**Location:** Kirigakure's Main Gate
Under the watchful eyes of the ANBU—led by **Karasu** 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.
Karasu's hands flew through a rapid series of **hand signs**, finally settling on the *"Ram"* seal as he aimed it at **Hikari**.
Blind and submerged in darkness, Hikari 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. Karasu lowered his hands and nodded to Blood Hound, confirming Hikari's lack of chakra fluctuations.
Kurumari let out a quiet sigh of relief, her lingering doubts about Hikari finally dispelled.
*"Satisfied?"* Kurumari said, moving to leave with Hikari.
*"Not so fast, Kaguya-san,"* Karasu interjected, his sharp gaze locked onto the blindfolded girl. *"There's one last check."* His voice turned razor-edged.
*"Little miss… remove your blindfold."*
Hikari froze—just for a fraction of a second, but Karasu caught it. His suspicion flared.
*This blind girl is hiding something.*
*"You already checked for chakra. Why her eyes?"* Kurumari protested.
*"Ordinarily, we wouldn't bother,"* Karasu replied, ignoring her. His stare bored into Hikari'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 Hikari. 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. Karasu'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 Hikari'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,"* Karasu 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 Hikari's blindness was genuine, it was the ultimate proof of her innocence.
Lowering her head, Hikari 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 Karasu was taken aback. No further examination was needed. Eyes like those couldn't possibly see.
*"Will this suffice, shinobi-sama?"* Hikari 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 Karasu, the heavy village gates groaned open.
*"Here, Hikari."* 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 Hikari'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—*
Hikari'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 Hikari's steps)
- **Kurumari** (brown-haired, visibly troubled)
Her Byakugan pierced deeper, mapping their chakra networks:
- **Kurumari'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 Hikari's. Against Kurumari, 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…
Kurumari, 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.
*"Hikari, let me carry you,"* Kurumari suddenly said.
*"Huh?"* Hikari blinked (metaphorically).
*"We're not just escorting you—I have a mission. At this pace, reaching the Land of Fire will take forever."* Kurumari smiled. *"Do it for me, okay?"*
*"…Alright. Thank you, Kurumari-nee. All of you."*
The team beamed. *"Don't mention it!"*
Karin helped Hikari onto Kurumari's back. Shin carried her bag; Yōma took the cane.
*"Holding on tight?"*
*"Mhm."* Hikari's arms looped lightly around Kurumari's neck, her cheek resting against her shoulder. A faint floral scent clung to Kurumari's hair.
*"Then let's move out!"*
*"YES!"* ×4
As they surged forward, Kurumari's heart swirled with glee.
*So cute! So smol!*
A villainous chuckle echoed in her mind.
---