Evening
Hyuga Hinata walked back into the Hyuga compound with her stomach in knots, barely daring to breathe.
From the moment she stepped inside the clan's grounds, she kept her head down, lips pressed shut, afraid to even glance up.
She could feel them—the lingering, judgmental stares from the branch house. Each one was a needle under her skin, making her want to shrink smaller and smaller, until she could vanish into the cracks in the earth.
"Main house lady… ha."
A branch house member brushed past her, letting out a cold, mocking chuckle. He turned, eyes full of scorn, watching her hurry away.
"The moment the main house fell off its pedestal, no one wanted to call her 'Hinata-sama' anymore."
A little farther away, another branch house ninja kept his gaze on her retreating back.
"All of us in the branch get the Caged Bird Seal burned into our foreheads. But hers? Perfectly clean."
"How about…"
His eyes glinted darkly. "We find a chance to carve the seal into her forehead. And her little sister's, too. Not the normal one, either—the altered main house version. The one that, when triggered, feels like your skull is splitting open."
The venom in his voice made it clear—he'd been through it himself. And now, the idea of putting her through the same thing had him itching to act.
"There are more main house members still walking free. We should brand them all, so it's 'fair' between the main house and the branch," someone else muttered.
"And if a new head is chosen? Do we brand one of their children? Or both?"
The whispers followed her like poison, each one twisting her insides tighter. Her palms were slick with sweat.
Now she understood why that terrifying man had told her to take Hanabi and any main house members still free, and get them out.
If they stayed here, she didn't even want to imagine what would happen next.
But halfway through her quick steps, she froze.
Everything they said… they've actually lived through it. Neji-nii, Uncle Hizashi… they've felt that pain too. That's why Neji resents Father. Why he hates the main house so much.
She murmured the thought without realizing.
Pausing, she pressed her pale lips together.
Seven years old—and she was only just piecing together something outsiders had figured out instantly. As someone at the heart of it, she was the last to truly see it.
That's when she nearly walked right into a young man from the main house, his face drawn with exhaustion. He was the last special jōnin the main house had left. But the moment he saw her, he forced himself to smile, trying to look less worn down.
"Hinata-sama, I was just about to make dinner for Hanabi-sama. She's only two, and I just found out—there are foods we can eat that she can't…"
"Uncle Keizuka, let's leave the Hyuga grounds," Hinata blurted, looking up.
…Uncle? I'm only twenty.
Keizuka blinked, then frowned. "Why?"
"It's… it's…" She swallowed hard. "It's what a man named Uchiha Chizumi told me. He said to take my sister, take the others, and meet him at Ichiraku Ramen at eight tonight."
The name made Keizuka's stomach drop. His mouth went dry. Most of the main house elders were rotting in Konoha's prison because of that man.
In his eyes, Chizumi was the most dangerous person in the village.
And you didn't disobey someone like that.
Taking a breath, Keizuka forced a shaky smile. "If that's what he said, he must have a reason. He believes in Absolute Justice—he wouldn't harm anyone without cause. If we follow his instructions, we should be fine."
"Eight o'clock, right?" His voice cracked with tension. "If we make him wait, it'll look disrespectful."
"No—we go early. That'll show we respect him, and have no resentment toward Absolute Justice."
"Yes. That's it."
"Hurry and help me notify the others," he said quickly. "We'll meet outside the gate in ten minutes."
"…Alright."
Hinata nodded.
…
"Orochimaru's never valued anyone's life but his own. He tampered with my memories—wiped most of his secrets from my head. I only remember vaguely that he has countless ways to save his skin."
Inside a dessert shop, Mitarashi Anko bit into a tricolor dango, her face hard. "Killing him won't be easy. You never know how many backup plans he's hiding."
"Didn't he walk out of the village once—surrounded by the Third Hokage and the Anbu—without a scratch?" Izumi asked.
Anko nodded, the sweetness in her mouth suddenly flat. "I didn't even know at the time. By the time I realized he'd defected, it was too late."
"After that, Anbu interrogated me hard. When they decided I'd been 'abandoned' by Orochimaru, they let me go. But I was still watched."
She let out a humorless laugh. "Even when I bathed… I'm sure a female Anbu was hidden nearby, watching."
Her gaze darkened. "Only in the last year or two has the Hokage lifted that surveillance. Maybe because Anbu's short on manpower—Chizumi's killed a lot of them for corruption or getting in the way of Absolute Justice."
Izumi tilted her head. "Do you still resent him for abandoning you? Like you weren't good enough?"
Anko was quiet for a moment before nodding. "I did. For years. But since following Chizumi, I've seen it differently."
"I should thank him for leaving me. If he'd taken me with him, I'd be trapped in a pit I could never climb out of."
Izumi's expression firmed. "Chizumi-senpai won't let you down."
"Mm." Anko smiled faintly. "That's why I follow him."
"Orochimaru…" She snapped the wooden skewer in her hand, eyes narrowing with killing intent. "He has to die."
"…I think I just heard something big," muttered a plain-looking man in the corner.
He recognized both Anko and Uchiha Izumi—Chizumi's people. Most in the village treated them like walking plagues.
They weren't as extreme as Chizumi, but they'd still put a staggering number of people in prison. Even spitting on the street could earn you a fine if they caught you.
The Anbu operative finished his dessert, paid, and slipped out, vanishing in a flicker—no doubt heading for the Hokage's office.
…
"Haa… haa…" Hinata clutched Hanabi's little hand, struggling to keep up with Keizuka. A few women and children trailed behind them.
"We're here—Ichiraku Ramen."
Keizuka eyed the shop sign, swallowed hard, and told the group, "I'll go in first. If I come back out, follow me in. If I don't… leave."
Pushing down his nerves, he stepped inside—only to find no Chizumi. Just customers eating and Teuchi working behind the counter.
Relieved, he stepped back out. "Come in."
Hinata led Hanabi to an empty table. "If that man shows up, don't talk to him," she whispered.
Hanabi blinked.
The group sat in stiff silence, the awkward atmosphere making Ayame glance their way more than once.
Realizing it was rude to take seats without ordering, Keizuka cleared his throat. "Order whatever you want. I'll treat."
"R-really?!" Hinata's eyes lit up.
"Really," he said.
But an hour later, regret set in. Most had stopped at two bowls. Hinata, however, was on her twelfth large serving—the stack of empty bowls beside her already at eleven.
"H-Hinata-sama?" Keizuka wiped his brow. "Are you… full yet?"
"About… eighty percent," she admitted shyly.
Keizuka stared. Was Hiashi starving her?
He didn't say it—but a new problem was pressing: checking his wallet, he realized he might not have enough to cover the bill.
Damn.
…
"The snake's whereabouts?" Hiruzen frowned after hearing the Anbu's report. "Chizumi didn't tell me… so he doesn't want me involved. He probably thinks I'd go easy on Orochimaru."
Koharu's voice cut in, sharp. "Thinks? He probably believes you're just like Orochimaru."
Her eyes narrowed. "Orochimaru has research Danzo wanted for years. If Chizumi finds him, he'll burn it all."
"That's Konoha property. I won't let it go to ash."
"You want to find him first—and take both him and the research," Hiruzen said.
"Exactly."
"But I never heard where he is," the Anbu added.
"I'll find out," Koharu said.
Hiruzen frowned. "Don't go too far."
"Relax," she replied.
…
Land of Rain — secret meeting spot
Biwa Jūzō shook the rain from his coat, boots sinking in the mud at the cliff's edge.
"She said to meet here," he told Chizumi's wood clone. "But… if she sees you, she might not show. She's… cautious."
Five seconds passed. Ten. The clone didn't move. Had the hint been too subtle?
"Uh… maybe you should—"
"No need," the clone cut him off coldly, gaze fixed on the cliff across from them.
"She's here."
Jūzō followed his eyes—and there she was, a slim, proud figure standing high on the opposite cliff, like a flower growing from stone. Her amber eyes were pure ice.
"She hasn't left after seeing I'm not here in person… Either she's confident in her strength, or she's not here in person either. Like you said—she's cautious," the clone said flatly.
"…Uchiha Chizumi."
Konan's amber gaze locked on the stranger's cold, youthful face.
"Biwa Jūzō… has betrayed Akatsuki?"
~~~
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