As Hyuk walked away, the accusations hanging in the air, his face remained stoic, his steps slow but deliberate. Despite the mounting whispers and questioning gazes, he didn't utter a word in his defense. He allowed the rumors to take root, knowing that the truth would be far more dangerous to confront right now.
Behind him, the Sound Jonin grinned inwardly, satisfied with the chaos he had just sown. Everything was going exactly as planned.
---
Flashback:
In a dimly lit room, Danzo Shimura sat at a long table, his fingers steepled before him, listening intently. Across from him stood Orochimaru, his serpentine smile ever-present.
"Danzo," Orochimaru began in his slow, deliberate tone, "I know you've been keeping an eye on young Hyuk. The boy has potential, but you're right. He's a threat if not... properly controlled."
Danzo's lone visible eye narrowed. "I've been waiting for the right moment to make a move. If I can't use him, then he's better off disposed of. But I need a reason, something that justifies bringing him into Root or eliminating him entirely."
Orochimaru's smile widened. "Leave that to me. We'll break his reputation first, slowly turn the village against him. Once the people doubt him, it'll be much easier to remove him from the equation. After all, who would defend a murderer?"
Danzo remained silent for a moment, contemplating the plan. Then he nodded, satisfied with the direction things were heading.
---
Present:
As Hyuk walked, the accusations from the Sound Jonin playing back in his mind, he couldn't help but smirk to himself. He wasn't a fool, and he could sense that something far bigger was at play. The Sound Jonin's words weren't just random slander—they were calculated. It all made too much sense now.
Two names immediately came to mind: Danzo and Orochimaru.
"Those bastards," he muttered under his breath, eyes narrowing as he pieced it together. Orochimaru's grudge against him for killing the Sound Genins, stopping him from getting Sasuke, and Danzo's desire to either use him or destroy him, were now working in unison. It was a clever, twisted plan, but Hyuk wasn't the type to be taken down so easily.
As he continued to walk, his mind raced, formulating his own countermeasures. He knew who his enemies were now, and that knowledge gave him the upper hand.
For now, he'd let the rumors fester. Let the villagers talk. He had more important things to handle—like surviving the Chuunin Exams and making sure Danzo and Orochimaru paid for daring to go against him.