The last rays of the setting sun painted the Konoha streets in warm, vibrant hues.
The Shinobi Academy's gates were quiet. In Konoha, kids didn't need parents to pick them up. They walked home on their own.
Ding-ding-ding!
The school bell rang, signaling the end of the day.
Naruto was slumped over his desk, cheek in hand, his mind drifting somewhere far away.
"Naruto!"
"Naruto?"
Chōji called once. No answer. He looked up and tried again.
"Huh? Chōji? What's up?"
Naruto blinked, turning to see Chōji stuffing books into his bag.
"Wanna get barbecue after school? My treat!"
Chōji puffed out his chest. It was no big deal. The barbecue chain was his family's, so it was basically free.
Normally, Naruto would have jumped at the offer.
Today, he shook his head. "Can't. Got stuff to do tonight."
Chōji and Shikamaru exchanged a look. Weird. But whatever.
They shrugged, said their goodbyes, and headed out.
Just past the school gates, they saw her.
"Whoa! Is that… the Hokage?" Chōji's eyes went wide. He nudged Shikamaru's leg.
"…"
Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah. That's her."
"Ohhh! So that's why Naruto blew us off! The Hokage's picking him up!"
Chōji felt enlightened, then immediately jealous. "Man… getting picked up by the Hokage. Naruto's living the dream."
Shikamaru's gaze lingered on Hagure's figure. "Who knows," he mumbled.
His uncle came home late every night, complaining for an hour straight about the Hokage slacking off and dodging paperwork—stuff you'd never expect. Shikamaru drifted into thought.
"Huh?"
Chōji's surprised grunt snapped him back.
"What's up?"
Chōji stared, confused. Someone had stopped in front of the Hokage. "Isn't she here for Naruto?"
Shikamaru and Chōji watched, dumbfounded, as the Hokage walked away, hand-in-hand with a white-eyed first-year.
Their figures vanished around a corner.
"Huh?"
"Shikamaru? Chōji? You guys still here?"
Naruto finally wandered out and spotted them. "I told you, I really can't make it today! Go on without me!"
He figured they were waiting for him. It was touching.
Shikamaru: "…"
Chōji: "…"
"Uh, Naruto… no one came to get you?" Chōji ventured.
Naruto scratched his head. "What? I'm not a little kid! That'd be embarrassing!"
Back when he first started, Hanzo would pick him up. But he was going into fifth grade soon. No way.
"But… I just saw the Hokage…" Chōji's eyes darted around.
"Huh?"
Naruto froze.
He whipped his head around, a nearly three-hundred-and-sixty-degree turn.
No sign of Hagure.
"You must've seen wrong, Chōji."
"I did not. She just left with that Hyuga kid from first year. Neji, I think."
Chōji pulled a bag of chips from his backpack, ripped it open, and started munching.
"…"
Naruto stood there, stunned.
"Nani?!"
His voice cracked.
A heavy, sour feeling settled in his chest.
Hagure-nee was so busy. Hokage stuff, all the time.
But today… she personally picked up Hyuga Neji?
Did… did she like Neji more than him?
The thought twisted inside him. It hurt.
He turned and ran.
"…"
Chōji watched Naruto's retreating back, the faint glint of tears in the fading light. The chips in his mouth suddenly tasted like ash.
"Did I… say something wrong?"
He looked dumbly at Shikamaru.
Shikamaru gave him a flat look. "Make that a statement, not a question."
On the street, Hagure walked beside Neji.
"Shishou… you came today?"
Neji looked up at her, a quiet joy in his eyes. He knew how busy she was. That she'd made time for him… it made his heart feel light.
"You graduate in a year, Neji."
Hagure didn't answer his question, instead asking her own.
Neji nodded. "One more year."
Hagure did a quick mental calculation. She ruffled his hair. "Come with me somewhere."
"Okay."
No hesitation.
Hagure led Neji toward Orochimaru's lab.
The sun had fully set. The sky deepened, twilight's embrace tightening around the village.
Neji glanced at the unfamiliar path, then at Hagure. He stayed quiet.
Shishou was here. Everything was fine.
The lab door slid open. Neji's eyes held a spark of curiosity.
"Go on."
Hagure stepped in first.
Lights flickered on.
Orochimaru stood before them. His gaze locked onto Neji's pale eyes. Burning. Hungry.
"This is Orochimaru. You've heard the name."
Neji's confused eyes widened in shock.
Orochimaru… the Sannin traitor?
How…
His brain short-circuited.
"Konoha faces a powerful enemy. We need his strength," Hagure explained simply. It was enough.
Neji nodded. He wouldn't dig deeper. Shishou wouldn't harm him.
Orochimaru approached, a syringe in hand.
Neji looked to Hagure, who gave a slight nod.
Neji offered his arm. The needle pricked his skin. He studied the legendary Sannin with a calm, measured look.
"Done."
Orochimaru gently swirled the vial of crimson blood, his eyes gleaming.
"The rest of what we need can only be collected on the Moon," Hagure instructed him. "For now, analyze the Hyuga blood completely."
Orochimaru carefully stored the vial, a smirk playing on his lips. "Of course."
Hagure led Neji back out.
"Aren't you going to ask, Neji?" she prompted on the return walk. Neji had remained silently obedient by her side.
He looked up, trust brimming in his white eyes. "Shishou wouldn't hurt me."
Hagure paused. Then she smiled, ruffling his hair again. "That's right. I wouldn't."
At the Hyuga compound, she'd explain everything. The Moon team would consist of Hizashi, Hiashi, Hinata, and Neji.
"Lord Hokage."
Miyuki answered the door, surprise flickering across her face at the sight of Neji and Hagure. "Please, come in!"
Once inside, Miyuki went to fetch the others.
Within five minutes, they were seated on the engawa overlooking the garden. Hizashi and Hiashi arrived, bowing.
"Lord Hokage."
Neji sat beside Hagure. The two brothers sat opposite. Miyuki went to prepare tea and sweets.
"In some time, the four of you—you two, Neji, and Hinata—will accompany me to the Moon." Hagure cut straight to the point.
Hiashi, mid-sip of tea, choked.
"Wh-what?"
His face was pure astonishment. Hizashi's shock was no less.
Neji blinked. "The Moon? How… how do we get there?"
He voiced the question in both brothers' minds.
"Don't worry about that. As Hyuga, you must know of the Moon's… inhabitants." Hagure's gaze shifted between the brothers.
Hiashi nodded, his brow furrowed. "Ancient texts mention a branch of the Hyuga clan on the Moon. I… I always thought it was a legend."
Too much time had passed. Stories became myths.
A branch of the Hyuga? Hagure almost snorted. It was more like the Hyuga were a branch of them. But correcting the clan head's historical perspective wasn't the goal.
"It's not a legend. Beings with the Byakugan do exist there."
Hizashi looked curious. He didn't doubt her, but he wondered about the purpose.
Hagure met his gaze. "The Byakugan has a higher evolutionary form."
Both men's eyes widened.
"Wh… what?"
They stared at each other, shock reverberating between them. A higher form of the Byakugan? The very idea was staggering.
"That form is called the Tenseigan. But evolving it requires specific conditions." Hagure looked at Neji. "I intend for Neji to awaken it."
Hizashi glanced at his son, a surge of pride welling within him. Letting Hagure take Neji as her student… it was the best decision he had ever made.
"I'll notify you when it's time."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
"Yes."
Both bowed their heads.
"Neji, don't go to school for a while. Train hard at home."
"Clan Head Hiashi, I'd like you to teach Neji the Hyuga's origin story. The full version. It will be relevant for our journey."
Hiashi swallowed a complex mix of pride and sourness. "Understood."
With the Caged Bird Seal and the main/branch family system abolished, the frost between the brothers had thawed. He was happy for Neji. Truly.
But a small, bitter part of him couldn't help it. Neji was the Hokage's student. Of course she'd favor him. Hiashi's thoughts were tinged with green.
Neji wasn't the only candidate. Hinata and Hanabi also met the vague prerequisites. But the Tenseigan… it couldn't be split. Hinata was too soft. A power like that in her hands… she'd be a target, a tool for others. Hanabi was young and fiery. Hagure didn't need more clan drama.
One pair of Tenseigan was enough. Clean.
Hagure returned home to find a shadow standing by her door.
"Lord Hokage."
Kabuto bowed.
Hagure nodded, walking past him into the house. "Good work with Orochimaru."
Kabuto said nothing. He rarely did. The Hokage was all smiles and spring breezes to others. With him… her moods were unpredictable, her motives inscrutable. It was safer to be a mute.
"Do you crave power?"
The question came out of nowhere.
Kabuto was like driftwood. No roots. The Orphanage Director was his only tether to anything resembling home. He clung to the idea that power—real, undeniable power—would anchor him to the world.
Kabuto's heart jumped. His lips parted, but he remained silent.
Truthfully… he liked being her spy. Her informant. Knowing someone was always watching. That no matter how many masters he served, his true allegiance was fixed. His root had been planted long ago.
"Go to Ryūchi Cave."
"I'll give you the location."
"How you get in… whether you pass the trials… what you learn… that's on you."
Hagure looked at him.
Kabuto's head snapped up. Through the mask's eyeholes, his shock was visible.
"Lord Hokage… why…?"
His voice was rough from disuse. Beneath the sudden, dizzying hope was a thread of panic.
Why send him away now? This abrupt change shattered the fragile sense of security he'd built. He felt like he was walking on air again, waiting for the drop.
"You don't need to know. You just need to obey."
Hagure's stare was unwavering.
The Director was Kabuto's light. But Hagure, over the years, had been the iron nail hammering the drifting Kabuto into place beside her. He was used to it. Conditioned to it. He wouldn't change. Couldn't. Not unless she died.
To change now was to plunge back into the void of wondering why he even existed.
Kabuto had talent. Wasting it was stupid. Without Sage Mode, the later-stage Edo Tensei army wouldn't happen. Control Kabuto, control the Edo army.
(Madara was… an exception.)
With Kabuto dispatched, Hagure recalled the next two: Kakashi and Might Guy, who were having way too much fun in Kumogakure.
For Guy, the Cloud Village was a paradise of YOUTH! Endless training grounds, rivers of sweat, and comrades to challenge at every turn! He was in heaven.
Kakashi, unsurprisingly, had bonded with Killer Bee and the Raikage over… Icha Icha Paradise. He'd found his tribe.
Back in Konoha for a few days, he was still spacey.
"I hear the Cloud has nice flowers. Maybe you should marry into the village."
Hagure sat in her office, watching Kakashi's distant gaze.
Thud.
Kakashi's dead-fish eyes bulged.
He'd been to the Cloud Village. He knew their "village flower." Muscular. Loud. Deceptively petite. Conclusion: a muscular fairy tale princess.
Guy roared with laughter. "HAHAHA! A splendid idea! The pinnacle of youthful bonding!"
Hagure's death glare shifted to Guy.
Guy instantly straightened up, his face solemn.
Kakashi: "…" The speed of that change…
"Well, Kakashi? It'd be a great contribution to inter-village relations."
Kakashi coughed. "Ahem. Lord Hokage misunderstands. I was merely… reminiscing about Konoha's beautiful scenery!"
"Really?" Hagure checked the timeline. Half a month until the Moon trip. "Since you miss it so much, you can handle cleaning the Hokage Monument this week."
"Nooo~"
Kakashi clutched his dramatic, fragile heart, the picture of agony.
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