CHAPTER TWENTY:
"The Definition of Jinchūriki…"
—(Jinchūriki literally means "Human Sacrifice")—
…
—(It is a metaphor for the transformation that Hinata's death caused to occur in Naruto)—
I watch her, unbridled by the useless logistics and laws in place. I watch her for the sake of my master. You see, I have no other purpose than to serve. I am called Sai. This is my mission.
The sun crept over Ino's face as she slept heaped to the breast with books and scrolls, exhausted by the extent of research she had crunched through in the span of 12 hours. She may have been a Yamanaka, but she was no wizard. The learning process could only be sped up a certain amount. Her brain digested information as fast as it could.
She blinked her eyes open, slowly at first, soothed by warm sunlight. She arose and stretched and gathered the scrolls and books strewn about like clothes in a teenage-girl's closet. She had spent the night in Konoha's library, studying every piece of information available on the Hyūga clan. And boy was she enlightened.
Before the Great Wars, before the formation of the Hidden Villages, the Hyūga clan's origins are largely unknown. To Ino, it was as if they had simply appeared out of thin air, and at the very moment a superpower such as the kind they possessed—their unique ocular jutsu—was absolutely required.
After the Great Wars, the Hyūga allied with no one in general, and especially had no burning desire to join arms with Konoha—Hashirama Senju's revolutionary oasis of thriving shinobi of all likes and manners—due to their—seemingly eternal—conflict with the Uchiha clan. It was a non-negotiable. Fuck all Uchiha. They're rotten, dirty, back-stabbing bastards.
Still, Hashirama managed somehow to convince them to partner with him in his endeavour to extrapolate and revolutionize the ninja world as everyone knew it.
It is said, in legends and old wives' tales, that the Uchiha were in fact descendants of the Hyūga clan—a bastardized, lowly version of their pure blood—but it is never stated, nor posed…where did the Hyūga come from?…
Ino yawned wide like a lioness. She wiped drool off the corner of her lip and after returning all material to their rightful places—she did so by herself in order to wipe her tracks clean, not wanting to alert any village-member, or worse, Hyūga clan-member of her little historical expedition—she left home for a quick shower and change of clothes before heading back to the mortuary to meet with Shika.
Ino adjusted her scarf as she opened the door to the morgue room. Shika was not there, as she had hoped, as he was supposed to be. Instead, a small card laid folded atop the metal surgical-tool tray—and it had her name on it.
Meet me at the Uchiha Compound.
— Shika
She thought it weird. Why the old Uchiha Compound? That place was a wasteland. After the infamous Uchiha Massacre, nobody dared touch that place. Still, while Sasuke lived there, the Third Hokage had arranged for custodial and janitorial services to remain in place; the boy's fridges would be filled, his cabinets topped off.
Ino swerved and left without a second thought.
The Uchiha Compound was a ghost town, straight out of tales of old legend. The place gave Ino the heebie-jeebies. She bit back shivers and cut through the compound quickly, searching far and wide for any sign of Shika.
Kami, this place is filled with such despair. My brain feels so heavy. Shika, if this is your idea of some sort of prank, I swear I'll kill you. Ino felt immense emotional discourse. Leftover feelings from the bloody massacre—she didn't even remember how long ago—and they were hitting Ino in all the wrong places.
Ino tried to think of something happy to combat the emotion of muddy contempt this betrayed must have felt as they looked their own brother in blood—and in arms—cut them down in their very homes before their women and children, and then slaughtering them next. She cycled through the regular stuff: pretty flowers, pretty people,
(narutonarutonaruto)
pleasant scents, pleasant sights,
(naruto snuggling a bowl of ramen)
her teammates,
(naruto's golden heart)
her sensei's ridiculous antics,
(naruto's goofy grin)
her mother's eyes,
(naruto's blue-as-the-sky, deep-as-the-ocean eyes)
Naruto's whiskers, Naruto's scruffy blonde locks, Naru—
"Yo. Ino."
Shika leaned against a red-brick building. It towered compared to the rest of the compound. Ino was quick to shake off her thoughts. The sight of Shikamaru helped; he was adept at deduction, it wouldn't take him five seconds to catch her fibbing.
"Shika, jeez, vague much? I've been wandering around in here for I don't even know how long—"
"Aye, aye, relax there Ino-chan, you've been here for maybe five minutes. It couldn't have been that troublesome."
"Shika…" Ino started. He caught her drift rather quick.
"Ah."
"Yeah."
"I'm sorry, it must have slipped my mind. I didn't think this place would affect you. It's been so many years since—"
"Blood spilled is still blood. It can go from liquid to a distant stain, but it's still there."
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine now," she said, smiling at her teammate. "So why did you call me here?"
Shika smiled. "Thought maybe you'd be happy to know you can finally ditch that dump of an office in the morgue."
"Shika, can we skip the foreplay and just cut to the chase?"
"Okay, okay, follow me," and he stepped inside the red-brick building. Ino scratched the back of her head, and after a deep breath—the feelings in the air now settled and her brain unaffected by their passive existence—she headed in after him.
The building was designed like a station-house. It struck her when she finally saw the sign as Shika headlined it with a grandiose show of hands:
KONOHA POLICE DEPARTMENT
Of course! The Uchiha clan were put in charge of all policing in-and-outside the village. They dealt with all criminal matters, including, but not limited to, prosecuting and delivering sentences…
"Shika, is this what I think it is?"
Shika fixed his ponytail and smiled. "Yep. Welcome to our new headquarters, Ino. We'll be operating out of here—strictly on the q.t. No one is to know for the foreseeable future, not until we're able to—"
"Compile sufficient evidence past the realm of circumstantial. Understood, boss."
Shika grinned. "So, whaddaya think?"
"What do I think? Shika—show me my office!" she said, a smile so bright on her face, as if she had just been told that she'd won the lottery.
"Danzo-sama," Sai said, descending from the shadows on the ceiling, "the—"
Danzo slammed his cane against Sai's cheek. Sai toppled to his back. He hadn't seen the hit coming. Not even close. He stared wide-eyed for a moment. Danzo simply said, "Did I tell you to exit the shadows, Sai?"
Sai did not answer.
"I believe I asked you a question. I won't repeat myself, Sai."
"Hai, Danzo-sama. Forgive me," Sai said.
Danzo Hmm'd. "Carry on with your debrief."
"Hai. The Yamanaka heiress and the Nara heir. They are leading a top-secret investigation into the circumstances which led to the capture and death of the Hyūga Princess. Uzumaki Naruto is also an ally. He is currently out on a mission to assist Sunagakure. The operation is being carried out from within the old Uchiha Compound—the Konoha Police Department HQ."
Danzo Hmm'd. "Dismissed, Sai."
Sai did not vanish back into the shadows. He was already there, and remained there. It was his place to exist. Within light and dark, that tiny nothingness in between, that's what he called shadows.
Noon breezed by without notice. The sun was at a standstill. The day creeped on towards eve. Night was hours away, but still, the day felt behind them.
Shika chopstick'd a savoury pork dumpling into his mouth. He moaned in delight. Ino flung a noodle in his face. "Do you mind?"
"Sorry," he said. He still made the facial expressions. It tasted almost sinful. Choji would be cheezed if he found out that he wasn't invited to their little buffet. Tch, troublesome…
"Shika, are you listening?" Ino said. She blew a strand of hair out of her eyes. It landed on top of her head with grace. "I was saying about the Hyūga…"
"Yeah, I'm listening. Origins unknown, super shady bunch. I get the gist. But that doesn't help us in any way."
"Well, let's not rush to conclusions, eh. I was thinking, the Hyūga's origins are unknown in any history book known to mankind…"
"Mmhm…"
"What if there was some book—like some ancestral tree—at the Hyūga Compound…?"
"What if, Ino?"
"Yikes, Shika, I'm just suggesting a lead. You've been zero help and I've been wracking my brain harder than I ever have in my entire life and the only conclusion I've come to is that you've basically been doing your best Choji impression the whole time we've been here."
Shika pointed his chopsticks at her. "Accurate."
Ino gripped her head in frustration. She gripped a piece of paper. It read:
The Fourth Hokage lives—his Fire never died. The red-raven birthed the tricky little red-fox & the darker-than-night wolf. The Queen birthed her princess. The Princess & The Fox, whose paths shall diverge, beware of the place where the skies weep and where the moon shines red; and where the clouds are ablaze even in winter-cold…
"What does this even mean…I don't understand."
Shika put his noodle-cup down and gripped Ino's hand tight. "Don't sweat it. We'll figure it out." He grabbed the paper from her hands and read aloud. "The Fourth Hokage Lives—his Fire never died. That seems pretty straightforward although extremely problematic if so."
Ino nodded. "If Lord Fourth truly lives, the question remains, where did he go, and why did he disappear?"
"Maybe it's metaphorical. Jeez, Ino, I've never been one to say this—well, actually, I've always been the one to say this—but this is seriously troublesome. Especially because I have no clue what any of it may or may not mean. There's a hundred different versions we could translate into meaning that could just be meaningless."
"His Fire never died…his Fire…wait, Shika…it is a metaphor."
Shika q-eyed Ino. "Elaborate."
"His Fire. As in, his Will? Like someone's hope or what they stand for…ahhh what's the word for it…?"
"His Legend," Shikamaru said as he stuck a toothpick in his mouth. "So basically, The Fourth Hokage's legend still lives. Everyone knows his name and his will, his dreams, his desires. Everyone knows his beliefs, even today."
"Exactly! That way it is true—he does still live, maybe not among us like in the general sense, but in spirit, for sure. Remember that lesson in the Academy? It was almost as if the school dedicated an entire subject to Lord Fourth. He's no small deal."
"And not just in our village. The whole world either loves him or fears him."
"He was known as a saviour."
"Okay, so say we solved the first part of the riddle," Shika said, "Until we figure out the rest it's basically meaningless. It's just basic knowledge until we know the rest, and then we can apply it and see if it fits the puzzle."
Ino nodded. She ran her finger across the next line: "The red-raven birthed the tricky little red-fox & the darker-than-night wolf….well, I'm stumped."
Shika deadpanned. "Ya don't say."
Ino grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."
Shika waved her off. He thought intensely for a moment, then, "Maybe now we're dealing with folklore. All this talk of animals, especially their descriptions, it poses spiritual definition. Folklore always derives significance from regular things but adds a sort of metaphorical symbolism to it."
"I think you're on to something, Shika—thought, I can't remember ever reading anything this bizarre, nothing with a red-raven, or a tricky little red-fox, and especially not a darker-than-night wolf."
"Me neither," Shika said. He pinched his brow and ran his fingertips across his hairline. It was an exercise in deep thought. "The Queen birthed her Princess, The Queen obviously being Hinata's mom, therefore the Princess is most likely Hinata herself."
Ino nodded. "The Princess & The Fox, whose paths shall diverge…is it just me, or is The Fox supposed to be Naruto?"
"Oh?"
Ino went mum. They hadn't exactly discussed that specific detail. The both of them had read the file. Knew the details. But hadn't quite discussed. Odd, that. Why delay any further.
"Naruto-kun is a…a…" Ino couldn't say it for some reason. Why couldn't she say it?
(whycantisayit?)
"A Jinchūriki," Shika said. "I know. And you're probably right about that. The riddle, I mean." Ino nodded. She chewed her fingernails. Shika chewed his toothpick. They sat in silence a few moments. "Tell me something, Ino, does it bother you, that Naruto is a Jinchūriki?"
Ino fervently shook her head, "No, no, not at all, does it bother you?"
Shika spit his toothpick. "Not in the slightest. Him being a Jinchūriki doesn't change the fact that he's my best friend and still just a knucklehead at the end of the day. He isn't what he contains. He's just Naruto."
"Agreed," Ino said, though she didn't stop chewing her fingernails.
Shika stole her hands from her and forced her to look him in the eyes. "Tell me what you're thinking, Ino."
Ino got out of her chair and paced the office. "Just thinking about all this. Naruto being a Jinchūriki. Such a big burden. And he's carried it all along, all alone, never telling anyone about his pain, his hurt, the tears he sheds every day holding that…that…that thing off from eating the rest of the world like it was a goddamn cupcake!"
Shika muttered two Troublesome's under his breath and stuck a fresh toothpick between his teeth—this one was pineapple flavoured. Tch—troublesome, I hate pineapples…
"Ino, do you know what it means?" Shikamaru said. "The word itself: Jinchūriki."
Ino shook her head.
"It means human sacrifice—"
Ino went eyes-wide.
"—and what you've been saying, how Naruto has always put others before himself, whether it was their needs before his or to protect their lives before he even gave a second thought about what would happen to his own. It's because, even though he may not know it or realize it, Naruto is fulfilling his duty. As are we…"
Ino's sight began to blur. Her eyes were watering.
"We're shinobi. We endure…"
A tap-tap-tap on the glass-pane window grabbed both of their attentions. A messenger bird tap-tapped its beak against the window. There was a tiny scroll attached to its left foot. Shika, too lazy for his own good, knife-threw a chopstick at the latch. The window popped open and the bird flew right onto Shika's forearm. He undid the scroll and shooed it away; it stole one of his dumplings before flying off. He muttered another Troublesome under his breath before unfurling the scroll.
"What is it?" Ino asked.
"A message from Neji. Says he wants to meet me." Ino shot him a look. He waved her away, "Don't worry, our cover's not blown. The bird belongs to the Nara farmlands. It would know where to find me even if I walked off the edge of the earth."
Shika got up from his seat and stretched. He headed for the door but stopped short of it, so that he could hold Ino. He gripped her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "What did I say—we're shinobi, Ino, we endure. I don't know if you've felt it, but I have, there's a change that occurred in Naruto after Hinata's death. I'm just trying to figure out if it was for the better or worse…"
Ino nodded, her tears quelled (for the moment). Shika exited their brand new office, leaving Ino to reminisce about things that had happened (and fantasize about shit that hadn't). She sat back behind her desk and ran through the riddle in Hinata's head over a hundred times, each time deluding herself into believing that she was getting a step closer to solving its mystery each time.
Kono-Tea Shop. Shika and Neji, meeting on the d.l. Shika sipped genmaicha. Neji drank straight-up black tea, no milk, no sugar. He was here to talk business. He had that look on his face.
"You wanted to see me," Shika said. "Did you figure something out?"
Neji nodded. "You asked me if I could assist you in any way—" Shika nodded. "—Well, I did a little research regarding the Byakūgan's origins."
"And lemme guess, nobody knows where it truly comes from?" Shika said.
Neji smiled. "Indeed. At least in Konoha's library no one seems to know. So I figured, the Hyūga clan must keep records or ancient texts that only the highest clan members can access."
Shit, Ino, were you right after all?…
Neji sipped his tea. "So I searched compound with my own Byakūgan. And nothing. Not a single book in sight. No scrolls. Nothing."
Shika blew bubbles into his tea. Well, that was anti-climactic. "Unfortunate, Neji."
"No, not at all. On the contrary. You're telling me you'd be perfectly content believing a clan like the Hyūga doesn't own a single book or a scroll? Nah, that'd be bullshit, and you know it."
"That's a fair point."
"Exactly, so I figured—"
"Holy shit…"
"—Genjutsu," Neji finished, smirking into his tea as he sipped the last bit.
"But I thought Genjutsu was useless against the Byakūgan." Shika said.
"That's what I thought," Neji said, "but apparently not. And it makes sense too. Only a Hyūga Main-House member would know the secret to fooling a Byakūgan. Branch-House members have always been kept out of the loop, and while I believe Hiashi-sama has greatly improved in his efforts in empathy, I still find it hard to believe that the man wouldn't keep any secrets. Everyone has secrets."
Shika slid his tea off to the corner of the table and followed Neji's every word with rapt attention.
"So I did some digging, checked the compound after hours in the places I felt the most unusual using my own Byakūgan, and lo and behold…" Neji placed a folded paper on the table. "Underneath the tatami mat where the shrine for Hiashi-sama's wife is…" Shika reached for it. Neji pulled it back. "Not here, Shika. Take it with you. Go. Now."
Shika q-eyed Neji for a moment, then slipped the paper into his vest and headed for the door. Neji muttered to him as he passed. Shika paused to listen.
"I'm on your side, Shika. Something's fishy about this whole thing. The motives surrounding Hinata-sama's death are skewed. But if what that paper says is true, then Hinata-sama herself played a role in her own death. I just can't think of a reason why. Please, Shikamaru, figure this shit out."
Shika tapped him on the shoulder as he left. The last thing Neji said was, "The funeral's being held in a week; I'm here on under the guise that I am informing you to return Hinata-sama's body so that we may begin preparations."
Shika tapped his nose.
Neji nodded.
Shika left the tea-shop.
Shika walked in on Ino banging her head against the desk. He nearly choked on his own laughter. She deadpanned. He held back his chortles and pulled out the folded paper.
"Neji was helpful after all," he said.
Ino's eyes brightened. "What is it?"
"I thought it best that we saw it together. Since Naruto's not here, and we can't wait for him, we might as well."
He hovered behind Ino's chair and placed the paper on the desk. Ino unfolded it carefully. They read it:
Hinata Hyūga's Diary
(ENTRY 09)
The Byakūgan is said to have mysterious origins, unknown to anyone for certain—even our ancestors. The Hyūga clan is not known to keep historical records. But now, with these eyes of mine, I can see truly and clearly, past, present, and future. I see my ancestors. I see the legend's of the past. I see the origins of the Byakūgan. I see the origins of the Hyūga clan. I see the origin of everything.
These eyes are a blessing and a curse. That is why I have to do this. I'm hiding this note beneath the tatami mat where mother's shrine is. I can only hope that when the time comes, it will have reached your hands, sister. It may not be of any help to you, but there will be a child in the future who you must help. After the war has ended—and I know that you will not understand the things I am saying right now, but please, heed my words nonetheless, sister—there will be a child who will have the same eyes as I do. You must help that child in learning how to use these eyes in order to keep balance; I am bringing true balance to the universe; all the child must learn to do is to make sure not to tip the scales.
The ocular jutsu known as the Byakūgan comes from a distant race of beings. I will not go into depth about them. The very thought of them elicits the most fearsome shivers within me. The darker-than-night wolf will help you piece the puzzle together. For now, all you must know is that our eyes are not perfect. The Sharingan is another dōjutsu that was derived from the Byakūgan. Legend say that the Rinnegan is the most perfect ocular ability known to our kind. This is a lie. Our Byakūgan's are capable of transforming—evolving—to a higher form of sight.
I have no word that I can associate with this evolution, so I shall name it: The All-Seeing Golden Eyes; the Byaku-Rinne-Sharingan. Mother of all dōjutsu.
With these eyes I have power like no other, sister. The child you will meet will have this same power…
The power to see all of time as if it was a flat circle. The past, present, and future. Even now, I can see, this child, learning by your side. It puts a smile on my face, sister, to see the woman you've grown to become…Ah, I should do well not to indulge my melancholy this much.
If things go accordingly, the world will be safe. I hope you can forgive me for what I must do, Hanabi-chan.
I love you.
Their eyes went wide at the implications. Shika chewed on a fresh toothpick—apple—and Ino on her fingernails. They turned to look at each other and both said aloud, "Oh shit."
OROCHIMARU'S HIDEOUT...
Sasuke sharpened his kusanagi blade against stone. He practiced on snakes crossing his path. He sat on the rooftop of the hideout. He stared at the spot where he met the unorthodox summoning creature that gave him Hinata's diary. He pondered the things she wrote in there, even more so after news had hit that the Hyūga Princess had been killed by the Akatsuki less than a week ago. Everything about this rang eerie, predetermined, like Hinata had written. But there's no such thing as God, Sasuke thought. Is there…?
He pulled the diary out of his waistband and flipped to the next page. It read, (ENTRY 02). He read the very first line: Well done, Sasuke. You have killed Orochimaru of The Legendary Sannin—
He snapped the book shut! He slipped it back into his waistband and sheathed his blade in its scabbard. He pondered that, killing Orochimaru. He had meant to, hopefully sometime soon, but it was too soon, and his eyes had been paining him since he had obtained the diary. Everything pointed to it being the wrong time. But then again, since when did Uchiha Sasuke ever wait for the right time?
Sasuke free-fell from the top of the building. He waited till the last second before retrieving his blade from its scabbard, thrusting it into the dirt ground, and landing gracefully upon its hilt. When he opened his eyes they were blood-red and spun in cartwheels. His eyes hurt the whole time. He used it to fuel his mission:
Time's up, Orochimaru. And after him, I'm coming for you, Itachi…
(No, not Itachi, Sasuke, remember? You must spare the life of Uchiha Itachi.)
Sasuke turned off her voice and allowed the dull hum of his spinning Mangekyou Sharingan to fill his ears. It helped to drown out his thoughts. It helped bring him some semblance of peace.
It would surely help to drown out the sound of a snake dying.
CHAPTER END.
