Under the hazy moonlight.
Swoosh— swoosh—
Two figures blurred through the treetops, landing softly amidst a shower of displaced leaves.
"Ketsuken, how long until we intercept the target?"
The two wore Anbu masks—one an owl, the other a hound. They were Kirigarasu and Ketsuken, acting on the execution order from Captain Great Tengu.
In response to Kirigarasu's query, Ketsuken pulled a kunai from his pouch. It was a standard-issue blade, but the edge was crusted with dried, black blood. Holding the kunai in a reverse grip, Ketsuken formed a one-handed seal. A strange stream of water snaked out from between his fingers, winding its way toward the blade.
Moments later, the water enveloped the dried blood on the edge.
The clear stream turned a deep crimson and, as if sensing something, surged forward toward the path ahead. Ketsuken grabbed the liquid tether, pulling it back to focus on the sensation.
"Three hours."
"Three hours?" Kirigarasu glanced at his watch. "That puts us right at the Hour of the Ox—the 'Time of Encountering Demons.' Not exactly a good omen."
"You actually believe in that?" Ketsuken looked at Kirigarasu with surprise, as if seeing him for the first time.
The elders in Kirigakure called the period before sunrise the Hour of Demons. They believed it was a cursed time when vengeful spirits and phantoms roamed the sky, and those walking alone would have their souls led astray. Kirigarasu used to scoff at the old-timers, but now his face was tense beneath his mask.
"I didn't used to..." Kirigarasu muttered.
For some reason, he felt a sense of impending doom regarding this mission. He thought of Meiko, her throat pierced; Naoko, slumped under the sink with her hands severed; and finally, that eerie girl with blood on her hands and eyes as dull as stones.
It was her. When the Captain named the blind girl as the killer, Kirigarasu hadn't even asked why. He trusted the Captain's judgment implicitly. He had felt something was wrong the moment he saw her, but he had let his guard down because of her age and disability.
Fortunately, he had collected a sample of her blood at the village gate. With Ketsuken's Blood-Water Tracking Technique, there was still time to fix his mistake.
"What if Kurio Mari tries to stop us?" Ketsuken asked.
"She won't," Kirigarasu said, his voice regaining some of its usual confidence. "The girl is a Kekkei Genkai ninja."
"Kekkei Genkai? How do you know?"
"I found tiny, elliptical impact marks on Meiko's body. I cross-referenced the Corpse Processing Unit's archives; they match the descriptions of the Kaguya clan's Shikotsumyaku. I don't know how she hid her chakra from me, but those wounds don't lie."
"Kaguya..." Ketsuken fell silent for a moment before chuckling. "So the girl isn't some secret Jōnin. She just used a surprise attack with her bloodline to kill Meiko."
"Exactly. A six-year-old Jōnin would be too terrifying. But two Tokubetsu Jōnin and a Chūnin against one little brat? The advantage is ours."
"I'm almost a Jōnin," Ketsuken corrected gruffly.
"Is that so? Did your chakra spike? Wait... no, it feels the same," Kirigarasu said, puzzled.
"I... signed up for Elder Genbu's research."
Silence. The night turned deathly still.
"You're insane!" Kirigarasu's voice turned shrill. "The mortality rate is ninety-seven percent!"
"They said my constitution is strong... I can take it," Ketsuken grunted, thumping his massive chest. "Anyway, let's just move."
With a sigh that sounded like a prayer for the dead, Kirigarasu cursed under his breath and sprinted forward.
The night grew colder.
Inside the tent, the sleeping girl's eyes snapped open.
What was that?
Hinami activated her Byakugan to check her body. Nothing was wrong physically, but a strange sensation lingered in her consciousness. She closed her eyes, focusing on her blood.
Her veins thrummed like harp strings. A faint, rhythmic pulse was traveling through her bloodline, as if someone very far away was calling to her through a megaphone. The signal was becoming clearer, more aggressive.
That direction.
She turned her head east—the direction they had come from. The direction of Kirigakure.
"Byakugan!"
Veins bulged around her temples. Her grey pupils contracted, deepening in hue. One kilometer... two kilometers...
The pressure of the massive chakra infusion made her head swim, but she saw them. Two blurred figures were leaping through the trees, following a stream of crimson water. They were heading straight for her.
Those are the Anbu from the gate. They found me.
At their current speed... three minutes. They would be here in three minutes.
Hinami looked out of the tent. The fire was nearly out; Kurio Mari was sitting nearby, adding wood to the embers.
Would she fight the Anbu for me?
Hinami's face, etched with straining veins, broke into a helpless smile.
What a nice dream.
If even the Yuki clan's Ice Style was considered a "monster," then she—a wielder of two forbidden bloodlines—would be a freak among freaks in their eyes. Even without the bloodline prejudice, Mari was the sister of an Anbu Captain. She would never betray her village for a girl she barely knew.
The Anbu were closing in. Their chakra levels were nearly equal to Mari's.
Six opponents: three Tokubetsu Jōnin and three elite Genin with perfect teamwork. This was the lineup facing a six-year-old girl.
What a hellish world.
She quietly shed her cloak, revealing her form-fitting undergarments. Through her Byakugan, six blue clusters of chakra burned in the darkness like bonfires. And she was the moth flying straight into them.
One touch, and everything would burn.
In the world of the shinobi, Hinami knew that mercy was a luxury reserved only for the strong. And right now, she wasn't quite strong enough to be merciful—but she was desperate enough to be lethal.
She stepped out of the tent into the cool night air. Mari turned, startled. "Hinami? Why are you out of—"
Mari's words died in her throat as she saw Hinami's face. The veins, the eyes, the cold, predatory stillness.
"The Anbu are coming, Mari-san," Hinami said, her voice devoid of its usual childish warmth. "And I don't think they're here to give us a ride the rest of the way."
Before Mari could react, Hinami's right arm began to pulse. The bone membrane beneath her skin hardened, and her reinforced muscles coiled like springs.
The hunt was over. The war had begun.
I see you're enjoying this gritty Naruto fanfiction journey! Hinami is in a tight spot—trapped between her squad and the approaching Anbu. How do you think she should handle the confrontation to keep her secrets safe while surviving the encounter?