"And I'm lost," Hiruko said, looking around.
He was surrounded by trees that he couldn't even differentiate.
Tsunade usually led the group towards where they were going; even though he's been in this world for several months, he pretty much only knew how to get to the academy from his house reliably.
Hiruko sighed as he kept wandering.
'Should I climb a tree and look?' Hiruko thought, but before he could, he noticed a small house.
Its exterior was simple and modest; a small wooden gate lined it, the walls seemed to be made of some earthen material, and the roof of clay tiles.
Hiruko, opening the gate, cautiously walked in.
"Who are you?" A deep voice came from behind Hiruko, and a sword pressed against his throat.
'What the—I didn't even sense him.' Hiruko thought a small bead of sweat poured down his face.
"I asked, 'Who are—'" The man said, inching the blade closer to Hiruko's throat, but before he could finish, an old voice called out weakly but held something Hiruko could only describe as the authority of the strong.
"Sakumo, stop."
The voice said from the dark corridor of the house. His hair was silverish-white, his body old and wrinkly, he held a wooden cane in his left hand, and he wore a grayish kimono.
Though a piece of his skin showed, he could see a wound unlike any one he's seen before: a large twisted scar lay across what Hiruko assumed to be his heart.
Sakumo, a young man, his hair a little whiter than the old man's, was spikey and tied in a ponytail.
He looked around Hiruko's age everywhere but his height, where he was taller by like 20 cm.
Sakumo, hearing his grandfather's words, dropped his sword immediately and knelt.
"Sorry, Grandfather." Sakumo said with the utmost seriousness, Despite this being his grandfather, Sakumo still believed as an elder and the last leader of the Hatake clan, he deserved his full respect.
The old man, smiling slightly, beckoned Hiruko in.
"Come child, this old man would like some company, and Sakumo just made a new pot of tea," the man said politely, though Hiruko knew he couldn't refuse.
Standing up, Hiruko began walking inside side by side with Sakumo, who whispered,
"Don't cause any problems, Or," Sakumo said, raising his blade slightly before putting it back in its sheath.
Hiruko simply sighed, nodding slightly.
…
Now sitting on a tatami mat with a cup of hot tea in front of him
Beside him sat Sakumo, who drank the steaming hot tea as if he felt none of its heat.
The old man who sat on his own mat in front of the two also drank his tea.
"So what brings you here, Hiruko?" The old man said, sitting down his tea.
This caught Hiruko by surprise. "How did you know my name?" Hiruko asked warily.
Seeing this, the old man simply laughed. "Is there anyone in the upper echelons of Konoha who hasn't heard the name of the child Lady Mito adopted?" He said with a hint of playfulness.
Hiruko, thinking over the man's answer, found it plausible.
'He's not wrong, plus if he had bad intentions, he would easily be able to do them.' Hiruko said he didn't even need observation haki to know that this man was dangerous.
"I got lost and wanted help getting back," Hiruko said simply to the man's question.
At his bluntness, Sakumo got angry. "Hey, fix your tone." Sakumo said, ready to draw his blade.
Hiruko, seeing this, looked over to the old man.
'So you have no intent to stop him, huh?' Hiruko thought, seeing the man making no move to stop Sakumo
'What a drag.' Hiruko thought emulating a certain character
Extending his hand, a translucent circle of energy appeared under Sakumo; however, instead of the pressure being on his body, Hiruko concentrated it on the sword, which Sakumo had already drawn.
'What the—' Sakumo thought, noticing the added pressure on his sword, but contrary to what Hiruko thought, Sakumo didn't drop his sword; instead, he strained his muscles, keeping the sword in his hand, using momentum to make his way toward Hiruko.
At that moment Hiruko felt a fear he'd hadn't felt since arriving in this world. The fear of death.
'Shit.' Hiruko thought about planning to use a new technique he'd been working on for the past month and a half.
The problem was this technique was still unfinished so even though it could possibly seriously hurt Sakumo, Hiruko wasn't thinking about that all he focuse on was survival
but suddenly a voice of absolute power erupted.
"Stop!!" At that moment both Hiruko and Sakumo stopped in their tracks, their power draining from their bodies.
'I just wanted to test the boy's strength and whether I could entrust Sakumo to him.
Who knew he would use a technique that caused even me to fear for Sakumo's life, even unconsciously using my power, which I haven't used in decades?"
The old man said he trusted his grandson's power, but Hiruko's technique, though he hadn't witnessed it in its entirety, made him fear for Sakumo's life.
Even unconsciously using his powers, which with each use furthers his sickness, which is why he hasn't for decades, but his fear of Hiruko's technique on his son caused him to use them.
'This boy, he reminds me so much of you, master. If it's him, maybe, just maybe, I can leave Sakumo to him.'
Looking over, Hiruko saw the old man begin to cough up blood and drop.
Sakumo, also seeing this, immediately rushed over. "Grandfather!"
"We need to get you to a medic now." Sakumo said, getting up ready to go get one.
But the old man grabbed his hand. "Stop, Sakumo." He said as he beckoned Hiruko over.
Hiruko thought he didn't really want to but decide to entertain one of the man's last words.
Walking over and bending down next to him, the man smiled and began to speak.
"You know, before your time, during the warring states period, the Hatake clan was an independent one.
But because of the constant war, our numbers dwindled again and again until it was just me, my son, and Sakumo.
But one day a man with a smile so bright and dreams so big came and asked us to build an oasis with him, a village where children could grow devoid of war.
And it was at that moment I pledged my sword to him, a man that I wanted to follow because with him I knew I could reach my dreams.
But as I followed him and served as his sword, I gradually forsook my dreams for his, becoming his sword wholeheartedly, but he never forsook mine and helped me reach the peak.
But one day while he went to fend off the 9-tails, sealing it in Lady Mito, I took on Madara Uchiha, who was both my master's friend and enemy, and it was then he gave me this scar." The man spoke, pulling down his kimono, revealing his scar in its entirety.
"It was also the day I was crowned the strongest in the realm of swordsmanship." The old man said, coughing up blood again. Hiruko could feel it; he was dying.
"Looks like my time is running out." The old man said grimly.
"Look, Sakumo I can't make this next decision for you; it is yours and only yours to make. I originally wanted you to pledge yourself to the village, continuing to support his creation, but this village isn't like what it once was; I can feel it. It's changing, becoming darker."
'He can already tell, huh? Danzo is descending to darkness while Hiruzen is developing his pacifist mindset' Hiruko thought internally.
"We may be shinobi, but at heart we're samurai; once we find our master, we live and die for them as well. And I want Hiruko to be that for you. I see something amazing in him, almost as if fate will bow to his will but also lead him to greatness, and though this might be selfish, I want you to be there with him, but as I said before, this isn't my choice."
Sakumo, hearing this, began to ponder; he didn't know what he wanted. His father always used to tell him,
"You'll know once you see the thing you're ready to serve, to give your life to," and Sakumo didn't feel that yet.
"I—" Sakumo was about to speak, but Hiruko spoke up instead.
"No, I refuse. If someone's going to follow me, it has to be out of their own will not because some old man wants to play matchmaker and if you havrnt noticed we barley know each other" Hiruko said mentally pulling his hair as if he was crazy. He'd known these guys for less than an hour and they wanted to pawn a whole human being on him.
"And to be honest, I have no overmounting goals; I just want to live a nice life and protect those I love. So instead of putting it on me, how about you do it yourself?" Hiruko said, grabbing Sakumo's sword and unsheathing it.
"No—" Sakumo tried to stop Hiruko, but before he could, Hiruko slit open his palm, drops of blood falling on the old man's body.
A yellowish pulse and bright light came from his body as Hiruko focused all his willpower to heal the man's injury.
"I knew a couple-decade-old wound wouldn't be easy to heal, but damn," Hiruko said, gritting his teeth. Blood poured from every possible surface of his body: eyes, nose, and ears.
Eventually the world began to go dark, and Hiruko passed out.
—
A bright light shined in infinite darkness; the light, which was Hiruko's consciousness, lay asleep over him. However, a darker light stood in the likeness of his current body.
"You're doing a good job, me, or should I say @#$$#@. Keep going and reach the peak of this world for me because right now you're a little too weak."
The original Hiruko said as he lightly touched the ball of light. Immediately after his touch, the ball of light took on a slightly darker hue.
"You're becoming more like me every day." The original Hiruko said, smiling, before disappearing.
—--------------------------------------------------------
I know this chapter is fast-paced, and I apologize. Please just bear with it; I'll try and draw them out more in the future.