Kaguya's Legacy Chapter 33 - 32 Shikadō Nara

We broke through the dense tree line just as the sun began to dip toward the horizon, casting long, flickering shadows across the forest floor—the faint sounds of clinking tal, muffled shouts. The war camp was close.

The camp itself ca into view monts later, a large open space, no trees remaining in a large circle, with the camp in the middle. Strong tall earthen walls and even taller watch towers reaching into the sky.

The camp had likely been around for months, if not years, at this point; it was impossible to hide sothing of this scale, so there was no point in doing so. This allowed it plenty of freedom for so comfort.

This ant large fires to keep warm, with smoke reaching far into the sky, and a scent of food in the air. Indeed, being stationed in camp ca with its own series of benefits.

Too bad I wouldn't be enjoying those.

As we drew closer, the sounds of the camp grew clearer, voices raised in rough, good-natured banter, the low murmur of conversations shared over evening als.

Koji's nose twitched, his sharp, canine-like eyes narrowing as he sniffed the air. "Slls like they're roasting sothing good," he muttered, his tone a mix of envy and anticipation. "Maybe we'll get lucky and score a proper al tonight."

I allowed myself a small, amused huff, my pale eyes flicking over the well-worn, heavily trodden path leading into the camp, the mud packed firm and dark from countless boots. "We will just be stopping for the night, so I guess we can be considered guests, and it would be rude not to properly host us ."

Koji shot a sidelong glance, his sharp teeth flashing in a brief grin. "Right you are, as guests, they had better host us properly, which ans plenty to eat, right boy?" He asked Kuro, who barked happily in response.

I didn't reply, didn't get much of a chance to, as suddenly, a dozen people used the body-flicker to surround us, forcing our team to stop, lest we run right into their drawn swords and kunai.

Honestly, I was impressed at how they had us shot down, they ford two loose rings around us, an inner right, with people clearly ready to engage us in taijutsu, and an outer ring, where they already had their hands ready for ninjutsu.

Right in front of us stood what seed to be their leader, a rather large fellow, with a thick, grizzled beard and a nasty-looking scar running down one side of his face. Personally, I judged him to be a rather skilled Jōnin, with everyone being at least a Chuunin.

In this situation, getting out alive would be more than just a little difficult. Thankfully, their forehead protectors all clearly indicated that they belonged to Konoha.

"Identify yourselves," the leader asked, and I figured the only reason he asked so nicely, was because he already knew the answer.

After all, I was in this little team.

It wasn't that I was famous, not like the Sannin or anything.

No, it was just because of my eyes.

The Byakugan was after all famous, more so in Konoha, the only place in the world where one could find the Dojutsu.

Not one person outside of the Hyūga Clan had a pair of these, so the fact that I stood, dressed in Konoha gear, wearing a Konoha forehead protector, with a pair of Byakugan in my eye sockets, and the caged bird seal visible through my parted hair, yeah, he would have to be a total idiot to not understand that we weren't enemies.

I t the leader's hard, assessing gaze, letting my eyes narrow slightly as I straightened my posture, allowing the faint, ghostly veins around my eyes to stand out a bit more clearly. The slight flicker of recognition in his eyes confird my assumption—he knew exactly what he was looking at.

"Yuki Hyūga," I said, my voice steady and firm. "Team leader. These are my team, Hagane Arata, Hoshino Haruto, and Inuzuka Koji; we're here due to deploynt, mission inside the land of River." I stated as I slowly and in full view of everyone, pulled a mission scroll out of my pocket.

The bearded Jōnin's eyes flicked to the scroll, his fingers tightening slightly on the hilt of his blade before he gave a small, satisfied grunt, his posture relaxing just a fraction. He reached out, taking the scroll from my outstretched hand, his thick, calloused fingers brushing against the worn leather as he unrolled it with a practiced flick of his wrist.

His eyes quickly scanned the scroll's contents, his thick brows drawing together as he took in the details, his lips moving faintly as he read through the mission briefing. After a mont, he gave a small, approving nod, his eyes flicking back up to et mine.

"Alright, Hyūga," he muttered, his voice dropping to a more conversational tone as he handed the scroll back to . "Looks like everything's in order. Welco to the front. You'll want to report to the main tent, speak with Shikadō Nara. He'll want to hear your report before you settle in for the night."

I gave a small, curt nod, tucking the scroll back into my pouch as I felt the tension in the air slowly dissipate, the surrounding shinobi relaxing slightly as they exchanged relieved, slightly sheepish glances.

The bearded Jōnin gave a small, lopsided grin, his thick, grizzled features creasing into a faint, amused smile as he stepped back, gesturing for us to follow him. "Co on, I'll show you the way. The command tent is hard to spot, on purpose and all that."

I glanced back at my team, catching Koji's sharp, feral grin as he fell into step beside , his sharp eyes flicking around the camp with the curious, slightly predatory intensity of a wolf sizing up its territory.

Behind him, Haruto and Arata followed along, though they too relaxed a lot. And who could bla them? With at least a thousand, maybe more, shinobi here, the chances of a sudden attack were minimal to none.

I caught snippets of low, muttered conversations as we moved through the camp, the rough, gravelly voices of veteran shinobi mixing with the nervous, high-pitched murmurs of younger, less experienced shinobi.

Koji leaned in slightly, his sharp, white teeth flashing in a brief, amused grin as he whispered just loud enough for to hear. "Looks like we made quite the entrance. Think they greet everyone like that, or are we just special?"

I gave a small, amused huff, my pale eyes flicking to the thick, dark canvas of the command tent looming ahead. It was no different from the many other tents we walked past, with a single exception: it had plenty of hidden guards around it.

As we approached the command tent, I let my Byakugan pulse for a mont, the veins around my eyes flaring briefly as I took in the carefully arranged layers of defenses surrounding the structure.

It was mostly just a normal tent, nothing special, except I could see that a large number of seals had been placed inside it.

They didn't seem defensive in nature, so I assud they were for secrecy purposes.

Not that they could stop the Byakugan, few things could do that. Only an imnse amount of chakra could block the chakra-based sight. And few seals could sustain such a thing for long without burning out.

That fact was one of the reasons the Hyūga Clan's compound was based so far from the center of power, and that few people wanted to live near us. It just wasn't really possible to hide anything with us nearby.

The bearded Jōnin led us to the entrance, his heavy boots sinking slightly into the damp, compacted earth as he pushed aside the thick, rough canvas flap, his sharp eyes flicking back to as he gestured for us to follow. "Shikadō's inside. Don't keep him waiting."

I stepped through the entrance, the warm, slightly smoky air of the command tent washing over .

The interior was what I expected from the place's function: scrolls, chests, and maps everywhere. The entire space seed filled with that kind of thing.

Though there was another room, blocked off, likely where the commander slept, or maybe a eting room. I had seen a bed deeper inside, but I only gave the place a brief look using my Byakugan.

It was, after all, considered very rude to use them to look at friendly structures.

Shikadō Nara sat at the far end of the main table, his sharp, calculating eyes already fixed on as I stepped into the tent. He had faint shadows under his eyes and a lazy feel to him.

As all Nara I had seen, he too was a tall, lean man, his sharp, angular features softened only slightly by the faint, amused curve of his lips as he watched approach.

"Yuki Hyūga," he said, his deep, gravelly voice cutting through the quiet rustle of parchnt and the faint crackle of burning oil. "I heard you were coming. The next star of the Hyūga Clan, I'm impressed that they are sending you out on a mission like this, isn't friendly out here."

I gave a small, respectful nod as I approached the table, my pale, pupil-less eyes never straying from his sharp, calculating gaze. "Thank you, sir," I replied, my voice calm and even. "But I'm not the type to stay hidden behind walls while the rest of the village fights."

Shikadō's lips quirked into a faint, approving smile, the faint shadows under his eyes deepening as he leaned back in his chair, his long fingers tapping idly against the rough, splintered surface of the table. "Good to hear. The Hyūga have always been a bit too cautious for my taste, but it's good to see so of you aren't afraid to get your hands dirty."

He glanced briefly over my shoulder at Koji, Haruto, and Arata as they slipped into the tent behind : "And they will get dirty. Your mission isn't an easy or pleasant one."

The fact that he could say that, without seeing the mission scroll, ant that he was already aware of what we would be doing, which wasn't a big surprise, he was the leader of this entire front.

And as a Nara, the reason for that wasn't his strength, but his mind; he had to know everything. The more information he had, the better he could plan around everything. He used tactics and wisdom to deal with Suna, where the White Fang had once used pure strength.

"We understand the risks, sir," I replied, my voice calm and steady. "We wouldn't be here if we weren't prepared for what's coming."

Shikadō leaned back in his chair, his dark eyes never leaving mine. "Good to hear you're ready. Just rember, this isn't a straightforward mission. The Land of Rivers is a ss right now. Suna has been getting bolder, pushing deeper into our territory, and their scouts have been slipping past our patrols more often than I'd like."

He glanced at my team, his eyes flicking over Koji's cocky, alert form, Haruto's steady, unflinching stance, and Arata's quiet, calculating posture. "You'll be cut off from support, surrounded by enemy forces, and outnumbered more often than not. I hope you're prepared for that."

I gave a small nod, eting his gaze evenly. "We know the risks. We're ready."

Shikadō's mouth twitched into a faint smile. "Good. Just rember, confidence can get you killed out there. Keep your eyes open and don't take unnecessary risks. I can't afford to lose good shinobi."

Koji let out a soft snort beside , his sharp teeth flashing in a quick grin. "No promises."

Shikadō's eyes crinkled at the corners, a hint of dry amusent creeping into his voice. "I'll have one of my scouts draw you a rough map of known enemy positions and patrol routes. But from there, you are alone until you return for resupply."

I gave a small nod. "Thank you, sir. We'll make good use of it."

Shikadō's faint smile lingered as he leaned back in his chair, his eyes tracking us as we turned to leave. "Stay sharp out there. I'd hate to have to replace you."

With that, we stepped back out into the cool, smoke-tinged air of the camp, the sounds of crackling fires and muttered conversations washing over us as we made our way back toward the main path.

"Alright, for tonight, you are free to spend your ti as you will. Just be ready to set out tomorrow, so get so sleep and so food, because it's rations for a long while from here on," I said as I dismissed them.