Mikoto's reaction to the whole situation was shocking, to say the least. Sarutobi simply covered his eyes and leaned back, attempting to delay the headache he felt coming on. Kakashi looked pale as a sheet, his face seemingly scrunched near his forehead protector.

 

"Mikoto, are you okay?" Naruto was shouting; he ran over Mikoto to make sure her neck was no longer bleeding. Seeing that she was fine, he breathed a sigh of relief, seemingly unbothered by the fact that she practically crippled a jonin.

 

Sasuke was rooted to the spot. He just stared at Mikoto, a disturbed look on his face. Anbu guards were all jonin. Although Itachi was the most exceptional among them, it's not excessive to say that any Anbu member could slaughter genin like a farmer reaping his harvest. Mikoto had completely turned Sasuke's worldview on its head.

 

"You." Sasuke looked at Mikoto.

 

"Me?" Mikoto pointed at herself and tilted her head. "Don't be rude, I have a name. Use it at least once in your life." Although Sasuke was arrogant, he knew that Mikoto was far stronger than she appeared, strong enough to frighten Kakashi in his eyes.

 

"…Mikoto."

 

"Much better. What do you need?"

 

"How do I gain strength like yours? I need to be the strongest shinobi alive, but to do that I must surpass you first."

 

"Get in line! I was Mikoto's rival first!" Naruto once again had to butt in on the conversation, though Sasuke paid him no mind. Sasuke's gaze was locked with Mikoto's.

 

"You want to surpass me? Well, you're certainly welcome to try, though it may take a few millennia, I certainly welcome any competition. If you're especially interested, I have a technique I use to train that even Naruto doesn't want. Despite its effectiveness, using it causes intense pain. If you want to learn it, I'm willing to teach you."

 

"Go on." Sasuke looked surprised, hearing that even the hyperactive ninja, Naruto, refused a training regimen that got his idol, Mikoto, to where she was today.

 

"Did you know that the Hyuga clan originally considered me to be a failure because I was born with practically no chakra? Chakra rejected my body and I was unable to acquire it while growing. At least, that's how it should have been." Aside from Naruto and Sarutobi, everyone froze on the spot. It was well known that Mikoto had incredible talents. How could it be possible that she was born as a crippled child, one that held no chakra within them?

 

"Although I was born with chakra pathways, they were shriveled and useless. So, I started forcibly absorbing chakra. My perception was always exceptional, even among the Hyuga clan members. I pulled chakra into my body and forcibly expanded my chakra capacity. Every time I practice, I push my chakra paths to the point of bursting and I'm able to gain just a little bit more chakra. I have personally gone from having less chakra than a newborn infant to having chakra that rivals you, Naruto, and most jonin in the village. My method is simple, but every time you train you'll feel as if every cell in your body is being torn asunder. Naruto doesn't practice the technique because the pain forces most people to pass out. He might try again in the future, but right now it's too much. I know that there's so much hatred in your heart that you would give up everything to fulfill your ambition. My perception isn't limited to just chakra. So, would you like to give it a try?" Mikoto gently smiled at Sasuke.

 

The devil speaks not in harsh terms, but instead whispers honeyed words into the ears of the weak and vulnerable, sweetly dragging them into the depths of hell.

 

If one desires power, I will give it freely. I will not interfere with the order of this world, but I can't let things become too boring. Besides, that guard from earlier put me in a bad mood. Let me play a bit.

 

The fact that your idea of playing involves introducing this Uchiha brat to your hellish training method is disturbing. Well, I can't say I mind him being in pain, but I don't like the idea of him growing stronger either.

 

When you've lived for as long as I have, normal games can be rather boring. Besides, everyone in a major clan knows that Sasuke's brother is the one that massacred his own kin. Imagine Itachi, the rising star of the past, meeting his brother only to find that Sasuke has become stronger than he imagined. A true- or shall we say normal- Uchiha, versus one I've personally raised. I'm sure you'd love to see that.

 

…Fair point. Carry on.

 

Sasuke was still standing, looking at Mikoto.

 

"Interested?" Mikoto asked again in a teasing voice. Sasuke's eyes became firm.

 

"Yes. Please teach me, I'll do anything."

 

He's already fallen. I thought it would take a little longer.

 

I told you, I'm a natural at everything. Even Theo calls me a genius among geniuses. We didn't reign at the top of the universe just by being pretty.

 

"Sasuke! What do you mean by 'anything?'" Sakura was blushing and glaring at Mikoto.

 

The entire room just stared at Sakura, faces deadpan.

 

"Great. I'll start teaching you as soon as there's time." Sakura was swiftly ignored as Mikoto continued the conversation.

 

"Ahem." Sarutobi cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the room. "I understand that these are very important matters to you all, but I am already far behind schedule. I will be assigning you the mission of retrieving a lost cat."

 

"Come on! I'm a shinobi now and you have me doing lame stuff I could have done on my own?" Naruto was fuming.

 

"At least, that's what I was going to do. Considering Mikoto and Kakashi's strength, it may be best to simply send you on a C-rank mission. We have had a commissioner waiting on a team for quite a while. Since nobody else is available and his mission is time sensitive, I have to send whoever is most suitable and available. We need to escort a VIP back to the Land of Waves. If you're willing to accept-"

 

"We do!"

"Knock it off!" Sakura took it upon herself to knock some sense into Naruto. The poor boy was left holding the top of his head while crouched down.

 

"Well, we might as well take the mission. I can already tell this group is going to be a hassle if I don't let them see some action." Kakashi intervened and decided to accept the mission. The rest of the team seemed excited to be on a mission that didn't involve chasing a cat around town.

 

"Thank you, Kakashi. I'll inform the VIP now, just wait a while for him to arrive." Sarutobi waved his hand, presumably sending a signal to one of his guards.

 

Half an hour later, an old man walked into the room, sizing up the shinobi in front of him.

 

"Hokage-sama, is this some sort of joke? You can't expect this shinobi to protect me while taking care of four brats that still smell like milk." The old man immediately voiced his complaints.

 

"Says the old man who needs brats to protect him in the first place. Learn some manners before someone forces you to, gramps." Mikoto ended up being the first one to retort, looking particularly annoyed. Seeing this, Sarutobi knew he had to intervene.

 

"Tazuna, I can assure you that this team is far from the norm. Kakashi is one of our best jonin and his team is comprised of top performers in the academy. Although her fuse is rather short, I can particularly vouch for the strength of the girl who was just berating you. She is from the famous Hyuga clan and considered as one of the top geniuses of her generation. Another genius is Sasuke Uchiha, the boy in blue. I'm sure no more needs to be said regarding that. I can guarantee this team will not disappoint." Sarutobi did his best to pacify everyone in the room. Thankfully, Tazuna was convinced and Mikoto seemed to be happy with just her one retort.

 

"Hmph. If you say that much, I can't really reject them, can I? Well, if they disappoint, it'll be on them anyways. We need to leave as soon as possible. I have to finish a bridge."

 

"Certainly. Let's be on our way, Tazuna." Kakashi took the role of escorting Tazuna out of the room.

 

"Oh, by the way" Mikoto said as she was going through the doorway, "the cat is sitting in front of Ichiraku Ramen."

 

"…" Sarutobi didn't reply, but took a mental note to have someone check there as soon as possible.

 

Once the room was empty, Sarutobi called in one of his guards.

 

"How is Ichi?"

 

"Other than the stump where his pinky used to be, nothing is wrong with him physically, but…"

 

"Is it that bad?"

 

"Something is seriously wrong with that girl, sir. It feels as though she's lived through countless battlefields, slaughtering her way through all of them. I've never met a single person with killing intent as clear as hers. I know you were told that she was the cause of the incident years ago when her powers went out of control, but after meeting her, I'm inclined to believe that her actions back then were intentional. Mikoto Hyuga is not normal. If you told me an evil spirit was possessing the body of a young girl, I would believe you. Every action she took when removing Ichi's pinky was disturbing. From her speech to the way she removed it without anyone noticing, it was frightening. No human should be able to behave like that. She's a monster. Personally, I would try to bring her over to our side definitively as soon as possible, if we can't, we must eliminate her. We could use a cursed seal like the Hyuga's, but it must be without her noticing."

 

"I see.  I understand your concern, but I say we wait just a little bit longer before making a choice. It seems that she only bares her fangs when provoked. In this sense, perhaps we can lure her to our side by making her experience aggression from other villages. With that girl's intelligence, I'm worried that any plot with a seal may be seen through. For now, make sure all of the Anbu members know her face and keep an eye on her at all times when she's in the village. However, do not let Danzo find out anything about her. You can just blame it on her status as someone close to Naruto."

 

"Yes, sir!" The Anbu guard quickly disappeared.

 

"Mikoto, I truly hope you are a boon for this village rather than a harbinger of destruction."

 

Once again, Sarutobi was left alone in his office, unaware that a certain someone was using their sensory abilities to eavesdrop.