Escaping Death

"That was truly dangerous. I nearly kicked the bucket; it's a good thing my luck isn't half bad," Hyuga Gen muttered to himself, watching the flickering flames before him.

He was currently inside a cave, the faint sound of rushing water echoing nearby. Hyuga Gen had arrived here by following the undercurrent.

Reflecting on the previous battle, everything had gone quite smoothly. When Might Guy launched his attack, he had also struck at the two ninja.

He knew their environment was highly disadvantageous, so he didn't hold back, immediately unleashing his signature technique: the Gentle Ninja Art: Ten-Pulse Divine Sword. The results were indeed effective, instantly killing one of them.

The other man had quickly retreated as Hyuga Gen rushed toward them. Because the man kept backing away, the Ten-Pulse Divine Sword didn't have much of an effect on him.

"Water Style: Water Wave Jutsu."

Seeing the surging wave rushing toward him, Hyuga Gen didn't hesitate to dive into the water, quickly swimming toward the man.

The man was somewhat careless, seemingly not expecting Hyuga Gen to do such a thing. By the time he realized someone was beneath his feet, it was already too late.

Hyuga Gen grabbed his ankle and instantly released chakra from his fingers to attack. The man cried out in pain, and with a sharp tug from Hyuga Gen, he was pulled under. Naturally, death was the only thing awaiting him in the end.

After finishing off the enemy chunin, Hyuga Gen prepared to climb out of the water. No sooner had his head broken the surface than he was met with a monstrous wave.

Disoriented by the impact, Hyuga Gen had barely regained his senses when a massive whirlpool formed in the water. The pool already contained an undercurrent, and with its added force, the suction of the whirlpool was pushed to its limit. Hyuga Gen had no choice but to swim with all his might, trying to break free from the powerful pull.

At that moment, Hyuga Gen noticed Izumi being caught by the suction. Seeing her about to fall into the vortex, Hyuga Gen didn't think twice before pushing her away. She managed to grab Might Guy's hand, while he was instantly swallowed by the whirlpool.

In an instant, he was dragged into the undercurrent. As his consciousness began to fade, he thought he heard someone calling his name—it sounded like Hyuga Natsu.

In that moment, Hyuga Gen snapped back to clarity. He thought of the Rotation. He released chakra from every pore of his body—not too much, just enough to envelop himself.

As time passed, the amount of chakra in his body dwindled, yet there was no light to be seen in the surroundings. His heart sank; he knew he likely wouldn't escape death this time.

Just as his chakra was about to be completely exhausted, the surroundings suddenly brightened. Seeing what was before him, he was overjoyed and scrambled to climb out of the water. He had exhausted all his strength just by climbing up, and he collapsed, falling into a deep, motionless sleep.

By then, only a little over a quarter of an hour had passed since he was swept into the undercurrent. When he woke up again, it was already late at night; he had been frozen awake.

He activated his Byakugan to survey his surroundings. Not far away was the end of this watercourse—the ocean. The spot was about three zhang above sea level, forming a small waterfall.

There happened to be a cave nearby, so he hid inside, intending to spend the night there and dry his still-damp clothes.

Watching the dancing flames, he thought about the battle. He had primarily suffered because of the environment; if this had been a stagnant pool without an undercurrent, he wouldn't have ended up in such a sorry state.

"A narrow escape brings future blessings." Hyuga Gen felt like he was about to take off; after all, that was how it always played out on television—good luck was sure to follow.

In fact, he realized this mishap wasn't entirely bad. Now he could do what he wanted. He had been wondering how to find a reasonable excuse to leave the team, and now, there was no need for that at all.

Yes, long before setting out for the Land of Waterfalls, he had already planned to visit the Land of Grass. The Land of Grass happened to be right next to the Land of Waterfalls. He had intended to find an excuse to slip away after the mission, and now was the perfect opportunity.

He didn't plan to meet up with Might Guy and the squad tomorrow; instead, he prepared to set off for the Land of Grass at the crack of dawn. With Xiaojin, it wouldn't take long.

He had planned to visit the Land of Grass and the Land of Water this year. He wasn't doing it for anything else, but for two people: one was Uzumaki Karin, and the other was Haku.

He didn't want to let Karin, that great healer, slip through his fingers. And as for Haku, that loyal "tool," Hyuga Gen wanted to recruit him for his own use as well.

He didn't know if Karin had already been deceived by Orochimaru, or if Haku had already followed Zabuza. The timeline in Shippuden was a bit buggy, but regardless, he intended to go looking. If he found them and tricked them into joining him, it would be a profit.

Thinking of the fates of these two in Shippuden, it was truly tragic and heartbreaking.

Take Karin, for example. Because of her special constitution, she had been used as a spare "medicine pack" in the Land of Grass since she was a child. After her mother was drained to death by the Grass ninja, she took her mother's place. From then on, her body was covered in countless, terrifying bite marks.

Eventually, she was found by Orochimaru and was fortunate enough to become one of his many vessels, which finally allowed her to escape that sea of misery. Orochimaru could be considered to have saved her life; otherwise, she might have ended up like her mother, sucked dry into a mummy by the Grass ninja.

Although she wasn't exactly free under Orochimaru, it was much better than her time with the Grass ninja. She helped Orochimaru with research and recorded data. He imagined her severe nearsightedness was likely caused by long-term experimentation and data recording in dim environments.

Later, during the Chunin Exams, she met Sasuke. Sasuke saved her life, and because of that, she became obsessed with him, eventually falling in love with him when they met again.

It was a pity she was treated so poorly by Sasuke, who even stabbed her with a sword and treated her as disposable. She had ultimately given her heart to the wrong person. Despite this, she followed him relentlessly. During the Fourth Great Ninja War, she lost control of her emotions when she couldn't sense Sasuke's chakra, showing just how deep her feelings were. She was someone who would have died for him.

Later, when Sasuke got married, she continued her research alone. She would likely grow old in solitude—a truly pitiful person.

Then there was Haku. His loyalty and kindness were plain for all to see. In Shippuden, the scene where he blocked the Chidori for Zabuza—who knows how many people shed tears for that? And when Sasuke woke up, how many were moved by his kindness?

Furthermore, his strength was formidable, possessing the powerful Ice Style bloodline. If not for his kindness and restraint, Sasuke would likely have been dead long ago.

In Hyuga Gen's eyes, Haku was his ideal butler: powerful and, more importantly, loyal.

Of course, Karin was also excellent. Her Kagura Mind's Eye, combined with her special constitution, made her a rare support talent. And the Adamantine Sealing Chains, unique to the Uzumaki Clan, were also incredibly powerful.

Hyuga Gen felt her talents had never been fully utilized. Take the Adamantine Sealing Chains—if she could control them freely, even the Nine-Tails might not be her match. Just think of Uzumaki Kushina in Shippuden; how terrifying she was, still so powerful right after giving birth. In normal circumstances, she could likely have beaten the Nine-Tails into submission with her Fuinjutsu alone.

Hyuga Gen even suspected that perhaps not even Minato could defeat Uzumaki Kushina. Obito would have had a hard time against her, too; otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen to strike when she was at her weakest, just after giving birth to Naruto.

If Karin specialized in Fuinjutsu and learned to control the Adamantine Sealing Chains freely, her strength would at least reach the Kage level.

Thinking about heading to the Land of Grass tomorrow, Hyuga Gen stopped overthinking and sat in meditation to rest.