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In Kirigakure (The Village Hidden in the Mist),
News that the bodies of the Second Mizukage, Gengetsu Hozuki, and the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, had been stolen sent a shockwave of fury through the village.
"Damn it! They were under heavy guard! How could they have been taken?" a Jounin exclaimed, his voice tight with anger.
"Could there be a traitor? Someone who knew the security protocols?" another whispered, eyes darting around.
At that moment, a Kirigakure ANBU, masked and somber, reported: "No, the perpetrator was a single individual wearing a distinctive orange spiral mask."
"That despicable masked man! Report this to Lady Mizukage immediately!"
Inside the Mizukage's Office,
Terumi Mei, the Fifth Mizukage, listened to the report, her expression hardening, a dangerous glint in her usually calm eyes. Initially, she'd been baffled as to who could achieve such a feat within Kirigakure, a village still recovering but fiercely guarded.
Learning it was the masked man, however, brought a grim understanding. This was the same individual who had manipulated the Fourth Mizukage, plunging Kirigakure into its dark 'Bloody Mist' era. He undoubtedly possessed intimate knowledge of the village's layout and secrets from that time.
"It was his manipulation of Yagura-sama that led to so many of our village's tragedies," Terumi Mei mused, her thoughts drifting to the horrors of the past, like the cruel graduation exams that bred shinobi like Zabuza Momochi, and the persecution of Kekkei Genkai users which Haku and his mother had suffered. All these scars, in one way or another, traced back to the masked man's influence.
"Issue this order," Terumi Mei commanded, her voice leaving no room for debate. "All corpses of Kirigakure shinobi, particularly those with significant abilities or lineage, are to be cremated immediately. We will not allow our fallen to be desecrated or used against us!"
"Yes, Lady Mizukage!" the ANBU acknowledged before vanishing in a flicker.
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Outside Kirigakure,
Uchiha Obito materialized silently. A grimly satisfied smirk played on his lips as he surveyed the numerous corpses now stored within his Kamui dimension.
"Hmph. Whether it's grand strategy or simple grave robbing, my methods are always... efficient," he muttered to himself, a cold amusement in his tone. "These puppets will serve their purpose."
With another swirl of his Kamui, Obito vanished, intent on securing more assets for the impending war.
Meanwhile, on the battlefields of the Fourth Great Shinobi War, new conflicts were unfolding:
[The scene shifts to a coastal battlefield. Countless White Zetsu swarmed towards the Allied Shinobi Forces. Interspersed among the Zetsu were figures reanimated by the Edo Tensei (Impure World Reincarnation) technique.]
[The focus narrows onto a Konoha shinobi, instantly recognizable: Hyuga Hizashi, Neji's father. His opponent was none other than his twin brother, Hyuga Hiashi, the current head of the Hyuga Clan.]
["Brother... I never imagined I would face you as an enemy," Hizashi said, his voice filled with a deep sorrow. "To be a tool of the enemy, after a life dedicated to protecting the Main Family... Is this the inescapable fate of the Branch Family?"]
["That accursed fate no longer binds us, Hizashi," Hiashi replied, his stance firm but his eyes betraying his own pain. "Your son, Neji, and my daughter, Hinata, have both fought to shatter those chains. It is not about the Branch serving the Main, or the Main dictating to the Branch. It is about comrades protecting one another, bound by bonds stronger than any cursed seal!"]
[A flicker of understanding, perhaps even peace, crossed Hizashi's reanimated features. "So, such an era has finally begun... Brother, if it must be, then let it be by your hand. Seal me."]
[With those words, the two Hyuga masters engaged, their movements a blur of Gentle Fist strikes, a tragic dance between brothers.]
In Konoha (The Village Hidden in the Leaves),
Hyuga Hiashi watched the projection, a profound mix of grief and resolve settling upon him. If only he hadn't been bound by the clan's traditions and his own perceived weaknesses in the past, perhaps he and Hizashi could have stood side-by-side against this reanimated army.
The guilt of Hizashi's sacrifice to protect him and the clan during the Kumo incident still weighed heavily.
"Hizashi... I am sorry," he murmured, too low for anyone else to hear. "If you were truly here, not as a puppet of Edo Tensei... there is so much I would say. So much about the changes within the clan, the truths I kept silent for too long regarding the Main and Branch families."
Elsewhere in Konoha,
Neji Hyuga stared at the image of his father, tears welling in his eyes, blurring his Byakugan's vision for a moment. To see his father again, even like this... it was a shock that resonated deep within his soul.
He thought of his own relentless battle against the 'destiny' imposed upon the Branch Family, a struggle his father would never witness. 'Father ', Neji thought with a surge of bittersweet pride, 'if you knew how I've fought to change our fate, to honor the sacrifice you made... I hope you would be proud.'
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T/N: +1 Extra Chapter per 100 power stones.
Visit my p@treon for advance chapters.
https://patreon.com/Supreme_1_Raushan