The Runaway Boy

The laboratory shook more violently by the second.

The metal pipes overhead groaned under the strain, while fine concrete debris pattered down, stirring up a haze of dust beneath the dim emergency lights. Hyuga Xiao crawled laboriously through the narrow ventilation shaft with the unconscious Shisui Uchiha on his back.

The data chip pressed painfully against his ribs, sending a dull ache through him with every movement.

But what put him even more on guard was the faint sound of breathing ahead.

His Byakugan had long been activated.

His three-hundred-and-sixty-degree vision pierced through layer after layer of metal partitions. At a fork roughly twenty meters ahead, he spotted a curled-up figure—a boy who looked no older than ten, with messy silver-white hair stuck to his forehead, skin so pale it was nearly translucent, and nothing but a tattered lab coat wrapped around him.

What stood out most were the two vermilion marks on the boy's forehead.

And the chaotic yet extraordinarily immense flow of chakra within his body.

"Kaguya Clan Kekkei Genkai..." Xiao narrowed his eyes.

When he came within five meters, the boy abruptly opened his eyes.

They were hollow, unfocused eyes.

But his body's instincts remained.

"Bone Spurs: Dance of the Camellia!"

The boy did not even fully stand. He simply curled up and spun sharply, firing dozens of sharp bone spikes from his shoulder blades, elbows, and knees, filling the entire cross-section of the shaft!

Xiao's pupils contracted.

Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!

Chakra erupted from the acupoints across his body, forming a rapidly spinning spherical barrier. The bone spikes struck it with a barrage of impacts. Most were deflected, while a few pierced half an inch into the barrier before they could go no farther.

But Xiao's heart sank.

That casual strike from the boy, even in his severely injured and weakened state, had managed to penetrate Xiao's Revolving Heaven defense. Even if it was only an incomplete version hastily deployed, it was enough to prove that the boy's bones were far tougher and more penetrating than ordinary ninja tools.

"Lord Orochimaru..."

The boy murmured, a trace of confusion flashing through his hollow eyes. "Where... are you...?"

Before he could finish, his body swayed and he collapsed limply.

Xiao did not approach immediately.

Keeping his Byakugan active, he carefully observed the boy's chakra flow. It was an extremely unusual structure, similar to the Curse Mark he had previously seen on Anko Mitarashi, yet more stable and far more deeply embedded in the bone marrow.

No, not similar.

They were different variants from the same source.

"System, scan the target."

[Scanning...]

[Target: Kaguya Kimimaro]

[Status: Severely weakened, late-stage Bloodline Disease, Stable Orochimaru's Cursed Seal corrosion level: 37%]

[Fate trajectory: Originally meant to be raised by Orochimaru as a vessel candidate three years later, dying during the Konoha Crush Plan]

[Interceptable node: Currently breaking free from Orochimaru's control]

[Estimated reward: Destiny Points +800, Dead Bone Pulse bloodline sample (incomplete)]

Xiao's breathing paused slightly.

Eight hundred Destiny Points.

That was nearly one-third of the reward for intercepting a secondary heroine. More importantly, there was the Dead Bone Pulse bloodline sample. If he could analyze a bloodline that, like the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist, excelled at close combat, it would be a tremendous addition to his taijutsu system.

A louder collapse thundered overhead.

A chunk of concrete crashed down. Xiao twisted aside, and it struck the bottom of the shaft with a dull boom after grazing his shoulder.

There was no time to hesitate.

He moved forward quickly and tapped several fingers against Kimimaro's neck, temporarily sealing several critical chakra nodes with Gentle Fist. Then he hoisted the boy over one shoulder. With Shisui on his back, he was now carrying two people through the cramped shaft.

The weight was not the issue.

The space was.

"I need to find an exit..."

Xiao increased his speed, his Byakugan constantly scanning the surrounding structure. The laboratory's self-destruct sequence had entered its final stage. He could sense entire sections of the passageways collapsing behind him as scorching waves of air surged through the ducts.

Five minutes later, light appeared ahead.

It was an air vent opening onto a dense forest. Xiao kicked the rusted grate open and rolled out of the shaft with the other two, landing in a bed of soft fallen leaves.

Almost at the same instant, a deafening roar erupted behind them.

The mountain containing the laboratory began to collapse. Smoke and dust shot into the sky, startling flocks of birds from the forest.

Xiao rose, breathing hard, and laid Shisui and Kimimaro flat on the ground. He quickly checked their conditions. Shisui was still unconscious, but his breathing remained stable. Kimimaro, meanwhile, began convulsing unconsciously as black Curse Mark patterns emerged beneath his pale skin.

The patterns writhed like living creatures.

"A sign that the Curse Mark is going berserk..."

Xiao frowned and rapidly formed hand seals.

Gentle Fist: Sealing Points!

His fingertips struck thirteen acupoints across Kimimaro's body with precision, attempting to suppress the Curse Mark using the Hyuga Clan's chakra-sealing technique. But the instant his chakra entered—

A sudden mutation occurred.

Kimimaro's eyes snapped open.

The hollow pupils were now stained with a bizarre dark red. The two vermilion marks on his forehead shone with blinding brilliance. A beastlike growl rumbled from his throat as the skin on his back suddenly split apart!

Not one.

Dozens of bone spikes burst simultaneously from both sides of his spine, forming a pair of savage bone wings that swept toward Xiao at point-blank range!

The distance was too short.

The speed was too fast.

Xiao did not even have time to retreat. He could only gather chakra into both arms in an instant—

Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Palm: Revolving Heaven Barrier!

It was not a complete spherical defense. Instead, he compressed the principles of Revolving Heaven in front of his arms, forming an arcing chakra wall. The bone wings slammed into it, producing a grating sound that made his scalp tingle.

Crack.

Fractures appeared across the barrier.

Xiao's pupils shrank. The hardness of those bones was actually continuing to increase!

"Lord Orochimaru..."

Kimimaro repeated the name hoarsely, the dark red in his eyes growing deeper. He struggled to stand as more bone spikes stabbed out from his arms and legs, making him look like a monster covered in spikes.

But Xiao noticed something.

Dark red blood was seeping from the tips of the newly formed bone spikes.

"The Bloodline Disease is backfiring..." Xiao understood.

The boy was burning through his life.

He no longer hesitated.

Within his Byakugan vision, Kimimaro's chakra flow was perfectly clear. The power of the Curse Mark was spreading from a core point near his spine, corroding every chakra pathway. And that core point...

Was three millimeters left of the third thoracic vertebra.

Xiao moved.

Rather than retreat, he stepped forward. His body twisted sideways at an unbelievable angle, evading the sweeping bone wings. At the same time, he pressed together his right index and middle fingers, condensing chakra at their tips into a sharp point like a needle.

Gentle Fist: Pressure Point: Core Break!

This strike was so fast that only an afterimage remained.

It pierced Kimimaro's back with perfect precision, passing through skin and flesh, avoiding the ribs, and striking the Curse Mark core.

Time seemed to freeze for an instant.

Then—

Kimimaro's body stiffened violently.

All the bone spikes stopped growing, and the dark red Curse Mark patterns began fading at a visible rate. The blood-red hue vanished from his eyes, returning them to hollow gray-white. His entire body went limp as he fell forward.

Xiao caught him.

The boy's body was frighteningly light, his temperature so low he barely felt alive. Xiao laid him flat on the fallen leaves and checked him again. The Curse Mark had been temporarily suppressed, but the corrosion had already seeped into his marrow and could erupt again at any time.

The Bloodline Disease was even more troublesome.

Through his Byakugan, Xiao could see that Kimimaro's skeletal structure was in a pathological state of overgrowth. The bone density in some areas was abnormally high, while in others it was as brittle as rotten wood. This contradictory structure was slowly destroying his body.

"He won't live three years..." Xiao murmured.

He looked at the unconscious Shisui, then at the data chip in his possession.

Then he opened the system interface.

[Current Destiny Points: 1720]

[To treat Kaguya Kimimaro (stabilized state) requires: 600 Destiny Points]

[To treat Shisui Uchiha (remove Curse Mark + repair injuries) requires: 900 Destiny Points]

[Note: Treatment can only restore them to an ambulatory state. Fundamental issues such as Bloodline Disease/Sharingan loss require further resolution.]

Xiao silently stared at the two numbers.

Save them, or not?

If he saved them, he would nearly exhaust his current reserve of Destiny Points. If he did not, these two combatants with immense potential—or rather, experimental specimens—would die here.

The sounds of pursuers carried from deep within the forest.

Kakashi would not give up easily, and Leaf Village's ANBU were likely expanding their search area. He had to make a decision quickly.

Three seconds later.

Xiao raised his hand and placed it on Kimimaro's forehead.

"System, exchange for treatment."

[600 Destiny Points consumed. Beginning treatment...]

A gentle white light flowed from Xiao's palm and seeped into Kimimaro's body. The rampaging chakra gradually calmed, the torn wounds began healing slowly, and the Curse Mark patterns completely faded beneath his skin.

But the source of the Bloodline Disease remained.

This merely prolonged his life for now.

Then Xiao turned to Shisui.

This choice was even harder. Shisui was an Uchiha genius who possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan, though both his eyes had now been removed. His value far surpassed Kimimaro's. Yet treating him required 900 points, more than half of Xiao's current reserves.

And what would it mean to save an Uchiha?

It meant formally stepping into the deadlock between the Uchiha Clan and Leaf Village's upper ranks.

It meant he might expose himself to Danzo's gaze, perhaps even that of the Third Hokage, ahead of schedule.

Xiao's fingers hovered above Shisui's chest, unable to fall.

In the distance, another flock of birds took flight.

The pursuers were closer.

He took a deep breath, and his eyes became cold and resolute.

"System, exchange."

[900 Destiny Points consumed. Treating Shisui Uchiha...]

A stronger white light enveloped Shisui's body. The wounds inflicted by Orochimaru's experiments began to heal, while the Curse Mark that had invaded his body was forced out bit by bit, dissipating into the air as black smoke.

But his empty eye sockets remained empty.

The Sharingan did not regenerate.

Xiao withdrew his hand and looked at the 220 Destiny Points remaining on the system interface. A cold smile pulled at the corner of his mouth.

I've gambled everything.

He quickly dealt with the scene, erasing every trace. Then he hoisted one person over each shoulder and raced in the direction opposite Leaf Village.

Deep in the forest, three figures vanished into the shadows beneath the dense canopy.

Ten minutes after they left, masked Leaf Village ANBU appeared in the clearing. Kakashi, who led them, crouched down and wiped a finger across the faint remnants of chakra on the fallen leaves.

"Traces of two different medical ninjutsu..." His single eye narrowed. "One of them carries the precise touch unique to the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist."

He stood and looked toward the direction Xiao had disappeared.

"A Hyuga Branch House member, an Uchiha survivor, and a Kaguya Clan survivor..."

"What exactly are you trying to do?"

Kakashi did not pursue.

He merely stood there quietly for a while before turning around and ordering the ANBU behind him, "Report to Lord Hokage that the laboratory has been completely destroyed and all experimental subjects have been confirmed eliminated. Also..."

He paused.

"Request access to the recent mission records of Hyuga Branch House member Hyuga Xiao."

"All of them."

Late at night.

An abandoned shrine somewhere along the border of the Land of Fire.

Xiao settled the two of them inside the relatively intact main hall and lit a small campfire. The flickering flames illuminated three young faces, each burdened by a heavy fate of their own.

Shisui woke first.

He jerked upright, his hand instinctively reaching for his eyes—then froze.

"Orochimaru removed your Sharingan," Xiao said calmly, handing him a canteen. "But you're alive."

Shisui silently accepted the canteen but did not drink.

After a long while, he spoke hoarsely. "Why did you save me?"

"I need the Uchiha Clan's power," Xiao said without concealing anything. "Or rather, I need an ally who understands the Uchiha Clan, understands Leaf Village's upper ranks, and understands 'that plan.'"

Shisui's body trembled slightly.

"You know about 'that plan'?"

"I know more than you think." Xiao sat across from him by the fire, his Byakugan gleaming faintly blue in the dim light. "For example, Danzo wants your eyes. For example, the Uchiha Clan is about to be exterminated. And for example... Itachi's choice."

Every word struck Shisui's heart like a heavy hammer.

He clenched the canteen until his knuckles turned white.

"Who exactly are you?"

"Hyuga Branch House, Hyuga Xiao," Xiao said calmly. "Someone like you, who refuses to be manipulated by fate."

At that moment, Kimimaro on the other side let out a faint groan.

The boy opened his eyes and stared blankly at the ruined shrine ceiling before slowly sitting up. He looked down at his hands, then touched his back—the bone spikes had retracted, leaving only wounds that had yet to fully heal.

"I... didn't die?"

"Not yet." Xiao looked at him. "But your Bloodline Disease remains. If it isn't treated, in three years at most, you'll be killed by your own bones."

Kimimaro fell silent.

Then he raised his head, his pale gray eyes fixed on Xiao. "You saved me. Why?"

"Because you're useful." Xiao's answer was equally direct. "The Kaguya Clan's Dead Bone Pulse is one of the Shinobi World's finest taijutsu bloodlines. I need that power."

"In exchange?"

"In exchange, I'll find a way to prolong your life and treat your Bloodline Disease." Xiao paused. "And give you a new reason to live—you won't have to remain fixated on Orochimaru, who treated you as nothing more than an experiment."

Kimimaro's eyes flickered.

Lord Orochimaru...

The man who had given his existence meaning, yet had abandoned him in that collapsing laboratory.

The boy lowered his head, silver-white hair veiling his expression.

After a long while, he said softly, "I need time... to think."

"Fine." Xiao rose to his feet and walked to the shrine entrance, gazing out into the pitch-black night. "But there isn't much time. Leaf Village's pursuers will find this place sooner or later. We have to leave the Land of Fire as soon as possible."

He turned back and looked at the two inside the hall.

An Uchiha Clan genius who had lost his eyes.

A terminally ill Kaguya orphan.

And himself, a defector from the Hyuga Branch House.

What a... perfect combination.

A cold curve lifted at Xiao's lips.

In his arms, the data chip taken from the laboratory was growing faintly warm.

Deep within the chip, the title of an encrypted file flickered in and out of view:

[Top Secret: Experimental Records on the Correlation Between "God Tree Cells" and "Byakugan Purity"]