"It's cold… I want to sleep."

A heartbeat.

"Can you hear me?"

It's a voice.

"Can you see me?"

Small, soft, and quiet, like the voice of a child.

"Please… somebody…"

It choked, it sobbed- it was going to cry.

"Anybody!"

Why are you crying?

"Please!"

Have I met you before?

"LOOK AT ME!"

"Let me go."

When he opened his eyes, wide green eyes were staring back at him. Looking around, he realized he had fallen asleep in front of the cenotaph, again. In his defense, he was tired- really tired, not when he just got back from another S class mission. Resting on his bed would've been the most comfortable option, but he could never find himself missing a day of not visiting the black marble.

He's only depressing himself even more. The loss of his team meant losing his second family.

"Can I help you, little lady?"

She's very small- he guesses she's around the age of three or four, could barely even meet his eye level despite being at a cross-legged position on the cold stone path. Her small mop of pink hair seemed to shine under the moonlight.

"Are you lost?"

She pursed her lips, small hands fiddling with the tag hanging around her neck (he recognized it as Konoha's Orphanage), and then turns around, looking at the engraved names of lost, honorable shinobi.

But no, she wasn't looking at the cenotaph. She was looking above it.

Turning her head back at him, if she were any stranger, he wouldn't have hesitated to point his kunai at her neck when she suddenly hugged him. Small, slightly chubby arms wound themselves around his torso and he gapes under his mask. She presses her face on his dirty ANBU clad attire and he sighs.

"You're a long way from home, aren't you?" she only tightens her fists clutching his shirt. "I'll bring you back home."

He swallows when she looked up at him and smiles. The establishment was quite far, and the little girl had given up walking halfway through their destination. So he carries her on his back for the rest of the way, her soft giggling could be heard clearly against his ear.

"I missed you, Ookami-san…" she whispers.

"You left your position! You disobeyed an order!"

That sentence ran through his head again and again. Disobedience... the one word he swore he would never do. But minutes ago, he just did. Even before he heard the cry, he was already on his feet, running across rooftops as fast as he could go. It didn't even occur to him what was happening. He just needed to run, run, and run… to her.

It felt like his body had a mind of its own. His brain shut down as he arrived at the T&I building, disregarding all the debris, his wounded fellow shinobi, and the fire that was slowly eating its way around the establishment. He didn't even utter a word when he unceremoniously scooped up the passed out child from Tsunade's arms, deliberately ignoring her shouts.

He needed to get her away. Anywhere, as long as she'll be safe.

Kakashi came to when Tsunade practically socked him and broke his jaw. When he looked down at the sleeping girl he was cradling, he almost dropped her.

He ran away.

It was disobedience that killed his father, it was disobedience that killed his teammate, and by the looks of it, disobedience will ruin everything he ever worked for. And why? Because he felt that he needed to save a little girl who plays his mother's music and has spoken with only once.

"Dammit!"

Being replaced for the mission is the most merciful punishment he could get. They could suspend him, demote him, or worse of all- strip off all of his rights as a shinobi. He shouldn't expect anything less for soiling a crucial mission that could decide the village's fate for another war. Now that story is familiar. Ah, of course, it was the story of his father. Only this time, he prioritized to save a stranger.

"Who are you?"

Later that night, he would see a flash of his father sitting around a campfire. Smiling and laughing with a little girl bathed in white in front of him, as she drew the Hatake clan's symbol in the air.


"Mother, I am fine."

"Itachi, no one just suddenly collapses in broad daylight and be just fine!" Mikoto scowled. She pressed her lips suddenly when Sasuke shifted in his sleep, snuggling closer to his brother from his position beside the hospital bed.

"You scared him a lot, you know." Shisui commented, crossing his arms.

Itachi lowered his head, "I apologize. It was not my intention."

Of course it wasn't. He lifted one hand and gently smoothed his brother's dark locks, hoping to deliver his apology in the young boy's sleep. Everything they told him did not make sense. He remembered experiencing pain in his eyes, but even that was a blur, all after he heard a cry. He would never admit it but he was worried. Expectantly, his mother fussed around him as if he was the most fragile thing in the world the moment he woke up, Shisui- though the worry was etched on his face- the seriousness of the situation blazed his eyes, and lastly, his father had remained quiet after asking what he felt.

The door opens to reveal Shizune with a clipboard in hand.

"I'm sorry it took some time, Uchiha-san." She apologized. "The hospital's been hectic because of the fire at the T&I."

"What happened?" Shisui inquired.

"Unfortunately the circuit breaker in the building exploded and caught the building on fire. I just received word of it and our police will investigate immediately." Fugaku answered, arms still crossed over his chest with a slightly distant look. Those who knew him well meant that he's deep in thought.

Shizune nodded, "Yes, and thankfully there were no casualties or any major injuries. Now, as for Uchiha Itachi-san, Tsunade-sama had performed the check-up and according to her findings… everything is fine."

Mikoto frowned. "Fine? What do you mean everything's fine? Is there at least an increase in temperature? His blood pressure? Did he caught any virus or something? How can something like this happen to Itachi and just be fine?!"

"I understand your concerns, Mikoto-san, and I wish I could answer your questions but I have studied this chart myself and as far as I can tell, everything is normal. Heart rate, blood count, his body temperature, we even searched him of any internal injuries. We found nothing. You are free to check out now, Itachi-san, and if you want we could send you a copy of the report."

.

Shizune lightly knocks on the door and waits for the confirmation before letting herself in. She made sure to lock the door behind her as she walked carefully to the hospital bed as quiet as possible. She couldn't help the small smile to grace on her lips when she saw the little girl sleeping peacefully on the bed at a fetal position, her small arms wrapped tenderly on another pillow.

"Tsunade-sama?" her gaze slowly shifts on the blonde woman worriedly. Her elbows were on the side of the bed and her laced fingers covered her mouth. A mixture of both worry and deep thinking painted her features.

Tsunade sighs, "How are the others?"

"Aside from minor injuries because of the explosion, everyone else is suffering from temporary deafness but they should all stabilize before the day ends." Shizune reported. "What about you?"

"I'm fine. I was able to cast a protective layer just in time."

"Uhm… what about Sakura?" she couldn't help but ask anymore. When she saw the girl she had babysit as a baby and treated as a little sister, limp in a rushing Tsunade's arms, she had panicked.

"Believe it or not, she's as fine as she can be. She's literally just sleeping right now."

The blonde reached forward to tuck a lock of hair away from the girl's face. Tsunade's face softened indefinitely when she snuggled further to the pillow she's hugging.

"You know, when I saw you came in, you reminded me of a very angry mama bear." Shizune commented.

Tsunade chuckled, "Shut up, Shizune."


Hiruzen marched with purposeful, long strides as he headed towards the secluded temple at the outskirts of the village. He had just finished discussing the final terms of the treaty with the Head Shinobi- they will sign the contract this afternoon- when ANBU alerted him that Naruto had gone berserk. Naturally, he had to skip the late breakfast he'd been planning for this emergency.

"Hokage-sama." Several ANBU greeted him as he walked through the sealed doors. He returns their greeting and notices an anxious chunin among the ranks. "You are?"

"Umino Iruka, chunin, and assisting instructor to the Ninja Academy, sir!" he saluted.

"He is a witness, sir." Ocelot supplied after greeting the Hokage. "He is with Uzumaki Naruto when he had gone berserk."

The Sandaime turns sharply at the masked ANBU. "Take me to him. Umino, you follow."

"Yes sir!"

They went further down the lower levels of the temple through the elevator. The foreboding pressure and the groaning and moaning of strong ropes sliding against steel wheels only added to the suspense in the dark shaft of the structure. Reaching the lowest level, ANBU units where positioned everywhere as they guarded the child held by a large trunk as if he was part of the tree.

"Naruto…" Iruka looked worriedly.

"Report." Hiruzen addressed the chunin and Iruka stammered only a few sentences before he was able to tell him the complete detail of what had happened. The old man turns to Ocelot, "How is he now?"

"The medics have examined him multiple times and they have diagnosed that it was only a temporary lapse, possibly due to his young age he is unable to fully understand to suppress the tailed beast. However the real cause is still unknown. The jinchuuriki had fallen into slumber and has yet to wake until now."

Iruka wanted to correct the ANBU that his name is Naruto- not jinchuuriki or anything else, but he knew he was in no position to say anything.

"Are there any noticeable changes so far?"

"No sir."

"Any mumblings? Does he talk in his sleep?"

"He snores sir, and all he mutters is 'Ramen'." Iruka felt a secondhand embarrassment at that.

"Keep him here for a while then. When he wakes, inform me immediately and have all units hidden. Do not cause anything that would trigger another lapse or make him feel in danger. Umino, you will stay here and ask Naruto what happened or what he felt. Do not tell him that he had gone berserk. Try to make him tell you every detail but do not provoke him."


"Father, this has gone far enough!"

Hazama paused in his steps, he glares at Hiashi over his shoulder.

"Hiashi, you dare raise your voice at me?"

The Hyuuga clan head straightened his back. "As your son, I apologize. However, as the current head of the Hyuuga clan, I demand you to cease all of this fruitless endeavors. Just what do you gain for doing this? Haruno may have insulted the clan but she is still a child! She is naïve and doesn't know where she stands. You should not have taken action against her words in the first place! And now we have involved people who have no relation with our family's problems and because of that, they are hurt! I am not asking your forgiveness but my conscience can no longer ignore the guilt stemming from this immorality."

"Did your conscience made you guilty when Hizashi received his mark?"

Hiashi's eyes widened. His father did not raise his voice back but his response certainly knocked him of his feet.

"T-That's…" his fists tightened, eyes staring down at his feet, trying to fight off the anger welling up inside. He could already feel the veins surrounding his eyes starting to pulsate.

When the both of them turned three, a ritual was conducted for Hizashi to receive the fuinjutsu. They were too young to understand so they went along with it. Their father was stern and very strict but their mother was there to dampen his stringency, so when she died Hazama led the clan with an iron fist. And ever since then, their relationship as brothers had slowly drifted apart. So when Hizashi had displayed his jealousy over the preference towards Hiashi, he get to sip at the fate of those who wear the Branch family's seal. For Hiashi, he was made to understand and accept the way things were, but even until now, he made see through the well-being of his brother and his family. Even if he had to do it in the shadows.

The Hyuuga elder snorted and whipped his head around. "Then do not speak to me about guilt."

.

"Mother, father, I want some bread…"

He immediately peered from the open door that led to the nursery, his senses flaring from the sound of hands slapping, laughter, and singing. Yes, he knew that game very well.

"You lose, Hinata" Neji smirked as Hinata puffed her cheeks, eyes closing as she braced for impact. Hazama wonders if they had always been this close.

"Neji-nii that stings!" she whined.

"Hazama-nii, that stings!"

"Then you should focus more. Come on, let's try again."

She nodded her head enthusiastically, face breaking off in a wide smile, "Yes!"

"Do your best, Hinata."

"Do your best, Hitomi!"

The sudden throb on his head felt like he was struck by a weapon with a blunt edge, forcing him to cradle his head as he walked out of the estate and back to the lake. Once he returned to his silent sanctuary, he rests his back against the old bench and with his hands, caressed the spot where his sister used to sit beside him.

.

It is frequent to see a Branch family member enter the Main family's estate, it is their job to serve as guards after all, but it was unheard of for a member of the Main family to willingly cross the wall separating the families, especially if it was the clan head himself. It was unheard of, because it had never been done.

Murmurs spurred about at the mere sight of Hiashi's presence. Most were of fear, but a greater deal were those of contempt. Seeing his brother in front of him in this room, to willingly visit him after he was cast out from the Main family, to assure him that their relationship as brothers and best friends did not severe- those were but his dreams of the past when he was still very young. It never happened no matter how many wishes he made and he had accepted that it will never be granted, just as he accepted his father's words about predetermined fate.

So why is this happening now?

"Leave us." He commanded, and the others left the room to give them their privacy. "Hiashi-sama, how can I assist you today? If you needed something, you should've just summoned me so I could have come to you instead."

Hiashi let out a breath as he closed his eyes, counting one to ten before opening them again. "Please drop the formalities, Hizashi. I did not come here as the Hyuuga clan head, no- I came here as your brother."

Lips pressed to a thin line at that, and hands gripped elbows tightly from within his sleeves. "I'm sorry but I don't understa-"

"It's time to put this farce to an end, Hizashi. We have endured long enough, and now it is time to nip this at the bud before it's too late." Hizashi's brows frowned, he wanted to say something but Hiashi continued. "I suppose you have heard the scuffle father made issue of about a little girl."

"Of course I have. Father even filed a complaint to the Hokage, he presented the case even without my testimony." The hint of bitterness was in his tongue, but the older Hyuuga chose to ignore it because his brother has the right to feel that way.

"Yes, he did. He wanted to use her as an example, to show the Branch family that he is not afraid of your threats of rebellion- that exacting a punishment towards a clanless little girl who only said a few choice words against him is nothing and will meet his wrath, not even if we are of the same clan."

Hizashi's eyes widened at this. He knew his father took offense to that girl's words, but he didn't know that he was willing to go this far.

His hands made a grab for the clan head's yukata, fists clutched the material tightly as he glared menacingly at his twin. "Just what is the meaning of this?! Is your visit here as my brother a lie?! Is this just an act to make me squeal about our plans?! Is an ambush waiting for me once I step out of my home?! What have you done with Neji?!"

Pale eyes met head on with enraged pale eyes. The veins around Hizashi's eyes started to bulge, and the killing intent rippled out of him like waves. Hiashi was trained to suppress even the slightest hint of killing intent and to not hesitate to punish a Branch family member. He could never forget how an innocent member of the Branch family had become an unfortunate guinea pig for him to practice the seal with. Hiashi learned quickly to release them from the harsh treatment as soon as possible, and he could only thank that it wasn't Hizashi that had been chosen for him to practice with. He vowed to never use that seal then and he most certainly will never use it now.

"Calm yourself Hizashi. Neji is fine and I swear that no harm will ever fall upon him by my hands. Branch family or not, he is my nephew and I refuse to hurt my family. Just as I swore to never hurt you, all those years ago."

His eyes widened as he was reminded of the promise his brother made to him when they were young and he was separated from the Main family. However, his rage only grew because of that and the force of his ire rolled off of him like waves of tsunami.

"You…" Hizashi gritted his teeth. "Don't mock me!"

The fist that came towards Hiashi surprised the both of them. The clan head fell onto his side as the younger Hyuuga panted labored breaths. He went over to him, straddling his torso as he grabbed fistfuls of his collar, shouting directly at his face.

"That promise had been nullified long ago, brother!" he spat with sarcasm. "You may have never used the seal against me, but did you really think you never hurt me?! I never understood why father paid so much attention to you! I never understood why he trained you himself while I was trained by a distant cousin! Why was it that they only praise you?! Why do they only greet you?! Why don't they ever even notice me?! I asked that over and over and over again until I finally knew the answer, and you know why? Do you know why I was casted out?! Because I was born five goddamn minutes after you! Because you were first to come out of mother's womb!

"Even though we literally share the same blood, played the same game, and almost share the same name! Even if we fucking look the same you were still chosen over me!"

"Hizashi… did you want to be the clan head?"

The younger twin laughed, "Do not misunderstand. I couldn't care less whether you or I received that title. I never cared about any of that! The reason why I'm so angry, why I endured for so long, and why I have all this pent-up rage…

"Why was I treated so differently?!" he shouted at his face before hurling his brother up to his feet without warning. He didn't even bothered to go into a stance as he hit the older twin with strike after strike of their family's military art. "When I was young, I have seen the contempt on the Branch family's faces! I never understood but when I became one of them, it all made sense! Being dropped down at a status as close as servants, being treated as disposable pawns for the sake of the Byakugan, and being cast aside by their very own family! How dare you call us in the wrong just because some selfish ancestor made this idiotic tradition thousands of years ago! Is the power of the Byakugan worth more than the hundreds who died to keep its secrets?!

"I understand that the family wanted to protect its treasure, but there's only so much prejudice we can receive before we break! Are we really so low in your eyes that we can't be trusted to defend the Byakugan with our own power?! Huh?! My son excels far more than your own daughter!

"Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms!"

One hundred twenty-eight palms hit precise points on Hiashi's body, each filled with unbridled anger and pent-up frustration accumulated over the last two decades. And Hiashi just accepted it all. He even fought his Byakugan from activating automatically with its defense mechanism. He suppressed his reflexes to retaliate, and even when blood started to crawl out of its mouth, even when the strikes over his chakra points made his body numb and stiffen his muscles, Hiashi didn't do anything.

The last hit struck him squarely on the chest and the Hyuuga clan head drop down on his back with a loud thud, coughing up blood as he stared up at the ceiling above. The only sound that permeated the air was Hizashi's labored breaths as he too, dropped down. He sat down on the tatami floor with one leg bent so he could rest his elbow on top and grip his head with the same arm. The veins continued to throb in his eyes as he glared at his other hand.

"But even though I knew all that," he spoke softly, closing his eyes. "Even when I started to hate you and curse you… I still held onto that shred of hope that one day, my brother- my best friend- would come knocking at my door and spend the rest of the day over a cup of tea, debating whether the moon came from the earth or not. Just like before." He knew it was pathetic, but this time Hizashi couldn't fight back the tears in his eyes. "I never cared who became the clan head, I am happy that I have adorable nieces- my anger towards them was because of the frustration over my own son, because I don't want him to have the same fate as me. I…

"I just want my brother back. He's my best friend."

With a body too numb to even lift a finger, Hiashi listened to his younger brother's sobs as his eyes continued to stare up at the ceiling above him. It was only when he found his voice did he decided to respond.

"On the last trial of the Uchiha clan, where the Hokage would make his decision regarding their coup d'état, for the first time in my life… I was envious of them." Hizashi swallowed. "I personally have no issues with them, I don't even know any Uchiha that well. It was always about the rivalry we have with them on who had the superior doujutsu. But when I saw them that day, all banded together with their heads held high even at the face of uncertain doom, I saw in them what I've always wanted to see.

"Those Uchiha… they stood beside each other. Even when two of their own had exploited their plans, they continued to defend one another. I'll never admit this to anyone else, but when I saw how strong their bond was as a family, I couldn't help but feel jealous. Unlike us… maybe that child's words were right. Maybe we are going blind. If we intended to drift ourselves apart, then we shouldn't have called ourselves a family in the first place.

"But despite all that, I still love this family and I always will, no matter how fucked up or unfair it could be. Do you remember what mother said? No family is perfect. With a small community of people with their own flaws, only an ignorant and unhappy family will become perfect. But that doesn't mean we can't improve it. I know my next words will mean nothing to you now, I know that I can never heal the scars you endured over these years, but I'd rather say it now before I lose the chance.

"I'm sorry, Hizashi. I'm really sorry for being the worst brother that turned his back on you when you needed him most. I'm sorry for not being a good friend either. I won't ask for your forgiveness, I'm sure you won't, I can't exactly grovel at your feet because of my state right now but I'm begging you to please cooperate with me and stop our father. Help me reform the Hyuuga clan, Hizashi. I need your help."

"Why me?" Hizashi wiped his tears. "How would you know I wouldn't just kill you right now?"

Hiashi smirked, "Because if you wanted to kill me, then you wouldn't have hesitated to deliver the finishing blow on the hundred twenty-eight palms technique to my heart."

The younger twin blinked, he swallows, and heaves up as he stands before his brother. He stares down at him. "You know, I've always wanted to beat the shit out of you."

A small smile lingered on his face. "Thank you for everything until now, Hizashi."

"Tch. You're so pathetic, nii-san." Hizashi grinned.

"Glad to have you back too."

HIzashi extended his arm and Hiashi grabbed his hand.


"Are you sure you're fine, Itachi?"

Itachi sighed for the nth time that day as they walked down the steps leading to the room where the stone monument lay.

"Yes, Shisui, as I have repeated multiple times already."

Shisui pouted.

"Focus, you two." Fugaku reminded. "Shisui, are you certain about what you saw?"

"Yes, sir. It flickered in and out quickly, as if it was unstable. I would've doubted it myself if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. And during the war, I have seen a lot of variations of the mangekyou from our fallen clansmen to know the difference. I even saw yours once, uncle."

They stopped at that and Shisui wondered if he had crossed the line, but Fugaku brought his hands up to his eyes and took a deep breath. "I obtained these eyes when your father died. The power is not something to be taken lightly, and also not something that should be proud of. But I treasure it in honor of my brother. Be proud of him, Shisui."

He nodded. "Yes I am, sir. Everyday."

"Good" they continued down the path. "Now, that aside. Obtaining the mangekyou sharingan is similar to awakening the sharingan. An Uchiha must experience severe trauma in order to stimulate the brain. This in turn opens the extra chakra point that we have that powers our kekkei genkai. One trauma awakens the sharingan, and another evolves it into the mangekyou. That is why the Uchiha clan had a dark tradition of pitting two people who held each other dear to a fight to the death in order to open these powers. It was not until my father abolished this tradition that that practice is no longer exercised.

"However, in Itachi's case… are you certain you didn't see anything? Didn't you at least see a flash of memory or illusion that might have shaken you?" they stopped in front of the sealed doors.

Itachi shook his head. "I'm sorry father, but no. One moment I was thanking Izumi and her parents for helping, and then the next was all a blur."

"Can you at least describe what you felt during that time?"

"I felt… pain." He reached his hand behind his head. "It started behind here, and then went to my eyes. It felt like it made a trail of fire through my head. My eyes also felt like it was being burned, but I knew that it was some sort of power, some sort of chakra that was hidden at the back of my head and was released for the first time. It did not hurt that much when I had my sharingan. I didn't remember crying blood either"

"Crying blood is due to the strain of that special chakra to the eyes. Our eyeballs are not physically powerful enough to handle that much power. This is why your grandfather warned anyone who had the mangekyou to use it only as an emergency or to never use it at all, because the stress could ultimately blind the person who uses it exceedingly. However, if Itachi had really obtained that power, then we will have to test it."

"The stone monument." Shisui nodded in understanding. "If Itachi really has the mangekyou now, then he should be able to read more of the tablet than we had the sharingan."

"I do not know if I could even control the mangekyou. It all happened so suddenly…"

"I'd rather you not forcibly activate it, son. Since we know so little now, we best avoid any risks that could cause permanent repercussions. At least, until we know more but for now- w… what is this?!"

All three Uchiha's were stunned with utter shock at the sight before them. The stone tablet passed down since their ancestors, is broken.


"Big brother… why do I have this?" the small brunette reached up to the neon marking on her forehead. "Did Hitomi do something bad? Is Hitomi being punished?"

Hazama's eyes widened, "No! No, no, no! Hitomi-chan, you didn't do anything wrong! That mark doesn't mean anything!"

She puffed her cheeks, "Are you sure?"

"Positive! Hitomi-chan isn't being punished at all. That's just an accessory, okay? It doesn't mean anything." He sighed in relief when his sister's face broke into a large grin.

"Okay!"

"Don't worry about it, okay Hitomi-chan? I won't let anything happen to you" he pulled the girl in for a tight embrace. "I swear it. I'll make sure Hitomi-chan will live happily."

'Just wait for a while, alright Hitomi? When I'm clan head, I'll eradicate this unfair system. I won't let anything hurt you.'

"Big brother… you lied… you lied, big brother. You said this mark doesn't mean anything!" the six year old could only cry, with no strength left to break free from her restraints. "You said that this is nothing!"

Hazama cringed at his sister's scream. When he received word that enemy-nin had kidnapped his beloved sister, he deliberately ignored orders and went straight through the battlefield frantically in search of Hitomi without a care for his well-being. All that mattered to him was to find his sister and take her back. When he found the base, in a fit of rage and despite being recently promoted as a chunin, he killed every enemy-nin without remorse. He barely even finished them all alive.

But as he gazed on the contraption his innocent little sister was hooked up to, needles embedded through her points to secure her in place and tags crowning her head, Hazama could feel the bile rising from his throat. When he tried to take the needles out, they only sunk deeper. When he tried to remove the tags, it only shocked his sister more. The more he tried to help, the more it got worse and brought pain to Hitomi. The papers on her head were specialized anti-sealing tags that would remove the fuinjutsu on her forehead. However, since reversing the seal can only be done by a Hyuuga, the process is very painful.

"No… no Hitomi-chan that's not-"

"They told me." She sobbed. "Uncles from the Branch family told me… Hitomi is going to move away from nii-san. Hitomi cannot live with mama, papa, and nii-san anymore. This mark is used to hurt me, right nii-san? If I do something bad, Hazama-nii will hurt me using this, right?! This will kill me if people steal my eyes, right?! Answer me, Hazama-nii! I am going to die, right?! Answer me!"

"No! no, no, no, no, no, NO! You are not going to die! I won't let that happen! I'm going to rescue you, Hitomi! I will bring you home-!"

"No don't! Stay away from me-!" her retaliation caused another shock to enter through her system, causing her to convulse as the neon seal on her forehead was slowly sizzling away.

Hazama fell to his knees, punching the rocky cave floor with curses unfitting for a clan heir. He was too late, it was futile. If he tries to take off her constraints, it'll get worse. If he forcibly takes off the tags, it will speed up the process and Hitomi will die. Her life is completely connected to those damnable tags now. The painful extraction of the fuinjutsu will ultimately kill her, and upon her death it will seal the Byakugan within them. Even if he removes the seal, the tags will kill her either way and steal her eyes. The only way is to remove the Byakugan before she dies and to do that he must-

"No! I can't! I'll never…"

"Nii-san…" Hitomi whimpered and Hazama shot his eyes up at her. "I'm going to die, aren't I? Oji-san said that it is the fate of those who wear the seal. My fate is for the sake of the Byakugan. My fate is to protect it, and that is why I am going to die for it…"

"DON'T SAY THAT! DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT! I promised I would protect you! I promised I won't let anything happen to you! I-"

"Nii-san…" Hitomi smiled softly, Hazama choked. "It's okay… nii-san. It's okay… Please… it hurts… Hazama-nii… it hurts… b-but… I don't want to die…"

The seal was slowly disappearing, any second more and everything will be in vain. The fate of the clan rests completely on his shoulders at that very moment. Cursing at the top of his lungs, Hazama held up his two fingers and with tears streaking down his cheeks, he activated the seal.

"RELEASE!"

The roar of the battlefield going on outside the base couldn't compare to the heart-wrenching cries of his sister. Her screams bounced off the walls, getting louder and louder as the fuinjutsu slowly destroyed every brain cell, snapping every neuron, and stimulating every pain receptor all over her body. She couldn't even form words, much less coherent sentences as she writhed around the needles and convulsed with every shock of pain.

Hazama couldn't do anything but watch his sister shout and scream as she slowly died by his hands. The veins around him throbbed, and his eyes fogged with tears, the only mercy he could give is to speed up the process and thus bring her through excruciating pain.

With the stress of the seal being released, the tags latched off from the girl's head and the needles dislodged from her body, spewing trails of blood and coating her young body in red. Hazama trembled as he held his sister's numb body. Her small formed reminisced him of when he first held her as a baby. She was so small back then… she's still so small until now…

"Nii… sa... n…" she choked out blood, spilling over his chest, but Hazama couldn't care less. With the last of her strength, she raised her hand and cupped his cheek. The older Hyuuga stilled as he felt her thumb brush away the tears from his cheek. Hitomi, his most beloved sister, smiled at him one last time.

"Nii… sa… n…"

When the mark on her forehead faded away, her arm fell limp to her side, her once beautiful pearl eyes turned into their mother's brown eyes, and her words echoed in his ears- 'This is my fate', Hazama broke down and cried even when there were no more tears to cry.

.

"Hitomi!" Hazama gasped awake, heart pounding wildly in his chest as he stared up to the moon. His hand was reached out, as if his hand was trying to grab at the moon in the starless sky. He slowly brought it down, and stared at his hands. A flash made him picture his sister's dead body on his hands, reminding him that she was killed by those same hands. He didn't bother at the fact that he's crying. "A dream… another fleeting dream…"

He closed his eyes, taking in deep breaths to calm his racing heart. When he opened them again, the little girl with pink hair was standing right in front of him.

"You!" he shouted, hastily wiping away his tears. Ever since this slip of a girl appeared and hit that fact right at their faces, everything had been chaotic. The Branch family made threats of rebellion, his own sons started to defile him, and he's being reminded of the night his sister died. It's like he was being punished. "This is all your fault!"

He made a move to grab her but he stopped short when she blinked and her entire eyes became green. That wide emerald gaze stared back at him like a mirror, except when he looked at his reflection- he saw himself as the happy boy he once was.

Hazama swallowed, "W-What are you?"

Sakura opened her mouth ever so slightly as she tilted her head to one side. An unknown force suddenly entered him through the soles of his feet, up his body, and onto his eyes that effectively activated his Byakugan. When he looked at her with those eyes, his mouth went dry, his palms started to sweat, and his knees buckled under his weight.

He fell to his knees, "My… g-grandmother told me a story about you… once…"

She cooed and laced her fingers behind her back. Words cannot describe whatever he was feeling at that moment. Fear? Regret? Overwhelmed? His honed Byakugan couldn't even follow the chakra that flowed inside this girl. No… this couldn't be chakra at all.

A person, any person, has a distinct chakra pathway. It only differs ever so slightly depending on the person's ability to use a kekkei genkai. But other than that, every person's chakra pathway is the same. However, in his eyes, there is no beginning and no end to stream that flowed within her. A chakra system follows a distinct path much like the circulatory or nervous system, where chakra flowed out from a central core and distributed throughout the body.

Yet there is nothing like that in her. There is no distinct pathway. Her entire body is brimming with energy. They appear like a tempestuous water spout spinning and churning around her small frame. Its force was so strong it seeped out of her like a holy glow, making her very presence alone suffocating and overwhelming to anyone who came near.

She's like a small glass that bottled the ocean.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked carefully, and the little girl brought a hand up to her chest. Another wave of energy entered him, jacking up his old eyes as if they were knew and enhanced his vision.

"Seal. Forget. I will remove your pests."

As if something had caught her attention, her head snapped towards the Main family's house. When he looked again, she was gone.

.

The Head Shinobi of Kumogakure land on the roof of the Hyuuga estate soundlessly. The others were already in their positions and just as planned, after he signed the ruse of a treaty, they will return to their village unscathed.

He scanned the area one last time, nodding when he sensed nothing, he opened his eyes and was shocked to see the same little girl with pink hair standing on the roof right in front of him.

"What the- how…?" he stammered, speechless.

"You are going to do something veeeeery bad. Aren't you mister?" Sakura tilted her head as she laced her fingers behind her. She giggled, took a deep breath, and shouted. "HEEEEEELP! SOMEBODY HELP! INTRUDERS! INTRU- MMPFF!"

"SHIT! YOU LITTLE BRAT!" the Kumo-nin cursed as he. Her scream alerted the stray dogs who began barking and causing a ruckus. Lights flickered on in the vicinity of the house and any second more, people will start coming out from their homes to check on the commotion.

He jumped away and regrouped with his team.

.

"TEME! TEME! OPEN UP! TEME!" Naruto pounded as hard as his tiny fists could on the Uchiha family's door. His eyes glazed with frantic worry and his heart clenched in agony. "UCHIHA! UCHIHA SASUKE! OPEN THE DOOR! ANYONE, PLEASE-!"

"Naruto!" Iruka's hand on his shoulder sharply turned the boy around. The chunin glared at him as he held the boy's arms. "What do you think you're doing?! Why did you suddenly run off like that?!"

They had just been dismissed by the Hokage. Thankfully, Naruto didn't panic when he woke up wrapped around a tree (in fact he seemed fascinated by it). He confessed that he doesn't remember anything, just that everything started to hurt. And that something inside him was shouting at him.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Fugaku demanded as he rushed over with Shisui and Itachi behind him. They have just returned from a discussion with the rest of the clan and ninneko when they saw the blond-haired boy pounding at their door.

There were lights opening from inside the house followed by the door opening with an alerted-looking Mikoto and an irritated Sasuke.

"Dobe! Do you have any idea what time it is?!" he shouted but then his displeasure turned into worry when Naruto grabbed his shoulders, panic was palpable in his eyes.

"Sasuke! You gotta help me! Sakura-chan's in trouble! We have to save her!"


Sakura was thrown onto the cold cave floor where Kumo's reinforcements hid themselves for the delivery. Her green eyes snapped at them as she tried to stand up only to get kicked down and have someone step on her small frame and tug on the rope tied around her arms.

"What the fuck?!" one of the Kumo-nin cursed, "Our orders were to kidnap a Hyuuga child!"

"Can it!" the Head Shinobi shouted back. "I would've done so if it weren't for this kid!"

"Didn't you do a perimeter check?!"

"Of course I did!"

"But you were still unable to sense one little girl?!"

"How am I supposed to react?! The damn little bitch just popped out of nowhere on the roof with me! And she fucking woke up the entire neighborhood too!" Without remorse, the Kumo-nin held Sakura up as he glared menacingly at the girl who only glared back. "You're with someone, aren't you?! How many Konoha shits did you bring with you?!"

Sakura spit on his face. Taken aback, the man retaliated with a punch to her face, making her fall to one side as her cheek slowly started to bruise. He swiftly took out a kunai from his pouch and directed it at her throat. "Looks like I have no choice but to shut you up, permanently. Besides, what's the loss to a village if they lose one pesky little girl?"

Normal children would've been shaking and begging on their knees now, but Sakura only stared at him indifferently, almost as if she's even challenging him. When she smirked, that irked the Head Shinobi even more and drove the kunai to her neck.

Only for it to be kicked away. He didn't have the time to react when he too, was kicked away to the side. Hazama knelt down and cut off her ropes.

"Are you alright?" he asked and Sakura nodded. "Good, now just stay behind me."

With Sakura hiding safely behind him, the Hyuuga Elder faced of two squads of Kumo-nin. His Byakugan pulsed excitedly after not using for so many years as he launched himself to fight off the attackers.

.

Wolverine and Mongoose had given Kakashi one last chance to redeem himself with this mission. They surveyed them at the dark of the night and had spied on them to confirm that they were going to betray the treaty just after it was signed. They followed them as they approached the Hyuuga estate. Unfortunately, even though they knew what was going to happened, they had to wait until they could catch them at the moment of their act. However, they never had the chance when a little girl suddenly popped in front of the masked Kumo-nin atop the mansion's roof before she was whisked away. Kakashi had to fight every fiber of his being to not go after the shinobi and snap his neck.

Shinobi from jounin to ANBU level immediately mobilized at the call of the Hokage. With the simple command of search, rescue, and capture, every squad flew out across the night in search of the foreign nin without alerting the sleeping civilians.

.

Sasori couldn't help the small smirk that graced his features when Konoha's shinobi made their move throughout the village. It was wise of him to clean up his makeshift workshop and retreat back outside the village gates just in time for this event to occur. A sinister thought came to him at the thought of a panicked snake sannin trying to weave out of the village when hundreds of shinobi were in every corner.

"Ahh but I suppose he can still escape." Sasori mused. "He is a snake after all."

His chuckle died down when one of his summons crawled up to his shoulder under his robe and whisper in his ear. The redhead's smile dropped and was immediately replaced with displeasure as he wordlessly crouched inside Hiruko and rush towards the cave the Kumo-nin took Sakura.

.

Hazama grunted, screaming in pain when a katana pierced over his shoulder. He may be old but his years of fighting in the war and surviving made him confident enough to fight off some measly Kumo-nin. However, he did not anticipate another squad of reinforcements to suddenly arrive and immobilized him. Now he lays of the floor with wounds brought upon his rusted fight.

"I suppose you really can't teach an old dog new tricks." One of the Kumo-nin snickered as he bounded the Hyuuga Elder. "We didn't get a fresh one but I suppose you'll do, old man."

The enemy-nins laughed around him as Hazama looked at Sakura who just stood there with her back pressed against the cave wall.

The Kumo-nin hummed, "I suppose we should get rid of the girl first, huh?"

He grabbed Sakura by the hair before throwing her onto the wall, hitting her head and making her fall onto a disgraceful heap. Panicked, Hazama tried to resist and stop the man as he approached the pinkette. However, he was only held down by other Kumo-nins as they injected him with sedatives that would completely restrain him. A flash of his sister's face appeared before him as he saw Sakura from his barely opened eyes.

"Hitomi…"

Just as the Kumo-nin was about to cleave off Sakura's head, there was a loud squelch that made everyone stop in shocked silence. Eyes trailed from the large pointed metallic tip dripping and coated with blood that went through the Kumo-nin's torso, through his back, and all the way to the hunched over man that stepped out of the shadows. The long tail rattled as it tossed the shinobi's body away like some sort of trash

"So… who's next?" the gruff voice taunted.

There was a battle cry and one Kumo-nin came after the tailed man after another. Jutsus were flying, and kunais and shuriken went clinking. However, the unfazed man only stared directly at the slumped over girl in front of him as he fought off the shinobi with only his tail and without moving an inch from his spot.

"Is this how low Kumogakure shinobi had fallen? I am getting bored." He taunted again as he pierced through another shinobi's chest. "Unfortunately, I do not like waiting or making other people wait. So that means I shouldn't make my object of interest wait any longer, should I? What do you say we wrap this up in three… two… one…"

As he counted down to zero, every Kumo-nin even those who were only knocked out started choking and gasping for air. Their eyes watered and their skin turned purple. Saliva and foam bubbled out of their mouths with each agonizing gasp that they held onto their throats in a pathetic attempt to relieve the feeling of something blocking their throats even if there was nothing there. Sasori strolled casually over to the little girl as if the writhing and begging shinobi around him didn't exist. During his fight with the Kumo-nin (if he could even call that a fight at all, and he's supposed to believe that one of them was the Head Shinobi of Kumogakure? Pfft, pathetic.), he purposely missed or grazed his tail along their bodies, making wounds from light scratching to deep slices to test the potency of his newly made poison.

It pleased him with the results that his poison can yield the same effect no matter how much or how little the amount.

A hand shot out to grab one of Hiruko's legs. Sasori stared unblinkly at the struggling Kumo who dared to touch his art with his filthy hands.

"Y-You're…" he coughed. "A-A… Ak-Akatsu… ki…"

"A resistance?" Sasori mused. "I suppose I have to work more on my poison."

With a swift delivery with his tail, the sharp edges sliced off the Kumo-nin's hand, followed by every joint in his body. He shut off his scream with a clean slice of his head. He shook off the hand clutching the puppet's ankle before continuing to move forward. Once he was in front of her, Sasori opened the latch of his puppet's back and stepped out. The redhead bent down and scooped up the girl gently in his arms.

"Well aren't you the prettiest little thing?" he smiled as his still-functioning sense of touch caressed her hair and face. He clicked his tongue when he saw the purpling bruise threatening to break out of her peach skin and the slight bump at the back of her head. "Now that just won't do, right?"

He searched under his robes a small container before gently applying the smooth gel over her wounds. Sasori is not one to create such irrelevant products, but he made the ointment personally to speed up healing and reduce infection as he slowly converts himself into a puppet.

"There now, isn't that better?" his grin widened when Sakura groaned and slowly opened her eyes. The former Suna-nin held her steady by the shoulder as she sat up. Sasori's heart fluttered at the mesmerizing sight of her green eyes staring back at him. Wide, innocent, but most of all- "Beautiful."

His hands cupped her cheek, turning her this and that as he leaned so close to her face. "There is something about you… something that you are. Rather, something that you carry. What is it? Who is it? Why do I see the stars in your eyes?"

The pinkette didn't respond except only a blink in confusion. Sasori chuckled as he continued to smile at her. With one hand cupping her cheek, he used his other to gently comb down her disarray locks. "No worries, little one. I can never hurt anything I deem beautiful. And believe me when I say I have never seen anything more beautiful than you. So please allow me to give you a little parting gift. I assure you, it's for you own good. Yami."

He raised one of her arms and the modified black scorpion crawled out from under his sleeve. Without warning, the scorpion sank its fangs onto the girl's wrist. Normally, a scorpion's venom is delivered through its stinger, but Yami is a modified scorpion Sasori improved himself so that his most loyal summon can deliver his personalized poisons through the scorpion's fangs, pincers, and even from the claws on its legs.

The toxin entered immediately into Sakura's bloodstream that Sasori had to use every amp of his power to hold down the convulsing girl over his shoulder as one arm held her tightly in a one arm hug while the other gripped tightly on her wrist. When Yami was done injecting the substance, the girl's convulsions increased that Sasori wound his arm around her torso and cradled her head over his shoulder. Her whimpers and silent screams teased his ear as she bit onto his shoulder through his robe.

"Shh… shh… that's it… shh… just let it flow into you. Accept it… shh…" he soothed, caressing her head. His grin returned when her shaking decreased. "Good girl… that's a good girl… just as I thought. You wouldn't retaliate if you knew I wasn't going to harm you. Isn't that right? Unfortunately our meeting ends here, but do not fret, we will see each other again, baby doll. Do not disappoint me, do you understand? Because I do not make bad investments."


"We found them! Over here!" Kotetsu alerted the group of shinobi and led them towards the cave where a limping, bloody Hyuuga Hazama carried a sleeping girl in his arms.

"SAKURA!" Itachi and Shisui shouted but they were died down when a ballistic Tsunade zipped passed them.

"Hazama!" she shouted. "You son of a bitch! What have you done this time?! I swear if you-!"

"Help her." the old man wheezed, eyes tired and body threatening to fall but he gathered his wits enough to not drop the girl. "She's uninjured, but no matter what I do she wouldn't wake up. Help her!"

Tsunade's eyes widened, along with the other shinobi who knew the old man who never bowed, never begged, and never cried. The once fiercest man in all of Konoha,

"Please!"

Is begging to help save an unknown girl's life.

"Help her!"

Carefully passing over the child, Tsunade cradled the sleeping girl to her chest. True to his words, there's not a single scratch on her skin. Her gaze softened at the peaceful look on her face despite her boiling rage.

"You little brat. You scared me to death. Why did you suddenly run off like that?" The blonde sannin took a deep breath. "Of course I will."

Her eyes widened once more when Hazama- Hyuuga Hazama- took a deep breath and smiled. A genuine, relived smile. With a weak hand he gently caressed the girl's head.

"Good."

The Hyuuga Elder's body gave in, and Tsunade immediately called other medics for assistance.

.

"How gruesome." Hiruzen's eyes narrowed at the carnage before him. Whoever did this was a monster. "Hazama would never have done this. He may be unsympathetic, but he will never do something that desecrate humanity. Whoever did this is a person who has no regard for human life."

Fugaku nodded in agreement, turning over one body and confirming his suspicions that they were all indeed Kumogakure shinobi. "And yet the perpetrator had left an old man and little girl unscathed- at least, only the girl. We will begin investigations immediately, Hokage-sama."

The Sandaime nodded. "I leave everything to you. Do not leave any stone unturned and find out who did this as soon as possible. Leave Kumogakure to me. At least with this, since no Konoha-nin is capable to do this much carnage, they have no right to wage war against us and break the treaty. At least they did something useful before they betrayed us. The only thing left now is if they are willing to admit defeat."

.

"I see you made it out alive." Sasori drawled, seeing the snake sannin land a few feet behind him. He smirked at his disheveled appearance.

Orochimaru fought back with a sinister grin of his own. "Keep your eyes to yourself, Sasori. These scrolls are mine."

He warned and summoned a snake to swallow the secrets he retrieved from Danzo's lair.

Sasori shrugged. "Worry not, I have no interest in any of that now. In fact, I garnered myself a much better investment. So I suggest you keep your scaly friends away from Konoha for a long while."


Jiraiya breathed in the fresh morning air as he stood atop the tallest tree. From his perch, he could already see Konoha's tall gates over the horizon. He grinned widely as he stretched and snapped his back in place.

"I can't believe it's been three years! I wonder if little Sakura-chan still remembers me?" he grinned widely at the memory of a smiling baby girl tugging on his white hair. He checked the gifts in his pouch one last time before running off to his home village.

He also needed to report to the Sandaime about his findings about Orochimaru, and a shady organization called Akatsuki.


I'll respond to you guys in the next chapter!

Aaaaand that's it for me. You guys don't hold back, do you?

I swear no matter how prestigious my university is for dentistry, the enrollment sucks!

I don't know if this chap does anything or if you'll like it but I just can't cram everything into one story so you'll have to be patient if you want some more clues.

Also, I'm sorry but I swear I am not being greedy/selfish but I'm afraid once school starts (Nov. 8) I'm going back to updating this fanfic weekly (Saturday- or Friday wherever you live). Hey I need to prioritize my school, I hope you guys understand.

Tell me your thoughts if this chapter disappointed you or not!

I'm afraid I'm also gonna have to increase the demand since I can't keep up the pressure with you guys! I'm not mad! It's actually a good thing! But please I just gotta make myself feel less pressured for updating so soon~


DUE TO AN UNFORTUNATE DELAY REGARDING MY PERSONAL LIFE

THIS FIC WILL HENCEFORTH UPDATE DEPENDING ON MY ABILITY TO WRITE THE NEXT CHAPTER AS MY SCHEDULE IS VERY CONSTRAINED SINCE THE NEW SEMESTER HAS STARTED.

PLEASE UNDERSTAND AND BE PATIENT

I PROMISE I WILL UPDATE SOON


Thank you all so much for the love and support! Please tell me what you think of this chapter via PM or reviews. Y'all have a wonderful day or night wherever you live!

Ciao~!