A gentleman takes his revenge in ten years; a petty man takes it from dawn till dusk.
He was neither gentleman nor petty man. Tonight would do.
Having decided, Kageyama Kokugetsu set it aside for the moment, swapped out all the food and water in his house, and took water and ingredients from the Great Dark Heaven to cook.
After eating his fill, he went out to exchange for jutsu.
With Sarutobi Hiruzen's signed passes, everything went smoothly—just procedure.
From the Scroll of Seals, Kokugetsu chose the Spirit Transformation Technique. Anything to do with the soul drew him in.
From the standard archive he picked a few jutsu that matched his chakra nature. That was his original nature; now he had them all, but he couldn't cart off every element's catalogue at once.
No doubt ANBU would report his selections back to Hiruzen. Once he mastered these to a fine edge, he could take up other elements' jutsu. Chakra nature transformation could be trained even if you weren't born with it. For most shinobi, though, one or two elements' worth of jutsu were enough to study for a lifetime.
In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen glanced over the ANBU slip and could only smile wryly.
"This kid always picks the hardest things. Ambitious.
"May he succeed. Konoha hasn't seen the Spirit Transformation in ages.
"If he pulls it off, his assassination craft will climb another rung. He'll be the nightmare of many.
"Konoha's assassination arts are no worse than Kirigakure's—few simply walk that path."
He tucked the note away, lit his pipe, and bent to his paperwork.
In the Hyūga compound, at the clan head's residence, front-court tearoom.
Hyūga Hiashi and Hyūga Hizashi sat on the corridor outside, steam rising from their cups, a soft fragrance of tea in the air, a small garden beside them.
Scarlet blossoms, bamboo spears of green, rocks and trees, bright grass and flowers, a murmuring brook—every inch a noble house's taste.
"Brother, that's the situation," Hizashi said, sipping his tea.
"Mm. No wonder Kageyama Kokugetsu grew straight through the war. He's careful," Hiashi sighed, setting his cup down.
"Exactly. Which makes this hard.
"The elders are pressing. What do we do?"
"We've already startled the snake. Hard now," Hiashi frowned.
The target was now a jōnin, trusted by Konoha's top brass, captain in the Hokage's own ANBU. Heavy-handed methods were risky; if caught, the Hyūga would pay dearly.
"I ran into the grand elder just now. He said if it won't do, hire strong bounty-nin."
"That could work, but there aren't many bounty-nin who can beat him unless they team up," Hiashi said, his brows easing.
"If we take that route, the commission must state he mustn't be killed or crippled.
"Kageyama covets the Byakugan for his future. Greedy, yes, but by shinobi rules it isn't exactly wrong," Hizashi said gravely.
Truth was, they bowed to strength. If the Byakugan had fallen into Kirigakure's hands, the Hyūga would likely have given up. Ao had used the Byakugan at the Five Kage Summit and Konoha could do nothing about it. Spoils of war.
"Try once more. If it fails, drop it.
"We are a gracious noble clan, not the Uchiha. We don't push people past the line.
"I'll speak to the elders," Hiashi said, closing the matter.
"Then I'll head home."
"Bring Neji for dinner tonight. Your sister-in-law dotes on him."
"Understood."
Around ten that night, Hinata's mother helped a tipsy Hiashi back to their bedroom.
Both had bathed and wore white robes.
Hiashi looked at his wife—flawless features tinged peach-pink, noble and serene, long black hair on her shoulders, a faint fragrance about her—and felt a stir.
Catching his gaze, she bit her lip, cast him a coy, reproving glance, half-resisting with a teasing grace.
Just as Hiashi reached out, a sudden laugh cracked the air, jolting them both.
"My, it seems I've come at a bad time. Forgive me for disturbing your mood, Clan Head Hiashi."
"Who's there?"
Hiashi moved fast. Even as he spoke he stepped and struck where the voice had sounded.
His palm hit nothing. Kokugetsu's figure rose like a watermark behind Hinata's mother, a silver flash resting against her neck.
She had once been a kunoichi, but years of comfort had dulled the edge. Her face blanched; her lips opened and closed without a sound.
"Over here, Clan Head," Kokugetsu said with a smile.
"Kageyama Kokugetsu—what do you want?" Hiashi's face changed, shock and fury mixing.
"Madam, sorry to have frightened you. Only a joke."
His tone softened. He lifted the blade from her throat and stepped back.
Hiashi let out a breath; his face eased. Hinata's mother hurried to his side, color returning with anger in her eyes.
"I came by specifically to repay the Hyūga clan's concern.
"Such care deserves a peach for a plum," Kokugetsu said mildly, all politeness on the surface, the threat plain beneath.
"So bold, Kokugetsu. We all underestimated you," Hiashi said, face dark.
"I can be reckless. I've no strings. One man fed, the whole family full," Kokugetsu said coolly.
Another threat. A man without ties was dangerous.
"How did you get in?"
The Hyūga's outer ring was screened by the Byakugan. Infiltration was hard. Inside, the clan was lax; no one dared keep the dōjutsu active and peep at will.
"The Byakugan is strong, not invincible," Kokugetsu chuckled.
At least in Konoha, there were ways to foil it. Otherwise the village and its clans would have no secrets from Hyūga eyes. Such screens weren't for everyone, and their cost wasn't for everyone to bear.
"Hmph. What do you want?" Hiashi's gaze sharpened.
"Nothing.
"Only this: stop caring so much about me. If not, the main family would do well to sleep with one eye open."
"You dare threaten me?" His voice cracked. Blue chakra flared from Hiashi in a rush; he stood like a beast about to spring.
"I call it a warning. If you insist it's a threat, as you like.
"You're relatively open-minded. The other main-branch fossils are not.
"If they stay stubborn, tell them their lives mean no more to me than any commoner's.
"That's all. If you're not convinced, come at me."
Kokugetsu lifted his blade and sank straight through the floor, slipping into the earth.
Hiashi's eyes shifted, fists clenching and loosening. For many reasons, he didn't strike.
"Husband," Hinata's mother said softly, worried.
"A bother.
"Sleep. We'll deal with it tomorrow."
After that, he had no mind for anything else.
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