After the assessment ended, Sarutobi Hiruzen personally placed the Forehead Protector on Aoike's head.
Aoike had hidden the Caged Bird Seal, and seeing him like that left Hiruzen momentarily dazed.
A new generation of Konoha's young sprouts had grown up.
Kagami, Sakumo, Shisui, Kakashi, Minato, Itachi... It seemed no one could escape a painful fate.
The Caged Bird Seal... What a pity.
Behind him, Danzo seemed impatient. Hiruzen knew what he wanted just by looking at him, but went through the usual speeches and words of encouragement.
When the two returned to the Hokage's office, Danzo finally couldn't hold back.
"Monkey, the village should have control of that jutsu..."
Hiruzen merely watched him in silence. The immense pressure made the atmosphere between them tense.
Someone had just developed a new jutsu, and you went shamelessly asking for it? What would people think? Besides, that jutsu looked like a variation of the bloodline secret technique Rotation. Could you even learn it without the Byakugan?
Danzo, blinded by greed, came to his senses and realized this too. He still wanted the jutsu, though, since Wind Style was his specialty.
But secret techniques related to bloodlines were often the most sensitive matter between clans. Although Aoike had developed it, anyone familiar with the Hyuga knew it belonged to them—or, more precisely, to the Main House.
While Danzo and Hiruzen discussed the matter, Aoike was surrounded by the classmates he knew best as they headed to a dango shop.
More than a dozen children nearly filled the entire shop. Each held two skewers of dango, chattering as they shared their experiences.
With a dango skewer in his mouth, Aoike felt a momentary daze at the warm atmosphere.
Before he'd been transported to this world, he'd just been a student, using all his cunning only to meet the minimum spend for a discount on an online shopping site.
Yet in less than nine years here, he'd experienced the loss of loved ones, discrimination, and having the Caged Bird Seal branded on him...
The simple warmth he'd taken for granted in his previous life was now hard to come by.
His gaze swept over the joyful crowd. Do they count as bonds of mine? Probably not. They're just acquaintances I've grown a little attached to.
His eyes shifted to Hinata. Maybe she counts as half of one.
As for Sasuke, he was a useful punching bag and a foolish little brother.
After the gathering, Aoike enjoyed a brief stretch of leisure.
Hyuga Hiashi couldn't withstand the pressure and traded Aoike's jutsu to Danzo. As compensation, Aoike received several Fire Release Ninjutsu.
As Aoike went about his usual training, Sarutobi Hiruzen found himself at a loss over where to assign him.
Aoike was an excellent fighter among the Chunin, but still too inexperienced.
Yamamoto Shin might have lost the assessment, but if he'd fought Aoike on the battlefield with the same ruthlessness he'd shown against enemies, beating him would have been much harder than during the assessment.
Yamamoto Shin's file recorded his battle record. During the Third Shinobi World War, he'd used three large-scale combination jutsu right from the start to cover the medical corps' retreat, and still had strength to spare.
Unfortunately, he was noticeably lacking in other areas, so he'd spent all these years stuck at the rank of Special Jōnin.
Sarutobi shook the tobacco out of his pipe and considered how to arrange things.
Should he assign Aoike an elite jōnin skilled in both Taijutsu and ninjutsu? Wouldn't that be too much?
Aside from the skilled shinobi stationed elsewhere, most of Konoha's best had been absorbed by the Anbu and Root. A small number were on missions, too. They were short on people.
Hyuga Hiashi had once spoken to him, saying that once Aoike grew up, protecting the Main House should still be his priority...
If Aoike didn't have the Caged Bird Seal on his forehead, Sarutobi might have gritted his teeth and made him a priority for training. With a soft sigh, his aged hand placed Aoike's file together with the other Hyuga Branch Family files.
Just as Sarutobi was hesitating, his old friend knocked on the office door.
"Hiruzen, hand that kid Aoike over to Root." Danzo pushed open the Hokage's office door and spoke as if it were only natural.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at his longtime partner and friend in confusion.
"He's from the Branch House. You want him too?" Sarutobi said pointedly.
Danzo merely tapped his cane against the floor, unconcerned.
"Don't worry about it. I have my own way."
The old man, who'd been Hokage for many years, immediately guessed what Danzo was thinking.
"You want to put the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal on him? No..."
"It's to make sure they don't leak Konoha's secrets!"
"Heh..."
The Hyuga Branch Family was already sensitive about this kind of binding seal. If Danzo went and put another one on Aoike, and Aoike couldn't bear the burden and was driven to his death, it would be a laughingstock.
...Two years passed quickly.
Aoike stood in his Anbu uniform, facing the corpse of one of Danzo's men.
No one knew what deal Konoha's High Command and Hyuga Hiashi had struck two years ago, but it had led to Aoike joining Root.
Perhaps Hiruzen's conscience had stirred, and he'd secretly warned Danzo, so Aoike still hadn't been branded with the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal. But with Danzo's recent eagerness, it was only a matter of time.
Aoike had originally thought his future looked bleak, but it turned out he adapted quite well.
Here, he didn't have to plaster on a smile to curry favor with anyone. He only had to follow Danzo's orders and cut people down.
In this village, the only person he cared about was Hinata. Danzo wasn't so utterly deranged that he'd lay a hand on the clan leader's daughter.
Aoike had killed plenty of people over the past two years: spies, rogue ninja, and shinobi from both enemy villages and Konoha.
Danzo was very pleased with his performance and taught him many jutsu.
With Root's resources, Aoike had also completed the Fire Release Chakra Mode.
As far as Danzo was concerned, Aoike had killed fellow villagers and had completely fallen into darkness, becoming a weapon in his hands.
For the past two years, he'd been constantly brainwashing Aoike. Combined with Aoike's obedient appearance, he'd managed to win a little of his trust.
He didn't know that Aoike saw Root only as an outlet for his negative emotions. The dark, twisted chakra of his Mangekyo was immense, and he felt noticeably better after letting it out.
Still, every time Aoike went on a mission, two or three "comrades" always accompanied him.
After wiping his bloodstained short blade clean, Aoike used a jutsu to bury the bodies.
At ten years old, he already had ten cards' worth of chakra. Though he couldn't compare to chakra powerhouses like Kisame and Naruto, he had far more than an ordinary shinobi.
It was time to escape the cage.
This mission outside the village was scheduled to last a week. Aoike wasn't in a hurry, but to be safe, he left the village at once.
Only one Shadow Clone remained in Konoha, there to serve as his farewell.
After sneaking into the Hyuga Clan Compound, Aoike removed his disguise. Ever since the Cloud Village's kidnapping incident, security at the compound had clearly been tightened.
Walking out in the open wouldn't arouse suspicion.
As it happened, Hinata had just returned from school. Aoike appeared in front of her with the Body Flicker Technique.
"Long time no see, little Hinata."
He patted her mushroom-shaped hair, feeling how fluffy it was. The gesture carried a touch of nostalgia.
She'd grown a lot since they last met, but a casual display of affection no longer turned her into a steam-spewing maiden.
The two talked for a long time, until the sun sank below the horizon. Aoike stared at Hinata's little face as if trying to etch her image into his heart.
Aoike gently brushed his hand across her forehead, tucking a few stray locks behind her ear.
"After this, who knows when we'll meet again."
Hinata looked a little worried. "Is it dangerous?"
He cupped her face in both hands. "Don't worry. Take care of yourself."
He let go before her blush reached her brow.
"Well then~ goodbye, Hinata."