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One thing must be said, after fucking without a break for more than twenty-four hours really makes you sleep like a baby.
The rest you got after that was just pure divine.
Really, nothing compared to that kind of sleep; every moment was a pleasure. Waking up, my body felt light as a feather as I jumped from tree to tree.
The goodbye still felt bittersweet.
I had tried, I had really tried to do everything to satisfy their dreams, to make sure there was nothing left, no wants felt unfulfilled.
With Koji and Kuro, I really went all out over the last few days. I let them live the dream and fulfil their dreams and desires.
It was the least I could do; they had made my time in Konoha a real joy. Yet now, I believed that the time had come to move on, so I said my goodbyes to both him, Kuro, and Hiashi. Trying my best to ensure they have as few regrets as possible.
Well, I knew that despite everything I allowed them to do, every desire, every pleasure. There was one thing I had never been able to give either of them, and never would.
They wanted me to be with them forever; they wanted me to have their children, to start a family with them, something I could never do.
Even staying with them was no longer possible; the cold ROOT members trying to follow my team in secret were a clear sign of that.
In truth, even without that, I was sure this mission would be my last. The whole thing was truly horrible; it was a setup. Anyone could see that.
The entire team belonged only to the Hyūga clan, and while we were a mighty clan, adding different people on top would only make our team even stronger. But no, just Hyūga shinobi.
Even a member of the main family was here as well.
And not just any member, but the favored grandson of the second elder.
He was one of the most talented members of the entire Hyūga clan, and a brilliant genius even in the entirety of Konoha. Someone who reached the rank of the elites at a young age, second only to Hiashi, who in turn was second only to me within the entire clan.
All things considered, the honored grandson was a very important member of the clan, and his being sent on such a dangerous mission was no mere accident.
The clan could only afford to send so many more people out to offer him protection, and I was naturally among those chosen. As was Kazou-sensei from my first days of learning the shinobi profession, a grizzled veteran of two great wars.
"Have you noticed them, Yuki-san?" Kazou asked me in a low voice as we moved towards our destination.
"They aren't doing a good job of hiding; they want us to know." I replied, my own voice just as quiet as to not spread panic among the rest of our team.
Only a few of us could see so far behind us with the Byakugan; most couldn't see the ROOT shinobi, and we didn't want to alert them.
"I thought so as well, what do you think they are doing?" he asked, unease in his voice.
"I hope it's just to make sure we do our missions and don't retreat or something." I said, though with little hope in my voice.
"Why do such a thing?" He couldn't help but ask. He wasn't so innocent as to think Konoha was one big family, but he still didn't understand why they would take such extreme actions against them.
"Why? Because some missions aren't always meant to be completed." I whispered, my heart heavy. "The clan's current generation has four bright stars, two for the main family, two from the branch, or at least two sealed, and one of each is in this team." I told him my thoughts.
Kazou drew in a sharp breath. Never would he have suspected that Konoha would do such a thing, to be willing to force two of the greatest geniuses of his clan to their death.
After everything the clan had sacrificed in this war, this was the reward they would be given? Death and betrayal?
"We can't allow that! We must do something, turn back at once." He said, his voice louder than he had wanted, as it drew attention from everyone else.
I just shook my head. I understood that now, since Danzo had taken this action, he wouldn't allow his plan to fail." If we fall back, I have no doubt we will be called traitors. At best, we can complete the mission and try to survive."
After all, they couldn't very well blame us for not dying, could they?
Kazou clearly didn't like it, but what could we do?
Kazou glanced toward the shadows at the edge of the treeline, his jaw tight. "If it comes to it, I'll stand beside you. Even against them."
I looked at him sharply, but his eyes were steady. It was reckless, but it was loyalty — to the clan, not the village.
"It isn't me who should be protecting, I too am but a protector here, the main family mustn't be lost." I said as I cast a glance at him, surrounded by Chuunin of the clan.
"Please, Yuki-san, you are not less important to the clan; you are Hiashi's future wife, the future mother to the clan leader, for generations to come, your influence will lead and guide the clan's future." Kazou said, his eyes filled with pride as he spoke of me.
As a fellow member of the branch family, Kazou felt great pride in me because I was proof that even the branch family could rise to greatness.
Even if I knew that my rise to such an honored position wasn't something most could do, it was a path few could ever hope to walk.
After all, my talent came in large part from the great knowledge I had collected from within the moon, and that allowed me to push forward, increasing my strength to what it is today.
At the same time, many with this level of strength would surely hate the seal marking them, binding them into service from their birth. I alone could fully escape any of this, as the seal never truly bound me.
Indeed, what was a legend to them, was but a game for me.
A game that was about to move on from the tutorial. Beyond love and happiness, beyond sex and matters of the heart, and instead, to the final goal.
"Hopefully nothing will go wrong, and we will complete the mission without a problem, then we can report the actions of Konoha to the elders, they will surely do something about it." Kazou muttered as we moved on.
We pushed deeper into the borderlands, the trees thinning as the air grew heavier. The chatter of the younger Hyūga died away, leaving only the sound of boots against bark and the whisper of leaves. It was too quiet.
Then I saw it.
Through the Byakugan, a presence flared on the horizon — massive, swirling, violent. Chakra that wasn't simply vast, but alien. Alive. It filled my vision like a storm cloud, roiling with dangerous, chaotic power.
My stomach sank.
I didn't need to see the haze of chakra left in their wake to know what was before me.
As soon as my foot touched down, I shot backwards instead of ahead, and I felt the force of the change in momentum rip at my body, but I was able to resist the G-forces as I instantly appeared before my charge.
As a proper elite-ranked Hyūga, he saw what happened, but had little chance to react as I picked him up, and ran off, leaving at max speed without a word.
"Yuki!" Everyone gasped in shock at my sudden action, and Kazuo, as the only other person able to match my speed, was at my side. "What's happening?"
"Killer B!" I said, my voice filled with urgency as I cursed our rotten luck.
I had no doubt this was a trap now, running into not just Killer B, but a whole team at his side. Even I couldn't hope to fight against that as I was. Fighting a jinchūriki was no joke.
"Fuck!" Kazuo cursed. He knew this was bad.
"They don't know we are here yet, so as long as we hurry, we can escape." I shouted as everyone pushed themselves to hurry.
Everyone understood how serious this was; any mistake would mean our doom. Still, we had a chance, and everyone was willing to risk it all for it.
We darted through the trees, every branch a springboard, every breath sharp in our throats. I kept my eyes ahead, scanning for a clear path out of Kumo territory, when the shadows ahead shifted.
ROOT.
They stepped out in unison, masks blank, blades already drawn, forming a silent wall across our only escape route.
"Stand aside!" I hissed, fury burning in my chest. "You'll doom us all!"
Their leader tilted his head, voice flat and cold. "Orders are clear. The mission continues."
Behind me, Kazou swore, his hand tightening around the heir's shoulder. "They're mad! We'll never—"
He never finished.
I had no time to waste, so I put down my charge as I threw myself into combat, against the ROOT. Those hateful mindless drones, I never liked them, and given a chance, I didn't hesitate to fight them.
They weren't ready for me, for my unexpected willingness to kill so-called comrades, even the rest of my team could only stare in shock as I started fighting, trying to force our way through.
The first masked man crumpled under a palm strike to the chest, ribs shattering like dry wood as I drove chakra straight into his lungs. He didn't scream. ROOT never screamed. He just collapsed, limp, and the others shifted to close the gap without hesitation.
"Yuki!" one of my cousins gasped, horror in his eyes.
"They're not here to protect us," I snapped, twisting aside from a blade and slamming my elbow into another mask, cracking porcelain and bone alike. "They're here to bury us."
Kazou was beside me an instant later, kunai flashing. He wasn't as fast as I was, but he fought with the weight of experience, his strikes precise and merciless. Two more ROOT went down, but more closed in, an endless tide.
The honored grandson stood frozen, teeth clenched, Byakugan wide as he tried to make sense of the betrayal. "They're— they're supposed to be—"
"Shut up and move!" Kazou barked, dragging him back.
And then the forest shook.
"Fuck, Kazuo, he locked onto us, you need to take him and flee!" I yelled as I knew the fight was here. The real one, not against ROOT trash, but against one of the most powerful threats in the world at this point in time.
The air split with a boom, trees bowing as if a storm had rolled in all at once.
A shadow dropped from the canopy ahead, heavy boots cracking earth where he landed. Swords gleamed on every side of him, a living whirlwind of steel, and a wild grin stretched across his face.
"Yo, yo, what's this I see? A Hyūga squad, tryna flee? You picked the wrong woods — now it's time to bleed."
Killer B.
The Eight-Tails' jinchūriki.
"Kazou!" I barked, forcing another ROOT operative back with a palm strike. "Take him and go! Don't look back!"
Kazou's face twisted. "Yuki—"
"Now!" My voice cracked like a whip.
He hesitated only a moment before nodding, grabbing the heir by the shoulder, and shoving him into motion. ROOT was already regrouping, but Kazou wasn't alone; the others quickly realized the seriousness of the situation and joined him.
They knew their fate, they would do everything to protect the main family heir and try to get away. In doing so, they hoped not only could they escape, but without their safety to worry about, I too could try and escape.
I stepped forward, centering myself, Byakugan flaring wide as Killer B twirled his swords in a rhythm like a song only he could hear. His grin widened when he saw me plant my feet, palms raised.
"You gonna dance with me, pale-eyed queen? Let's see if your style is as mean as it seems."
(End of chapter)
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