Chapter 99: Canon Called. It Wants Its Victim Back.

Chapter 99 - Canon Called. It Wants Its Victim Back. Team 1 quickly followed the bird, arriving on the scene within minutes. As they landed, Ren's eyes narrowed sharply at the sight in front of them. Two members of Team 2 were lying motionless on the ground, blood already forming dark patches beneath them. The third member, Eiji, was barely holding on, fighting a rogue ninja while constantly glancing back at his teammates, clearly distracted and mentally shaken. A few meters away, Team 2's jonin leader was engaged with two more enemies, locked in a fast-paced clash. Ren didn't wait. In a single movement, he flickered forward and blocked the enemy's blade just as it was about to land on Eiji's exposed neck. The rogue ninja froze for a second, caught off guard. Ren didn't say anything. His hand turned into claws as he pierced the enemy's neck without hesitation, killing him instantly. Yugao and Hitoshi didn't need orders. They moved as soon as Ren did, Yugao intercepted one of the enemies fighting the jonin, and Hitoshi supported her by releasing a swarm of insects, forcing the second enemy back. Eiji stumbled backward and dropped to one knee, stunned. When he realized who had saved him, he croaked out, "Ren..." Ren glanced over. "You okay?" Eiji nodded faintly but looked over at his teammates. "But they-" "I'll check," Ren cut him off, moving quickly to the two fallen Genin. He recognized them as Shin Sarutobi and Akemi Hyuga. He placed a hand on each of them, his chakra scanning their conditions. Shin was gone, no pulse, heart pierced clean through. But Akemi still had faint breath. Ren shifted focus entirely to her, starting immediate treatment. 'Stabbed eye, deep lacerations, disrupted chakra pathways... not good.' He prioritized the most immediate injuries. As his healing chakra began working, he noticed something strange. 'Why isn't the treatment stabilizing her chakra flow? Is it the Byakugan?' He focused on the remaining functional eye and confirmed his suspicion, her bloodline was complicating the process. Still, he did what he could. While Ren worked, Yugao and Hitoshi killed one enemy and subdued the other. With the numbers reversed, the enemy team collapsed quickly. Team 2's jōnin leader, a large Akimichi, immediately rushed over, breathing heavily. "Status?" Ren continued focusing his chakra on Akemi's worst wounds. "One dead," he said flatly. "The other... she's alive, but her chakra system is damaged badly. Only Tsunade-sama or Utakata-sensei can fix that. I've healed the physical trauma, but one of her Byakugan is completely destroyed. The other is probably 40% functional at best." The Akimichi jonin clenched his fists, glancing at Eiji, who looked like he was about to collapse from shock. He went over and tried to steady him. Ren moved on from Akemi's eyes and treated the rest of her wounds. It took nearly fifteen minutes, but he cleaned and closed all external injuries, wrapped a bandage around her damaged eye, and stabilized her breathing. When he finished, he stood and glanced at Shin's body. Quietly, he crouched beside the dead Genin and began closing his wounds too. Even if he couldn't save him, the least he could do was give the body some dignity before transport. Just then, two ANBU flickered into view, Tiger and Fox. Tiger spoke first, "We'll take the captive for interrogation." As he moved to collect the subdued rogue ninja, Choujuro, the Team 2 leader, blocked him. "How do I know you're not just one of their allies impersonating ANBU?" Tiger paused, but before he could speak, Ren answered without looking up. "Let them take him. They're ANBU. They were monitoring our last mission." Tiger and Fox both froze, caught off guard by the information. They had taken extreme care not to reveal themselves, and yet this Genin team not only noticed them but even identified their purpose. Tiger glanced toward Hitoshi, who stood quietly off to the side. 'So it wasn't just Ren Takahashi... this team as a whole isn't normal.' Without arguing, Tiger reached into his pouch, pulled out a black ANBU token, and tossed it toward Choujuro. "You can confirm the seal with the Hokage once you're back." Without waiting for a response, both ANBU flickered away with the rogue ninja in tow. Choujuro remained still for a moment before slumping down, visibly exhausted. His eyes scanned his team, Shin was dead, Akemi, unconscious, almost crippled, Eiji in a daze. Ren walked over quietly. "We should move. The village needs to be informed. I doubt this is the only group of rogue nin missing-nin wandering around now that the Chunin Exams are coming up." Choujuro nodded slowly. "Eiji, take Akemi. I'll carry Shin." Eiji moved robotically, carefully lifting Akemi onto his back. His arms trembled, but he didn't complain. Choujuro stood up with Shin's body in his arms and looked at Ren. "Thanks for arriving when you did." Ren just gave a nod. "Let's get moving." Choujuro took the lead, Eiji trailing behind him. Team 1 followed after, silent and alert. Yugao gave Ren a sideways glance but didn't say anything. She could tell from his expression that he wasn't in the mood to talk. Hitoshi, as usual, was quiet, but the slight agitation of his insects hinted that he was disturbed too. The only sound that followed them on the forest trail was the steady thump of footsteps and the low whisper of leaves brushing in the wind. ~~~ It took more than a day before they finally reached the gates of Konoha. By the time they arrived, all of them were exhausted, physically and mentally. Ren led the way and stopped at the gate to handle the formalities with the guards. He presented the signed mission scroll, got their entry logged, and signed the completion acknowledgement. As he turned back, he spotted Utakata standing nearby, waiting. The man looked calm as always, but the moment he saw the state of Team 2, his expression changed slightly. He took a step forward, his eyes immediately falling on the unconscious Akemi and the body wrapped in a travel sheet behind them. Without a word, he moved to Eiji, gently taking Akemi from his arms. His eyes flicked briefly to the wrapped body as he understood instantly. In a low voice, he ordered, "Get to the hospital. Notify the Hyuga clan. Team 1, file your report." And then, in a blur, he was gone, flickering toward the hospital with Akemi in his arms. Choujuro turned toward Ren and his team. "Thank you again... we owe you," he said quietly. Ren shook his head. "Don't say that. Just make sure she makes it through." Choujuro nodded and turned to Eiji. "Go with her. I'll inform her family." Eiji, who hadn't said a word since the fight, simply gave a small nod and followed after Utakata. Now, only Team 1 remained. They exchanged glances. Ren exhaled and said, "We did what we could. It's out of our hands now. Let's finish the mission." With that, he flickered ahead. Hitoshi and Yugao followed. The three reached the Mission Centre in silence. Ren submitted the signed scroll for the escort mission, had their completion officially recorded, and then provided an additional incident report detailing the rogue ninja attack on Team 2. The Chunin at the desk frowned while reading it but didn't ask many questions, he simply stamped the report and told them it would be forwarded to the appropriate department. Once everything was handled, Team 1 dispersed without another word. ~~~ Ren reached home quietly, closed the door behind him, and went straight to the bathroom. After a long shower, he walked to his room and collapsed face-first on the bed. But rest didn't come. His thoughts kept spiraling. 'Was Eiji supposed to die today? Is that why no one remembers him in the original timeline?' He turned his face sideways, staring blankly at the wall. 'Then what about the others? There are so many people I've met who didn't exist in the canon. Does that mean they were all meant to die? Hitoshi? Sensei? Dad?' His eyes narrowed. A cold weight settled in his chest. 'No. I won't let that happen.' Ren sat up abruptly and slapped both cheeks, the sound echoing in the quiet room. 'I don't care if this world follows canon, or if it's some variation, or even something completely original...' He stood up. 'I'm not letting them die just because some "timeline" demands it.' Without another thought, he walked downstairs to the basement. He didn't even bother turning on all the lights. The damage from his last training session was still there, cracks in the tiles, broken dummies, scattered papers. He didn't care. Right now, he wasn't training for power. He wasn't pushing for stats. He just wanted clarity. To channel all the weight, the stress, and the frustration out of his body. So he trained. Hard. Chakra flowed. Fists flew. Tiles broke. Clones appeared and disappeared. Scrolls were activated. Targets shattered. And still, he kept moving. Hours passed. Sweat soaked through his shirt. His hands were scraped raw. But he didn't stop. This wasn't about points, experience, or mission rewards. This was about protecting the people that mattered, no matter how unpredictable this world turned out to be. ~~~ The following day, Ren headed straight to the hospital to check on Akemi's condition. When he arrived, he found out that she was still in surgery. Utakata had spent the previous day making preparations, and the procedure had only started that morning. The staff informed him it would take around ten hours, meaning Team 1 had the day off. As he waited outside the surgical wing, Ren noticed that aside from Eiji, several Hyuga clan members were present. A man and a woman, both of whom proudly displayed their foreheads without the cursed seal, and two guards who kept theirs hidden under forehead protectors. The entire corridor was dead silent. No one spoke. Not even a whisper passed between the Hyuga family members. Ren took the time to quietly observe. 'Looks like the tension between the main family and the branch family is still very real.' he thought. 'The Hyuga Affair must've just ended. Too bad I missed the chance to interfere, there could've been some good rewards for changing that event.' He sighed to himself. 'Not that I could've done anything. We were already on a mission before the envoy arrived and returned after everything was over. Probably intentional, was the old monkey planning something?' He recalled the situation. The Uchiha were already isolated, and the Hyuga clan was the only other true power remaining. A scandal or fracture within the Hyuga would weaken their influence. 'Maybe that's why Utakata-Sensei was kept out of the village too. If he's close to the Hyuga, the Hokage might've wanted him away.' 'Well... no point in getting tangled in politics right now. But next time something like this happens, I'll be ready to step in. Always better to reap the rewards than watch them pass by.' With that thought, he stepped forward to approach Eiji, but one of the guards moved to block him. "Halt. This area has been restricted." Ren narrowed his eyes, about to respond, when Eiji's voice broke the silence. "He was the one who treated Akemi on the scene. If it wasn't for him, she wouldn't have survived long enough to make it here." The Hyuga man and woman stirred slightly at that. The woman composed herself and gave a slight tilt of her head. "I want to thank you for saving my daughter's life." Ren gave a short hum of acknowledgment and walked toward Eiji. The male Hyuga frowned, but addressed him nonetheless. "We will make sure you receive an appropriate reward for saving her." There was no gratitude in his tone. It sounded more like he was doing Ren a favor. Ren ignored him entirely and said to Eiji, "Come by my house tonight if you want to talk." Then he flickered out of the hospital corridor. 'So... were the Uchiha even more arrogant than them?' he wondered as he moved across the rooftops. 'Enough to be completely alienated to the point of rebellion?' ~~~ Later that night, Ren was sitting on the roof of his house, staring at the stars when he felt a familiar chakra signature approach. A moment later, Eiji climbed up and sat down beside him. They didn't speak right away. Just laid there on the tiles, eyes to the sky. Eventually, the silence broke. "Utakata-Sensei said that, even though Akemi will be able to use chakra and live normally," Eiji began, "it'll all depend on her willpower whether she continues as a shinobi." Ren kept his gaze upward. "Do you think she's got it in her?" "No," Eiji said immediately. "If it was Shin in her place, then maybe. But Akemi, for her, being a ninja was just a formality. She's not built for this anymore. I don't think she'll ever pick up a kunai again." Ren turned slightly toward him. "What do you think about that decision?" "I despise it," Eiji answered, not even hesitating. "She's been given a second chance, and she'll just throw it away. If it was Shin-" Ren cut him off, his voice calm. "You shouldn't say something you'll regret later." That made Eiji pause. He fell quiet again, and for a few minutes, neither of them said anything. Then, without warning, Eiji sat up. "I got an offer." ~~~~~ {See. Nothing went wrong (atleast with team 1). This Chapter might have taken a serious tone but, it was a bit necessary. But, we'll be back to fun from tomorrow.} {Well, that's the last of Eiji you saw in a while and will see in a while, so Eiji haters, I guess it's your days ahead.} {Also Hyuga affair. I kind of forgot it so I just made something, I hope it wasn't too far-fetched.} {Now, we'll also be entering one of the arc I wanted to write the most. The chunin exams, so stay tuned (btw I have already finished writing all of the Chapters for the chunin exams. I'll post the final Chapter tomorrow on pat, so join my pat for advanced Chapters.}} { h t t p s : / / w w w . p a t r e o n . c o m / Z e e n o n } {Thanks, Lucifer and Hugo Dufour-Vallee for becoming members on pat-reon.}