š WEEKLY POWER GOALS š
š„ 30ā2ch | 60ā5ch | 100ā8ch | 200ā15ch | 400ā25ch
ā° Resets Monday!
~~~~āā~~~~~~~~āā~~~~
Before coming to the Land of Water on this mission, Itachi Uchiha never imagined a scenario where Mist ninja would literally carry him on a palanquin.
For two whole days, Itachi enjoyed thisā¦ supreme treatment. He finally set foot on solid ground at the outskirts of Kirigakure. For the first time in his life, he felt an unprecedented sense of stability.
Hakuki bit back a laugh. He looked at the three Mist ninja who had guided them through the back routes. "Is thisā¦ okay?" he asked, a mask of clear concern on his face.
"Don't worry, Captain's sister!" one of the ninja assured him. "This entrance is known only to our patrol squad! No one else will see us."
"Besides, outsiders aren't allowed in Kirigakure right now," another added. "If we want to get you in, shortcuts are the only way."
"And you're our Captain's family!" the third one thumped his chest. "We won't let anything happen to you!"
Hakuki smiled, his eyes softening with worry. "It's not us I'm worried about, you silly boys. Your sister is worried about your safety!"
The three ninja froze. For a long moment, they just stood there. The simple concern, the familial careāit was something utterly foreign to them. A strange warmth bloomed in their chests.
"Sisā¦ we'll be fine, too!" they chorused, voices thick with emotion.
"Hah! Good!" Hakuki nodded, satisfied.
The route was indeed a discreet, winding path into the village. Hakuki recognized the familiar streets. No problems here.
"Sis, we'll leave you and the kids here," a ninja said. "We can't stay any longer."
"Oh! Right!" Another ninja suddenly remembered something. He dug into his pack, pulled out a small money pouch, and shoved it into Hakuki's hands. "Take this, sis!"
"What's this for? Your sister can't take your money! Take it back!" Hakuki feigned shock and anger.
"Please, sis, just accept it! You're our Captain's sister, so you're our sister too!" one insisted. After the journey, all three felt a pang of envy for their Captain. To have a sister like thisā¦
Hakuki's eyes grew a little misty at the words. "You boysā¦ Even if I am your sister, I can't take your hard-earned money! Save it for your future brides!" He tried to push the pouch back.
"Sis!" The three looked panicked.
"Alright, alright! Your sister can't win against you three," Hakuki finally sighed, a brilliant smile blooming on his face. "I'll keep this money safe for you. For your brides!"
"Deal!" The three ninja's eyes were suspiciously red. They waved at Hakuki and the kids, then turned and vanished.
Damn it. The feeling of having a family member fuss over your life's milestonesā¦ it was surprisingly, annoyingly moving.
Once they were gone, Hakuki weighed the pouch in his hand.
"Tsukimi-senseiā" Itachi began.
Hakuki placed a finger on the boy's lips. "Shh. Be good. Call me Auntie." His smile was gentle.
"ā¦" Itachi swallowed the rest of his sentence. The words 'Auntie' simply would not leave his throat.
"Come on. Let's find a real estate agent." Hakuki pocketed the money and strode forward, looking for all the world like he knew exactly where he was going.
"Tsukiā¦ Auntie!" HyÅ«ga Tenri caught up, curious. "Why don't we just stay at an inn?"
"Because inns are riskier than a rented house," Hakuki explained. "If something happens, inns are the first places they search. Renting is much safer."
"Oh! I see!" Tenri and Akiaoi Shinya nodded, enlightened.
Itachi trailed behind the trio. It can't be that simple.
Half an hour later, Itachi stood inside a small, two-story villa. Ah. I was right.
Compared to an innā¦ the villa's conditions were simply better.
"Wow!" Shinya couldn't contain himself. He pushed open the door to the main living area.
"Hmph. No class." Tenri, the daughter of a noble clan, lifted her chin proudly. Then she promptly dashed inside.
"ā¦" Itachi remained the picture of calm.
Hakuki surveyed the surroundings. Not bad.
Around two in the afternoon, the Kirigakure sun finally burned through the lingering mist.
Hakuki sat elegantly on the small, open-air terrace on the villa's third floor. He sipped tea while his gaze swept across the village below.
"Auntie, what are you looking at?" Tenri had adapted to the new title with alarming speed. She stood behind him, peering in the same direction. Instinctively, chakra began to stir around her eyes.
"Stop." Hakuki's finger tapped her forehead. If she activated her Byakugan now, the mission would be over before it began.
Tenri flinched, looking guilty. "Sorry."
"Be more careful next time," Hakuki warned.
"Yes!"
The three-story rooftop was relatively high for Kirigakure's architecture. Hakuki relaxed in his chair. A flood of useful information poured into his mind.
Just as I thought. Obito is already controlling Yagura.
As he filtered out the noise, one familiar figure stood out.
Mei Terumi. My old acquaintance.
"Let's head downstairs." With the primary intel gathered, Hakuki herded the three kids down the stairs.
The intelligence-gathering power of the Six Eyes was terrifyingly efficient. It saved so much time.
The moment Hakuki's foot left the terrace, Mei Terumi's gaze shot towards the now-empty spot from the street below.
"Strangeā¦" She muttered, staring at the vacant balcony. Wait, when did someone move into that villa next door? It's been empty for years.
"Auntie, aren't we going to gather intelligence?" Tenri's ninja spirit hadn't been completely corroded by this life of eat-sleep-repeat. She crawled over to Hakuki and whispered.
"Alright. We'll start tomorrow," Hakuki decided after a moment's thought. They needed the experience. This couldn't be a wasted trip.
"Great!" Tenri clenched her fist, her face alight with fighting spirit. She marched back to her room, ready to sleep soundly and embark on a thrilling undercover career tomorrow.
Hakuki, meanwhile, unrolled a scroll, picked up a brush, and began writing down the intelligence he'd gathered.
Years of using a brush hadn't improved his handwriting one bit. He personally considered it an artistic, avant-garde style.
Xiao Qing was plucked from his wrist. The little dragon expertly bit down on the scroll, gave a majestic tail-flick, and vanished in a flash of purple-gold light.
One hour later. Konoha. The Hokage's Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi watched as a small dragon materialized, spat out a scroll with obvious disdain, and vanished again. His expression was complicated.
Even though he knew it was Hakuki's summonā¦ he would never get used to its particular style.
"To think Hakuki gathered intelligence so quickly," Hiruzen murmured, a glimmer of pride in his eyes.
That pride froze the moment he unrolled the scroll.
It wasn't the first time he'd seen Hakuki's handwriting. But every time, the boy managed to deliver a newā¦ surprise.
Has it been too long since he held a brush? How can it get even worse? Has it broken through to a new realm of illegibility?
That night, Hiruzen spent hours with several members of the Nara clan, collectively deciphering the hieroglyphics on Hakuki's scroll.
Kirigakure. The next morning.
Hakuki was still deep in his lazy morning sleep when a knock hammered on his door.
"Auntie!"
"Auntie!"
"Wake up!"
"ā¦"
Hakuki opened the door, his aura thick with sleep-deprived resentment.
"Auntie, let's go gather intelligence!" Tenri whispered excitedly.
Shinya and Itachi stood behind her, looking significantly calmer.
"Fine. I have a task for you," Hakuki said, not wanting to crush their enthusiasm. "Split up. Gather whatever intelligence you can. Be back before sundown. Let's see who gets the most."
"Ah?" Tenri's face fell. She'd hoped Hakuki would lead the mission.
"There's a reward," Hakuki added.
Her fighting spirit instantly reignited. "Deal!"
The three young figures scattered.
Hakuki breathed a sigh of relief and closed the door. His eyes fell on Xiao Qing, still sound asleep on the bed.
Revenge.
A second later, Xiao Qing spun through the air and splatāstuck to the wall.
"Ahhh!" the little dragon yelped.
"Much better." Hakuki fell back onto the bed. True happiness is built on the suffering of others.
"ā¦" Xiao Qing's skill fusion progress silently ticked up another percent.
"Fuck my life," the little dragon muttered, completely unaware.
Its entire body went rigid against the wall. Iā¦ I didn't say that out loud, did I?
Hakuki's closed eyes snapped open. Did something just talk?
He looked at the dragon-shaped stain on the wall.
Xiao Qing immediately shut its eyes and played dead.
System, check Xiao Qing's skill fusion progress.
On the blue electronic screen, beneath Xiao Qing's avatar, the progress bar now read 80%.
"So it wasn't my imagination," Hakuki sat up. "Swearing like that? Unacceptable."
He grabbed the little dragon. With ruthless efficiency, he helped Xiao Qing's skill fusion progress climb to 90%.
"There's no love left," Xiao Qing gasped, utterly spent.
"Shut up." Hakuki flicked the dragon's horn. It flew in a graceful arc and thwacked against the windowpane.
Meanwhile.
The three young operatives had split up the moment they stepped outside.
Shinya and Itachi, in silent agreement, chose to leave the street closest to their villa for Tenri, the only girl in their group.
Tenri had just stepped off their front porch when she saw a woman emerge from the villa across the street.
Hm?
Tenri's eyes flickered to the forehead protector the woman wore. A sweet smile bloomed on her face.
"Big sister!"
"Hm?" Mei Terumi smiled back. "New neighbor?"
"Mm-hmm!" Tenri nodded vigorously. "I moved here with my auntie and my little brothers!"
"Congratulations on the move," Mei said pleasantly.
"Thank you, sister!" Tenri's expression turned serious. "Sister, come have dinner with us tonight! We're neighbors now. We should look out for each other!"
"Wouldn't that be too much trouble?" Mei hesitated. An outright refusal felt rude.
"Not at all!" Tenri shook her head. "Our family is so small, it's too quiet. Auntie would be so happy if you came!"
Mei gave a reluctant nod. "Alright then."
Tenri's face lit up with anticipation. "I'll wait for you at the door tonight!"
"Sure."
After watching Mei leave, Tenri smiled to herself. Tsukimi-sensei's reward is mine. What could be more convenient than inviting a Mist ninja over for dinner to extract information?
Hakuki slept until noon. After a combined breakfast-lunch, his form flickered and vanished.
He had come to the Land of Water for one thing: to find Haku. The one who'd stood him up.
Haku wasn't in Kirigakure. Combined with Yagura's ongoing coup, Hakuki suspected the boy had already fled the village.
Thus, he'd sent his adorable disciples on their little mission. He had other villages to search.
The search area was vast, but Hakuki's resolve was ironclad.
Xiao Qing's body expanded, soaring through the clouds. Hakuki stood on its head, a deluge of information flooding his mind.
Not here. Move.
Not here either. Move.
Hm. Wait.
It was early winter. In the colder, mountainous regions of the Land of Water, snow already blanketed the world.
Endless white stretched as far as the eye could see. Vast. Empty.
The small town's streets were nearly deserted. The few people out hurried past, huffing warm air into their cupped hands.
The river's surface was a thick sheet of ice.
On a small bridge spanning the frozen water, a child in tattered clothes sat hunched. He stared blankly at the ground, watching the occasional passerby.
Not long ago, he'd had a family. A happy one.
Then his father led the villagers to kill his mother. And heā¦
Haku looked at his hands. They were clean, but all he could see was dripping blood.
They'd moved from Kirigakure to this mountain village, thinking they could live in peace.
And what was the result?
Nothing. He had nothing left.
Haku hugged his knees. I have nothing.
Footsteps approached. This time, they didn't fade away. They stopped.
A pale hand entered his field of view.
"?"
Haku slowly looked up.
His pupils constricted.
"Remember me?" the person asked. I'm the friend you stood up in Kirigakure. Even though I'm three times your age, I hold a grudge.
"You areā¦" Haku began.
Hakuki's lips curved. Here comes the classic line.
"ā¦who?"
Hakuki's smile vanished. "What did you say?" My ears must be broken.
"Who are you?" Haku repeated.
(ą² _ą² )
"PfftāHAHAHA!" Xiao Qing couldn't hold it in any longer. Laughter spilled from Hakuki's sleeve.
"Who's there?!" Haku stared at Hakuki in shock. One person, two voices?
"You don't remember me?" Hakuki crouched down, meeting Haku's gaze eye-to-eye. If this brat says he doesn't remember, I'll brainwash him into a girl. Lifetime of cross-dressing.
"Youā¦" Haku began.
Hakuki was already preparing to activate his Kotodama Jutsu.
"You'reā¦ the person from Kirigakure," Haku finished.
Hakuki closed his mouth of sin.
"I'm sorry I couldn't meet you that day." Haku knew admitting fault was what good children did.
"It's fine. I found you anyway, didn't I?" Hakuki offered his hand once more. "Haku. Want to come with me?"
[Ding! Target 'Yuki Haku' Favorability: 0!]
Hakuki's eye twitched at the system's prompt. Seriously? Why this time?
"Mom said people who do that are traffickers," Haku said, eyeing him warily.
"ā¦" Just how much did his mom teach him?
Hakuki's face transformed into a gentle, trustworthy smile. "I'm not a trafficker. You're my friend. My trusted little brother. A force that can help me change the shinobi world one day."
For a child who lacked a sense of belonging, you had to help him find his place.
[Ding! Target 'Yuki Haku' Favorability: 80!]
Hakuki kept his hand outstretched. "I need your power. I need your help, Haku."
What better proof of existence than being needed?
[Ding! Target 'Yuki Haku' Favorability: 100!]
"Okay." You need me. I will help you.
~~~~āā~~~~~~~~āā~~~~
Read up to (40+ ) advanced chapters on Patre\on
Visit us here: patreon.com/GoldenLong
Happy reading, everyone!