The Land of Hot Springs, a small country without a Hidden Village, is located in the northeast of the Land of Fire and is perpetually shrouded in the steamy mist of hot springs. Volcanic geothermal activity has created numerous hot springs, with rising steam swirling year-round among the scattered inns. This place is both an excellent spot for spies from major nations to secretly meet and a favored trading hub for black market merchants.
The Dog's Hot Spring Inn is located at the end of the town's most bustling street. It is said that long ago, when this was just a poor small village, a dog suddenly appeared one day. It barked incessantly at a certain spot on the ground, and the villagers, bothered by the noise, eventually dug up the land led by the village's young people.
"Splash!"
Scalding hot spring water suddenly gushed out, and the rising steam instantly enveloped the entire village. From then on, this village, which prospered due to the hot springs, gradually flourished and eventually developed into the hot spring town it is today. The villagers firmly believed that the dog was a messenger sent by the Dog God, so they named this hot spring "Dog's Hot Spring," and the inn built later also adopted this name.
Inn Second Floor · Japanese-style Room
The paper door was gently pulled open, and Hyuga Hizashi knelt by the window. His black eye patch had already been removed, but his pure white Byakugan were still slightly narrowed; the prolonged darkness made it difficult for him to adapt to the light temporarily.
From the moment he was rescued until now, they had traveled for two full days. During this time, the Masked Man had given him no other instructions besides having him use the Transformation Technique to disguise himself as an ordinary traveler. There were no restraints, no interrogations, not even extra dialogue, just a simple command of "Follow me," and he had brought him across the border to this place.
What exactly is this...
Hizashi's fingertips unconsciously caressed the rim of the teacup. Questions kept coming. If the other party truly intended to seize his Byakugan, he could have easily tied him up like Kumogakure. If he were a ninja from another Hidden Village, he shouldn't have attacked the Kumogakure convoy so brazenly.
What puzzled him most was this.
The Masked Man had said, "I'll take your Byakugan," when he rescued him, but so far, the other party hadn't even touched his eyes.
Familiar footsteps came from outside the paper door, and Hizashi immediately straightened his back. With a "creak," the figure wearing a fox mask appeared at the doorway, still in his black robe. Fortunately, the subtle oppressive aura he carried, perhaps because he wasn't in combat, had disappeared.
Hyuga Hizashi maintained a standard kneeling posture. Across from him, the mysterious man also sat on the floor, the hem of his black robe spread across the rush-mat tatami. The fox mask completely hid his face in shadow.
Silence fell upon the room for a moment, with only the faint sound of the hot spring water outside the window audible. Hizashi was pondering how to speak when...
"You must have many questions now."
The Masked Man suddenly spoke, his voice coming through the mask.
"Regarding my identity, I cannot tell you in detail." He raised his hand and lightly tapped his mask with his fingertip. "This mask also cannot be removed. If you need a name to call me... just call me 'Menma'."
"Menma... sir." Hizashi cautiously chose a respectful address. After the other party single-handedly annihilated the Kumogakure envoy, he instinctively maintained the highest level of courtesy.
He took a deep breath, his white eyes looking directly at the strange mask. "This question might be a bit presumptuous... but what is your objective?"
Unexpectedly, Menma did not seem to be offended by this direct question. He remained casually seated on the tatami.
"It's fine, there's no need to hide this question. Strictly speaking, my identity does not belong to a ninja of any Hidden Village. As for saving you..."
"...it wasn't for the Byakugan either."
Hizashi's body visibly stiffened for a moment. The words "I'll take your Byakugan" on the battlefield were still vivid in his ears, yet now they were lightly denied?
As if sensing his confusion, Menma took the initiative to explain. "Those words, to be precise, were to make those Kumogakure guys believe my objective. I committed an act equivalent to declaring war, so they will surely portray me as some evil villain, won't they?"
A soft laugh came from beneath the mask. "I don't want to be morally blackmailed. In front of them, I'll just play the role of a feared existence."
Hizashi was stunned. He realized that the man before him, who had easily destroyed an elite unit, now displayed a level of meticulous thought that was far more alarming than his physical prowess.
"Then... what is your true objective?"
Menma did not answer immediately. He reached for the teapot on the table and slowly poured tea into the cup.
"Besides the Byakugan, I can't think of anything else I have..."
He paused, his Adam's apple subtly bobbing.
"...that would qualify me to be saved."
Menma's fingers gently caressed the rim of the teacup. "Do you believe it?" His voice suddenly carried an indescribable emotion, like anger, yet also like pity.
"Sometimes, saving someone... doesn't require any special reason."
The teacup was placed heavily on the table, spilling a few drops of tea.
"I just couldn't stand it." Menma's voice suddenly turned cold. "I couldn't stand those hypocritical guys, using the banner of national righteousness to push an innocent person towards death."
"That's all."
Hizashi's body suddenly stiffened.
...What?
His mind was frozen. Merely because... he couldn't stand it? This powerful individual, capable of easily annihilating Kumogakure's elite forces, risking enmity with a major nation, just because...
Of an act of chivalry?
This absurd thought almost made him laugh aloud. As a pawn discarded by the village, as a sacrifice willingly going to his death, he was now saved for such a fairytale reason?
Menma saw through his wavering, and the mask tilted slightly. "Of course, saving you is not without benefits for me. But the specific reasons... I apologize, but I cannot elaborate."
Silence spread through the room.
Suddenly, Hizashi slowly stood up. Under Menma's questioning gaze, he took a few steps back, and then.
"Thump."
His forehead touched the tatami in a perfect dogeza. Hizashi's voice was low and trembling. "This kindness..."
"I, who had already resolved to die, I, who had been abandoned by my comrades, never imagined I could gain a new life in this way."
When he looked up, complex light flickered in his white eyes. "Regardless of your objective... my life at this moment is indeed a gift from you."
"If you have any commands, Hyuga Hizashi... will not hesitate to face a myriad of deaths."
Menma—or rather, Naruto, who was currently wearing the fox mask—scratched his head, a little troubled. He wasn't accustomed to such formal etiquette; although a life-saving grace certainly deserved a bow, being so solemnly sworn allegiance to made him feel subtly awkward.
Fortunately, Hizashi quickly straightened up and resumed his proper sitting posture. His expression remained calm, but in the depths of his pure white eyes, complex emotions subtly flickered.
"I truly wanted to say that... truly, thank you very much. But... I'm sorry. Even if you've gone to such lengths, I'm afraid my life... won't last much longer."
Menma did not let him continue.
"I know."
A calm voice came from beneath the mask.
"It's the Caged Bird Curse Mark, isn't it? If the Konoha elders want to appease the Raikage's anger, the Main Branch will surely place the curse mark on you—even if you've already been 'abducted,' they'll use the curse mark to ensure your 'death,' right?"
Hizashi flinched slightly, then gave a bitter smile.
..."You really do know."
Menma watched him silently, then spoke after a moment. "But, even so... no matter how much you convince yourself that you've 'accepted death'... you still don't want to die, do you?"
These words struck deep into Hizashi's heart, stirring up a long-suppressed emotion.
He didn't want to die... He had already made up his mind, already decided to die for the Hyuga clan and for the peace of Konoha... But at the moment he stepped onto the prison cart, it was Neji's face that appeared in his mind.
My child... is still so young...
Menma slowly stood up, the hem of his black robe falling silently. "In this world, as long as there are attachments, no one truly wants to die."
His voice carried an undeniable certainty. "Since I decided to save you, I won't give up halfway—I'll see this good deed through to the end."
Hizashi looked up, Menma's figure reflected in his white eyes. Menma walked up to him, extended his hand, and gently placed it on his shoulder.
"Don't move."
The next second, a gentle yet profound Chakra flowed from his palm, seeping into Hizashi's body like a trickling stream.
The Chakra gradually outlined a complex mark. The lines intertwined like chains, yet possessed a unique style.
"This is...?"
Hizashi gazed at the mark, feeling... he had seen a similar jutsu somewhere before?
Menma withdrew his hand, and the mark's light gradually faded. "Whenever you feel the Caged Bird Curse Mark being activated, use Chakra to activate this mark."
"I will sense it immediately. While I can't guarantee 100% success, I have at least a 70% chance of saving your life."
Hizashi's pupils constricted slightly. Stop the Caged Bird Curse Mark?! Does such a jutsu... truly exist?
"Afterward, once things settle down with Kumogakure, I will arrange for you to meet your son under the guise of being 'deceased'."
"My... son?"
Hizashi's voice suddenly caught in his throat.
Neji...
That small figure instantly appeared in his mind—stubborn eyes, an unyielding expression, and the way he would grit his teeth and say, "Father, I can still continue," every time he trained to exhaustion.
Could he... see him again?
This promise was like a key, instantly unlocking his long-suppressed emotions. His throat felt clogged, and even his breathing became slightly shaky.
"Menma-sama..."
He opened his mouth, but found he could no longer speak any more words.
Menma waved his hand, interrupting his potential thanks. "Before then, you stay here. I've already paid for your accommodation."
He paused, his tone suddenly carrying a subtle hint of a smile. "Of course, later... I do have something I need your help with."
Hizashi hadn't had time to respond—
"Bang!"
With a soft sound, the Menma before him suddenly dispersed into a puff of white smoke.
A Shadow Clone?!
Hizashi stood rooted to the spot. He was the only one left in the empty Japanese-style room. The faint sound of the hot spring water from outside the window was barely audible, and only the Chakra mark on his shoulder proved the mysterious man's existence.