Chapter 14: Escape from the Village

Location: Kirigakure’s Main Gate

Under the watchful eyes of the ANBU—led by Mist Crow and Blood Hound—and Kaguya’s four-man squad, a silver-haired girl stood at the center of attention. Her right hand gripped a blind cane, while her left was stained with blood. A hood shadowed her face, but the pure black cloth tied over her eyes only deepened her air of mystery.

Mist Crow’s hands flew through a rapid series of hand signs, finally settling on the "Ram" seal as he aimed it at Hakuri.

Blind and submerged in darkness, Hakuri couldn’t see his actions—but her heightened senses detected an invasive chakra creeping across her skin, probing for something.

After a long pause, the chakra withdrew, empty-handed. Mist Crow lowered his hands and nodded to Blood Hound, confirming Hakuri’s lack of chakra fluctuations.

Kaguya Hikari let out a quiet sigh of relief, her lingering doubts about Hakuri finally dispelled.

"Satisfied?" Hikari said, moving to leave with Hakuri.

"Not so fast, Kaguya-san," Mist Crow interjected, his sharp gaze locked onto the blindfolded girl. "There’s one last check." His voice turned razor-edged.

"Little miss… remove your blindfold."

Hakuri froze—just for a fraction of a second, but Mist Crow caught it. His suspicion flared.

This blind girl is hiding something.

"You already checked for chakra. Why her eyes?" Hikari protested.

"Ordinarily, we wouldn’t bother," Mist Crow replied, ignoring her. His stare bored into Hakuri’s covered eyes, as if trying to pierce through the cloth.

"But think about it—a beautiful blind girl, alone in Kirigakure for so long, completely unharmed? Tell me, since when has our village’s security been that good?"

A tense silence fell.

All eyes turned to Hakuri. Her silver-gray hair cascaded over her shoulders, her porcelain skin luminous against the black fabric. Her delicate features—straight nose, rose-pink lips—held an almost doll-like perfection, despite her youth.

Even Kaguya’s team hesitated. Mist Crow’s skepticism wasn’t unfounded. A girl like this, defenseless and unclaimed, should’ve been prime prey for traffickers or worse.

So why was she untouched?

Though Hakuri’s world was dark, she felt the weight of their stares. With her vision gone, her other senses had sharpened.

Now isn’t the time to test them.

Suppressing her unease, she handed her cane to someone nearby—judging by their heavy breathing, it wasn’t Tooyama Karin.

"If I’m truly blind, I can leave, right?" she asked, tilting her face upward.

"Of course," Mist Crow said flatly.

The ANBU and Kaguya’s team nodded inwardly. A spy could lack chakra, know no jutsu, even be a child—but no one would send a real blind person as an infiltrator. If Hakuri’s blindness was genuine, it was the ultimate proof of her innocence.

Lowering her head, Hakuri slowly untied the cloth—then opened her eyes.

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.

Her eye sockets held not human eyes, but smooth, stone-gray orbs—no pupils, no shine, just lifeless mineral spheres. Paired with her doll-like beauty, the effect was uncanny.

"This…" Even Mist Crow was taken aback. No further examination was needed. Eyes like those couldn’t possibly see.

"Will this suffice, shinobi-sama?" Hakuri tilted her face, letting them inspect her unnatural gaze.

"…Wishing you a swift recovery, little miss. Open the gate."

"Thank you." She retied the blindfold.

With a wave from Mist Crow, the heavy village gates groaned open.

"Here, Hakuri." Okamura Shin pressed the cane back into her hand, his voice tinged with guilt for ever doubting her.

She accepted it without comment.

As the gates parted, morning sunlight cut through the lingering mist, casting Hakuri’s sharp silhouette onto the ground.

Tap… tap… tap…

The rhythmic sound of her cane echoed as she and Kaguya’s squad passed through, leaving the ANBU behind.

Outside the Village

The group trekked through the forest.

Bzzzt—

Hakuri’s chakra flared to life, flooding her senses. The darkness dissolved into light, shapes, color—her Byakugan’s 360-degree vision enveloped everything.

Birds chirped, cicadas hummed. The humid air felt fresher somehow.

Freedom.

After escaping Kirigakure’s cage, even the dullest moments felt brighter.

She’d anticipated the ANBU’s scrutiny. To mask her Byakugan, she’d layered her eyes with a bone membrane—a dull, stone-like cover grown from her Shikotsumyaku kekkei genkai. It hid her true eyes while acting as armor against projectiles.

Best of all? The Byakugan could see through it. What looked like self-imposed blindness was, for her, a perfect lens.

Her gaze swept over Kaguya’s team in vivid detail:

• Okamura Shin (blond, bouncy, buzzing with excitement)

• Yōma (purple-clad, scythe-wielder, lost in thought)

• Tooyama Karin (twin braids, emerald eyes, guiding Hakuri’s steps)

• Kaguya Hikari (brown-haired, visibly troubled)

Her Byakugan pierced deeper, mapping their chakra networks:

• Hikari’s reserves were vast, a deep blue current—special jōnin level.

• Yōma and Karin had moderate, light-blue chakra (Yōma’s physique hinted at taijutsu focus).

• Shin, surprisingly, had the most volatile chakra—water-blue but crackling with unstable energy.

Still, their combined reserves barely matched Hakuri’s. Against Hikari, a direct fight would be suicide.

If my secret gets out…

She pushed the thought away. Since awakening on that battlefield, survival had demanded bloodshed—no names, no past, just kill or be killed.

Yet now…

Hikari, despite being her father’s killer’s sister, had freed her. The three genin treated her as a friend.

For now, she wanted to preserve this fragile peace.

"Hakuri, let me carry you," Hikari suddenly said.

"Huh?" Hakuri blinked (metaphorically).

"We’re not just escorting you—I have a mission. At this pace, reaching the Land of Fire will take forever." Hikari smiled. "Do it for me, okay?"

"…Alright. Thank you, Hikari-nee. All of you."

The team beamed. "Don’t mention it!"

Karin helped Hakuri onto Hikari’s back. Shin carried her bag; Yōma took the cane.

"Holding on tight?"

"Mhm." Hakuri’s arms looped lightly around Hikari’s neck, her cheek resting against her shoulder. A faint floral scent clung to Hikari’s hair.

"Then let’s move out!"

"YES!" ×4

As they surged forward, Hikari’s heart swirled with glee.

So cute! So smol!

A villainous chuckle echoed in her mind.