Narrow corridors lit by dim torches led Mizuki to a place she had never seen before—a hidden underground headquarters, sealed away by jutsu and shadows. Behind an iron door engraved with the faded symbol of Konoha, Danzo stood in silence. Instinctively, Mizuki activated her Byakugan, only to realize something strange.
"The seal… it blocks vision," Mizuki murmured. "Even the Byakugan can't pierce all the walls here."
Danzo turned slightly. "Of course. This place was never meant for just any eyes. Yours included."
His response wasn't harsh—it simply stated a fact. Mizuki nodded quietly, following her teacher deeper into a large, hall-like chamber.
Inside, dozens of children stood in two rows. Each wore standard dark clothing, their expressions eerily similar: blank. No curiosity, no fear—only absolute obedience.
Mizuki studied them. These kids… they're younger than me. Six or seven, maybe. But their eyes… like war-hardened soldiers.
Danzo stood before them. His voice was calm, deep, and authoritative.
"Today, you will receive the seal. This seal is not a punishment—but a promise. A promise that you will never betray this village. It will protect vital information… and keep you focused."
He turned to Mizuki. "Originally, this seal could only paralyze the body if one tried to leak secrets. But now, it has an additional function."
Mizuki's gaze shifted to a boy at the end of the row—pale white eyes, standing rigid.
A Hyuga Branch member? she thought, expressionless.
The boy bore two seals. On his tongue, the ROOT seal. And on his forehead… the Hyuga clan's cursed seal.
Mizuki stared for a long moment. Then turned her gaze back to Danzo.
"No sympathy?" Danzo asked quietly, almost rhetorically.
Mizuki shook her head. "I understand the need for precaution. Especially for those who will live in the shadows like this."
Danzo nodded. He didn't smile, but his eyes glimmered with approval.
Several years ago – Flashback
In a cold, narrow meeting room, Danzo sat reviewing the earliest plans for ROOT. Seven-year-old Mizuki stood upright beside him.
"I want to build their bonds from a young age," Danzo said slowly. "Then, when they officially join, they will kill one another. Erasing empathy. Erasing emotion."
Mizuki remained silent for a moment, then spoke softly. "That's wasteful."
Danzo turned toward her, intrigued. "Waste…ful?"
"A waste of human resources," Mizuki replied.
Danzo's eyes narrowed. "Human resources?"
Mizuki nodded. "Where I'm from—eh, I mean… theoretically, people are valuable resources. They're not made to be discarded. If the goal is to erase emotions, it's more efficient to train them until they're exhausted, drained, and too busy to feel. While indoctrinating them properly. Not through mutual slaughter."
Danzo stared at her for a long while. In his mind, a new term was carved: Human Resources.
"Interesting…" he murmured. "Very interesting."
Back to the present
The sealing process was complete. One by one, the children received their marks under the supervision of a fuinjutsu specialist. None of them spoke. None resisted.
From a small podium, Danzo looked down on them.
"From this day forward, you are no longer children. You are the shadows of Konoha. Unseen, forgotten, unpraised. You will complete missions no one else can. Remember… no names. Only duty."
All the children knelt simultaneously. "Hai!"
Danzo nodded to Mizuki and said, "Come."
They left the hall and walked through a dark corridor to another room. There, the light of a lantern revealed a small laboratory, filled with scrolls, jars, and fuinjutsu tools.
In the center stood a young man with black hair, his back facing them. Orochimaru, now around seventeen or eighteen, was studying a long scroll.
Danzo stepped inside. "Orochimaru."
The young man turned. His golden eyes briefly glanced at Mizuki, then returned to the scroll. He rolled it up and handed it to Danzo wordlessly.
"Is it done?" Danzo asked.
"It is," Orochimaru replied curtly. "And… don't disturb me again. I'm focusing on something important."
Without waiting for a response, he left.
Mizuki looked at Danzo. "Not much of a talker."
Danzo answered quietly, "He's different. But loyal."
After Orochimaru left, Danzo handed the scroll to Mizuki.
"Read it. It's about you."
Mizuki opened the scroll curiously. But as her eyes scanned the first lines, her expression slowly changed. Her eyes widened.
"This… this is an evaluation report on me?" she whispered.
Inside, it contained detailed notes: her abilities, emotional responses under pressure, physical endurance, adaptability, and obedience levels. All systematically documented. But one section shocked her most:
Genetic Evaluation.
It read: "The subject shows traces of Kaguya clan DNA. Confirmed: a genetic blend of Kaguya characteristics within the Hyuga lineage."
Mizuki looked at Danzo, stunned. "The Kaguya clan…?"
Danzo nodded slightly. "I obtained this from Hyuga clan records passed down by the elders. Turns out, during the Warring States Era, the Hyuga and Kaguya once formed an alliance. It's possible… you're the result of two bloodlines that fled together."
"So… I'm not just Hyuga…" Mizuki whispered. Her brow furrowed, thoughts racing.
Danzo added, "Orochimaru confirmed it through his research. Your body holds the potential… the potential to awaken the Kekkei Genkai of bone manipulation, known as Shikotsumyaku."
Mizuki stood silent for a long time.
She didn't know whether to feel fear… or fascination.
'Byakugan… and Kaguya bones. Two powers that were never meant to coexist. But now, they're both within me…'
Danzo stood quietly. "It doesn't mean you must use it now. But I want you to know… what lies within you. And someday… when the time is right, you can choose for yourself whether to use that power… or not."
Mizuki bowed her head slowly. "I understand… Sensei."
---
That night, Konoha's skies were blanketed by a thin layer of clouds. Light rain fell, soaking the rooftops of traditional homes in the Hyuga district. Oil lanterns hung under eaves, casting a soft glow on the narrow paths of the compound.
In a secluded room at the heart of the main residence, several white-robed elders sat in a semicircle around a low table. At the center lay a sealed scroll, unopened.
Cold night wind slipped through the cracks of the fusuma doors, cutting into their bones.
The eldest among them, a gray-haired man with his hair tied back neatly, broke the seal and opened the scroll carefully. His brows furrowed as his eyes scanned page after page.
Seconds later, the silence turned into barely-contained whispers. Two other elders exchanged looks—confusion, concern… and hidden fear.
"…So, Mizuki is of mixed blood," one of them murmured, as though afraid the words would summon trouble.
"Hyuga and Kaguya," another added with quiet intensity.
"Hmph." The eldest finally spoke—slow, heavy, and full of authority. "That explains… why the cursed seal could not be applied to her forehead."
The room fell silent.
Not because it was a logical explanation.
But because they all knew… it was a perfect cover.
No one in that room wanted to revisit the disgraceful failure five years ago, when the sealing ritual on Mizuki failed. They—who had spent decades reinforcing the superiority of the Main and Branch House structure—had never failed before.
Now, they had a reason.
"Two Kekkei Genkai… might cause her body to reject the fundamental nature of the Hyuga cursed seal," one elder stated flatly.
"Yes. Like two opposing chakra fields clashing," said another. "It makes theoretical sense… even if it's never been seen before."
The clan head, seated at the front, nodded slowly, eyes fixed on the scroll. Though the report was brief—lacking personal evaluations or deep details—the fact that Mizuki's DNA was different was enough to justify the failed sealing… and save face for all the elders.
He exhaled deeply and spoke, calm but firm.
"From tonight onward, this scroll will be stored in the deepest archive. Access is restricted to the clan head and senior elders. No further discussion of this matter is to leave this room."
The elders nodded as one. None protested.
"And one more thing…" the clan head continued, his gaze sharp, "from now on, Hyuga clan members are strictly forbidden from marrying individuals from outside the clan who possess a Kekkei Genkai. We will not repeat a history that could blur our bloodline."
Some elders exchanged glances, but no one spoke against it. They understood: this was more than precaution—this was control. A wall to protect the purity of their caste structure.
Yet deep in their hearts—in the silence no one dared voice—there lingered a bitter amusement.
'We, the wise and experienced elders… were defeated by a four-year-old girl back then.'
But no one would ever admit it.
Not tonight. Not tomorrow. Not in their lifetimes.
The pride and face of the Hyuga clan had to be preserved. And with one cold, bureaucratic decision, the truth was buried, and the clan's order restored.
The scroll was rolled up, placed in a sealed metal tube, and carried by a special guard to the hidden underground archive.
Outside, the rain began to fade. But the chill of the night remained—holding secrets that would never be spoken.