Chapter 38
HIASHI HYUGA
"ENOUGH!"
Hiashi watched as another of the elder shouted and stood up from his position. The man pointed his finger at Hinata and spoke out.
"I WILL NOT STAND HERE AND LET YOU DPIT ON OUT TRADITIONS," and the various elders beside him nodded as he continued.
"We have already overlooked your preference for ninjutsu and other techniques over our clan's prized and ancient techniques. This will not stand any longer," and the rest of the elders also expressed their displeasure.
But Hinata simply turned and spoke out emphatically.
"If it is the traditions you speak of then the seal was introduced to protect our clan's secrets and hence should be applied to every member except maybe the clan head. Then why is it that I see no such seal on you, while all of you have been in the field."
And Hiashi could see a couple of Branch members nod their heads at that. The elders flushed with anger as they retorted.
"Mind how you speak girl! We have served this clan faithfully, and we were granted our station for our services. We will not have any more of this attitude."
And then he turned towards him.
"Hiashi, control your daughter!" he seemingly commanded. Hiashi continued to look toward his first daughter. A part of him felt proud of her for taking such a stand. He wished he had done the same for his brother, yet he wished it would remain.
Hiashi let go of his chakra and it overpowered Hinata's lessening her presence in the room.
"HINATA! This is enough, you must show respect to our traditions," he saw her fists clench her fists and as she was about to retort, Hiashi cut her off.
"Otherwise we will be forced to rethink our decision regarding your position in the clan," his words made everyone in the room gasp as they looked at him. Besides him, Hanabi was looking between him and her sister. She got up and rushed to her sister and spoke lightly.
"It is okay, you don't have to do this for me." Hinata looked at Hanabi, her gaze softening as she lowered herself and hugged her for a second or so. And after leaving her embrace, she stood tall one more.
"I stand by each of my words. Our traditions are important but they have been the source of much divide and pain among us."
She turned to look at his nephew, Neji who was among those from the branch family present and was looking at the proceedings with a surprised expression. She then turned once more and looked straight into his eyes.
"So, reconsider if you have to but I will not stand by and accept this cruelty any longer!" with that, she picked up the ceremonial headband and let it drop on the ground. Walking out of the room with the same grace she had entered with.
The room was quiet after she left for a second or so. But after that commotion broke out as the elders began to shout at him. As this was going on a voice interrupted them.
"She is right, we are proud Hyuga as well. Yet we are branded like slaves. Perhaps it is time that we evolved as well," the voice had come from the side of the branch family.
Several members of the main family also seemed sympathetic yet many began to shout at the branch family.
"You speak like that yet you lack the strength to even protect yourself. How would you even protect the byakugan with your miserable strength," he saw someone speak haughtily. But someone from the branch family spoke up.
"But that is because we are not even taught most of the clan's techniques. You main family hoard all the secret techniques, teaching us only the barebones skills. It is not like we are incapable of learning. Neji learned them and uses them just fine."
"YES!"
"We are not inferior to you. We can also learn," and Hiashi's eyes widened as several of the branch members screamed in pain and began to writhe in pain.
"AGHHH!" the man screamed as he held his hand and Hiashi looked to the side at his father holding his hands in tiger seal, controlling the seal.
"You forget yourself!" he almost shouted but the branch members did not relent and Hiashi could see most of them getting ready to retaliate. Even the one screaming in pain was trying to stand up.
This was enough. His chakra descended into the room.
"ENOUGH!" he spoke up. And his eyes focused in on his own father. The man let go of the control seal and Hiashi then looked at the side branch members and spoke up.
"You should all sit down as well! This is enough for today we must all let cooler heads prevail! Any discussion can not be carried out after this."
And then he looked towards everyone in the room.
"The meeting is over. Leave the room at once." And with his words, everyone began to get up and leave the room. The branch family still glaring at the main family. Everyone left the room. Everyone except the four elders, who began to speak up as soon as the doors closed.
"What is the meaning of this Hiashi? You can not destroy our traditions. The caged bird seal is for their protection, and their status a reflection of the protection we provide them."
They began to speak out.
"They must be grateful to us, yet they defy us and dare to stand against us."
"We can not let this stand."
"You must punish Hinata. She has caused all this."
"Yes. And that kid from the branch side as well, the one who learned our techniques. Punish him as well for stealing our secrets."
And Hiashi just closed his eyes as he thought about everything that had happened here. And after a moment he replied, ignoring the presence he could feel listening in on the discussion.
In his situation, this was the most he could do. Trust the next generation to overcome the hurdles he could not.
0000
SASUKE UCHIHA
Sasuke walked through the narrowed halls. His feet clacked as he walked on the cobblestone. He reached a door lit up by a somewhat bigger lamp. He was about to knock on it when a voice came from the inside.
"Enter."
Sasuke stopped his hand and entered the room. It was quite smaller than he had expected. The walls had no decoration. On one side was a wooden cabinet with many drawers and on the other wall was the perhaps greatest mask collection he had ever seen. Various white porcelain masks hung on the walls. And Sasuke noticed some broken masks as well. But what had taken the most attention were the five black masks hanging at the very top. All of them were pitch black and shaped like an oni mask, unlike the rest of them shaped like animal heads.
"I think that is enough staring."
A voice broke him out of reverie. And Sasuke looked straight ahead at the ANBU sitting behind the desk. His dragon mask was the only other colored mask after the black masks. The ANBU placed the file in his hand on the table.
"Sasuke Uchiha. We have been waiting for you for some time." And Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he looked straight at the ANBU.
"YES. He was right, you do have his eyes," Sasuke frowned as he failed to comprehend his words. The ANBU got up and went up to the wooden drawers and opened one of them up and took out a packed package and handed it to him.
"Change into the gear and your supervising officer will be here to take care of the rest," and Sasuke spoke out.
"Who are you?" he asked them Dragon masked ANBU. The man stopped for a moment before he replied.
"Well, I am his commanding officer!" and he vanished. Sasuke looked down at the package in his hand and opened it. It had a standard uniform tailored to his size, a black coat with some seals, and a katana.
Sasuke picked up the blade and was surprised as he saw the insignia on it. He took the katana out and was surprised to see the pitch-black color of the metal. The sword felt as if it was alive. And Sasuke could feel its greed. Its desire to be used. To be fed.
And Sasuke was about to supply the blade with his chakra when he felt a hand on his shoulder, making him jump to the other side. He landed ad saw another ANBU standing there. A hound-shaped mask covered his face.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," and Sasuke was sure he recognized the voice, and with a startled expression, he was about to call out.
"Ka…" when the ANBU shook his hand. Making Sasuke stop immediately.
"Remember rule number two of ANBU kid," and Sasuke remembered it well from the booklet he had been given. Names were forbidden in ANBU.
"You should take care of that sword. For him to give it to you, the commander would have found you quite special," and Sasuke stared at the sword in his hand. The black metal almost blended with the darkness itself.
"Why? What is so special about it?" he asked. And the man pointed at the black masks he had seen.
"Do you know what those are?" and Sasuke shook his head.
"They are the masks of the four original ANBU. Those four masks were crafted especially for the first four members. The sword you hold in your hands belonged to one of them."
And Sasuke moved closer to the wall, examining the four masks. And for the first time, he noticed the slight crack in one of the masks, and an insignia inscribed beneath it. His eyes widened as he recognized it.
"It was an Uchiha. One of the four was an Uchiha," he spoke out.
"Yes, and incidentally you are holding his blade in your hand. That blade was used by him and is said to be very special. And it is said that with it he had, singlehandedly held back the second Mizukage of the mist along with a whole platoon."
And Sasuke was shocked by these revelations. How had he never heard of such a legendary Uchiha clan member.
"He said that only in the hands of a true Uchiha would it show its true strength. No Uchiha has succeeded in using it. Shisui Uchiha, The Teleporter came very close. But failed in the end."
And Sasuke stared at the blade with a complicated expression, recognizing the name of the goofy shinobi who often babysat him.
His first kill.
"We will deal with it later. Pick a mask and follow me. It is time I introduce you to the team," and Sasuke placed the sword back in its sheath. Still feeling its pull and greed.
He looked at the whole slew of white masks. And after observing for a while, he picked the one placed immediately below the black one.
It was shaped in the form of a crow. He turned and saw the ANBU still standing there. Sasuke put on the mask and began to follow the supervisor out of the room.
Behind the black mask, he had missed the name inscribed. Because if he had he would have recognized the name.
UCHIHA KAGAMI-The Black Fūjin
It was destiny that Sasuke would pick out even the same mask as that man.
0000
Sasuke has become an ANBU. But what secrets will he uncover in ANBU? And what role will Tsunade play?
PS: The name of the sword has quite a big spoiler, for those who recognize it.
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