__________________________________________P.OV Itachi___________________________________________________
I rolled up the last scroll, thus completing the report I owed my father for the past three days.
With a sigh, I listened to the silence of the house, only broken from time to time by the sound of pots and pans.
My stomach let out a growl.
— Mother must be cooking.
I'll grab a meal. I haven't eaten all day.
When I left the room, I saw the cradle set up at the entrance to the kitchen with Sasuke inside.
Suddenly, Mother noticed me:
— So, you've finished your work, Itachi. I left your lunch on the dining table, bring it here and I'll heat it up.
— Thank you, I replied as I went to fetch the plate.
As I entered the living room, my gaze fell on a shape crouched in a basket, in a corner not far from the fireplace.
In front of it was a bowl with the remains of a meal.
Usually, Hinoko always finished her portions. Where had that cat gone off to again?
When I bent down to pick up the bowl, I saw her in the basket.
— Hinoko?
But there was no answer.
— Still sulking about this morning?
Still no reaction. She wasn't lounging with her usual nonchalance.
She was curled up tightly, as if she wanted to disappear.
When I reached out my hand to touch her, I noticed she was trembling.
The moment I touched her, she stirred, but I held her easily. She wasn't trying to escape; she was terrified.
I pressed two fingers gently on her back. She jolted violently, a strangled squeak escaped her. Her wide-open eyes locked onto mine, but I immediately realized she wasn't really seeing me.
In that gaze, there was no anger, no sulking only raw, cold, primitive terror.
Without thinking, I pulled her into my arms, cradling her small, trembling body against my chest.
— Hush… I whispered softly, careful not to agitate her.
— It's just me. You're safe.
Slowly, she calmed under my caresses, then nestled against me, closer than she ever had before.
I kept stroking her fur while sharpening my senses.
There was no one around. What could possibly have put this cat usually so defiant, even with Father into such a state?
After bringing the food to Mother and asking if anyone had come by, I concluded there truly hadn't been anyone.
Picking Hinoko up again, I asked her:
— What happened?
Now calmer, she reacted a little shyly and buried her muzzle into my clothes.
I couldn't help but smile. Maybe it was just a nightmare.
__________________________________________P.OV Hinoko__________________________________________________
The moment I accepted the system's reward, the world around me shifted.
I was in a dark forest.
Am I supposed to search for the clue?
Curious, I started running through the forest, quickly covering ground.The forest was dim, yet I could still see clearly.After a while of searching, I had to admit the truth: there was nothing here.
So, stopping for a moment, I closed my eyes, focusing on all my other senses, letting their range expand thanks to my many skills.
There was only silence. What was I supposed to find here?
I was about to start walking again when my instincts suddenly screamed at me.
I heard nothing, smelled nothing, yet my fur stood on end.
Fear. All at once, for no reason I could name, I lifted my head.
Nothing except a leaf drifting down to land on my nose.
The feeling vanished.
At the exact moment I relaxed, a blow of unimaginable force struck me. I was hurled against a tree, dazed.
My body screamed in pain.
My instincts cried out again, and this time I rolled, barely dodging the next strike. I watched as the upper part of the tree crashed down, its trunk cleanly severed.
Trusting my instincts, I sacrificed part of my inner energy and fled into the forest, leaving behind a clone created by Substitute.
I heard an explosion behind me and felt the clone's destruction.
— Damn it, what is this thing?
I could feel it gaining on me.
Letting my body guide my mind, I used Acrobatics to dodge a rain of fireballs.
It was faster than me. Turning to face it, I saw… nothing.
My instincts screamed again behind me.
I'd never make it in time. I unleashed Psyshock, detonating a shockwave centered on myself.
I hit it. But as I turned to face the enemy, I was struck in return by another shockwave and thrown against a rock.
I felt my bones crack as pain overwhelmed every sense.
I could no longer feel my limbs. With great effort, I cracked my eyes open to glimpse my attacker.
A massive feline creature, far larger than a grown human, stalked toward me.
Its eyes gleamed silver-red, flames licking around its paws and burning across its back.
A faint hiss escaped my lips.
— Stay back… don't come any closer…
I wanted to move, but my body refused.
Every rib had been shattered by that last strike.
My instincts told me exactly what was coming.
The beast set a paw on my head. I felt its hot breath wash over me.
Its fangs pressed against my neck.
And then, fear, fear like I had never known consumed me.
I felt tears spill. I didn't want to die.
— Itachi…
The fangs sank deeper into my nape, a final flash of pain.
I was "dead"…
For what felt like an eternity, there was only fear and that last sensation.
Then, something pulled me out of the darkness: a familiar touch.
I only wanted to flee that thing, so I twitched but a hand settled on me.
— Hush… It's just me. You're safe.
— Itachi… I thought, nestling against him.
I had never thought I'd be so happy to see him again.
He held me close for a while, then set me gently down on a couch.
Now calmer, I realized everything that had happened wasn't real.
It had to be the system's doing.
I opened the interface, and I saw two major changes.
Besides the addition of the new skills and talent, the line in front of my level had changed.
So the clue was about my evolution.
At that moment, Itachi returned and picked me up in his arms.
He asked what had happened, and I could feel the worry in his voice.
It was a question I couldn't answer, so I pretended to ignore it.
— So, just a nightmare? he asked, amused.
A nightmare… I wished it were only that, and not so painfully real.
Damn system. Couldn't it have chosen a gentler way to show me?
If only it had been just that. A bad dream vanishes when you wake.
Damn system… Was there truly no softer way to do this?
[Statut actuel]
[Current Status]
Name: Hinoko
Species: Litten ♀
Level: 23
Natures: Timid, Jolly
Abilities: Blaze, Vital Spirit
Status: Adopted (Owner: Itachi Uchiha)
Evolution Condition: Level 17 (Evolution not necessary)
Known Moves:
Scratch – Normal – Physical
Growl – Normal – Status
Tail Whip – Normal – Status
Odor Sleuth – Normal – Status
Ember – Fire – Special
Roar – Normal – Status
Quick Attack – Normal – Physical
Fake Tears – Dark – Status
Bite – Dark – Physical
Fury Swipes – Normal – Physical
Sucker Punch – Dark – Physical
Double Kick – Fighting – Physical
Fire Fang – Fire – Physical
Thrash – Normal – Physical
Substitute – Normal – Status
Flame Charge – Fire – Physical
Acrobatics – Flying – Physical
Mystical Fire – Fire – Special
Pursuit – Dark – Physical
Toxic – Poison – Status
Psyshock – Psychic – Special