Chapter 16 C16
In the clear blue sky, the thunderous roar attracted their attention.
The people searching for Hyuga Kana followed the sound and witnessed a shocking and disturbing scene—
Before the massive fireball that menacingly loomed over their gate, Hyuga Kana, whom they had described as "only a passable ninja who could never bring glory to the clan," appeared exceptionally small. Her hands were cupped together, a faint blue light emanating from her palms. In the blink of an eye, a flick of her wrist unleashed a chorus of thunderous cries, and the electric ball expanded to its limit, carrying immense power. The sparks that flew out, intertwined with the connecting threads, scorched the surrounding vegetation. The scorching fire and blinding lightning collided like two sharp blades, the sparks and flashes from the friction making it impossible to open one's eyes.
The dust storm gradually dissipated as the light dimmed.
The third elder of the Hyuga main family led his men through the acrid smoke. They saw Hyuga Kana pressing her left knee against the abdomen of the person beneath her, a dagger hovering above the other's brow. Meanwhile, Uchiha Itachi, a genius who graduated from the Ninja Academy at the tender age of six, held a shuriken in his right hand, the sharpened blade pressed against her neck.
The tension was palpable; both were breathing heavily due to the ninjutsu they had just used, and each only needed to get within an inch of the other to take their life.
For a moment, no one dared to speak, for fear of distracting someone and affecting the situation.
The dagger rolled to the ground.
That was the first time Itachi had seen Kana smile like that, bright and without a trace of gloom, without any restraint, just a simple smile—she was smiling because she was happy.
When she bent down, Itachi was momentarily distracted and didn't retract his shuriken in time, leaving a scratch on her vulnerable neck, but it didn't bleed.
Her face was buried in his neck, her body rising and falling gently with each breath, her warm breath tickling her ear, almost a whisper, "If I die, you'll remember me, won't you?"
His pupils suddenly contracted.
Itachi hadn't even had a chance to ask anything.
The next second, Kana was grabbed by the back of her clothes and lifted up by the Hyuga clan members. The rough adult quickly twisted her hands behind her back—a position used only when detaining criminals.
The Third Elder raised his right palm high, but for some reason, he suddenly froze the moment he met her gaze.
The opportunity had already passed. After his anger subsided from its initial outburst, a sliver of reason returned, reminding him that there were other outsiders nearby. He couldn't let them laugh at the Hyuga clan, so he withdrew his hand.
Kana was taken away.
Before leaving, she turned her head to him, taking advantage of her height difference with the adults so that her little actions wouldn't be noticed, and silently mouthed to him: I'll treat you to three-color dumplings tomorrow, thank you for the gift.
Starting from the very tips of its legs, a chill crept along its throbbing veins towards its heart. The weasel looked up and saw that the round sun in the sky had been replaced by a hazy, gray cloud. The dust that landed on its nose was melted by the warmth of its body, sliding down its nose a short distance before quickly seeping into its skin and disappearing, leaving only a cool sensation.
—It's snowing.
Faced with the overwhelming group of people, Kana, who was usually quiet and reserved, did not panic at all. "I thought it was afternoon, so I went out to play."
The elders were about to reprimand them, but Hiashi Hyuga stopped them, saying, "It's getting late, don't let this delay our business."
Yuko was forced to let go of Neji's hand. Looking at the two of them, she gritted her teeth and trembled all over, like a withered leaf swaying on a branch in the cold wind.
Neji blinked, looking up at the tall figures around him, bewildered. He didn't know what was happening or what was about to happen, but he instinctively felt afraid and clutched his mother's clothes tightly.
The person who was about to reach out and grab Neji's arm was startled by the darkness in the eight-year-old's eyes, but quickly came to their senses, frowned, and impatiently pushed Kana, "Let's go."
Kana crouched down, took out a red string with a golden bell attached, and tied it around the child's waist. "Neji, haven't you always wanted this? Here you go."
"Thank you, sister!"
Kana looked at him for a while, then suddenly stretched out her arms and picked him up. Neji gasped slightly at the sudden action and let go of the fabric he was holding.
Kana held him, turned to face Yuko and Hizashi, her tone calm and even, but it was indeed a promise: "I will hold him for the rest of the journey."
Yuko turned her head away and buried her face in her husband's arms, her hands tearing bitter, winding wrinkles into the front of his shirt.
Neji is a very observant child. Under normal circumstances, he would have noticed his mother's unusual behavior, but he was just too happy.
This was the first time his older sister had hugged him on her own initiative, and she even gave him her own bell.
And what's more, my sister just called his name!
She used to only call him "Little One".
His right arm encircled her neck, his head rested obediently on her shoulder, and he called her cautiously, "Sister?"
"Um?"
"elder sister."
"Um."
"elder sister!"
"Um…"
Unable to hold back, he covered his mouth with his hand and secretly laughed.
He whispered to her, "Sister, I feel so happy today."
"Today is the happiest day of my life."
A dull thud came from behind. Kana recognized it as the sound of someone collapsing and their kneecap slamming heavily onto the ground, followed by a whimper that was being tightly covered by someone's hands, trying to suppress the pain from their lips.
Neji also noticed the strange sound.
Just as he was about to turn his head to look, Kana pressed his head down with her hand, his forehead resting against her shoulder, preventing him from seeing what was behind him.
He noticed a slight difference in texture between the sound transmitted through the bones and the sound transmitted through the air, and he felt that his sister's voice seemed a little hoarse than usual.
She said, "Neji, don't look back."
Each step was a sway, each movement a creak.
The crisp sound of bells jingled in the empty underground corridor, reflected back from the stone walls, layer upon layer, echoing in the ears along with the sound of footsteps falling on the stone steps.
The underground chamber was unlit, and the only way forward was by the light of the torch held by the leader. Rarely used and unmaintained for years, the seeping moisture eroded the rock walls, and plant roots carved tiny cracks into the surfaces, giving rise to a damp and decaying smell.
The long, round staircase led to the bottom.
What came into view was a huge square platform. The oil lamps in the mouths of the surrounding animal-shaped stone pillars were lit with torches. The firelight stretched the shadows onto the walls, making them look like ferocious, hungry beasts with their mouths wide open, impatiently urging humans to offer them fresh sacrifices.
At the very center of the square platform stood a stone table resembling an operating table, with thick, sturdy pillars at its four corners for supporting the ropes. At this time of year, even a slight approach revealed a chilling, bone-deep cold.
Neji felt cold and instinctively snuggled closer to her, hugging her neck.
The moment they took the syringe out of the box they were carrying, Kana quickly covered Neji's bewildered eyes with her hand and said softly, "Close your eyes, Neji."
"We'll go home when you open your eyes again."
Kana kept her promise.
Even though his face was deathly pale, his forehead was wrapped in thick bandages, he hadn't had a drop of water for hours, and he had difficulty even walking, he still didn't let go of the unconscious Neji.
She climbed up the stone steps from the bottom one by one, refusing help from any member of the main family. Stumbling and falling, the throbbing pain in her head forced her to clearly remember that there were a total of one hundred and eight steps.
The heavy stone door was opened again, and Hizashi rushed over to catch Kana, who was holding Neji.
Kana looked up at the sky, unable to tell the time because of the snow. "What time is it?"
It's three o'clock.
She handed Neji back to Yuko, saying, "I'm going to school."
Yuko forced a smile. "It's okay, Kana. I've already asked Takada-sensei for leave."
Kana ignored them and vanished from her spot in an instant, ignoring the incredulous gazes of those who hadn't witnessed the previous match.
The ninja school's break time is from 2:50 PM to 3:10 PM.
At 3:01, the office door was opened from the outside.
A strong, knife-like wind swept in from the winter.
The newcomer was pale, with disheveled hair and a wound on his forehead, as if he had just escaped from a brutal battle.
Takada knocked over the chair he had just been sitting comfortably in, and frowned anxiously as he asked the student who shouldn't have been there, "What happened to Kana?"
Because her throat was dry, Kana's voice was a little hoarse. "I want to graduate early."
Takada saw her stubbornness and instead of taking her directly to a medical ninja, he chose to respond to her needs first, "But Kana, your hand seal speed..."
The sound stopped abruptly, and he stared wide-eyed in shock.
Because he saw that Kana, whose hand seal speed had not improved at all during the test a month ago, completed the clone technique without even raising her hand.
Two identical faces looked up and asked in unison, "Is this alright?"
Hyuga Kana was someone the Third Hokage had mentioned, so Takada dared not act rashly.
Takada just didn't expect the Third Generation to arrive so quickly.
Despite the cold weather, Kana's forehead was even beaded with sweat. Her clone technique remained unbroken throughout the ordeal, no matter how much he tried to persuade her.
The third generation seemed to have aged further, with lines around her eyes conveying a sense of helpless weariness. When asked why...
“Because this is just too ugly,” Kana touched her forehead, the bandage making her forehead look a little swollen, “I wanted to find something to cover it up.”
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