My hands were shaking, the green chakra flowing around them insufficient to stem the tide of blood washing over them.

No. No, I'd figure this out.

I wracked my brain trying to think of something. Storage seals inside my jacket popped as I pulled out all the medical supplies I had on me. Gauze, tourniquets, disinfectant – how could I use it to mend crushed internal organs.

"…Stop." Misaki's voice sounded hoarse, tired, weak.

There was blood dripping from the corner of her lip as she turned to look at me. When had she lost her mask?

"I…sorry."

I knelt down next to her and took her hand, squeezing it tight. Her hand was cold. Her face was pale. She was laying in a pool of crimson. "You don't have anything to apologize for."

"Waited…too long."

I heard a pop as the cracks in my mask spread. A chunk fell away, revealing the entire left half of my face. Furious at the interruption, I reached up and tore my mask off, throwing it over my shoulder. "You're going to be okay, Misaki."

Misaki's lips pulled up into a small, sad smile. "Dying…"

I shook my head rapidly, squeezing her hand tighter. "I'll figure this out. I–"

"Take…it…" Misaki said, her other hand weakly picking up off the ground before falling. She was too weak to even move her arm.

"What?" I asked, my mouth going dry.

"Eye…Take…My eye…Let me…Keep…Fighting with…you…" Misaki's fingers curled around mine. Her grip was weak. I knew she was strong enough to crush bone with ease normally. But now…

I was shaking my head. "I can't–"

"Please, Shinto…Take…It…" Her eyes were pleading. "Promise…Me…"

I felt moisture streaming down my face. Hot streams down my left cheek. Salty droplets down my right.

I laid a hand on Misaki's forehead. "I promise." I said softly.

Her small smile grew; her eyelids fluttered as she looked up at me. "Thank…you…I love…you…" Her fingers went slack in my hand. Her eyes unfocused.

I bent down and pressed my forehead into hers, a pained sob tearing at my throat.

Misaki… She'd… I didn't even…

"AAAHHH!" I threw my head back and screamed, not caring who heard, daring them to strike so I could vent my rage.

"Damn. Girl managed to take him with her. Respect."

I whirled around, drawing my sword and snarling at the figure standing at the edge of the crater.

A woman was grinning down at me; her teeth were jagged, triangular like a shark's. Bushy red hair fell down her back past her waist. She held twin swords in either hand. "You're not so bad yourself, brat. Taking out Kushimaru in single combat at your age… Shit, you remind me of me!"

"Where's my team?" I snarled, crouching into a low stance, my Shadow Armor flowing up my body to materialize around me.

"Kami, that's badass! You look like a shadow of death!" Her grin turned monstrous. "Yeah! I dub thee Shi no Kage!"

"Cut the bullshit and attack me already." I growled, primed to move.

The woman threw her head back and laughed. "Kill you? If I wanted you dead, I'd have killed you while you were leaning over the girl. No, I'm not gonna kill you. You beat Kushimaru in a sword fight. That takes skill and guts. You're young. I like saving the best for last. In ten years I'll come find you and I'll kill you then. For now, we'll go our separate ways. My team is dead. Your team is dead. We're even. You better be ready for me when I come for you, Shi no Kage. We'll have a proper duel!" The woman gave an elaborate bow.

I popped three storage seals in my jacket and used False Barrage to hurl hundreds of kunai at her.

The woman used the substitution technique, leaving a branch and mocking laughter in her wake as she vanished. I felt around with my shadows, but she was gone.

I stayed in my stance, ready to fight. After ten whole minutes went by, I finally accepted that she was gone.

My sword fell from limp fingers as I turned back around. Falling to my knees next to Misaki's body. I laid my head against her chest and wept.

My stomach heaved. My chest felt like it was constricting down on my organs.

I looked up. Misaki's eyes hadn't closed. Her byakugan shone accusingly in the moonlight.

I felt like vomiting for even considering it. Misaki was my friend. She was my only friend. I got on well with Chiaki and–

I held back another sob as I realized the rest of my team was dead too.

I got on well enough with them, but we were co-workers on friendly terms. Misaki was my friend.

…She'd made me promise. I'd given my friend a promise.

I threw my head back and screamed my throat raw, begging that woman, one of her teammates, anyone to murder me before I did what I was about to do.

No one came.

A trembling hand coated in green energy descended towards Misaki.

X

Finding the bodies was easy. Finding the discarded swords was easy. I gathered up the bodies of my enemies and allies alike as well as their weapons and stored them all in seals.

I'd closed my eyes to meditate, to welcome the darkness, but the darkness was lost to me now. There was a constant, unending stream of chakra to my left eye, Misaki's eye. The byakugan never turned off. I could see through my eyelid. I would always see through my eyelid. From now until the day I died, I would always see everything in a 840 meter radius around me at all times. I would see the chakra alight in the world around me for 840 meters until I saw no more. Misaki's range had increased again. She never told me.

Despite the left half having broken away, I put my ANBU mask back on before I made the return trip to Konoha. I felt numb. I didn't know what else to do but report the deaths of my friends and tell what happened to them. I should have expected the welcome I received.

Twelve ANBU appeared around me when I was less than a minute from reaching Konoha. With Misaki's eye, I could see inside the walls. I could see everything behind the walls.

"Shinto Nara, drop your weapons and storage seals and hold your hands straight out at your sides. Do not channel any chakra or you will be treated as hostile." Wolf announced coldly.

I didn't know what else to do. I dropped everything and did what they told me. My hands were bound and suppression seals were plastered to my body. Two were placed over my left eye and the world went blissfully dark.

X

T&I, or the Torture and Interrogation Force, was the force Konoha used to extract information from prisoners. As the name suggests, their methods were gruesome and unbound by any rulebook. Even in Konoha, hailed as one of the more civilized hidden villages, T&I would cross any line to accomplish their mission, and they were good at their jobs.

The moment the ANBU had brought me here, I'd told the black-masked man who questioned me everything. I'd answered everything truthfully and held nothing back. For whatever reason, he hadn't been satisfied with my answers.

A lone ANBU returning alone without their team and one of their teammate's bloodline limits in their head? They'd thought it obvious that I murdered my teammates while their backs were turned to steal Misaki's eye. I'd told him to check the storage seals for the nin we'd fought, but my plea fell on deaf ears.

So here I was. I'd been chained at the wrists and ankles. My wrists were high above my head, spread apart. My legs were similarly spread. I'd been stripped naked then had a ratty pair of shorts placed on me to cover my modesty, though I wasn't sure why they bothered.

That wasn't the worst of it though. I was bathed in blinding, burning light from all sides. It was common knowledge how proficient I was with shadows, so the T&I nin working my case thought it would be best if there were no shadows present for me to use.

They'd run into a problem with my hair. We Naras intentionally kept our hair long precisely to cast greater shadows that we could then use to fight. My hair had been long and luscious, falling down past the midpoint in my back. I say 'had' because it was gone now. I was shaved bald to prevent me from weaponizing the shadows cast by my hair.

That more than anything had enraged me. I'd submitted myself without incident. I'd answered every question I was asked truthfully. I'd done everything right, and they took my hair in addition to treating me like trash?

The most infuriating part was they hadn't even succeeded in making me a non threat by taking my hair. People didn't often think about it, but shadows existed wherever light didn't touch. When your mouth is closed, there are shadows in your mouth. Even when your mouth is open, your throat, your stomach, your organs – there are shadows inside your body. If I wanted to escape, I could just open my mouth and send the shadows in my gut up to unlock my chains. Chakra suppression tags or no, I had enough Yin chakra to get myself out before the chains ate through my shadows.

But I hadn't done that. Because I hadn't done anything wrong. Because I wasn't the criminal everyone seemed to think I was.

I heard a metallic thunk from the cell door in front of me.

Groggily, I lifted my handing head up to see who had come to accuse me of killing my team now. Misaki's eye would have been able to show me were the entire left side of my head not wrapped in suppression seals, but it was.

Three figures entered my cell. A man wearing his forehead protector on a bandana with scars down his face. A man with long black hair, his lips pulled back to reveal an enraged snarl. An elderly man in a white, pointed hat.

"Ibiki," The Hokage said when his eyes took me in. "Release the boy immediately." His voice was dangerously calm, like a receding tide just before a tsunami.

Ibiki's face was carved from stone, but I could see how tense he was. He moved robotically, unlocking my chains and letting me fall to the ground.

A shadow shot across the ground, piercing through the light to wrap around me, catching me before I could fall. I felt my body walk forward without me telling it to as the third figure approached.

"Are you alright?" Shikaku said in a fiery, clipped tone. I had never seen the man so enraged in my life.

I looked up at him tiredly. I couldn't summon the energy to feel anything other than indifference right now. "My team is dead. My only friend is dead. My village thinks I'm a traitor. How do you think I am?"

"We had reasonable–"

"Ibiki," The Hokage cut in; his voice was a blade. "You are dismissed. You will retrieve all of Shinto's effects and bring them here now."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Ibiki said, bowing low. He disappeared through the door as if he were a gazelle fleeing a lion.

The Hokage's enraged gaze turned to utter regret as he slowly walked forward. "Young man, I am so sorry this happened to you." He reached up and touched the side of my face. I felt a pulse of chakra from him, and the seals clinging to my head like leeches shriveled up and fell to the ground.

All at once, I could see everything. I could see the cells on either side of mine. I could see the chunin doing paperwork two floors above. I could see the streets of Konoha two-hundred meters above me at a forty-five degree angle.

I could see the chakra all around me. I could see my own chakra. I could see the tenketsu and chakra flow of Shikaku and the Hokage. Hiruzen was like a raging inferno, shining so bright he dwarfed everything around him, making it seem insignificant. The byakugan in my head let me see everything.

I'd give it up to have Misaki back.

"I didn't kill my team." I said softly, not expecting either of them to believe me. So far, the only thing anyone had believed was that I took Misaki's eye after she was dead.

The Hokage laid a hand on my shoulder. "I know, son. I know. I will fix this, you have my word."

"Respectfully, Hokage-sama, I am taking my clan member from this facility at once. We will both return to your office tomorrow so he can give his report." Shikaku said forcefully, sounding like it was taking a supreme effort to keep himself in check.

The Hokage shook his head. "That will be unnecessary. Shinto has already given his report several times to the incompetent men and women in this building. I will take his report from them while I punish them. Would you like me to have Shinto's things sent to the Nara Compound?"

"No need." I said with no emotion. "Ibiki's back." I'd watched him gather my uniform, seals and weapons upstairs and walk back down.

Ibiki entered the cell, holding my things atop his hands. "Hokage-sama, I–"

"Return Shinto's belongings and gather everyone involved in this affront in my office." The Hokage said coldly.

Ibiki bowed, hurrying over to me to hand me the pile in his arms before retreating through the door, running to gather people as ordered. There were four people he ordered to follow him before he even got to the end of the hall. How many people thought I was a traitor by now? If this many T&I personnel were involved in this shit show, the entire village likely thought I was a kin killer.

"Shinto, if you need anything, anything at all, contact me immediately." the Hokage said, a grandfatherly compassion in his voice.

"A new ANBU team that has no idea who I am, and a new mask." I said immediately. "I need something to do right now or I'll drive myself insane. I need something to focus on."

The Hokage looked pained. "Shinto, I cannot in good conscience send you out on missions in this state."

"Then give me a few weeks to get back up to speed before you assign me to my new team." I said, shrugging as if it was the simplest conclusion in the world. "I can't be around people who think I killed Misaki. Give me a new face and let me be someone else."

"Shinto, I will ensure no falsehoods are spread regarding the events that led you here." The Hokage assured me, his gaze serious.

"Respectfully, Hokage-sama, I think it's too late for that. I'm not the best at reading lips, but there are two chunin out in front of the building talking about how 'Shinto' 'killed' 'Hyuga' and 'stole' 'eye'." I said, making air quotes around each word. I didn't recognize the chunin walking past, but if they already thought I was a traitor, then the entire village likely already thought that.

"Shinto, we're leaving." Shikaku said, placing a hand on my back and guiding me through the door. He stopped at the threshold to turn and bow. "Thank you for your assistance, Hokage-sama."

He led me through some tunnels and out onto the street. We only paused briefly so I could pull on my normal clothes. Lacking anything better at the moment, I pulled my forehead protector down over Misaki's eye. I could still see everything, but at least it wouldn't be visible and cause me to get thrown in lockup like it did when I'd returned from my mission. The air felt strange against my head. Then again, my head had never been fully shaved before, so that was to be expected.

"How many people in the clan haven't been told that I'm a traitor yet?" I asked Shikaku conversationally.

Shikaku was glaring at nothing in particular when he said, "If anyone gives you any trouble, I will handle it personally."

I shook my head. "I appreciate that, but you're the Clan Head. You can't go to war with the entire clan just to help one guy the entire village thinks is a traitor. It'll look bad on you. It might be best if I just remove myself from the equation. I've made enough that I could live on my own outside the Clan Compound, so–"

"I have to approve any housing changes out of the Compound. Your request is denied." Shikaku said.

I shrugged. "I'm an ANBU. I can skirt those rules." I stopped walking, sighing. "Shikaku-sama, I appreciate everything you've done, both before now and especially now, but I really need to be alone right now. I'll… I'll check in later." I said, falling into the shadow of a nearby show and zipping across the ground to the back alley, then flowing further beyond until I was streets away from Shikaku.

I emerged and used the henge to take on the appearance of a teenage genin. I hopped across rooftops until I was out of the city, and walked up the Hokage Monument. I undid my henge and sat down with my legs crossed beneath me.

My head fell into my hands and I sobbed.

X

"You will explain yourself immediately." Hiruzen said, standing in front of his desk before of=ver a dozen kneeling shinobi.

"Hokage-sama, we received a report that ANBU Badger was returning to Konoha without his team and with an implanted byakugan. We acted under our best judgment and–"

"Your best judgment?" Hiruzen said without raising his voice, though his delivery was no less sharp. "A clearly injured ANBU returns from a mission and you take him prisoner rather than opening the storage seals he delivered to you that would confirm his story?"

Ibiki's head dipped even lower. "We were ordered not to open the seals, Hokage-sama. We were operating under the assumption that Badger killed his team, and believed he might have trapped storage seals to kill them."

Hiruzen's eyes narrowed. They'd been ordered not to open the seals?

"Leave. All of you." Hiruzen ordered.

The kneeling nin bowed their heads even lower and flickered away.

Hiruzen stormed out of his office. Administrative workers fled his path like frightened animals fleeing a forest fire. He moved through the halls of the Hokage Tower like a furious storm, his white cloak billowing behind him.

He threw open a door and entered the room beyond unannounced.

Danzo Shimura looked up at him as he entered, setting aside a scroll as he said, "Hiruzen, what can I assist–"

"Shinto Nara." Hiruzen practically growled, his anger swelling.

Danzo frowned. "It was my understanding the boy was cleared of all wrongdoing. This is a fortuitous conclusion, is it not? One of Konoha's brightest young flames returned from his mission with the bodies and weapons of three of Kirigakure's legendary swordsmen and the bodies of his teammates. He was also given a gift not unlike young Kakashi was. I believe that he will grow to be as vital an asset as Kakashi himself."

Hiruzen clasped his hands in front of him, clasped tight to prevent him from attempting to lash out in anger. "Did you order T&I not to open the seals he carried?"

"Of course. I had my suspicions that Kiri's swordsmen were active in the area. Shinto's report claimed he had their corpses. I could not risk such priceless treasures being damaged before they could be properly studied."

Hiruzen exhaled through his nose. "Your actions led to one of our youth being treated as a traitor. Not only that, but you knew Team Fist was sent to investigate the area but did not warn them of the potential presence of the swordsmen."

"I was not certain, and I was not willing to risk the swordsmen fleeing. I had faith in Team Fist."

"Team Fist is dead, its sole survivor a pariah. I have been too lenient with you on account of our friendship, Danzo. No more. You will turn over the bodies and swords Shinto recovered immediately. All operations involving ROOT must be authorized by, and report their findings to me. Am I understood?"

Danzo frowned, his sole eye narrowing unhappily. "This is a foolish decision, Hiruzen. It would counteract the purpose of ROOT."

Hiruzen's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Danzo Shimura, your Hokage has issued you an order. Obey it." Hiruzen spun on his heel and left without another word. He had more work to do to deal with the fallout from this disaster. Shinto should have received a hero's welcome. Instead, he was strung up like a common criminal.

Hiruzen would burn away the incompetence and corruption that allowed this outcome.

X

I'd wound a piece of black cloth around my head, cutting a small scrap to hang down and cover Misaki's eye. Even barred by the makeshift eyepatch, I could see better than I ever had in my life. My eye felt superfluous. It seemed like I could see so little with it now.

Aside from the cloth, I hadn't altered my standard apparel from the simple jacket and pants I wore. The only other difference was my bald head. It had taken over a decade for my hair to grow to its length, and now I had to start over. I would have been frustrated if I wasn't so anxious and sorrowful right now.

I'd left my house early in the morning. I hadn't slept well last night, haunted by the fact I hadn't done this yet. I was walking to the Hyuga Compound, Misaki's forehead protector clasped protectively in my hands.

To avoid being identified, ANBU didn't bring their forehead protectors on missions, leaving them in one of several ANBU facilities prior to the mission. I'd retrieved Misaki's earlier this morning and was now taking it to her parents.

I was dreading facing them. The last time I'd done this was with Kenji's mother. She'd taken his death hard, screaming at me to leave. I'd tried to initiate contact with her through letters a few times since, but she hadn't responded, so I eventually decided she wanted to be left alone.

I wasn't sure I'd be able to stand having Mio scream at me the way Chika did. Mio had always been so welcoming and kind to me. She had a bright smile on her face and delighted in teasing me.

Now I had her daughter's eye in my head. I had no idea how she would react.

When I arrived at the gate to the Hyuga Compound, I was met by the usual two guards and a third individual I'd seen only once: The Clan Head, Hiashi Hyuga. All three were staring at me with cold loathing in their eyes.

I bowed low, doing everything I could to keep my voice even as I said, "Hyuga-sama, I have come to present this to Mio-san and Kyoshi-san."

Hiashi Hyuga was carefully controlling his breathing as he approached, glaring down his nose at me. "The Hyuga Clan and I owe you a great debt for saving my daughter. It is for that reason I will take no action against you for the crime you committed against Misaki Hyuga. You are not welcome here, Shinto Nara. Leave and never return."

I took a deep breath, forcing away the anger that threatened to make me snap. "Misaki gave me her eye. She insisted."

Hiashi's glare turned furious. "You are not welcome here. Leave now."

I wanted to punch him, but I wasn't stupid. It would have felt really good, but there was a good chance I'd wind up dead afterwards. I doubted enough of the village hadn't heard of my 'betrayal' to give me enough goodwill to live through attacking a Clan Head.

I spun around, showing my back to the Clan Head in a show of blatant disrespect as I approached one of the guards, holding out Misaki's headband. "Please see to it that this is given to Mio and Kiyoshi Hyuga."

The guard took the headband from me and said, "I must ask you to leave, chunin-san."

I turned around and walked away without another word.

I wanted to scream as I walked through the streets of Konoha. I wanted to channel my chakra and wreak havoc. I needed to find something to focus on, something to channel my rage into.

Frowning, I flickered away, heading back to Team Fist's old ANBU quarters.

As expected, the quarters were empty. Gear laid strewn about, but there were no people. The only new addition to the room was a mask I'd never seen before laying on the center of the table.

The mask was wholly black with silver highlights for eyes and what appeared to be whiskers. There were two pointed cat ears at the top of the mask. There was a silver symbol in the center of the mask's forehead. It said, 'Panther'.

I stared down at the mask, reaching out to run my fingers over the symbol.

When I first set out on the path of the shinobi all those years ago, I'd wanted to be strong. I'd wanted to be one of the best. I'd seen the best, and all I could do was watch the best kill my team. I had no illusions that I was only alive because that mad-eyed woman didn't feel like killing me. The man with the needle sword had underestimated me. She didn't. If I wanted to stay alive, I needed to get so strong I could have faced all four of those swordsmen myself. The best way for me to do that was to throw myself back into ANBU.

Besides, Misaki told me to take her eye so she could keep fighting with me. I'd be dishonoring her wishes if I laid down my sword and retired. I needed to do this.

I picked up the mask and settled it over my face.