Chapter 64: Blade Aura, and the Mole
The corner of Hiruzen Sarutobi's eye twitched. Coming from Danzō, those words were the height of hypocrisy.
"Hiruzen," Danzō said, tapping his cane on the floor, "you know that Root is skilled at raising children. Give me Naruto. I guarantee you, in less than ten years, I will make him a perfect Jinchūriki."
Hiruzen stood up, his gaze cold. "You've overstepped, Danzō. The negative effects of the Nine-Tails' attack are still being felt. For the villagers to overcome their fear of the Tailed Beast, Naruto must live among them. He cannot belong to any one faction, including me. This is the plan that I proposed, and that was approved by the two elders and the majority of the Jōnin. Are you trying to claim the Jinchūriki for yourself? Remember, I am the Hokage!"
The last sentence was a dagger in Danzō's heart. He snorted and turned to leave.
"Danzō," Hiruzen said quickly, "I need your help with the second Chunin Exam."
"Are you going to make me the scapegoat again, Hiruzen?" Danzō said, his back to him.
Hiruzen's eye twitched. He and Danzō had a clear division of labor: one in the light, one in the dark. In the past, Danzō had complained, but never so openly. He was truly angry.
"Danzō," Homura said, "what are you saying? Hiruzen is doing this for the village."
"That's right," Koharu added. "The village needs both of you."
"I have given so much," Danzō said, turning to face him, "but I can only ever be your shadow." He then stormed out of the room.
Hiruzen just laughed. "Kakashi, have someone replace the door. Take the money from Danzō's budget."
"Yes, sir."
After Kakashi had left, Koharu and Homura looked at him, their eyes gleaming.
"Hiruzen, with Hiashi dead, the Hyūga are without a leader. This is a perfect opportunity for us to infiltrate them."
The two elders exchanged a look. They would prop up a puppet and slowly take control of the clan.
The Hyūga were feudal and class-conscious. Two years ago, when the Cloud delegation had come to Konoha, every prominent clan had sent a representative to greet them, even the much-maligned Uchiha. Only the Hyūga had been absent. The elders had later learned that the entire clan had been busy preparing for Hinata's third birthday. The matter of peace between two great nations was less important than the heiress's birthday. That was the Hyūga.
"I will make the arrangements," Hiruzen said, his eyes narrowing.
After the elders had left, he called out, "Kakashi."
The white-haired ANBU appeared in a swirl of leaves.
"From now on, you are relieved of all other duties. You will be in charge of Naruto. Your only mission is to ensure that no Root ninja, or anyone associated with Root, comes into contact with him."
"Understood." Kakashi's heart pounded in his chest. Sensei, I finally have custody of Naruto.
The rumor that Naruto was the demon fox had been started by Root. They had deliberately isolated and ostracized him, hoping to drive him to lose control and unleash the Nine-Tails' power. If he had, Danzō would have had all the justification he needed to take control of him. And if Naruto had fallen into his hands, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
"And one more thing," Hiruzen said, picking up the frog wallet from his desk. "Return this to Naruto's bedside as soon as possible. I hear he saved up for a long time to buy it. It must mean a lot to him."
"..."
Thinking of Naruto's hardships, a wave of sadness washed over Kakashi. After the Fourth Hokage's death, he had been lost in a spiral of grief, using endless missions to numb the pain. He hadn't even been able to take care of himself, let alone Naruto. By the time he had emerged from the darkness, the village's plan for the Jinchūriki was already in place. He had been powerless to help.
But it wasn't too late.
Sensei, from now on, I will take care of him.
"Kakashi?"
"Understood," he said, taking the wallet.
"You may go," Hiruzen said. He stood up and looked out at the Hokage Rock. "And Kakashi... you don't look well. You should read less of Jiraiya's books."
Thump.
Kakashi stumbled and nearly fell off the roof.
The next morning, Neji slowly opened his eyes. He sat up and glanced at Yugito, who had, at some point during the night, squeezed into his bed. She had finally fallen asleep in the early hours of the morning and was now snoring softly, a trickle of drool at the corner of her mouth.
He pushed her aside and got dressed.
The news of Hiashi's death would spread throughout Konoha within a day. As he had expected, the mole would soon try to make contact with the Cloud's spies. All he had to do was wait at their intelligence post.
He left the inn and, after buying breakfast, he sent a Shadow Clone back to the inn with it. His real body then made its way to the intelligence post.
It was on the western edge of the village, in a sparsely populated area.
He saw a dilapidated farmhouse and walked toward it, knocking three times on the door.
"Who is it?" a muffled voice called from inside.
"I'm here to buy some small toys."
"Where are you from?"
"The mountains."
The metal door creaked open.
A middle-aged man stood there. Neji couldn't sense any chakra from him.
"This way, please."
The man led him to a secret room in the basement.
The man's name was Yurui, a Tokubetsu Chunin.
"What do you need me to do?" he asked.
"How many people like you are there in Konoha?"
"After what happened two years ago," Yurui said with a sigh, "the village's spy network has been purged several times. Now, I'm the only one left."
One was not enough. But a spy's main job was to gather intelligence. Even if there were a dozen of them, they wouldn't be much help in a fight.
Neji told him he would be staying for the day and then dismissed him.
He went to a small clearing in the woods at the center of the farm and began to practice his taijutsu and kenjutsu.
[You have practiced your swordsmanship. Your understanding has increased. EXP +1]
[You have practiced your taijutsu. Your understanding has increased. EXP +1]
He practiced only the most basic cuts, without using any chakra.
Yurui came out to check on him. At first, he didn't think much of it. But then he saw that Neji was just endlessly slashing at the air, and his brow furrowed. He couldn't make any sense of it, and he didn't dare to interrupt.
Neji practiced all morning, all afternoon, and into the evening, only stopping to eat and rest.
Just as Yurui was beginning to think he had gone mad, he had a breakthrough.
[Congratulations! Your swordsmanship has advanced to LV5. You have learned the ability: Blade Aura.]
"Blade Aura?"
[Blade Aura: Infuse your spiritual energy into your blade to slightly increase your speed and power, and greatly increase your oppressive presence, causing your opponent to feel intimidation, hesitation, fear, and even see illusions. The specific effect is determined by the amount of your Yin Release chakra.]
He finally understood how Mifune, a mere samurai, could defeat most ninja. The "conviction of the sword" he had spoken of was this Blade Aura. Mifune's had greatly increased his speed. Neji's was focused on presence and, when combined with his Yin Release, it could create an effect similar to a genjutsu.
He closed his eyes and ran his hand along his chakra blade, over and over, as if he were stroking Yugito. He felt as if he were in a chaotic space, and that his long years of training had brought him to a new level of understanding.
The blade was still the same blade. But now, it felt like an extension of his own body.
"Still training?" Yurui asked, bringing him a food box.
"I had a small epiphany," Neji said with a happy smile.
He had realized that even a master swordsman like Hatake Sakumo, who had earned the name "Konoha's White Fang" with just a single chakra blade, must have also mastered this Blade Aura.
Just then, he raised an eyebrow. "Yurui-senpai, you should go back inside and rest."
Yurui, a smart man, didn't ask any questions.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The sound of slow, heavy footsteps came from the distance.
A figure, completely shrouded in a black cloak, was walking toward him.
The mole. He's here.
The figure's movements were stiff, his knees not bending as he walked, and from time to time, there was the faint sound of grinding gears.
Out of respect, Neji didn't use his Tenseigan.
"You've come," he said.
"You were waiting for me," the figure said, a hint of surprise in his voice. "You knew I would come?"
"I did," Neji replied. "Because you, like me, hate the Hyūga. And in the entire shinobi world, I am the only one who can help you. So I knew you would come."
"It's a pity Hiashi died at your hands," the figure said, his voice filled with regret. "I wasn't able to kill him myself."
"His death is not the end," Neji said, testing him. "It's the beginning. All of them... every single one of them in the main family... must be eliminated."
"What do you want me to do?" the figure asked after a moment of thought.
"If we're going to cooperate," Neji said, "then please, take off your hood. Let me see who you are."
"I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you," the figure said, shaking his head.
"You're not being sincere."