2 Chapter 1 (1/2)

I immediately shot up when my ears heard the gurgles of a flowing river. I had slept through the night and who knows how many has it been. I did have fuzzy memories about it. I looked around and noticed that I was in a forest and by a river. The feeling was familiar yet different. Thus, I deduced that I must have been in another country. That strikes me as odd because we were doing something that endangered us and then I remembered. My sister had sacrificed herself to buy us time to evade my father's army.

I began to fully recall bits and pieces that had happened a few nights ago. We were running from Chichi-ue's Army when she had decidedly stayed behind to stall him any way she can. She died from being shot by countless arrows that were triggered by an accidental shot. She died because of us--she died because of me. If I hadn't stop Mother from killing that vile man, Aino Ane-san would be alive right now. Tears started to well up to my cheeks.

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”I am weak and unworthy of life if I let my sister died that way,” I thought as I sobbed helplessly.

The tears were falling too fast for me to handle. This pain was never that I could endure. I remembered that my mother had to send me here, that I was in danger. She shouldn't have done that, I could've helped her back then. My hand went to my thigh to involuntarily scratch it but I was stopped by the immense pain from the said spot. I looked down to find that my thigh was caked in blood, fresh and dried, from it, I knew now that I had hurt myself again, subconsciously. But I knew eventually, I understood that Haha-ue would never let me sullied my hands with blood. She loved me too much. I hated that she sent me here to this, world, but I decisively accepted her reasons. I was still sobbing when a strange man spoke to me.

”Hey, kid? Why are you crying?” The man asked. I rubbed my eyes to see him. He had grey hair but he looked young; he wore a dark blue mask covering his nose and mouth while another dark blue cloth with a symbol resembled a primordial leaf on it was covering his left eye. His lone eye was kind, compassionate and sad as he took on my face.

”Mother... sent... me away,” I said while sobbing. The man's eye closed as he presumably smiled and rustled my hair.

”Maaa, did you do something bad? Hyuugas had never sent one of their own away,” The man asked.

”I hoped not,” I sniffed, ”What's a Hyuuga?”

The man's eyebrow was raised.

”Hyuuga is one of the most prominent Clan in Konoha who are predominantly Byakugan wielders. You have their eyes,” he said.

”Wait a minute, there are other peoples with Byakugan?!” I thought.

”What's a Konoha?” I continued to say after I sniffed my snot. The man let out a nervous laugh and sweat could be seen dripping from his forehead.

”You're not from around here, are you?” He asked. I managed to shake my head.

”Konoha is my village and it's nearby. Would you like to come and visit?” he continued.

I had considered the facts--I have no place to go and no means to travel back to my mother. Plus, alone in a forest that I do not know about, I couldn't last a week here, let alone finding a way out of here on my own. I have no other choice but to follow this man. I wiped my tears and sniffed deeply and then I bowed towards the man.

”Thank you for your kindness, Oni-san. If you wouldn't mind, I would like to accept your invitation. I am forever in your gratitude,” I politely said after I stand up. The man rustled with my hair again.

”You should go down there and wash your face,” the man reached for something from his jacket and tossed it to me, ”wrap this over your wound. You sure are too polite like them.”

I nodded and ran towards the river. I was nearly tripped into the water but I quickly caught myself. I kneeled and saw my reflection as I took off my robe and dust it off. Grimacing, I bitterly noted that I was indeed caked in filth, Haha-ue and Ane-san would scold me for this. I felt a tang of pain every time I thought about them. Perhaps, I should forget about them for a little while. I shook my head and I splashed the water on my face. I took a deep breath and drank some of the water with my hands. I was drying off my face when I saw my reflection. There was a vertical line at the center of my forehead. My hands instinctively went to touch it. It's a slit.

”This must be the Rinne-Sharingan that Mother had told me. I wonder if I could open them,” I thought as I tried to consciously open the eye but nothing happened, ”then it must be chakra activated.”

I closed my eyes and focused my chakra towards my forehead and the slit opened slowly revealing the Rinne-Sharingan; red-eye with 9 tomoe, three of those are in three sets of rings orbiting the pupil. I couldn't believe my eyes. I wondered idly what this eye could do. A question that was answered almost immediately as my Byakugan saw the man staring at me from behind, quite a distance away if I remembered. The eye enhances my Byakugan's effectiveness. It was obvious to me that thousands of thoughts had run through the man's only questioning eye. I could see it in my eyes. He let out a huff of breath and called for me.

”Hey, kid? Are you done?” The man asked. I turned off the Rinne-Sharingan and prepared myself for the aftermath. This sort of moment would predictably meant that I will have to deal with his questions. I unraveled the bandage that he gave me and wrapped it around my left thigh in which my blood could be seen seeping through it a bit. Satisfied with my handiwork, I reached for my robe and wore it.

”Yes,” I said loudly before I climbed up the river bank afterward. After I reached the top, I saw that he was looking at something orange in color in the right hand. His eyes moved intently suggesting he was reading it.

”Yosh! Let's go,” the man said nonchalantly. Thus began my journey towards this village called Konoha.