Chirp-chirp—!
A sparrow hopped along the edge of the desk, its shrill cries piercing the air.
Sweat-drenched and dressed lightly, Sawada Fūka tilted her head, listening intently. Her finger pressed down on a perfume bottle—
Psssh—
A fragrant mist sprayed out, masking the pungent odor clinging to her skin.
Sparrows were the most common creatures in Konoha.
Common means inconspicuous. Perfect for espionage.
"So… a 'female monster with cloth over her eyes' destroyed your friend's home?"
Fūka's brow furrowed as she deciphered the bird's language.
Translating avian speech was not easy. Too many chirps, too much profanity.
Chirp!
The sparrow's tone softened slightly, as if calming down. "Then a 'human with white eyes' showed up, gave her two scrolls, and they… danced in the woods?"
Fūka scribbled notes, piecing together the clues.
White eyes? That screamed Hyūga clan.
Cloth-blindfolded "monster" who could snap tree trunks? In Konoha, only one person fit that description—Kaguya Hikari, the so-called "genius" adopted by Might Guy.
Rumors said she'd hospitalized a jōnin instructor during the Academy entrance exam.
"Silver hair?"
Peck! The sparrow nodded vigorously.
Confirmed.
Fūka replaced "monster" with "Hikari" and "white eyes" with "Hyūga", drawing a line between them.
Kaguya Hikari met a Hyūga, received two scrolls, and… "danced."
She circled "danced" and "scrolls."
Then it hit her.
They weren't dancing—they were training!
No hand seals meant taijutsu, and the Hyūga's signature style was—
Gentle Fist.
Hikari was learning the Hyūga's secret art. In the Forest of Death, no less. Was she stealing it?
Fūka's pulse spiked.
Everyone knew: Gentle Fist required the Byakugan.
So either—
Hikari found a way to bypass the Byakgan's requirements… She had the Byakugan all along. The blindfold was a ruse.
Logic said Option #1 was likely. The Hyūga guarded their bloodline fanatically—even siblings were branded with the Caged Bird Seal. A "stray" Hyūga was near impossible.
But if it was Option #2…?
Fūka's heart hammered.
This could be her ticket out of the shadows. That monster Juugo, who destroyed her village—he'd finally pay.
Thump-thump. Excitement flushed her cheeks.
With a clatter, she yanked open her desk drawer, pulling out a squirming bag of mealworms.
Chirp! The sparrow dove in, rolling gleefully in the wriggling pile.
Once it flew off, Fūka drafted a new report.
Did Hikari have the Byakugan? She couldn't confirm.
Didn't matter.
Kumo's brass craved the Byakugan. Even a hint would trigger a retrieval mission.
If they captured her and she did have it? Mission accomplished.
If not? No loss.
After all…
Fūka smirked. "I'm just a powerless civilian. How could I possibly arrest a 'monster' who smashes trees?"
Her pen flew across the page, cipher-text buzzing with anticipation.
This time, the report wasn't about the Uchiha or the Hyūga.
The headline?
"Kaguya Hikari: A Bloodline Traitor?"
Konoha Memorial Stone
The evening wind howled as a cloaked figure knelt, placing flowers before a grave.
His orange spiral mask hid all but a single, blood-red eye.
Squelch.
Something bulged from the earth—a withered venus flytrap peeling open.
"Tobi—"
"Call meMadara."
Uchiha Obito didn't turn, but his Sharingan pulsed.
"Oops~" White Zetsu's tone was mock-innocent.
Obito ignored the jab. "Report."
"The Uchiha are revolting. Fugaku's lost control—they're planning a coup."
"Good."
His tomoe spun faster.
The Uchiha were unpredictable. Any one of them could awaken the Mangekyō and jeopardize the Moon's Eye Plan.
Eliminating them was the only guarantee.
He'd already killed his sensei. There was no turning back.
"And Itachi?"
"Hesitating." Black Zetsu's voice oozed from the shadows.
"Tch. So much for 'preserving the Uchiha's honor.'"
"Well, slaughtering your family is hard—"
"Shut up." Black Zetsu cut off White's blabbering.
Obito's voice turned hollow as space warped around him.
"Tell him to hurry. I'm out of patience."
With that, he vanished.
The Zetsu duo exchanged a glance before sinking into the earth.
--- (•̀ᴗ•́)و