"Excuse me," Hikaru said, blinking rapidly as he stared at the golden eagle. He shook his head slightly, as if trying to clear his ears.
The eagle turned its head to the side with deliberate grace, fixing him with one piercing golden eye. "You can call me Fushigi, the most handsome eagle you can find from Kodokuna (Lonely) Peak in the Land of Snow."
Hikaru's jaw dropped open as the bird's beak moved in perfect synchronization with the words. The voice was clear and articulate, carrying a tone that somehow managed to convey both pride and desperation.
"I have been captured and stuck here for a long time," Fushigi continued, ruffling his feathers with obvious agitation. "Can you help let me out?"
After watching the eagle speak for several moments, Hikaru finally convinced himself that this was actually happening. His hands trembled slightly as he processed the implications of a talking bird trapped in a traveling circus.
"How did you get captured?" he asked, stepping closer to the beautiful cage while keeping his voice low. The last thing he needed was to attract unwanted attention from circus staff.
The Land of Snow was far away from the Land of Fire in the northern region—it would take about three months to reach on foot. Hikaru's brow furrowed as he tried to recall the location details from his geography classes, but he had never imagined meeting a creature from such a distant place.
While he examined the eagle and its cage more closely, he found familiar seal underneath and around the enclosure. His eyebrows drew together as he studied the complex designs on many other seals arranged in precise formations.
"It seems like someone placed a chakra-suppressing seal and many others around the bird cage," Hikaru muttered, his voice dropping to a whisper as he analyzed the seal patterns. The complexity far exceeded anything he had encountered in his Fūinjutsu studies.
"I was lured and captured while hunting prey," Fushigi explained, his voice growing weaker with each word. His head drooped slightly as he recounted his circumstances.
Hikaru turned his full attention back to the eagle, his shoulders squaring. "Why did they put a seal on you?"
"They want me to work for them with other birds, but I don't want to," Fushigi immediately began complaining, his feathers ruffling with indignation. "They put a seal on me; otherwise, I would have broken the cage and left by myself."
His chest puffed out as he added, "I'm actually really strong, you know?"
Hikaru raised his hand in a calming gesture, glancing nervously toward the tent entrance. "Alright, chill down a bit. I believe you."
The golden eagle really did talk a lot when given the chance, and Hikaru's expression softened as he watched the creature's distress. The seals alone suggested that Fushigi possessed abilities far beyond those of ordinary birds.
Before Hikaru could ask any further questions, he heard voices approaching the tent from outside. His pulse quickened and his eyes darted toward the entrance.
"I'll return to help later," he whispered hastily to Fushigi, already moving toward the back of the tent where he had noticed a gap in the fabric.
Fushigi sighed deeply and cast a meaningful glance at the boy who was slipping away through the rear of the tent. Slowly, the eagle rested his head inside the cage, his proud posture deflating.
Hikaru slipped through the gap, his heart pounding as he imagined being caught in a restricted area. He would try his luck later, finding a way to help Fushigi escape from his prison. If the circus team had truly captured the eagle without his consent, he wouldn't hesitate to assist the poor creature.
Making his way back toward the main stadium, Hikaru discovered that many people were streaming outside through the exits. He rubbed the back of his neck as he took in the crowd.
Is the show over? he thought while scanning the crowd for Ayako's familiar figure. When he caught sight of her near one of the vendor stalls, he waved his hand to get her attention.
"You were gone a long time," Ayako observed as she approached him, her head tilting slightly with concern. "What were you doing?"
Hikaru hesitated for a moment, his hand moving unconsciously to touch his cheek as he formulated a response. "My stomach wasn't feeling well, so I took a bit longer than expected."
Ayako's eyes narrowed as she studied his face, her lips pressing together. "You always touch your cheek when you're lying to me, Hikaru-kun."
Do I? Hikaru thought, his face flushing as his hand dropped away immediately.
"Let's go home," Ayako said, her voice carrying a slight edge as she turned to lead the way. Hikaru could only follow her, watching her stiff posture and recognizing her disappointment.
Hikaru quickly walked up beside her, matching her pace as he explained his discoveries regarding the eagle he had found inside one of the nearby tents. He described Fushigi's circumstances and the complex sealing arrangements in as much detail as he could manage.
"A golden eagle?" Ayako paused in her walking, biting her lower lip as she considered her brother's findings. Her eyebrows drew together with worry. "Are you planning to help it escape?"
Hikaru's lips curled into a smile as he replied somewhat ambiguously, "We'll see what happens."
Ayako's brow furrowed as she studied his expression, clearly recognizing his determination despite his evasive answer. "Be careful then, Hikaru-kun."
"You won't try to persuade me to stop?" Hikaru asked, his eyebrows rising in surprise. He had expected lectures about staying out of trouble and avoiding unnecessary risks.
"Why would I?" Ayako said as she resumed walking, her pace more relaxed now. "If the creature needs help and you can provide it, then you should help."
She turned to look at him with a serious expression that reminded him of their mother. "Our parents would have helped if it was the right thing to do."
Hikaru's chest seemed to expand slightly at the reminder of his parents' values, confirming that his instincts about helping Fushigi were correct.
Later that evening, Hikaru sat alone on a low stone wall beside a small river that ran through one of Konoha's quieter districts. He had not returned home with his sister, instead choosing to think of a plan for rescuing the golden eagle without creating complications for his family.
The gentle sound of flowing water helped clear his mind as he considered the challenges ahead. His fingers drummed against the stone wall as he worked through the first problem—the seals around the bird cage. He knew it would be difficult to bypass such restrictions without learning advanced unsealing techniques, particularly the Shikoku Fūin (Finger Carving Seal) —a method where you use five fingers to carve counter-seals or disable existing ones.
His jaw clenched as he considered the potential aftermath of saving the eagle. There could be serious repercussions if the circus staff chose to investigate and identify the culprit behind Fushigi's escape.
While Hikaru was developing his rescue plan, a loud voice nearby broke his concentration. He turned his head toward the disturbance, his expression darkening as he observed three Inuzuka children bullying a girl near the riverbank.
Hikaru could easily identify the boys' clan affiliation based on their distinctive red fang markings. The claw-like tattoos on their cheeks were impossible to miss, marking them clearly as members of one of Konoha's most prominent ninja families.
"Don't play with her! She's not one of us," one of the three kids said loudly, his voice carrying arrogance.
Seeing the little girl's downcast face and the other boys continuing to make cruel comments, Hikaru's hands clenched into fists. He couldn't simply watch such behavior without intervening.
Standing up from his position by the river, Hikaru formed the hand seals for the technique he had in his arsenal. His chakra flowed smoothly as he focused on the three bullies.
"Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu," (Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique)
He whispered, directing the genjutsu toward all three boys simultaneously.
"Whaaaaaaaaaaa!" The children's terrified screams echoed across the riverbank as the illusion took hold, causing them to perceive their worst nightmares. All three immediately ran away in different directions, fleeing from threats that existed only in their minds.
The girl remained sitting on the ground, stunned by the sudden departure of her tormentors but unaffected by the genjutsu that had targeted only the boys.
Hikaru's lips quirked upward in satisfaction, pleased by how effectively the technique had worked on multiple targets.
With his improvement in chakra control over recent months, using genjutsu had become much easier. The key was building just enough chakra to execute the jutsu while causing precise disturbances in the targets' five senses, controlling the chakra flow through their nervous systems and minds.
The technique required a high level of intellectual understanding to use properly, but Hikaru felt fortunate to have requested another D-rank genjutsu from Takayama Koji-sensei. His original skill set had included numerous ninjutsu techniques but only basic illusions.
"Are you okay?" Hikaru asked, walking up to the little girl and offering his hand to help her stand.
She had a slightly broad forehead and brownish hair, wearing a simple white blouse and a long blue skirt. Her eyes were large and expressive, typical of children her age, but they carried a maturity that suggested she was used to handling difficult situations.
The girl appeared somewhat confused by what had just occurred and stood up independently, declining his offered assistance with a slight shake of her head.
Hikaru withdrew his hand with a rueful smile, thinking, Now I look foolish for assuming she needed help.
"Who are you, and what did you do to my cousins?" the girl asked, her voice carrying curiosity rather than accusation.
Cousins? Hikaru thought, his eyebrows rising in surprise. He had noticed no clan markings on her face to indicate she belonged to the same family as the bullying boys.
"Sorry, my name is Muranaka Hikaru," he began, introducing himself with a respectful bow. "I drove them away using a little genjutsu to cause some fear. Nothing dangerous, just enough to make them think twice about bothering you."
"You can call me Akita," she replied with a small smile. "Inuzuka Akita."
Hikaru's eyes widened as he processed her full name. She really meant it when she said they were cousins.
Understanding dawned as he realized she must be from a branch family or a civilian-born relative of the main Inuzuka clan. That would explain the lack of facial markings while still making her technically related to the boys who had been tormenting her.
"Hopefully, I didn't overdo it and cause problems with your clan relationships," Hikaru said, his hand moving to rub the back of his neck.
"No, it's okay," Akita replied with a light smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I'm used to it by now."
The casual acceptance in her voice made Hikaru's jaw tighten. This wasn't the first time she had dealt with such treatment from her clan relatives.
"I should go now," Akita continued, brushing dust from her skirt. "Thank you for helping me. See you around, Hikaru-kun."
She waved goodbye and began walking away with quick steps, while Hikaru responded with the same gesture. As he watched her retreating figure, his brow furrowed.
Where have I heard that name before? He wondered, pressing his lips together as he tried to recall the reference. He had almost asked her some personal questions, but politeness had prevented him from prying into clan matters.
"Oh well," Hikaru said with a slight shrug, returning to his seat by the river with renewed focus on his original problem.
"The technique I used earlier succeeded on the first try against three kids at once," he spoke aloud, his face brightening. "And it didn't even use much chakra."
A few moments later, his eyes suddenly widened as an idea formed in his mind. He snapped his fingers, causing a small bird to startle from a nearby tree branch.
"Now this plan might actually work!" he exclaimed, his posture straightening as the solution became clear.
Hikaru had developed a rough idea of how his rescue plan could succeed, but he needed to verify several aspects to ensure its feasibility. The genjutsu technique had proven more versatile than expected, opening possibilities he hadn't considered before.
Rising from his position by the river, he decided to make his way back to the circus area while the evening crowds provided cover for the survey. There were still details he needed to confirm before attempting Fushigi's rescue, and darkness would soon provide the perfect opportunity for more thorough investigation.