Chapter 20
"Hik-"
I heard Hitori screaming for me but then she was m.u.f.fled suddenly. When the smoke finally cleared, I saw them. Danzo was standing smugly as he looked over me. There were two masked s.h.i.+n.o.bi accompanying him--one was forming a seal to stop Hitori's movement as intricate symbols were wrapping her body while the other one, an Aburame held out his hand and thousands of Kikaichu emerged out of his body and had engulfed us in a hemisphere of Kikaichu. In that instance, I knew that escape wasn't an option, so a fight was my only way out of that. I saw that her eyes were still frantic as her sights were set onto me. My fingers were balled into a shaky fist, fuming with anger that was still there from the therapy session previously.
"What is the meaning of this?" I asked as veins were showing around my Byakugan. Danzo even dared to laugh darkly at me.
"Your silly threats meant nothing to me boy. Do you think that a brat like you stood a chance against me? Every man has a pressure point even when the man seemingly claiming that he is the strongest s.h.i.+n.o.bi. I'll be sure to destroy everything you hold dear until you are left to nothing but a sh.e.l.l of a human. Starting with this bratty girl," Danzo said and my anger had risen substantially as he had truly hit my pressure point but then the most dreaded thing happened.
The sound it made when it made contact with her skin was a sledgehammer towards my shrill shard of sanity. The sight of the katana piercing through her chest was a deep, bloodied gash on my throbbing heart and mind. The blood that was pouring was my very last ounce of consciousness watered away as I screamed in agony. Something inside of my head had popped and all that I could see now was a pulsating red tint that was shading my sights that was gnawing on my consciousness. A booming chuckle could be heard around me. At some point, we had been transported away from the Hyuuga Forest but that had slipped off my mind entirely. Something else had taken the helm of my body and I was at the pa.s.senger seat. I did not incline to do, feel or say anything apart from the scorching pain of grief, wrath, and loneliness.
"Emotion is a weakness, Hikari-kun. That will only hinder your ability as a ROOT. Don't worry, when I am done with you, you will be a doting servant of mine in no time," a dark-haired man was devilishly chuckling at me. I should have recognized the man's voice but my ears were ringing too loud that it fueled my anger more. My body unconsciously went forward to thrust a fist at the voice. With an explosion of blood and flesh, his entire left limb was incinerated.
"It seemed that I had underestimated your strength and speed. But no matter," the man gritted as he tore away his robe and bandages revealing his right side that was filled with red eyes. One of the eyes closed as his previously lost limb had miraculously returned. Fist upon fist was exchanged and he kept restoring his lost body parts until one of his wind jutsu managed to cut me diagonally across my torso and I roared in pain.
"Izanagi, the power to rewrite reality in exchange for one's sight. A miracle power bestowed upon the Uchihas. Suits me well, don't you think? Honestly, I think this jutsu is way too overpowered to only be able to use by the Uchihas. I've always wanted a Hyuuga in ROOT but that d.a.m.n Hias.h.i.+ wouldn't even let any of his people come near me until you came along. His people were wise enough to keep away from me. That said, never knew that a Hyuuga could be lost to such hatred," the man bragged and I was still too angry to reply that I merely grunted at his words.
"You want to see true power? I'll show you," I growled coa.r.s.ely like a feral animal as I tore off my headband and the Rinne-Sharingan pierced through him. Unconsciously, nature energy flooded my chakra network and a red-hued-black-Otsutsuki chakrrobe appeared on me as the ringing in my head became much more intense. I yelled out in pain throughout the moment until the Gudoudama appeared behind me. It was then I completely lost myself, I had become my wrath.
I roared before I made my move on him in a blink of an eye. Although he was ready to take me on, even he was nothing compared to me. Rage had completely controlled me and I held no desire to hold back. My hands went to make a flurry of hand seals.
"s.h.i.+n; Jikai Koutan!" I roared and the ground was shaking beneath us. The man was quick to form his own set of seals as hundreds of tree branches emerged from the ground and he was struggling to avoid getting caught. Suddenly, there was a puff of smoke appeared and along with it, a strong cutting wind was sucking in my jutsu. I didn't waste time to find out what was summoned, one of the Gudoudama changed its form into a Kodachi and when I grabbed the blade, I immediately teleported behind him slas.h.i.+ng off his right hand from the elbow down. A technique that I had never before thought of, it was an efficient killing technique. He jumped away from me as he struggled to block his wound from expelling too much blood and when he was sure that he was far enough, he tried to activate his Izanagi. Unfortunately for him, his Sharingan was already in my control since before I even slashed off his Sharingan-filled-hand. I could see the confusion in his eyes as the jutsu failed to activate.
"Danzo-sama!!" the Aburame send out his Kikaichu at me. My hands went through another set of seals and a few of the Gudoudama flew out from me.
"s.h.i.+n; Musekiyojin!" I screamed and the Gudoudama formed a black-hued barrier around us. When the Kikaichu touched the walls of the barrier, they were vaporized in an instant.
"You dare to try to fight G.o.d's wrath with insects, human?" I monotonously said in a coa.r.s.e voice. I knew the voice wasn't mine but I didn't have a slight ounce of patience to care. I snapped my gaze to face the old man once again and he seemed to fail to stop the bleeding.
"And you, puny old human, how brave of you to wake up a slumbering G.o.d for the sake of your greed? Let show you a G.o.d's greed instead," I growled before I teleported in front of him. He was surprised as he tried to push me away instinctively but my forefinger was already at his sternum.
"s.h.i.+n,", I gritted and the tip of my finger glowed in a black hue. "Kami no Grido."
The man's insides begin to boil under my fingertip. He puked out blood as fire burst out of his mouth.
THIRD PERSON POV
Blood was pouring out of Danzo's mouth as Hikari's technique, the Divine Greed of a G.o.d ran its course through the man's body. With the effects of the Izanagi had been negated due to the Rinne-Sharingan, the cunning councilman was at a dead end and he decided to chuckle.
"This is not the power of a Hyuuga, Hiruzen hid you well. I could already taste its endless possible..." Danzo coughed up more blood before he finished the words. There was a sound of bone cracking and something piercing through a body. Hikari's hand had gone through the man's sternum in an instinctive move and a blazing fire emanated around the wound. The boy withdrew his hand and choke out the old man's throat, revealing a wide gaping hole. Danzo's ROOT operatives were slowly waking up from their stunning reverie as the situation couldn't become any clearer. Their master had been defeated.
"Danzo-sama!!!" the rest of the ROOT screamed for him and this had added more irritation to Hikari's rage.
"Putting your loyalty to this dying greedy filth when there's a G.o.d present. Aren't you are being too disrespectful to me?" Hikari's voice roared in rage before his eyes were calculating and showing signs that he was ready to set off murdering them instead. They finally admitted that he had somewhat become an entirely different being. The ROOT operatives were s.h.i.+vering in fear when they saw how despicable the boy's expression was. His red eyes were pulsating with a wide devilish grin that was plastered on his face and his tongue was also licking Danzo's blood that he was bathed in and his Rinne-Sharingan, that sole eye was reaping away their soul, bit by bit. On cue, the dying man laughed heartily and Hikari immediately flicked off half of his head in the blink of an eye
"Look at you. One
"You will have to make use of us to quench your bloodl.u.s.t. I am confident that the ninja world will tremble at the sight of our power. I hereby name you, Hyuuga Hikari as my successor. Protect the leaves with its roots," the man announced before he slumped lifelessly. Unseen to Hikari, Danzo's blood had formed some sort of seal onto the boy's chest.
"Do you think your worthless little party deserves me?!!" Hikari thrashed at the man's now lifeless body. When there was no reaction from the man, his anger was boiling to its limits. In his blinding rage, he tossed the corpse to the barrier walls and broke the jutsu before he lashed out on the ROOT operatives that were bowing to him. Loyal to the end, they had already accepted Hikari as their new leader. They were unmoving as Hikari attacked them. His presumed calm and peaceful demeanour had long since diminished as if he was sort of possessed by the Jaas.h.i.+n himself. Walls upon walls were broken down, beating upon beating was thrown on them. Some of them were unluckily mangled to death while most were fatally wounded and one of them, the pale white one, had decided that enough is enough.
"We have to calm Hikari-sama somehow," he said and the previous Aburame nodded at his comment though he knew how futile it was to do so.
"We did kill his fiancé right in front of him. It's our punishment for our sins to this G.o.d," the Aburame said.
On cue, a loud voice of a bird was heard shrieking on top of the headquarters before an enormous red bird burst through the ceiling. The enraged Hikari was startled for a bit before he continued to lash out at the bird that had appeared in front of him. To their amazement, the large bird managed to pin Hikari down. He was still struggling and thras.h.i.+ng to get out of the bird's grasp before the bird slowly shrunk down and morphed into a glowing human that they had previously slain.
"That is not a henge...", the pale ROOT said, deadpan. The girl's glowing hands went to touch Hikari's cheeks.
"Look, I'm still alive," the girl coaxed but Hikari was still stuck deep inside his mind that he didn't wake up from his worst breakdown to date.
"Oho, another meat to prey upon!" Hikari roared with laughter as he thrashed around to get a bite of the now woman that was holding him down.
"What the f.u.c.k happen?!" she snapped at the rest of the ROOT operatives.
"We had killed you in front of his eyes and he went mad. He had killed Danzo-sama for your sake but his rage won't calm down. h.e.l.l, he became more feral when Danzo-sama named him his successor and died before Hikari-sama could retort the man's last words," the pale white boy said. Hitori stared at his face until she was certain that the boy was telling the truth. She grabbed Hikari's face and brought him closer until their foreheads touched. Hitori's body began to glow brightly until it pained them to look directly. When it reached it's the brightest intensity, the light suddenly dissipated. They all could now saw Hikari that was blinking his eyes furiously at the sight of Hitori that was sitting on him. His sage mode had faded away along with the light.
"You are alive?!" Hikari exclaimed and everyone present was breathing a sigh of relief.
"Of course I am. I'm immortal, you silly, silly boy," Hitori was now crying and slumped down onto his chest. Hikari was going to bring his hand to hug her but he noticed that it was caked crimson in blood. He was panicking yet again and was close to hyperventilating. He immediately pushed her off and scratched away the now dried blood from his hands.
"I've killed somebody," he croaked in despair and his self-hate was off the charts at the moment. Hitori put a finger on his mouth to shut him up and neatly locked the boy's scratching hand in one grip.
"Do not do that, you kill to avenge me. It's a n.o.ble thing to me and proved how much you love me. Plus, you are a s.h.i.+n.o.bi. You will bound to kill someone, sooner or later. So, suck it up," she scolded him. The boy closed his eyes and drew a heavy breath.
"I thought I had lost you," Hikari breathed and Hitori tightened her hug on him. No word could be heard from either party for quite some time. Hikari then noticed that they weren't alone and his hand was quick to fetch Fudo Masamune from its sheath. He was taken aback when the men kneeled before him. Most of them were bleeding profusely and somehow, cuts and bruises had mottled their body as some was gathering the pieces of human flesh that were scattered around the area.
"Hikari-sama, we apologize for our actions to your family. We were just following orders and given that she was still alive, we had failed Danzo-sama orders for the last time. So, we won't dishonour his last wishes," the Aburame announced with a shaky voice and the rest of the ROOT slumped further down there kneeling as they trembled as the sight of Hikari.
"I am very sorry for what I did but I won't join your f.u.c.k-up of an organization, Aburame-san," Hikari clipped, he was remorseful but he was ready to attack if they had made a sudden move.
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"He had named you his successor," the Aburame pressed and no metaphor could describe how surprised he was when he heard it.
"Whatever, I won't join! Ever!" Hikari screamed at them.
"Regardless, the deed is done. The seal on your chest proved your power over us. We are your servants now," the black-haired man continued. Hikari then noticed that he was somehow s.h.i.+rtless and some blood from his hands was flowing upwards completing an intricate kanji that said, 'ROOT Head'. It was now branded on his right chest.
"There's no way to remove it without the caster chakra and permission or someone to inherit the cursed seal. By inherit, we meant, kill you as you did to Danzo-Sama," a pale ROOT added.
"I don't f.u.c.king want this. Don't you f.u.c.king understand?!" Hikari was close to recommence his anger stupor. As his eyes were piercing through their soul, they s.h.i.+vered and flinched when they made eye contact with him.
"Hikari-sama, permission to treat the injured first. Some of us were killed during your rage and too many are critical right now. Then, you can punish us again," the pale white ROOT said instead and Hikari was in shocked. He now knew the extent of his lapse in control and why did they were being too agitated when interacting with him at that moment--they were afraid of him. Hikari rubbed the back of his head and said okay. But before they even moved, Hikari bowed at them, head down on the ground and apologized for his actions but they had irked him yet again by kneeling and apologized to him instead. Before they could bug him any longer, Hikari and Hitori had disappeared from the headquarter but the ROOT knew that they merely went home. Thus, they decided to clean up the place in time for the new management to come into the office.
Hikari was standing on the balcony of his bedroom, he was gazing up to the sky after remembering an antagonizing moment during the shower. The blood was impossible to get rid of. It's no matter how much soap was used and no matter how clean the hands had been, he could still felt the blood on his hands. Hitori had to go inside the bathroom and calm him down before he got any worse. Still, he was immensely shaken. For as long as he remembered, he was the pacifist; never even slain before and even when he was the most powerful s.h.i.+n.o.bi in the village, the killing was never his way. Hikari gazed up to the moon, wondering how to deal with this feeling.
"Your late sensei didn't teach you how to deal with your first kill after all?" Hitori commented as she hugged him from behind. Hikari only managed to hummed at her question. He remembered his encounter with the former director of Torture and Investigation unit (TNI), Yamanaka Inoichi that tried to talk him into a psychological evaluation. He thought that he should have taken up the offer after all. He then remembered another hurdle he had to overcome--he had murdered a council member and wondered what will it do to his situation in the village. If worst comes to worst, he should leave Konoha as retribution for what he had done.
"Hikari-sama! The council and the clan heads had been informed of Danzo-sama's pa.s.sing and the appointment of a new ROOT director. An emergency meeting is to be held at once," the ever-familiar Aburame was talking behind them. The ROOT skills should be exceptional enough as this person managed to sneak up on the lovebirds. Hikari sighed and turned around to face the Aburame.
"I thought I had made myself clear, Aburame-san. I know that I had done you guys a great sin, I deeply apologize for that but I am no leader," he said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. The ROOT s.h.i.+fted his weight guiltily. Hikari didn't have the chance to properly think it through but the emergency meeting couldn't be any more dreaded as his adopted father was the leader of the clan heads and thus, he drew another heavy sigh and hugged his body before he sighed.
"What's your name, Aburame-san?" he asked.
"The name is Aburame Torune, Hikari-sama," the ROOT kneeled even further.
"Do not call me 'sama', I hate it to be called that. You will accompany me there along with the mouthy pale white guy. What was his name?" Hikari demanded in irritation.
"Understood, Director Hikari. His name is s.h.i.+mura Sai. But please be advised that we all are to conceal our ident.i.ty all the time. Please call us by our masks and one will be provided to you," the Aburame explained before fleeing away leaving Hikari that was groaning at the ROOT's persistence.
"Perhaps you could use them for your benefits. I mean, with the Akatsuki and all," Hitori finally said to break her silence. She had yet warmed up to the bunch as they did seal her and then stab her afterwards.
"I think so too. Would you manage with me being out for a bit?" he asked and the phoenix sage just nodded before she made her way to the bed. She was considering to put a barrier around the house after such an incident. She hated it to be caught off guard like that and that would never happen again. Hikari went inside to briefly change his attire to suit the meeting. He settled with black trousers with a hooded zip-on-jacket and black sandals without the headband and Fudo Masamune. After he put the hood over his head, he shuns.h.i.+nned outside of the house where the two ROOT had been waiting for him. They handed him a red Oni mask to which he wore it without much fuss.
"Lead the way, Boar-san, Tiger-san," he finished and they immediately ran towards the meeting place which was expectedly a building next to the Hokage Tower that was always hidden in genjutsu before.
Inside, he could see all of the remaining council members and the clan heads had been waiting for him already. Hias.h.i.+-sama was sitting on a separate table at the front of the room with the council member. He noticed s.h.i.+kaku-sama along with Inoichi-sama was conversing animatedly with another man he believes to be an Akimichi. The Inuzuka and Aburame were sitting next to each other in companionable silence. When they noticed his arrival, they corrected their stance. Hikari could saw that they were startled by the choice of a mask that he wore as it was neither a conventional ANBU nor a ROOT mask and also expectedly, his age. Hikari bowed at them as his escorts kneeled before them.
"Welcome, Oni-kun. As we had been informed of s.h.i.+mura Danzo's pa.s.sing and your appointment to his chair. What is the proof of such a claim?" the councilwoman began. Hikari was taken aback as he remembered that the pale ROOT shared the same surname. The said ROOT coughed to reel back his new director to the real world as he pointed as his chest. Hikari unzipped his jacket to reveal the cursed seal on his right chest. The startled look on their face said it all on how surprised they were that the conceited man had finally died.
"May we please know the circ.u.mstances of his death?" the other councilman asked.
"He ordered his subordinates to seal and murder my fiance to force me into his ROOT," Hikari began instantly and those who recognized his voice exclaimed in disbelief.
"I had killed him during which I was blind with anger and despair. These two were the ones ordered to do the previous deed and were present throughout the ordeal."
"Troublesome kid. Hikari-kun?" s.h.i.+kaku-sama lazily whined as he guessed.
"Wait, Hitori-san is dead?!" Hias.h.i.+-sama said in a panic.
"No, Hias.h.i.+-sama, she is immortal. She is the Phoenix that you all had seen during Orochimaru's siege," Hikari said as he peeled off his mask and the rest of them was gaping at the boy.
"That's the Sandaime-sama's student, the new kid," they murmured to each other.
"How did you even manage to kill that conceited man?" the Jounin Commander said, unfazed by the ROOTS that was twitching their hands towards their weapon. Loyal to the end, they are.
"I... don't remember," Hikari darkly said, earning a narrowed stare from Inoichi-sama. He must have deduced that the boy had a breakdown after such an emotional impact more so when the Hikari had suddenly disappeared at the highest point of tension during their last session. He was decided that he will push through with the therapy regardless of the boy's protests.
"Danzo-sama was instantly killed after incurring the wrath of the G.o.d of death, Hikari sama. We suffered casualty too but we deserved it for our sins to the G.o.d. Director, we would gladly receive the necessary punishment for that!" the Aburame exclaimed as he bowed to Hikari. The room immediately erupted into a bout of murmurs speculating the circ.u.mstances of Danzo's death.
"Do not ever call me that," Hikari said as he glared at the kneeling Aburame. The whole room was now shaking due to the subtle rise of Hikari's chakra. Those who could sense how much of it would then understood how Danzo died at the hands of a boy.
"I hoped that you understand the burden and effects of being at the helm of the deepest darkest bowels of Konoha and that you will never lose sight of yourself. Remember your master's teachings, my boy," Hias.h.i.+-sama said to dispell the mood and eyed him thoughtfully as he said it. In his eyes was br.i.m.m.i.n.g with proudness but deep inside, he was worried about his ward's mental health.
"As you all know me, I would still go through with my life normally as Hyuuga Hikari of Team 7. Only when I'm on ROOT duty that I will be known as Oni-kun as the councilwoman had aptly called me," the boy announced before he pulled up the previously trembling Aburame on the floor. He would learn not to repeat the same mistake next time. Most of them had already expected that ROOT would exponentially change with one of the late Sandaime-sama's students was leading them. After a few exchanges of village related affairs, the meeting was finally adjourned.
"I think, I should have listened to you, after all, Yamanaksama," Hikari said immediately when he b.u.mped into the man.
"It was wise to listen to your elders, Hikari-kun. Come by the office tomorrow and we will discuss the particulars. I couldn't help but think that somehow, I had played a part in your recent predicament. I am deeply sorry for what had happened," Inoichi nodded at him. Hikari then bowed and bid the man the goodnight before he shuns.h.i.+nned away with his escorts.
"You are related to Danzo, Sai-san?" Hikari began as they ran towards the Hyuuga Forest.
"I am only his ward. ROOT is what matters to me along with the rest of us. I am not holding grudges if that is where you're heading. A ROOT operative must be detached of all emotion for the sake of Konoha, Director," the tiger masked s.h.i.+n.o.bi said. Hikari couldn't retort with such dark and depressing words. They had left him when they arrived at his home. He sighed heavily before he went inside to try to get some much-needed sleep.