The clearing was now a thick, choking cloud of dust and smoke. The air was filled with the sharp, burning smell of blast-burnt ground and shattered rock. This smell stung Kiba's nose and made his eyes water.
The huge explosion had ripped open the earth where the "DO NOT ENTER ZONE" sign once stood. Now, there was a gaping, rough hole, a dark, ugly mark in the ground where the cave had been. A faint, unhealthy orange light flickered from deep inside this new opening, making shadows dance and twist like ghosts.
Orochimaru stood a few steps away. His light blue kimono and long, dark hair were now covered with a thin layer of fine dust, like a fine powder. His golden eyes, usually sharp and always looking, were now narrowed just a little. They were fixed on the thickest part of the smoke coming from the rough hole.
He was strangely calm, his face showing nothing, almost as if he was enjoying the messy scene around him. The cool night air seemed to ripple around his still body.
Kiba was a bit closer to the smoking hole. His body still shook a little from the big blast. He swayed slightly. His own red fang markings on his cheeks were now smeared with dust. His eyes jumped quickly between Orochimaru's unmoving figure and the swirling, dusty air.
A tight knot of fear twisted inside his stomach, cold and heavy. He could feel small, sharp pieces of rock pushing into the bottom of his shinobi sandals through the thin cloth.
Kankuro lay nearby, just outside the thickest smoke. He was stretched out in a strange, floppy way on the ground. His whole body was completely limp and still, like a puppet whose strings had been cut. His fingers, which usually moved so fast to control his puppets, were now just gently curled.
His eyes were shut tight, long, dark eyelashes resting on his pale skin. He looked like a wooden doll that had been dropped, covered in gray dust. A very faint amount of chakra was still flowing inside him. It was a tiny spark, just enough to show he was still alive, but only barely. He was breathing so softly, it was almost impossible to hear any sound from him.
And from the very middle of the dust cloud, where the smoke was thickest, a deep, booming voice cut through the ringing sound in Kiba's ears. It belonged to the figure who had just come out of the blown-open cave. They were hidden by the curtain of dust and debris, but their strong presence was very clear, a chilling weight in the air.
'So, this is it,' Kiba thought, his hand tightening on his kunai. The cold metal was a small comfort. 'The "bad news" Orochimaru talked about? Or the "good"?' He couldn't tell.
The air felt heavy with a strange, dangerous chakra, different from anything he had ever felt before. 'And Akamaru… where is Akamaru?' The thought flashed through his mind, a sharp stab of worry adding to the chaos.
Through the settling dust and smoke, a tall, silent figure slowly became clear in the cave's opening. He wore a long, dark cloak that covered most of his body, and his hood was pulled up high, hiding his face in deep shadows. Only a few strands of bluish-black hair could be seen, falling across his forehead.
His movements were smooth and calm, almost too quiet for someone so tall. He seemed to glide forward, not affected by the dust or the recent explosion. Under his cloak, glimpses of dark shinobi clothes showed, wrapped neatly with bandages. A long sword was strapped across his back. He seemed clean and still, like a shadow in the chaos.
But the most striking thing about him was his eye. From the deep shadow of his hood, one eye glowed with an intense, powerful red.
Inside it spun a strange, dark pattern: three curved shapes turning around a black center, joined by a black ring. It was the Sharingan.
Kiba stared at the eye, his breath catching in his throat. 'That eye… it's a Sharingan! But it's different… that pattern…' His mind raced, trying to remember what he had seen in books or heard from senior shinobi. 'It's not a normal Sharingan. It's… a Mangekyo Sharingan!' A cold dread filled Kiba. 'An Uchiha? Here? What does this mean? Are there other Uchiha alive besides Sasuke?'
Orochimaru's golden eyes narrowed, fixed on the red eye. A faint, almost hidden smile touched his lips. 'A Mangekyo, as expected,' he thought, his mind working fast. 'But this chakra… and that pattern… it's stronger. More complete.' His thoughts went deeper, beyond Kiba's understanding and his smile fainted. 'This is not just any Mangekyo. This is the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.' Orochimaru's gaze sharpened, a flicker of true recognition in his eyes. 'And this presence…it's him...Hikaru-kun. He's Uchiha Hikaru.'
The figure remained silent. He simply looked at Orochimaru, then his single visible red eye slowly turned towards Kiba. The air grew heavy, almost pressing down on them.
"So, the Sannin finally made his move," the figure's voice boomed again, calm and deep, but now much closer. He ignored Kiba completely. "You blew open the very thing which you've been visiting for weeks. An unusual impatience for someone so… thorough."
Orochimaru simply chuckled, a low, dry sound. "Well-well, sometimes a little push is needed to get things moving, wouldn't you agree?" His eyes held a knowing glint, clearly challenging the figure. "And it seems my patience has paid off. You've certainly emerged."
Kiba felt a shiver run down his spine, not from the cold, but from the immense power coming from the cloaked figure. He stood frozen, his hand still on his kunai, watching the intense stare between Orochimaru and the man with the glowing red eye. He barely registered Orochimaru's words; his mind was stuck on that eye. 'This power… this is bad news. Very bad news.'
The cloaked figure turned his head slightly, as if listening to the distant sounds of battle still drifting from Konoha. "The village is noisy. Tell me, are the old faces still around? The Elders, Homura and Koharu? And Danzo? And that old monkey, Hiruzen? Are they still breathing the air?" His voice was cold, holding no warmth, only a sharp demand for answers.
Orochimaru's smile widened a fraction. "Ah, always so direct, Hikaru-kun. Some faces remain, others… have changed their residence. Sarutobi-sensei, for example, is no longer with us. He met his end a long time ago."
Hikaru let out a low, humorless chuckle. "Good. And the others? Danzo? I trust he also found his way to the grave?"
Orochimaru's lips curved into a thin line.
"Danzo… he was certainly a stubborn one.
But yes, even he eventually found his rest.
One might say, a rather permanent one."
Hikaru was silent for a moment, the red glow of his eye seeming to intensify. "Satisfying.
And what of the Uchiha clan? Are they well?
They were so set on their plans to watch over the village, to keep things… orderly." His voice dripped with mocking sarcasm when he spoke of the clan.
Orochimaru tilted his head, a dark amusement in his eyes. "The Uchiha clan, you ask? Ah, that's quite a story. They are… no longer in existence. Gone. Every single one, except for a few precious."
Hikaru's visible eye narrowed. "Wiped out? How could this be? Was it some terrible illness, a silent plague that swept through their compound? Or did they attempt another desperate coup, a final, foolish rebellion against the Leaf Village that crushed them?"
"Neither," Orochimaru said, watching Hikaru closely. "They were massacred. By one of their own. Fugaku's eldest son, Uchiha Itachi."
A sudden, sharp laugh ripped from Hikaru's throat. It was a harsh, bitter sound, entirely without joy. "Fugaku's son? That fool! Ha! He finally got what was coming to him, then. The proud, weak leader of the Uchiha, gone along with his misguided clan. Excellent news indeed."
'He's happy?' Kiba thought, a chill running down his spine. 'The Uchiha clan was wiped out, and this man laughs? What kind of monster is he?' He tightened his grip on his kunai, eyes darting from Orochimaru to the frightening cloaked figure. 'And this man… he's the one who attacked the village before.
The Rinnegan user. This is just like that power… but this is different somehow. More focused. More dangerous.' Kiba pressed himself back slightly, trying to blend into the lingering smoke, desperate not to be noticed.
Orochimaru watched Hikaru's reaction, a deeper thought forming in his mind. 'He laughs, but there's a flicker of something else in his chakra. This one… his emotions are as twisted as ever. He despises them, yet… there's a part of him that clings to the past.'
'Just as I suspected he would. Just as I knew he would, even as Sarutobi-sensei and the others debated his fate. They always feared his power more than they understood his loyalty, a loyalty so fiercely given it turned to bitter hatred when betrayed. And Danzo… always pulling the strings in the shadows, even then.'
Hikaru's laughter died down, replaced by a deep, low tone. "And Mikoto? She was… a kind soul. Is she well? I hope she escaped that fool's end." A hint of something akin to worry, perhaps even sorrow, touched his voice, quickly hidden.
Orochimaru's expression softened slightly, a rare sight. "Mikoto is also gone, I'm afraid. She died that night as well."
A moment of heavy silence fell. The red light in Hikaru's eye dimmed slightly, and Kiba could feel a wave of deep sadness wash over the air from the cloaked figure, quickly followed by a sharp spike of anger. 'He… he actually cared about her,' Kiba thought, surprised.
Hikaru's voice was now dangerously quiet. "She's dead. And that boy… Fugaku's son, Itachi. Is he still alive? If he is, I'll carve out his eyes myself. For Mikoto." His hand slowly moved to the hilt of the sword on his back.
"No need for that, Hikaru-kun," Orochimaru replied, his voice calm, but with an edge that suggested deep knowledge. "Itachi is quite dead. He was killed by Mikoto's younger son."
Hikaru froze. The anger in his chakra spiked, then pulled back, replaced by confusion. "Mikoto… was married? And had children?"
His voice held a note of disbelief, almost disgust. He quickly followed, before Orochimaru could fully answer, "Who was her first son then? And are both of these children, these… 'sons'… alive or dead?" His questions came out fast, each one sharp.
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, a cruel smile playing on his lips, enjoying Hikaru's shock. "Her youngest son is very much alive. The older son, Itachi, was the one who ended the clan, as I said." He paused, letting the words sink in. "They were indeed Fugaku's children. Mikoto's sons."
A wave of pure, intense fury rolled off Hikaru, making the air around them crackle. Kiba felt his skin prickle with the raw, uncontrolled power. 'This is more than just anger… this is like a volcano ready to blow!' Hikaru's body trembled slightly under his cloak.
'No… Mikoto and Fugaku?' Hikaru's thoughts screamed. 'Why did Mikoto marry him? And had his children? She must have been forced! She had to be! That coward, Fugaku… he always wanted what was mine. But to take Mikoto… and for her to bear his brats… It's… it's intolerable!' A deep, gut-wrenching sadness mingled with his rage. 'She was the only family I had left… and she ended up with him?' His anger burned hotter, directed at a past he couldn't change, and at the man who had stolen what he considered his.
Hikaru took a slow, deep breath. The shaking in his body almost stopped. The red Sharingan glowed more strongly for a moment, then settled back to its usual intense. He looked at the broken rock pieces near the cave opening. Then, in a smooth move, he went and sat down on a sharp piece of rock, like he was tired from standing so long. He became very still, and the huge feeling of anger around him lessened, replaced by a strange, quiet calm that felt even more unsettling.
His one visible eye fixed on Orochimaru. "Her younger son," Hikaru's voice was now very quiet, almost dangerous. "What's his name?"
Orochimaru's smile, which had been there the whole time, now slipped a little. His golden eyes quickly looked at the far-off lights of Konoha. He knew exactly who Hikaru was asking about. Orochimaru's mind worked fast.
Even though Sasuke was strong, the man in front of him, Uchiha Hikaru, was someone he'd only heard about in old stories. Giving Hikaru Sasuke's name now would be like throwing lamb in the hands of a hungry wolf.
"His name... isn't important for what we're talking about right now, Hikaru-kun,"
Orochimaru said. His voice was still smooth, but now there was a small hint of worry. He took a tiny step back, almost without thinking, already planning his next move. "Besides, for someone who hasn't been seen in so long, to come out looking so... good... from a simple cave in an empty area... I must say, I'm very curious."
Orochimaru tilted his head, acting like he was just making a friendly comment. "How did you stay alive all this time, Hikaru-kun? It must have been very hard, living in such a lonely place. Or maybe," he thought aloud, a knowing glint in his eye, "were you not in this cave the whole time? Were you... living somewhere else?"
Hikaru stayed silent. His Sharingan's gaze didn't move from Orochimaru, but he didn't answer. The air grew thick with his silent refusal. Orochimaru, seeing that Hikaru wouldn't talk, let his smile come back, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. He recognized that strong Uchiha stubbornness.
"Oh well," Orochimaru sighed, making a big show of giving up. "Maybe that story is for another time. For me, things were quite different, you see. I've used different... scientific ways to make myself younger. To keep my youthful look, you could say."
Kiba pressed against the smoky ground, his heart pounding like a drum against his ribs. Every word from the cloaked man, every calm, slithery reply from Orochimaru, made the cold dread in his stomach grow.
'This is bad. Really bad,' he thought, his gaze fixed on the glowing red eye. 'This guy… he's the Rinnegan man...the one who is attacking the village. But how does he bear a Sharingan now? Where is his rinnegan?'
He watched as Orochimaru and this terrifying stranger spoke so easily, almost like old friends. 'How do they know each other? Did Orochimaru plan all this? Is he working with this Rinnegan man? Did he bring me here just to trap me?' Kiba's thoughts raced, fear turning into a burning suspicion.
Then, he remembered. The cloaked man had talked about Itachi. And Orochimaru had said Itachi was killed by Mikoto's younger son. That meant... "Sasuke!" Kiba gasped, a silent scream in his head. 'Sasuke is Itachi's younger brother and this Uchiha Fugaku was the Uchiha clan head and Mikoto is the one who married him. And Uchiha Itachi is Uchiha Mikoto's son. So, Sasuke is their son too! This means he was the clan head's son. '
Kiba's mind was spinning out of control. 'Oh my god, what in the world is happening here?!' The Rinnegan user knew so much about the Uchiha clan's past, about Itachi, about Mikoto and Fugaku. He knew it all.
Kiba had heard stories, whispers about the Uchiha, but this man spoke like he had lived it. 'He ain't bluffing,' Kiba realized with a sickening lurch. 'He's an Uchiha. This Rinnegan man... he's an Uchiha! Who has survived before the Uchiha's masscare or rather before the Fourth Hokage became a Hokage...'
The thought made his blood run cold. It made the situation even more twisted, more dangerous than he had first imagined.
"Hahaha!!!"
The sound ripped through the quiet night, a loud, sharp laugh that held no joy, only a chilling madness. Kiba jumped, startled, his thoughts cut off. His eyes shot to the cloaked figure.
Hikaru's laughter died down, replaced by a voice that was eerily calm, yet full of sharp anger. "Orochimaru," he said, his Sharingan filled with rage. "I thought our connection was strong. But you, too, have proved to be one of those traitors. Or don't tell me it's been so long that you've forgotten how I looked in my glory days?" His voice was flat, empty of feeling, like a true psychopath.
Orochimaru's golden eyes narrowed,'Glory days?' he thought, his mind racing. 'Why is he talking about that now? Don't tell me...'
A flicker of understanding, then disbelief, crossed his face, quickly hidden.
With a swift, smooth motion, Hikaru reached up and pulled back the hood connected to his cloak. The deep shadows that had covered his face peeled away.
Orochimaru gasped, a sound rarely heard from the Sannin. His eyes widened, truly shocked. "How could this... how could you be..." His voice trailed off, filled with utter disbelief.
Kiba, seeing Orochimaru, the usually unshakeable Sannin, looking so completely stunned, felt a new wave of fear. It was a miracle to see Orochimaru this shocked. If even he was taken by surprise, what terrifying thing had just been revealed?
Orochimaru took a slow, shaky breath, his golden eyes fixed on Hikaru's newly revealed face. His voice, usually so smooth and confident, was now barely a whisper, filled with a profound, almost reverent shock.
"so young...."
---
QUIZ QUESTION:
While Kiba was caught in his own racing thoughts about Hikaru's identity, what was the most likely topic of conversation between Hikaru and Orochimaru that immediately led to Hikaru's chilling laughter and accusation of betrayal?
A) Orochimaru suggesting a new alliance that displeased Hikaru.
B) Orochimaru asking Hikaru how he managed to survive and if he was living somewhere else, despite his apparent age.
C) Orochimaru revealing a deeper truth about the Uchiha clan's massacre that Hikaru found ironically amusing.
D) Orochimaru questioning Hikaru's appearance after such a long absence from the world.
Please share your answers in the comments!
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Hey everyone! Thank you for reading Chapter 41! This is a big one, isn't it? We've finally pulled back the curtain on the mysterious figure from the cave, and it's none other than Uchiha Hikaru himself! 🔥
This chapter really dives into Hikaru's motivations and the deep, painful history that defines him. His reaction to the news about the Uchiha clan and, most painfully, Mikoto and her children with Fugaku, shows just how personal this "change in timeline" truly is for him.
That internal scream at the end? That's the core of his anguish, and it's going to drive everything that comes next. Orochimaru, as always, is playing his own game, subtly fanning the flames of Hikaru's rage. And poor Kiba is just caught in the middle, realizing he's stumbled into something far bigger and more dangerous than he could have imagined. 😱
And that final reveal! What does Orochimaru's shock mean? Why is Hikaru "SO YOUNG...."? This changes everything!
And now, for a little peek into what's next! Hikaru's fury has been unleashed by the truths of his past, and he's not just a ghost anymore – he's a storm brewing! What will his immense rage lead him to do now that he knows Mikoto's fate and the existence of her children?
With Kiba still trapped between these two powerful, unpredictable figures and Akamaru missing, the clearing is about to become the epicenter of a confrontation that could have ripple effects far beyond what anyone expects.
Get ready, because the timeline is about to shift even more drastically! What do you think Hikaru's next move will be now that his painful past has been laid bare? Let me know! 👇