Idle Chess

"Lightning Clone..." Aburame Shigang struggled to force out the words, his body wrapped in lightning.

Then he saw a pair of scarlet Sharingan fill his field of vision, and lost consciousness.

"So he finally couldn't hold back?" In the rain, Uchiha Akira looked down at Aburame Shigang's fallen body with a cold smile. "Now I've finally got something to use against Danzo."

Not far away, Hyuga Kaoru stood guard, shock written across her beautiful face. Events had unfolded in a way she never could have expected.

Aburame Shigang had abruptly attacked Uchiha Akira.

Yet Uchiha Akira had seemed to anticipate it, and countered in the blink of an eye.

She even suspected that Uchiha Akira had deliberately baited Aburame Shigang into making a move.

Just as Uchiha Akira was about to interrogate Aburame Shigang, strange bulges of all sizes suddenly rose across his prone body.

The next moment, the sound of something gnawing came from inside him.

Hearing it, Uchiha Akira's expression darkened. "So he had another trick..."

The insects inside Aburame Shigang were devouring their owner's flesh. They had gone out of control.

There was nothing left of Aburame Shigang but his skin; the insects had eaten all the flesh inside him.

In the space of a few blinks, black insects chewed through his skin and crawled out.

"Danzo really is cautious..." Uchiha Akira let out a breath, then used Fire Style to burn the swarming insects on Aburame Shigang to ash.

Not far away, Hyuga Kaoru hesitated. Watching Uchiha Akira expertly destroy the evidence, she felt that she ought to run.

But reason told her that it was already too late. She couldn't outrun Uchiha Akira.

"Jonin Kaoru, you saw it yourself. Aburame Shigang attacked first," Uchiha Akira said.

Hyuga Kaoru nodded. "Captain, Aburame Shigang really did attack first."

Uchiha Akira nodded. He didn't care what Hyuga Kaoru thought. "Please use your Byakugan to search among the charred remains and see if anything like the branch we found earlier is still hidden there."

"All right, Captain." Hyuga Kaoru nodded.

With her help, Uchiha Akira found two more fragments of the Ten-Tails Husk, each several dozen centimeters long.

"Captain, what should we do next?" After cleaning up the scene, Hyuga Kaoru looked at Uchiha Akira. "Should we continue with our mission?"

She didn't mention what had just happened, as if it had never occurred.

Uchiha Akira thought for a while before answering. "Let's find somewhere to rest for a bit. That fight must have taken a lot out of us."

During the Third Shinobi World War, the Land of Rain had been used as a battlefield by several great nations. The country had been all but destroyed.

Guided by Hyuga Kaoru's Byakugan, the two found an abandoned village and managed to take shelter from the rain.

After resting for a while, Uchiha Akira looked at Hyuga Kaoru beside the fire and asked:

"Jonin Kaoru, how are you planning to report what happened today when we get back?"

Hyuga Kaoru fell silent for a long time. At last, she asked, "How would you like me to report it, Captain?"

"Just report what happened, Jonin Kaoru. You don't need to worry about anything else," Uchiha Akira said calmly.

"Report what happened?" Hyuga Kaoru looked puzzled.

Over the course of their journey, she had more or less figured out Aburame Shigang's true identity.

If she wasn't mistaken, Aburame Shigang was a member of Root, under the command of the Hokage Assistant. He wasn't an ordinary shinobi.

As a member of one of Konoha's prestigious clans, even though she belonged to the Branch Family, she knew that Danzo had long been at odds with the Uchiha Clan. The conflict between them had existed for years.

"That's right." Uchiha Akira nodded. "Just say what you saw. There's no need to worry about anything else. I'll also report the mission honestly."

If he'd actually captured Aburame Shigang alive, Uchiha Akira certainly wouldn't have done that.

But he hadn't gotten anything to use against Danzo, so it didn't matter. Without evidence, Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't be able to do a thing to Danzo.

Hyuga Kaoru studied Uchiha Akira for a long moment, then nodded. "I understand. I'll report the details of the mission to the Hokage honestly."

After resting for a while longer, Hyuga Kaoru asked again, "Captain, are we continuing the mission?"

"What do you think, Jonin Kaoru?" Uchiha Akira asked in return.

"I think heading back now would make it seem like we don't take this mission seriously. It is an S-rank mission, after all. What do you think, Captain?" Hyuga Kaoru asked with a slight smile.

Uchiha Akira replied thoughtfully, "It seems you don't really want to return to Konoha, Jonin Kaoru."

Silence fell, and the atmosphere suddenly turned cold.

After a long pause, Hyuga Kaoru's cool voice broke the silence. "I really don't want to go back to Konoha. Only when I'm out on a mission do I get even the slightest bit of freedom. Returning to Konoha is like going back to a birdcage."

Uchiha Akira rubbed his chin. "Have you ever thought about removing the Caged Bird Seal?"

"Hmph." Hyuga Kaoru's beautiful face darkened, a hint of chill in her voice.

"Easy for you to say. The Hyuga Clan has a strict hierarchy. The Branch Family may sound respectable, but in truth, we're nothing more than servants to the Main Branch. What can servants do to try to break out of their cage?"

Hyuga Kaoru's pale eyes swept over Uchiha Akira a few times. Her voice was cold. "Captain, you'd better stop worrying about the Hyuga Clan. Danzo, the Hokage Assistant, isn't someone you can easily deal with."

Uchiha Akira didn't seem the least bit angry. Instead, he looked apologetic. "Jonin Kaoru, I overstepped."

"She must desperately yearn for freedom. And judging by her personality, she's someone willing to take action. Deep down, she must hate the Hyuga Main Family—and even the Hyuga Clan itself..." Uchiha Akira thought she might prove useful someday.

"Jonin Kaoru, the Land of Rain is dangerous right now. It's the enemy's stronghold. I think we should return to Konoha first. What do you think?" Uchiha Akira said, returning to what they'd been discussing earlier.

"It seems the real situation isn't quite what you said. The enemy won't be back on their feet for ten days or half a month?" Hyuga Kaoru tilted her head toward Uchiha Akira.

Uchiha Akira shrugged. "I hate to admit it, but we haven't even seen the real enemy."

Hyuga Kaoru's expression changed. Uchiha Akira's words startled her; they were completely beyond anything she had imagined.

"In that case, we shouldn't stay in the Land of Rain any longer." Hyuga Kaoru looked at Uchiha Akira gravely. "This organization is far stronger than the village anticipated. If we keep investigating, we'll be in serious danger."

The following evening, the two returned to Konoha and went to the Hokage Office to report on the mission.