Surviving Against the Odds

"That was way too close. I almost died. Good thing I got lucky," Hyuga Gen muttered to himself, watching the flames flicker before him.

He was in a cave, with the faint sound of rushing water nearby. He had followed an underground current to get here.

Thinking back to the battle, things had gone fairly smoothly. When Might Guy launched his attack, Gen had attacked the two ninjas as well.

He knew their surroundings put them at a serious disadvantage, so he hadn't held back. He'd gone straight for his signature move, Gentle Ninja Art: Ten-Pulse Divine Sword. It had worked pretty well, killing one of them instantly.

The other ninja had quickly retreated as soon as Gen charged at them. Since he kept backing away, the Ten-Pulse Divine Sword hadn't done much damage.

Water Style: Water Wave Jutsu.

Seeing the swell of water rush toward him, Gen didn't give it much thought. He dove straight into the water and swiftly swam toward the ninja.

The ninja had been careless, apparently not expecting Gen to do that. By the time he noticed someone beneath his feet, it was already too late.

Gen grabbed his foot. Chakra poured from Gen's fingertips, attacking him at once. The man cried out in pain, and when Gen yanked him, he sank beneath the water. Death was all that awaited him.

After taking care of the enemy Chunin, Gen tried to climb out of the water. The moment his head emerged, a towering wave greeted him.

The wave left him dazed and disoriented. Just as Gen began to recover, a massive whirlpool formed in the water. There was already an underground current in the pool, and it made the whirlpool's pull immensely stronger. Gen could only struggle to swim away, trying to escape its powerful suction.

Then Gen noticed Izumi caught in the pull. She was about to be dragged into the whirlpool, so without a second thought, he pushed her away. She grabbed Might Guy's hand, while Gen was swallowed by the whirlpool in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, he was swept into the underground current. Just as his consciousness was about to fade, he thought he heard someone calling his name. The voice sounded like Hyuga Natsu's.

At that moment, Gen came to his senses. He thought of Rotation and released chakra through the pores all over his body. He didn't release much, just enough to wrap around himself.

As time passed, the chakra inside him dwindled, while not a trace of light appeared around him. His heart sank. He knew he probably wouldn't survive this time.

Just as the chakra inside him was about to run out, the surroundings suddenly lit up. Overjoyed by what he saw, he hurriedly climbed out of the water. But the moment he got ashore, he was completely spent. He collapsed and fell unconscious.

It had only been a little over fifteen minutes since he'd been swept into the underground current. By the time he woke again, it was already late at night. He'd been woken by the cold.

Then he activated his Byakugan and surveyed the area. The ocean, where the water ended, was not far away. It lay about three zhang below him, forming a small waterfall.

There was a cave right beside him, so he took shelter inside, planning to spend the night there and dry his still-damp clothes over a fire.

Watching the flames flicker before him, he thought back to the battle. The main problem had been the terrain. If the pool had been still, without an underground current, he wouldn't have ended up in such a sorry state.

"Those who survive a great disaster are sure to be blessed." Hyuga Gen felt like he was about to take off. That was how it always went on TV, after all. From now on, he was sure to have one stroke of good luck after another.

In fact, he realized that getting into danger this time wasn't all bad. Now he could do what he wanted. Before, he'd been wondering how to come up with a plausible excuse to leave the group. Now he didn't need one at all.

That's right. He'd decided long before setting out for the Land of Waterfalls that he wanted to visit the Land of Grass. It was right next to the Land of Waterfalls. He'd originally planned to find an excuse to leave the group after the mission, but now was the perfect opportunity.

He wasn't going to look for Might Guy and rejoin the team tomorrow. Instead, he planned to set off for the Land of Grass first thing in the morning. With Xiaojin there, he'd get there quickly.

This year, he wanted to visit both the Land of Grass and the Land of Water. He'd planned it long ago, and he had two people in mind: Karin Uzumaki and Haku.

He wasn't going to pass up Karin, the ultimate medic. And he wanted to bring Haku, that loyal "tool," over to his side as well.

He didn't know whether Orochimaru had already tricked Karin into going with him, and he wasn't sure if Haku had already followed Zabuza. The timeline in Shippuden was full of inconsistencies, but regardless, he planned to look for them. If he found them and managed to bring them back, that would be a win.

Thinking about the utterly tragic fates those two suffered in Shippuden made his heart ache.

First, there was Karin. Because of her unusual constitution, she'd been kept in the Land of Grass as a human "medicine pouch" since childhood. After the Grass Ninjas had sucked her mother dry, Karin took her mother's place. From then on, her body was covered in countless bite marks. It was horrifying.

In the end, Orochimaru found her, and she was fortunate enough to become one of his many vessels. That was how she escaped her suffering. Orochimaru had practically saved her life; otherwise, the Grass Ninjas might have sucked her dry and turned her into a mummy, just like her mother.

Though she wasn't exactly free under Orochimaru, her life was much better than it had been among the Grass Ninjas. She helped him with his research and recorded data. Her severe nearsightedness was probably caused by spending so much time doing experiments and recording results in dimly lit places.

Later, during the Chunin Exams, she met Sasuke. He saved her life, and she couldn't forget him. When she met him again later, she fell in love with him.

Unfortunately, Sasuke treated her terribly. He even stabbed her with a sword and used her as a pawn. She'd given her heart to the wrong person. Even so, she wouldn't leave Sasuke alone. During the Fourth Great Ninja War, she lost control of her emotions when she couldn't sense his chakra, which showed how deeply she loved him. She was probably someone who would die for him.

Sasuke later got married, while she continued her research alone. She'd probably end up lonely and alone. She was truly pitiful.

Then there was Haku. His loyalty and kindness were plain for all to see. In Shippuden, when he took Chidori for Zabuza, who knows how many people watching the screen were moved to tears? And when Sasuke woke up, how many were touched by his kindness?

He was also incredibly strong, possessing the powerful Ice Release kekkei genkai. If he hadn't been kind and held back, Sasuke would probably have been long dead.

In Hyuga Gen's eyes, Haku was the ideal housekeeper: strong and, most importantly, loyal.

Karin was no slouch, either. Her Mind's Eye of the Kagura and special constitution made her a rare support-type talent. And the Adamantine Sealing Chains, unique to the Uzumaki Clan, were incredibly powerful as well.

Hyuga Gen felt that Karin's talents had never been fully realized. Take her Adamantine Sealing Chains, for instance. If she could control them at will, even the Nine-Tails might not be a match for her. Just think of Uzumaki Kushina in Shippuden. She was terrifying, even right after giving birth. At full strength, she could probably have beaten the Nine-Tails with her Fuinjutsu alone.

Hyuga Gen suspected that even Minato Namikaze might not have been a match for Uzumaki Kushina. Obito would probably have been in trouble against her, too. Otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen to strike while she was weakened from giving birth to Naruto.

If Karin focused on Fuinjutsu and learned to control and use the Adamantine Sealing Chains at will, her strength could reach Kage Level at the very least.

With his trip to the Land of Grass planned for the next day, Hyuga Gen stopped thinking about it and settled down to meditate and rest.