Chapter Twenty-Three
There was no time for goodbyes this time, as much as Jin wished he could tell everyone goodbye.
He had received a letter from the Mizukage informing him that the sanbi had been located and cornered. He was to report to her right away to receive further orders.
Sasuke was coming with him, and surprisingly had already seemed to know that they were going to leave that night. He had packed already, and was waiting beside the village gates for him.
Surprisingly enough, Sasuke was not the only one that was waiting for him. Hinata was also there, shifting awkwardly and avoiding looking at Jin or Sasuke.
"What are you doing here?" Jin asked, frowning a little when he saw Hinata. "You should be in bed."
"I...I want to come with you." Hinata said nervously, still refusing to look up at him. "I want to become stronger."
"I already tried telling her to go home. She wouldn't listen to me." Sasuke rolled his eyes, looking rather peeved that she hadn't listened.
Jin watched them both, wondering what to do. He really couldn't take Hinata with them, but what if she decided to follow them anyway? There wasn't really a good option in this situation.
"If you come with us, it's not going to be easy." Jin warned finally, frowning. "You won't be able to turn back once we start on our journey."
Hinata nodded slightly, finally glancing up at him, the scar on her face illuminated by the moonlight. "I want this. I want...need to be stronger."
A frown crossed Jin's face, and he let out a sigh. "Very well. We're leaving now, and...you can't contact anyone about this. You can't let your family know where you are or where we're going. It's for Sasuke's safety, and yours as well."
Once Hinata nodded, Jin sighed and guided the pair out of the village, casting one last glance back, wishing he could leave more than just a letter for Kakashi.
The journey was really nothing special, and went by rather quickly, until they reached the border that separated the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water.
It was there that they ran into a strangely familiar, and yet unfamiliar face. Beautiful black hair astray, coming loose from its ponytail, and beautiful violet eyes that looked just like Jin's, except perhaps a little rounder.
The man looked just a few years older than Jin, though he looked as if he'd just escaped from some indescribable horror, his clothes bloodied and torn, eyes frantic and terrified, large dark circles beneath them. He looked as if he hadn't slept in days, and judging by the way his breaths came in harsh rasps, he had been traveling a long way without rest.
Abundantly cautious, Jin slowly approached him, signalling for the other two to stay behind. "Are you okay…?" He asked, holding his hands up in the most non-threatening manner that he could manage.
The man flinched and looked up quickly, fear growing in his violet eyes. He began to back away slowly, all the color draining from his pale face. "Who are you?! What do you want from me?!" His voice was frightened and confused.
"My name is Shiraishi Jin." He replied, keeping his distance from the frightened man. As he studied the man, Jin realized that his clothes were centuries out of style, and that he was some sort of shinobi.
The man's eyes widened in what appeared to be shock. "Shiraishi…" He stared at Jin for a moment. "My name is Shiraishi Hisashi." His voice softened a little as he stared at Jin. Wherever he was, and whatever time he was in, he was safe in the presence of another Shiraishi.
"How many siblings do you have, Jin?" Sasuke couldn't help but ask in exasperation, rolling his dark eyes.
"...I genuinely don't know, but judging by his clothing, I don't think that he's my brother." Jin replied slowly.
"I'm not." Hisashi began slowly. "I think…" He was just beginning to put together what must have happened. "I was dead. She killed me, but now I'm alive again."
Jin wondered what on earth he could possibly be talking about, when the name raised a flag in the back of his mind. His eyes widened just slightly as he stared at Hisashi, the realization of who he was setting in.
"Shiraishi Hisashi…" Jin said softly, shaking his head. "You should be very dead...it's been centuries." He took a step forward, not recognizing any of the indications of someone who had been brought back using the resurrection technique that he had witnessed Orochimaru using when he had attacked during the Chuunin Exams.
For all intents and purposes, Hisashi seemed as alive as Sasuke and Hinata did. He didn't know what the reason for that could be, but there was no denying it.
And Jin knew that he needed to protect Hisashi from whatever he had been escaping from. He frowned and offered him his hand. "Come with us, and I'll help you. I'll protect you from whatever you're running from."
Hisashi hesitated for a moment, staring at Jin for a moment before slowly nodding. He stumbled over to him slowly, allowing Jin to put a hand on his shoulder to steady him.
If something like this was possible, then would it be possible that other centuries-dead shinobi could be wandering around the land in such a way?
This is a really short chapter, but tbh it's gotten super difficult to write 8k chapters, so i'm gonna try to write shorter ones instead, so that i can maybe start actively writing this fic again. i hope you enjoyed this short chapter!
