In the darkness of the night, Akira and Hinata snuck into a quiet little forest, seeking a private place to express the longing they had both felt for so long.
When a young man and woman disappear into a secluded forest, it's not hard to guess what happens next—it was an intense hour of passion.
An hour later, Akira carefully supported Hinata as they made their way back to the Hyuga residence.
However, when they arrived, they found the gates locked.
"Hinata, what should we do now?" Akira asked, realizing they couldn't get inside.
"I'll do whatever you decide, Akira," Hinata replied softly, her head lowered in shyness.
"Alright, come with me. I'll take you back to the Uchiha residence for the night," Akira said, a bit helplessly.
"Mhm," Hinata nodded, still looking down, her voice barely a whisper.
Just then, as they turned to leave, the door of the Hyuga residence creaked open, and Hanabi peeked her head out.
"Big Sis! Brother-in-law! You're back!" she called out happily.
"Hinata, let's go. The Hyuga residence is locked, so we'll just head to my place for the night," Akira said, pretending he hadn't even noticed Hanabi and quickly leading Hinata away.
"Yes, I'll be troubling you tonight, Akira," Hinata agreed, her face still flushed, as they hurried off into the night without acknowledging Hanabi.
"Huh? What just happened?" Hanabi rubbed her eyes, staring at where her sister and Akira had stood only moments before. It was as if they had disappeared in the blink of an eye, using some kind of teleportation jutsu.
It left her questioning reality. Hadn't she just seen her sister and brother-in-law standing there?
Why had they ignored her like they hadn't heard a thing?
Hanabi began to wonder if she had imagined the whole thing.
But I'm a Hyuga! I have the Byakugan! How could I have seen it wrong? she thought to herself.
"Could it be… an evil spirit haunting the village?" Hanabi's body shivered slightly at the thought. She quickly shut the door and hurried back to her room, diving under the covers for safety.
Meanwhile, over at the Uchiha residence, they found that the gates there were locked as well.
But that didn't matter—after all, it was Akira's own home. He simply jumped over the wall, unlocked the door, and they went inside to rest.
Hopping the wall into his own home wasn't an issue, but it would've been impolite to do the same at the Hyuga residence.
The night passed quietly, with the two young lovers sleeping close together, though it wasn't the most restful sleep.
When morning came, Akira was still supporting Hinata as they emerged from his room. Hinata felt her lips were a bit swollen, proof of their passionate night together.
They sat down to breakfast, and when Akira's father saw Hinata emerging from Akira's room, he immediately understood what had happened. A wide smile spread across his face as he warmly welcomed Hinata, treating her like family.
After breakfast, Akira escorted Hinata back to the Hyuga residence.
As a side note, Hanabi seemed particularly curious that day. She approached Akira and Hinata, asking if they had come back to the Hyuga residence the previous night. She also asked if they had seen her at the front gate.
Akira and Hinata exchanged a quick glance, silently agreeing before shaking their heads in unison.
"No, we didn't see anything," they both said.
"Father! We have to report this to Lord Hokage! There are evil spirits haunting Konoha!" Hanabi shouted, now convinced something paranormal had occurred the night before.
"Don't talk nonsense! There are no evil spirits in Konoha! That's impossible!" Hiashi said sternly, immediately scolding Hanabi for her outlandish claims.
"But, Father, listen to me!" Hanabi pleaded, trying to explain herself.
However, Hiashi wouldn't give her the chance to finish. He waved his hand dismissively, saying, "Enough! Go to your room and reflect on your actions. You can come out when you've calmed down."
"Yes, Father," Hanabi said meekly, her head hanging low as she obediently left the room, feeling a bit wronged.
Despite being sent off to reflect, Hanabi couldn't shake the feeling that she hadn't imagined things. She was sure she had seen her sister and Akira, but they had both denied it. This only reinforced her belief that there was something supernatural at play.
She even mentioned it to a few friends, and soon rumors of evil spirits haunting Konoha at night began to spread in small circles throughout the village.
But that was just a minor distraction.
In the days that followed, Akira and Hinata spent much of their time together, rarely leaving each other's side. The young couple, caught up in their newfound love, clung to each other as if they never wanted to part.
Before they knew it, half a month had passed.
One day, on a whim, Akira decided to visit the Research Department.
Orochimaru had acquired cells from himself, Hashirama, Sasuke, and Naruto, along with the immortal body of Hidan. There was no way someone like Orochimaru would resist diving deep into such fascinating research.
Curious about the progress, Akira wondered how far Orochimaru's studies had come.
During these two weeks, Akira had focused heavily on accumulating chakra, and his reserves had grown considerably. His chakra now surpassed 90,000 units.
Akira believed that within the next three to seven days, his chakra would break through the limits of what was considered Kage-level.
Although chakra alone didn't determine overall strength, Akira's mastery of ninjutsu, speed, physical power, and defense were all top-tier.
Once his chakra reserves caught up, Akira felt certain that his overall strength would push him into the realm of super Kage-level shinobi.
At that point, Akira believed he would be the only person in the current ninja world to have surpassed the Kage-level threshold.
"Akira, what a pleasant surprise!" Orochimaru greeted him with a smile when he saw Akira enter the lab.
"I happened to be passing by and thought I'd stop in for a visit," Akira replied calmly.
"You're always welcome," Orochimaru said, nodding with a grin. He didn't pry into Akira's true reasons for coming, simply welcoming him with open arms.
"So, what's new? Have you made any breakthroughs?" Akira asked, curious about the research progress.
"There are some new discoveries, but they're not quite ready yet," Orochimaru replied with a smile.
"Well, I look forward to seeing the results when they're ready!" Akira said, genuinely eager to see what Orochimaru would uncover.
"Of course. When I have results, you'll be the first to know," Orochimaru assured him, smiling in return.
"Oh, by the way, Akira, I heard you brought Konan to Konoha as well? And she's still loyally by your side without trying to escape?" Orochimaru asked, suddenly shifting the conversation.
"Yes. She has her reasons for sticking around. I suppose she's seeking answers from me," Akira replied, not hiding the truth from Orochimaru.
As a former member of the Akatsuki, it made sense that Orochimaru would know Konan.
"Akira, your information-gathering abilities are truly unmatched in the ninja world. I'm curious to see just how far you'll go. Compared to you, even Madara Uchiha and the First Hokage seem like small fry," Orochimaru said, his admiration for Akira evident.
Orochimaru knew that Akira's ability to foresee the future was something Madara and the First Hokage never possessed.
It was because of this that Orochimaru had high hopes for Akira's future.
The ninja world often spoke of Akira's strength, claiming he was already approaching the power levels of Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju.
But in Orochimaru's eyes, despite their greatness, neither of those legendary figures could truly compare to Akira.
After all, Akira was only fourteen years old.
"By the way, Akira, isn't your birthday coming up soon?" Orochimaru asked, suddenly curious about Akira's age.
"Yeah, in about a month. I'll be turning fifteen soon. Time flies," Akira said with a small sigh, surprised that Orochimaru had even remembered his birthday.
"There aren't many people in Konoha that I pay attention to, Akira, but you're one of them—the most important one, actually," Orochimaru said with a knowing smile, fully understanding the look in Akira's eyes.
If those words had come from a beautiful woman, Akira might have been flattered. But coming from Orochimaru, it only made his skin crawl.
"Alright, alright. You go back to your research. I hope you make a breakthrough soon," Akira said, waving a hand and turning to leave the lab.
"Oh, one more thing, Akira!" Orochimaru called after him as Akira was walking away.
Akira paused, not turning around but listening closely.
"Don't forget your promise to the White Snake Sage in Ryūchi Cave," Orochimaru reminded him.
__________Bonus chapter_______
Next bonus chapter if we reach 700 Powerstone
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Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 285+ at patreon.com/Emik01.