Naruto : The ultimate Troublemaker

She panted, shards of broken pottery scattered around her. Her hand had been cut in her fit of anger. The door suddenly opened, and Shikai entered, drawn by the noise.

"Hinata? Are you okay?" he asked, looking around. His eyes fell on her wounded hand, which she tried awkwardly to hide.

"Th-this... it's nothing!" she said, panicked.

Shikai approached slowly, his gaze moving from the broken pieces of pottery to her nervous expression.

"Ah, I see I hadn't noticed this injury," he said with a reassuring smile, feigning ignorance. He sat down next to her and activated his jutsu to heal the cut. "It seems I'm not a very good doctor after all."

Hinata shook her head frantically. "Do-don't say that, Shikai-kun! Negligence can happen to anyone," she stuttered, her cheeks flushing.

Shikai laughed softly, ruffling her hair. "You're too cute, Hinata. Get some rest." Then he stood up and left the room for good.

As he closed the door, he sighed and thought, 'She's really gone mad. Between her and Tsunade, who's the worse?'

Shikai arrived at Neji's room. The latter was sitting by the window, his face cold and impassive as usual. He barely turned his head when Shikai entered.

"What do you want?" Neji asked in a sharp tone.

Shikai closed the door behind him and calmly observed the room before replying. "We need to talk about how you treated Hinata during the fight."

Neji furrowed his eyebrows slightly, but his face remained hard. "She's simply not up to the task. I just showed her her place."

"Your cousin is your ally, not your enemy. What you did to her was cruel," Shikai said in a measured tone.

Neji raised an eyebrow, his piercing gaze fixed on Shikai. "If that's all you had to say, you can leave. I don't have time for useless sermons."

Shikai didn't move, his eyes turning towards the window. After a moment of silence, he said calmly, "I see that this method won't be effective... Orochimaru will attack soon. I'll be direct."

Neji's frown deepened. "What are you talking about?"

Shikai finally turned his gaze to look Neji straight in the eyes. "You're just a slave of the branch family. If Hinata wanted to, she could kill you on the spot. Stop acting like a clown."

Neji's jaws clenched, and he stood up abruptly, trying to retaliate. But before he could do anything, Shikai grabbed his hand and twisted it violently. A sinister crack echoed in the room. Neji grimaced in pain, but refused to cry out.

"Listen, kid," Shikai said, his tone still calm but icy. "You want to be free? To no longer be a dog of the main branch? To reach the pinnacle of this world? To understand your true existence?"

Neji, weakened, looked at him with growing confusion. He was a young Jonin who sometimes hung out with Naruto, training him, and was particularly close to Hinata. He loved to fight Gai sensei in taijutsu. And now this guy was entering his room and telling him nonsense.

Shikai sighed. "You're still confused. Here's a token of good faith." He performed a series of rapid hand seals, then bit his finger, and with his blood, he wrote complex seals on Neji's forehead. "It's going to hurt, so endure it."

Neji felt an excruciating pain invade his mind. His brain felt like it was on fire. He clenched his teeth until he spat blood, his eyes weeping red tears.

"What did you do to me?!" he screamed.

Shikai, unperturbed, replied, "In this world, we are all just cattle to the Ōtsutsuki, superior beings. The freedom you seek is just an illusion. But if you want true freedom, you'll have to make sacrifices. Meet me in two days, at 7 p.m., at the Valley of the End. Don't be late, kid."

He stood up and opened the door, leaving Neji writhing in pain. When the pain began to subside, Neji noticed his reflection in the glass. The cursed seal of the branch family... had disappeared.

"The seal? It's gone!?" he murmured, disbelieving.

He turned towards the door through which Shikai had just left, his mind tormented by new questions.

"Who is he really?"

***

Shikai had just left the hospital, his breathing calm despite the turmoil he sensed rising in the air. The sky of Konoha, earlier a clear blue, seemed to darken, like a foreboding omen. Loud noises echoed in the village.

*BOOM!*

*BOOM!*

An explosion shook the ground. The screams of villagers and the clamor of battles reverberated in the distance. Shikai turned around, his expression grim as he watched a cloud of black smoke rise into the air. The streets of Konoha, usually lively and serene, were now littered with debris. The buildings, etched with the history of the village, were engulfed in flames. Shinobis rushed about.

In his mind, a familiar voice resonated, guttural and hungry.

"It's been too long since you last used me... I'm hungry," growled Reibi, the dark and insatiable spirit that inhabited Shikai, Zero Tail.

"Tss, you're really a pain," Shikai replied, gritting his teeth.

"I... have... too much... hunger! Release me!"