Chapter 15 : New Recruit

"WHOA!"At the break of day, in the field where the grass had only just begun to grow back, young Hyuga awoke with a start, his breath returning. Looking around like a startled animal, a multitude of questions raced through his mind. Running his hand around his throat, he felt no trace of a wound where a Kunai should have been planted. Spotting a young man in unusual white attire in front of him, his first thought was that he must be dead, and the man before him was a messenger from the afterlife."Cough, cough, I didn't expect this..." Izaya said."Let me stop you right there; you're not dead."As doubt lingered in Izaya's mind, he saw the young man step closer to him, a kind smile on his face. This smile was nothing like the last one he had seen before his "death"; it radiated deep kindness."Byakugan!" But as Izaya activated his Byakugan, a profound shock crossed his face. He couldn't believe his eyes. In his vision, the flow of energies within Akeno's body was entirely visible, from meridians to dantian. But unlike the usual chakra pathways of ninjas, Akeno's was very different, with only a few Tenketsu points visible."This isn't chakra, but what is it?" Izaya thought."So, what do you see?"Approaching him, Akeno crouched down and gazed into Izaya's white eyes. "Listen, I know you have a lot of questions, so let me start simply. One, I saved your life, not bad, huh? Two, I'm offering you an opportunity you'll never find in your life."Unlike Chikara, Izaya's gaze wasn't that of a broken man; no, his look, though hard to read, revealed a genuine desire to rise and fight. Despite experiencing the situation of dying, Izaya had not forgotten his goals. His hatred for his destiny, his clan, his curse—all of these somehow kept his thoughts rational and sensible.Looking at the outstretched hand of the man in front of him, a new choice was presented to him."Join me, abandon your destiny, and shape one of your own with your own hands."Destiny... Looking straight into Akeno's eyes, Izaya couldn't discern any trap. More than that, as if his words echoed his dearest dream, he felt that the choice before him was the path he had always wished for. Under the dawn's light filtering through the burnt trees, a halo appeared around Akeno, enhancing the scene."Why?" Izaya asked."And why not? Izaya, I've seen you; you seek freedom—the freedom to forge your own path. Today, I offer you a life that no member of your clan could ever imagine. From today, if you take my hand, we'll become brothers, and I promise you that I'll help you remove the seal on your forehead that you despise so much."Surprised, Izaya remained perplexed in the face of his promise. It wasn't for nothing that powerful organizations or clans targeted members of the Sôke and not the Bunke. The seal on their foreheads had never been broken, never in its existence,, which was evidence of his perplexity."Impossible to break it... No one has ever succeeded," he said.Smiling in the face of Izaya's somewhat hesitant look, Akeno could imagine his thoughts. Many Hyuga from the branch family had negative thoughts about the main branch or wanted to reject their destiny. But breaking their seal? They only dreamed of it..."What if I told you I knew a way?"Although still harboring some doubts about the young man before him, Izaya looked at that hand again and, with a resigned sigh, chose to believe him. "Then, if such a way exists, we are now brothers."*** Hope City ***Exiting a spatial rift, Akeno and Izaya found themselves in a dark alley in the city. Akeno, who was starting to get used to teleporting, woke up in barely two minutes, unlike Izaya, who was still slumped on the ground."This is the last time I open a rift anywhere other than above a comfy bed!"Getting up from the stone floor, Akeno, despite being very little injured given his level, couldn't stand waking up with a face full of dirt or debris.Taking a deep breath, he retrieved Izaya and waited for him to wake up before returning to the sect. As night began to shroud Hope City in darkness, Izaya woke up with a start from his seemingly endless slumber. As he surveyed his new surroundings, all he saw was a dark, unlit alley."Welcome to the world of immortals," Akeno said."What's the next step?" Izaya asked, showing no signs of being impressed by his arrival in another world.Faced with this lack of reaction, Akeno could only smile. "Really? Just a 'What's the next step?' Your predecessor had a bit more of a reaction...""Is that a problem?""No, not at all, I'm just surprised. The next step, as you put it, is for you to follow me and pose as an orphan from this city. Let me explain how this world works before..."As Akeno patiently explained the first rules to know for survival in this world, he briefly considered writing a manual titled "Things to Know about Xianxia Worlds for Dummies." After lengthy explanations and Izaya's total lack of reaction, they finally set off for the sect. Following the main roads, Izaya had exchanged his fine clothes for simpler ones that made him look like a genuine city orphan. Only his headband had been kept to hide the mark on his forehead.Arriving at the sect, Akeno still needed to request the Master's permission for Izaya's accommodation. As they entered the building, at the reception, Izaya's entrance did not go unnoticed by the Master. Raising an inquisitive eyebrow, the old man squinted his eyes in their direction."Well, what do we have here? It seems you're attracting lost souls, Akeno. May I know who you're bringing to us?"By Izaya's side, Akeno put on his best smile and introduced his new protege. "I took a stroll in the city, and I met this child in an alley. He has been ostracized by others due to his peculiarities. I saw great potential in him and decided to take him under my wing, with your consent, of course.""Great potential, you say? Hmmm." Observing young Hyuga, the old man seemed to study his white eyes, trying to uncover their secrets.For Akeno, bringing Izaya before a Master more powerful than him was a significant risk. If the Master got the urge to discover the mysteries behind Izaya's white eyes, no one would be able to stop him. It was only because Akeno had heard of all the Master had done in this city that he had chosen to trust him."For now, my boy, what is your name?" the old man asked."Izaya," came Izaya's flat and direct reply, showing neither respect nor disrespect."Izaya? Oh, oh, oh, it seems a trend of unique names has emerged recently." Stroking his long beard, the old man looked at Akeno with a slight chuckle. "As for the child's accommodation here, he can stay in the same room as Chikara. Now, you can go; I have work to do."Having said what he needed to, the old man paid no more attention to the two others and dozed off in his chair."Wait, is this old man an NPC? And what work does he even do in a day?" Akeno wondered silently in his mind. Deciding to move on, Akeno accompanied Izaya for a tour of the sect, continuing to explain how everything worked.Arriving at Chikara's room, Akeno opened the door, allowing Izaya to enter. Inside, Chikara, who was resting peacefully, opened his eyes upon hearing the door open and jumped in shock when he saw the newcomer.Others might be surprised to see a child with white eyes, but for an Uchiha, it was primarily an alarm signal. The Hyuga and the Uchiha, the two clans with the two most significant dojutsu still existing in their world. Although the Hyuga weren't as arrogant towards the Uchiha as they would be in the era of Konoha, their rivalry already existed and often ended in bloodshed.Getting up in a combat stance and grabbing a Kunai in his hand, Chikara was already prepared to act at the slightest sign of an attack."Calm down, Chikara, it's me," Akeno intervened quickly, appearing behind Izaya."I should have gone in first..." Faced with Chikara's reaction, Izaya made no move and simply watched him."Byakugan." Under the vision of his dojutsu, Izaya could see all the Chakra flow in Chikara's body. "So, you were saved as well?""Sorry for overreacting; I'm Chikara Uchiha. Nice to meet you." Putting his hands together as he had learned during his afternoon with the other children, Chikara introduced himself with a shy smile."Izaya Hyuga, a pleasure, I guess." replied Izaya with a perplexed look at Chikara's gesture. "The dog hand seal?""Very well, then. I may have made a mistake by not specifying that you'd probably meet members of clans you initially considered enemies. So, I'll warn you for next time; there will probably be others.""Why do you need us?" Izaya asked. "I assume it's not just out of charity that you saved us. There must be a reason."Faced with Izaya's question, Akeno revealed a proud and confident smile. "The answer is simple: we're going to form a group and make our names in the legend!"Chikara: "Wow."Izaya: "..."