I patted his head with a smile on my face, "Let's go, Haku-chan."
With a bright and excited smile, he grabbed my hand and started to walk beside me, literally radiating the happiness he was feeling. It was as if the cold he had been feeling had been dispersed and replaced with a warm flow of energy.
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"Lady Hinata, where should we go now?" Ren asked, following behind me. Only I knew how to acquire our next target, but in reality, I didn't know where and how Orochimaru met and convinced him to become so loyal to him.
I only knew the island where the Kaguya clan was currently residing, thanks to Ritsu, and they were about to attack Kiri.
'Hehe… this seems out of my knowledge… let's see how things play out.' I was confident in my abilities and sure that I could make him even more loyal than he was to Orochimaru.
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"First, let's go to the inn. Haku-chan needs a good bath and proper clothing," I said, looking at Haku.
Ren nodded to me. We had booked an inn for our stay in the town. It was nothing special, just a room with a hot spring behind it. That was enough for us.
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'How will you react to my gift, Zabuza… hehe,' I mused inwardly while walking towards the inn. Haku had killed tens of people, and it wouldn't go unnoticed. Sooner or later, Kiri ninjas would find out about it.
Therefore, I deliberately left behind clues that would lead them to the bridge where we picked up Haku. When Zabuza passed by that bridge, all the clues would connect to him, making him the prime suspect in the killing of the mob of people and clearing Haku's name.
Zabuza had already killed hundreds of people, and as a rogue ninja, adding ten more to his kill list wouldn't make any difference, right?
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Soon, we entered the inn, and Ren ordered a lot of food to our room. When Haku entered the room, he hesitated because he was dirty and didn't want to stain the clean room.
However, I didn't care about the room; it wasn't ours, so why should we care? Today was the last day of our stay, and they would clear the room; after all, we had paid them.
"Come inside, don't be hesitant. First, you should bathe before the food arrives," I said, grabbing his hand and leading him to the back of the inn where the hot spring was located. I placed a towel and his new clothes at the edge of the pond.
"Relax yourself, and bathe properly, and don't accidentally freeze the pond," I said with a laugh. He had told me everything about his father killing his mother and the events that occurred in his house.
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He nodded to me, and, removing his torn clothes, he jumped into the pond, creating a splashing sound.
I left him alone and entered the room where Ren and Ritsu were waiting for me. I sat on the chair and asked, "So, the island is near the hidden village?"
"Yes, Lady Hinata, it's only a few kilometers away from Kiri," Ritsu said.
"It will be a little hard to bypass the patrolling ninjas, grab a kid, and safely return without revealing our identities," I said.
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An all-out battle was about to happen, where the Kaguya clan would be wiped out, leaving a sole survivor.
"First, we should check out the situation and make a plan accordingly," I said.
Soon, half an hour had passed, and we had discussed many strategies with them.
I was not delusional to think I could kill all the Kiri ninjas and return as if nothing had happened.
'I was not a shonen protagonist who runs on the power of love and friendship and comes out alive even from an impossible situation.' I chuckled at my own thoughts.
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Until now, the food had arrived, and we were waiting for Haku to come out. From my eyes, I could see him crying in the hot spring.
The poor boy didn't know I could see him. Well, it was to be expected. If he didn't cry, I would be suspicious if he was the real Haku or not.
*creak*
A door opened with a creaking sound, revealing Haku in all his glory. He was wearing a loose-fitting, long-sleeved, and high-collared white robe that extended down to his ankles and had wide sleeves.
Beneath the white robe, He wore black pants that covered his legs, simple and serving as the lower part of his outfit. Around his waist, he wore a blue sash. He looked calm and elegant, just as he should have. [AN-Image]
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"You're looking good, Haku-chan," I said, indicating for him to come and sit around the table to join the meal.
"Thank you, Lady Hinata," he said with respect.
"Now, now, don't call me like that. I am younger than you. Just treat me as your friend. You can call me Hinata," I said with a friendly smile.
I knew he was influenced by these two, and I was very pleased with it.
But it felt weird to be called with such respect. I knew I didn't deserve this respect, and he was just a child.
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I had told Ren and Ritsu not to call me like this, but they ignored me.
"But you are my superior," he said.
"Okay, you can call me Hinata-sama in public, but when we are alone, you can call me Hinata and consider me as your friend," I said in my most incanting voice.
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'Am I playing psychology here again?' I chuckled when I looked at Haku.
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"Okay…" he said, and I could see the negligible change in his posture.
'Sweet words always work with children.'
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"Let's start," I said while taking the first bite, and all of them started eating after me.
"How's the food, Haku-chan?" I asked him. This was the first time he had filled his belly in days.
"It's delicious," even though he was hungry, he was still eating with elegance.
"I am happy that you like it," I said with a smile and continued eating.
'Again, I felt déjà vu saying this line.'
'I wonder how my Naruto was doing,' I thought.
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Soon, all of us finished our food. From the small window of the room, soft sunlight started to illuminate the room. After chatting amongst ourselves, I stood up and opened the door.
"Let's go," we walked out of the inn. Even though the sun had risen, the atmosphere was still grayish due to the cold, fog, and mist.
Soon, we were outside the town and walking in a small forest. Haku had removed his normal mask, which I brought from a nearby shop.
His white eyes were radiating with excitement; he tilted his head when a nearby bush shook.
'Is this fate or something else?' I thought.
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A white snow rabbit came out from the bush. That little thing was really cute. Haku looked at me, asking for permission to take it.
"So, you want to take it, Haku-chan?" I asked him.
"Can I?" he asked.
"If you take it, you have to take care of it," I said.
"I will," he nodded happily and walked towards the rabbit. The rabbit happily jumped into his arms.
I squinted my eyes at the rabbit, 'Wasn't this too easy?' I thought and walked towards Haku.
"Let me see it," I tried to extend my hand, and the rabbit shrank timidly, trying to hide in Haku's arms.
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"Are you scared, little thing?" I asked with a smile, which didn't work.
'This little rabbit has a good sixth sense,' I mused when I was locked in a gaze with the rabbit.
"Forget about it, let's go," I said when the rabbit didn't come to me.
"I am sorry," Haku said when the rabbit didn't come to me.
"Don't take it to heart; he will become accustomed to me in due time," I said.
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Chatting about random things, the four of us and the rabbit reached the coast of the ocean. Small waves crashed on the beach, carrying random fishes with them.
If we walked at a steady pace on the water, the next island was at least two days away from us.
"Let's go," I took the first step, while Ritsu grabbed Haku and put him on his shoulder, starting to walk behind me.
"Wow, this is amazing. Can I also do it?" Haku asked when he saw us walking on the ocean.
"Hehe… you can do more than this, Haku-chan," I said with a slight laugh.
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One day later, it was the middle of the night, and currently, we were running at full speed because a sea creature was chasing us, with my Byakugan, I could see that it was bigger than a ship.
Only Haku and the rabbit were terrified.
"Don't worry, Haku-chan, it can't catch us," I said while increasing my speed.
It chased us for five hours continuously, and when it understood it couldn't catch us, it went away.
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"That was fun," our two days of journey were completed thanks to that sea creature. I could see a small dot in the ocean; this was our next destination.
Retsu cast a camouflage technique so we blended with the sea. I could see Kiri ninjas were patrolling the coast.
"The security is tight," I commented and changed our direction. We started to circle the island to find some weakness in their defense.
I think Kiri had gotten the news that the Kaguya clan was about to attack their village.
We waited for some hours standing at the same point, and when the shift was about to change, using the Body Flicker technique, we entered the island.
Using our Byakugan, and avoiding all ninjas, we entered the town.
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Raising my hand, I constructed three masks, and with some small pokes on Haku's mask, we changed ourselves again and appeared as normal civilians.
We had successfully infiltrated the island.
"Let's find a place to stay."
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Walking in the bustling town, we found a decent inn for ourselves. After paying the fee, we entered our room.
"Stay with Ren, Haku-chan; we will be back in a few hours," I said.
"Okay," he said.
"Be careful, Lady Hinata," Ren said.
"Don't worry about me; just rest until we come back," I said.
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I and Ritsu exited the inn while appearing as normal civilians, we walked in a specific direction. Beneath the mask, I was using my Byakugan, and I could see many Chunin-level shinobi hiding in the shadows.
In one hour, we exited the town and headed towards the forest.
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"So this is the Kaguya clan," I commented while looking down on them from a faraway hill.
"Yes, Lady Hinata," Ritsu said.
There were around 100 people in the clan. They all had two red dots above their eyebrows and a zigzag pattern right between their heads, which served as a visible sign that they were direct descendants of Kaguya Otsutsuki.
Using my X-ray vision, I scanned the body of a clan member. The density of their bones was much higher, even higher than Naruto's.
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But that was the only good thing about them; they were barbaric, driven by their bloodlust for battle and killing.
They had no tactics, and now they were about to attack a full-fledged hidden village without any strategy. Just like animals, they were about to jump without thinking of anything else.
"Aren't they asking to be killed," I commented.
"Indeed," Ritsu replied.
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But there were always some exceptions. Tilting my head slightly, I looked at a boy around a year older than me who was put in a cage.
I scanned his body; it was very different from other clan members, and his bone density was off the charts. He possessed the rare kekkei genkai Shikotsumyaku. Even his battle-hungry clan feared his abilities, which is why he was locked in the cage.
But he was different from them; he was not driven by bloodlust. He did not share the same urge for barbaric slaughter as the others. He could use his brain; that's what made him more feared in the clan.
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I looked at his sad and lonely face; he was just treated as an animal, caged and alone.
'I have so many plans for you, little boy.'
'Just wait a few more days; then all of your loneliness will be dispersed, and you will enter a vibrant and warm world, the world I will specially make for you.'
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End of the chapter. how do you like it? tell your thoughts in the comments...
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