With every step he took, his heartbeat raced ferociously, an invisible pain crawling through his body, and his mind grew colder with every passing minute as if his whole world was about to shatter—and in this case, it was true.
In the middle of the night, bathed in moonlight, Issomu walked towards the clan head's house. With each step, his body told him that something dangerous was about to happen—call it his sixth sense.
Unbeknownst to him, an arrow was poised on a string, ready to shoot him down at any moment.
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But just as Issomu was about to turn towards the clan head's house, his legs stopped.
A complicated expression appeared on his face, his fist clenched.
*bang*
His fist hit the nearby wall, he was helpless. Taking a stone to his heart, he turned back.
*
"Ohhoo, he chose his son, he isn't heartless after all," I exclaimed with a smile as I looked at the Uchiha who had turned his head towards us.
"He is a wise man," Ren said, nodding in satisfaction.
"Hmmm," nodding, I put the arrow back in its place, the string on the bow retracting inside my chakra pathways, and with a click sound, the staff split into three small pieces.
"It's up to you, Ranmaru's friend," I chuckled and started sinking into the ground, only my malicious smile remained until I completely disappeared from there.
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I manipulated the earth using my Earth-style technique, creating a passage for my escape. It was a high-level technique, and with the Byakugan, it worked in perfect harmony.
Soon, my head popped out from under a tree, and with a graceful jump, I landed on the tree trunk.
"Hehe, the first chapter of the drama is about to begin. Let's see how Ren performs." With an excited smile, I activated my Byakugan and observed Ren.
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The bushes around Ren soon shook. With his Byakugan, Ren already knew who this person was.
"So you finally came, I was about to leave," Ren said nonchalantly.
Isomu had many questions in his head, eager to know the answers.
"How do you know?" he asked in a forceful tone.
Ren raised his eyebrows. he was Acting as a close friend of Ranmaru, and his tone was not liked by him, it was a trademark of Uchiha's, but there was desperation hidden beneath.
"You don't have to act so mighty. I am here because the clan head's daughter sent me, and you tried to protect a member of our family," Ren coldly stated, not forgetting to mention me.
"Are you telling the truth? I don't like sick jokes," he said, and his Sharingan came to life, blazing menacingly in the dark as three tomoe spun.
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'You have already been pranked, my dear dead Uchiha,' I chuckled inwardly.
"Are you threatening me?" Ren asked directly, looking into his eyes without flinching, the veins around his temple were visible.
If it were anyone else, they would have thought twice before staring into the Sharingan. But the Uchiha's despise us for nothing.
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"And don't forget, we are just repaying you for what you have done," Ren said without flinching, he was here to do him a favor, not the other way around.
Both of them stared into each other's eyes.
"How do you know I will not report it to the clan head?" Isomu asked, retracting his eyes, he knew he was not in a good position.
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"We had a hunch. After knowing you for more than a year, we know what kind of person you are," Ren said, his voice becoming righteous.
"How do you know that Itachi is going to kill us?" he asked more politely this time.
A smug smile started to appear on Ren's face. "How do you think our clan has survived from the warring era and even before that?" he asked mysteriously.
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Isomu was surprised; he didn't know what he was getting into. "I don't know it," he replied.
"There is a reason why the main family and branch family are separated, and here is a secret: every firstborn in the main house is born with a special Byakugan," Ren said, looking at Isomu.
Isomu was surprised at why Ren was revealing the secrets of his clan. "And what is it?" he asked nonetheless.
"They can see the 'Future,' and guess what Lady Hinata and Lord Hiashi see… your clan being massacred," Ren lied with such precision as if his life depended on it.
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Isomu's eyes opened wide, he was shocked that such an ability existed.
"Are you not worried that I will disclose this secret information, and your clan will be hunted down for it?" he asked.
Ren just smiled. "You wouldn't do such things, they already saw this," Ren lied with a charming smile.
Isomu was deep in thought before speaking, "You are telling me this because I am going to die, aren't I?" he asked with a defeated tone.
Ren just chuckled when Isomu found out the truth. "Precisely, my friend."
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Isomu was sinking deep into despair with each passing moment, he realized he was really going to die.
"You can only save your son. If you don't want to, you can just die with him, but remember my clan won't mistreat him and will raise him just like our own," Ren said in a sincere tone.
'I have to say he is walking in my footsteps.'
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"It's better than dying, isn't it?" Ren asked, hiding a devilish smile underneath.
Isomu started to feel tempted; if he was going to die, at least his son would live. It was so much better than dying meaninglessly with him.
"But what about my wife? Can't you save her?" he asked, his voice pleading.
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"Ohoh, worried about your wife? Ren could satisfy her needs, and surely with his help, she will completely forget you," I mussed.
"But too bad, buddy. He is already married, and he doesn't like polygamy."
"What kind of husband are you, giving your wife to someone else? You should learn from Naruto's father about following your wife to heaven. Even if he could have stayed alive and raised Naruto, he didn't choose his son and followed his wife," I said.
I didn't know if I was being sarcastic or not, but it would be fun to watch when Naruto found out about his great-father.
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Chuckling, I looked at the unfolding drama that was too good to miss.
"I am sorry, my friend, but it might risk our clan. We could save one person, but two, no… it is too dangerous. If someone finds out, my clan will be in great trouble," Ren said with a sad face.
He knew they could save Isomu's wife, but it was her destiny to die with her husband.
Isomu was an understanding person, and he knew they were already doing him a great favor. If not for them, he wouldn't have known how he died. After all, beggars can't be choosers.
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Ren then started to explain how they would save his son.
"You have only one day to express your love to your wife and son, don't waste it. This time will not come back," Ren patted his shoulder, understanding his pain.
Isomu just nodded, with a broken heart, hiding his tears. Knowing he only had one day left, his love for his family reached new heights, and the fear of losing them was too much.
With his head hung down, he walked away from there towards his home. And he knew nothing miraculous was going to happen; he was not a hero of some cliché story. This was a harsh reality, and he had to accept it.
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"So this is how it ended…" I muttered as my head started to pop out from the ground with my trademark smile.
Ren looked at me, "you know, I really feel bad for him," he spoke with a sigh.
Shaking my head, I spoke, "You aren't the only one, Ren."
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End of the chapter, how do you like....