"Kakashi. Rin." Kageyama Kokugetsu greeted them with a grin.
Seeing his getup, Kakashi's mouth twitched and his brow creased, while Nohara Rin couldn't help but laugh.
"Kokugetsu, what's with that look?"
"Following the trend," Kageyama said, waggling his brows at Kakashi.
Rin laughed again. "Well, it does look pretty cool."
"Boring," Kakashi muttered, arms folded, rolling his eye.
Kageyama burst out laughing, then, before Kakashi could snap, he pushed up his forehead protector and revealed a white eye.
The plunder hadn't taken only Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's power—it had taken the essence. Kageyama could freely switch between his black eye and white eye, opening one while closing the other.
"This is…" Both their pupils dilated in shock.
"That's right. A Hyuga Byakugan."
"Kokugetsu, don't tell me you also…" Kakashi's voice trembled, as if he'd found a kindred spirit.
"Don't get the wrong idea. My Byakugan isn't like your Sharingan. It's war spoils."
"Spoils?"
Kakashi and Rin were baffled. Spoils from one of the village's two great clans?
"The Hyuga main family had a Byakugan snatched by Kirigakure. I took it back," Kageyama said. "There were some twists, but it's settled. By the way, Kakashi, the Uchiha must know about your case by now. Have you thought how you'll handle it?"
Kakashi shook his head. He'd been sunk in grief; he hadn't had the heart to consider it.
Worried, Rin pleaded, "Kokugetsu, help Kakashi think it through. The Uchiha are even trickier than the Hyuga."
"My advice is: once we reach camp, make a point of showing goodwill to Elder Homura and Clan Head Hiashi," Kageyama said. "Hiashi won't pass up a chance to save face, and the village leadership would be only too happy to see the Sharingan leak handled their way. And Rin—don't fret too much. Your teacher is the Yellow Flash. Your teacher's teacher is Jiraiya of the Sannin. Your teacher's teacher's teacher is the Hokage. The Uchiha won't dare go too far."
"That makes a lot of sense," Rin said, eyes brightening as she nodded.
Kakashi only inclined his head in tacit agreement.
"All present—form up. Move out!" the support battalion commander suddenly barked.
Conversation snapped off. They mustered and set out. A day and a half later they reached Konoha's camp on the southeastern border of the Land of Fire.
Kakashi and the others had paperwork to do; Kageyama's process was simpler. Skirting the camouflaged camp that all but merged with the forest, he stopped at the command tent and went in when cleared.
"Elder Homura," he said with a smile and a bow.
Mitokado Homura nodded kindly. "Hiruzen has already spoken to me about your assignment. From here on, you report directly to me."
"Yes, Elder."
"There is one matter on which I need your opinion."
"Please."
"Last time, to smooth things over with the Hyuga for you, I consulted Uchiha Fugaku and reached certain arrangements," Homura said. "We still need the Hyuga to shoulder major burdens at the front—this concerns not only this theater but the entire war. It isn't convenient for me to pressure them in my own name. Fugaku helped more than a little. One of his conditions was to have you attached under him. Now you've entered ANBU, and Hiruzen has said you answer directly to me. I'm in a bind."
"That's easy," Kageyama said. "Send me over on secondment to help."
In truth, Uchiha Fire Release didn't fear Kirigakure's Water Release, but the Hidden Mist Technique that sealed vision was a pain. Without Wind Release, the Uchiha were on the back foot, while the mist-nin could engage or withdraw at will. Wind users were rare across the villages—and rarer still among the Uchiha. To turn things around and rack up merit, Fugaku needed Byakugan support.
"Think this through. With Fugaku you'll be in danger. At my side you won't," Homura said gravely. He coordinated from camp and would not appear at the front unless disaster loomed.
"True strength is forged on the battlefield. So are Konoha's pillars," Kageyama said, eyes steady.
"Good. Good," Homura said, pleased. "As you wish. Be careful out there. If you need supplies, take my chit and draw what you require."
He wrote a requisition that exceeded the authority of most jonin.
"Thank you, Elder," Kageyama said, bowing as he accepted it.
"Go on," Homura replied with a gentle smile.
That afternoon, with the secondment order in hand, Kageyama entered Uchiha Fugaku's tent. Fugaku and Hiashi were both deputy commanders; their tents flanked the command tent.
Announced and admitted, Kageyama found the place crowded.
"Kokugetsu, you're here at last. Welcome," Fugaku said, rising from his cushion, a brief smile softening his severe features.
"Lord Fugaku, I look forward to your guidance," Kageyama said with a bow and a smile.
"Of course. Let me introduce you. This is Uchiha Yashiro," Fugaku said, gesturing.
"Senior Yashiro," Kageyama said with a slight bow.
"Hm," Yashiro replied with a curt nod.
"These two are Uchiha Inabi and Uchiha Tekka."
"Senior Inabi. Senior Tekka," Kageyama said, only nodding this time.
He wasn't one to press a warm face to a cold backside. If they wouldn't give face, he wouldn't either. The shinobi present caught the nuance.
Inabi and Tekka merely inclined their heads.
Fugaku's brow pinched, then smoothed. He smiled in explanation. "They're not targeting you. They're sour over the Sharingan leaving the clan."
So that was it.
If only the Byakugan had leaked, the Uchiha would be gloating; they might not have liked Kageyama, but they'd have no special grievance. With the Sharingan out as well, the association tainted him by extension.
"Understood," Kageyama said, not quite sincerely.
"This is Uchiha Shisui—the foremost prodigy of our young generation," Fugaku said. He kept his tone even, but pride crept through.
The button-nosed boy smiled gently. "Hello, Kokugetsu. Let's look out for each other."
"Hello, Shisui. I'm in your care," Kageyama said, smiling back.
When the introductions were done, Fugaku asked, "Kokugetsu, ordinarily you'll move with me. If I'm in camp, you'll move with Shisui. If neither of us is on assignment, use your time as you see fit. Does that work?"
"As Lord Fugaku wishes," Kageyama said with a pleasant bow.
For costless courtesies, he was always game. Honeyed words with a hidden edge weren't for everyone; it took the right mindset—and steady nerves.
"Good," Fugaku said, satisfied, smile deepening as he raised a hand.
"Kokugetsu, join the line."