MUKAI P.O.V.
. .
I've often wondered how my life would come to an end. Would it be a heroic death? Would I be another fodder that fell on the battlefield? Would I die of the almost rare case of old age as a shinobi?
At one point, I feared that my secret possession of the Byakugan would be discovered, leading to my death at the hands of my ancestral clan. Yet, of all the endings I imagined, none compare to the one I'm facing right now!
I knew the consequences of my actions and what could go wrong. I'm not some naïve child. Faced with a choice between betraying my village or failing my son's expectations, I chose the former. Disillusioned with the village and presented with an opportunity to afford my ill son's medical bills by spying for the Hidden Mist, I accepted.
Now I find myself in an irreversible situation, branded a traitor by the higher-ups, fighting to the death with two Uchiha geniuses. I entered the battlefield confident of victory and came tantalizingly close. I had the older one, Shisui, right by the throat—I could have snapped it in an instant. Meanwhile, the younger Itachi was nearly incapacitated by my Gentle Fist.
Everything was going according to plan until Shisui's eyes suddenly changed. With just a single glance, I fell prey to his illusion.
The genjutsu triggered a failsafe in my mind—a mechanism to end my life before the enemy could extract more information.
Now I sit here, nearly disemboweled, in a barren mountain basin devoid of even a single blade of grass.
The sole comfort in this grim situation is the familiar taste of the cigarette in my mouth—a final indulgence placed there by the very boys I just fought.
I take a long drag, feeling the smoke flow into my lungs, then exhale slowly, savoring the bittersweet flavor.
It's somewhat numbing my worries.
What will happen to my wife? Will she be implicated in this too, possibly tortured? What about my sick son? He was improving—I could tell from my shadow clone's memories—though still in and out of the hospital. And my daughter—will she be safe?
It feels as if all this was for naught. Have I failed as a husband and father, putting them in even greater danger? I hope my confession that they were uninvolved in my crimes will shield them from abuse. Perhaps the village will keep my betrayal under wraps, sparing them from becoming pariahs.
I can only hope for the best.
I glanced at the two ninja surrounding me. Their eyes held worry, not for my well-being, but concern that I might continue fighting.
"This is how a ninja dies, you know?" I muttered, taking another puff of my cigarette. I intended to finish it before my eyes closed; neither fighting nor death would stop me from smoking.
After another drag, I looked at the boys and tried to speak again. My arms weakened as if all strength had left me. "I'll be waiting for you over..." Then darkness enveloped me.
A traitor's death—my final experience.
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Third P.O.V.
. .
Deep in the mountains, a mansion stood at the heart of a village-like cluster of buildings. Our focus, however, isn't on this grand house, but on a specific room in a hospital-like facility nearby.
A joyous occasion had just occurred: the birth of the first grandchild of Eisaku Yotsuba, the current leader of one of Japan's Ten Master Clans, the Yotsuba Family.
The older man gazed intently at the child. The boy exuded an unusual calmness; instead of the expected wails of a newborn, there was silence.
While the surrounding adults didn't seem to pay much attention to this, it was something they might later mention when boasting about the boy's future achievements.
"It seems you might have some luck; the child seems to be calm, something I didn't experience," Eisaku remarked.
"Hopefully that's the case," said Hiyori, the mother of the child and his daughter-in-law.
Meanwhile, the man standing next to her had a faltering expression on his face due to the ending quip, as he was Eisaku's firstborn son and knew the part about not experiencing the same was referring to him.
No one enjoys having their embarrassing childhood moments brought up, especially Hidetsugu. He had carefully cultivated a reputation within the clan as a quiet man who exuded a strong presence.
Eager to steer the conversation away from this uncomfortable topic, he changed the subject.
"Father, shouldn't you analyze his ability now?"
"I was about to begin," Eisaku replied.
It was time to analyze the child's ability—a task only Eisaku could perform efficiently. This analysis would reveal the child's potential with magic and offer insights into their future skills.
The Yotsuba, a clan of Japanese magicians, were renowned for their mind manipulation abilities. This power struck fear into many, especially other magicians, as the mind was crucial to casting magic.
Within everyone's mind, but more pronounced in magicians, lies a subconscious region called the magic calculation area. This area enables magic casting by visualizing, processing, and calculating spells. It allows magicians to define aspects like duration, position, and area of their spells.
The magic calculation area also determines which types of magic a magician can master. These areas, known as MCAs, excel at visualizing and calculating various magical systems.
This is where Eisaku, the Yotsuba clan head, comes in. Born with a unique Magic Calculation Ability, he could peer into minds and discern their skill and future potential—an ability he intended to use on the child.
Cradling the blanket-wrapped infant, Eisaku pressed a button on his wrist device—a tool that enhanced magical efficiency and speed. He then focused on understanding his grandchild's future abilities.
After a moment, an intrigued expression crossed his face. Hiyori and Hidetsugu, the child's parents, noticed this. Worry etched the mother's features, knowing Eisaku's analysis would determine her child's future within the family.
"It seems to be something almost similar to me, but more interesting."
"So what exactly was the ability?" asked his son, as Eisaku handed the child back to its mother.
"The boy should possess a powerful analytical ability, closely related to the capacity for perceiving the mind," Eisaku stated.
His analysis brought a sense of relief to the new parents.
He continued, "One thing is certain: he will be able to perceive far more than I can. With such an ability, the child will undoubtedly contribute significantly to our research."
Eisaku's words caused his son, Hidetsugu, to ponder exactly what he meant, confused about what all his son could potentially see that his father couldn't.
"What exactly do you mean by seeing? Are you referring to the theory of elemental sight?"
He voiced out his questions to his father.
"No, I mean something similar but oddly different."
Seeing the confused expression on his son's face, he decided to continue.
"Usually when we cast our magic, our mind can help locate and change information in the eidos. My brother even had the ability to somehow change the eidos(information dimension) enough to make conditions on when his magic was activated, all without seeing the eidos."
Seeing that the other two seemed to grasp what he was saying, Eisaku continued. However, his expression turned somewhat confused as he pondered his next analysis.
"Theoretical elemental sight would allow one to see the information, but it couldn't visualize it in a way that's easier for the mind to comprehend while maintaining its complexity or depth. This child, however, should possess an ability that goes beyond that."
This revelation left the room in a stupor, with everyone puzzled about the exact nature of the ability.
Hiyori broke the silence, attempting to bring some perspective to the father and child.
"Well, we will have to just wait and see. We can't raise our expectations too high."
She then looked down at the boy in her arms, gently poking his nose with her finger.
"Isn't that right, my little Mukai?"
Meanwhile, the so-called Mukai remained oblivious to their entire conversation, instead struggling to comprehend the strange place surrounding him.
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Our main protagonist is an intriguing character who appeared in the Itachi Shinden novel—a work that might be unfamiliar to most, but I suspect some of you reading enthusiasts are well-acquainted with it!
I'd love to hear your thoughts on my attempt to delve into the intricacies of his ability with the Eidos, MCA and Activation Sequences. Also there won't be any chakra in this story.