn't have that much time, either. "How come? I'm a traitor too now, so what makes the difference between me and Hinata? Because I certainly want to kill you," she hissed, glaring at the man and ignoring Kō's thoughtful look completely as if he wasn't there at all.
Hiashi's face darkened as he grimaced, clenching his jaw.
"It's none of your concern. I have my reasons!"
"Then tell me what they are, because I won't stop otherwise!" she yelled, jumping up in the air to strike her father again, but he beat her to it this time – her leg hit the shield formed out of the Truth Seeking Orb, and Hanabi felt her shin bone giving a crack, making her let out a gasp of pain before falling back to the floor, landing heavily.
"That's enough. I won't have to kill you in order to immobilize you, foolish girl." The shield's shape shifted again – it transformed into a long black spear, and Hanabi swallowed hard, thinking what to do.
Apparently he was going to start fighting for real now, so she wouldn't be able to catch him by surprise anymore …
Then …
She charged towards the wall of the hall, running one circle after another around Hiashi incredibly fast so that he wouldn't be able to land a hit on her. But she wasn't attacking him either …
"So … is this your tactic? You literally intend to stall me? I'm disappointed, daughter. I assure you that the strain your body is suffering will make you stop before my chakra runs out." He smirked, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "Stop this foolish game now before–"
Hakke Kūshō!
The shock wave caused by her own Vacuum Palm threw Hanabi back, making her hit her back hard against the wall.
However, it turned out even worse for Hiashi – although he managed to hide behind his shield again in the last second, it still threw him into the opposite wall, making his body damage the wall notably.
They both groaned, panting and staring into each other's eyes.
"I have to admit that it was very impressive … if you trained this technique a bit longer, perhaps it would even reach the level of Sekizō if you learned to open the Seventh Gate," he wiped the blood off his mouth, levitating back to the middle of the hall. "I'm sure Gai would be very proud of you if he saw your performance right now."
She gritted her teeth as she felt the taste of her own blood on her tongue, starting running again.
Hakke Kūshō!
This time she withstood it, but so did Hiashi – the vacuum of pressurized air was stopped by his shield completely while she kept running around him.
Despite being an arrogant, self-assured moron, her father surely was very good at analyzing taijutsu moves – what he had just mentioned had been their initial idea back when she had been training with Lee and Gai-san. To replicate the jutsu that normally could only be used upon opening the Gate of Death – since it worked very similarly to Hyūga clan's Vacuum Palm despite being much more powerful, the perfect chakra control which Hanabi had could potentially replace the extra power provided by the Eighth Gate, basically making it possible to us the Evening Elephant with only seven Gates open.
However, this was merely a theory … she didn't get to try it back in Konoha, and not that she would be able to do it in the next few years, if not for her entire life.
And now Hiashi could read her like an open book …
"For how long are you going to keep attempting to attack me, Hanabi? It is absolutely pointless. And if you stop right now, I will not harm you, I promise." His warm smile nearly made the blood in her veins boil of the burning rage that consumed the girl.
Yet you wouldn't spare Hinata in a similar situation, would you, bastard …?
She used her Byakugan to make a quick check on her body's condition, and it was no good at all – a few of her bones were cracked, which meant that she could receive fractures any moment now. Aside from that, her muscles were about to get torn apart …
No matter what, she had to play for time now for as long as possible before launching the final attack.
"I won't ever be able to open the Seventh Gate … Gai-san told me that opening even five of them would put my reproductive capabilities at risk," she mumbled, still panting and trying to catch her breath.
The baffled look Hiashi gave her made the girl feel a bit reassured – at least he didn't deny her a chat.
"Oh? That's strange to hear from someone like you. I'd never thought you care for such things as your future children when you receive an opportunity to become stronger."
Hanabi shrugged, feeling her legs begin to shake.
"Well, what can I say? I'm not you. There is no way in hell I would trade my own children for power."
She had to end it quickly … and apparently the only way to cause significant damage to him would be trying to open the Fifth Gate. Hopefully Naruto would be able to fix the damage afterwards …
If she survived this, of course.
Hiashi sighed, shaking his head tiredly.
"You don't know what you're talking about … but it doesn't matter. Judging by your chakra flow, you intend to launch your final attack now, so bring it on. I'm looking forward to seeing the full extent of your current capabilities."
She closed her eyes, focusing completely on her chakra, but then something she would never expect happened.
Hanabi could feel four targeted attacks hit her most vulnerable tenketsu in one single moment – the first four Gates of hers got closed, and her chakra flow stopped, making the kunoichi collapse, hitting the floor hard with her face as she was too tired and damaged to react in time to prevent the fall with her hands.
"Zesshō: Hachimon Hōgeki – success," the voice she despised so much announced calmly just next to her, making the girl groan hatefully.
"You … you ****ing bastard! You've been waiting for an opening all along …!" She roared, raising her head slowly to look into Kō's impassive eyes.
Hiashi let out a satisfied sigh of relief.
"Well done, Kō. Now take her out of here, I don't want her to– ugh!" Hanabi's eyes widened and her heart began pumping quickly as she saw it.
A thin yet incredibly sharp bone pierced Hiashi's chest slightly below his heart, making the man turn around midair and look towards the upper entrance of the hall.
"You …!" he gasped, gripping the bone and wincing, pulling it out of his body.
"I assumed that these new eyes of yours, whatever they are, may not have the same properties the regular Byakugan has when I have noticed that their inner structure had changed. Looks like I was right, seeing as you weren't able to notice my attack coming from behind." Hinata's angry gaze moved to Kō who was about to grip the back of Hanabi's tunic. "Get your filthy hands away from her unless you want me to kill you first," her voice sounded calm yet rather harsh and threatening, which made the man step away from her sister, staring in amazement at the young woman he hadn't seen for months.
Her hair was a bit longer now than that day in Tanzaku-gai. She looked much stronger now and was a bit taller than before, and her makeup made her look a couple years older than she actually was. On top of that, she was wearing …
The man paled slightly as his Byakugan-enhanced vision allowed him to see through the Akatsuki coat, noticing the Uchiha crest on the back of her black shirt...
The shirt that looked identical to the one Sasuke was wearing when he had come to the Hyūga compound.
