[continuation for @ochospajaros]
The footsteps were closer now. One, two, three steps. The stairs. The metallic click of the lock, the heavy swing of the door. They were coming for him.
Just as the old man said.
Heād walk free, and Konoha and its new Hokage would be none the wiser.
How strange, in a village full of secrets, from a man who prided himself on keeping them, Yukirama had finally heard the truth. It wasnāt a truth that he could like, nor one he could be proud of. It was a hard, cold set of facts that would now stain him for the rest of his life.
A life, it seemed, he was to live according to the plans that had been made him since before he was created. Not birthed. No, not him.
A year had passed since heād first been thrown into these same walls. A year since heād seen his little brother out of this village, and sent him running into the fangs of a snake.
A year since heād known freedom. Since heād known what it meant to be whole, and ignorant,
Heād breathe fresh air again. Maybe even today. Yukirama had lost his taste for it. There was nothing for him to return to. An empty home, a hollow name that was not his own. The legacy of two men so far beyond his reach that they were nothing but strangers.
A village built on the machinations of spiders. And he was firmly wrapped into the deadly silk.
He had to hand it to Danzo; the man knew how to read people. He knew which buttons to press. Heād seemedā¦almost amused, if you will. Not that his ever-present frown had ever lightened when he spoke, but thereād been something there, in his eye, that gave Yukirama the impression that theĀ ādealā had been enjoyable for Danzo to propose.
His loyalty to Konoha for discretion. Service to Danzo personally for the lie of his involvement in Sasukeās defection. Treason, as it had been styled.Treason that had beset all living Uchiha, fully blooded or not.
The delicate ripping of paper seals at his door now. Yukirama felt ancient as he stirred. Freedom was an illusion now, but leaving the hole heād been buried in for a year would feel good nonetheless.
He didnāt doubt that the world had forgotten him quickly. In Nejiās case, he hoped that heād been smart enough to keep his mouth firmly shut. Curiosity didnāt kill cats, but it did kill shinobi.
There was nothing grand about his release. There was no fanfare, no crowd, nothing but a discreet shuffling him through the familiar territories of the prison.Ā
At least he wouldnāt have to go too far to get home, Yukirama thought with nothing short of venomous bitterness.
āIām sorry. I couldnāt-- I couldnāt bring him back.ā
Those were the last words Neji remember saying to Yukirama, held securely in his grasp, rescued after his fight with one of Orochimaruās men.
And then Yuki was just... gone.
Not a single person in the village had the answer Neji sought after his release from the hospital. Not even the new Godaime herself. He argued hard, under the pretext he simply wanted to do the kind thing and personally thank his savior, and yet-- nothing.
Was Yukirama reallyĀ that much of a loner? Even the most common of civilians knew of Uchiha Sasuke, the traitor, but the second he mentioned Yukirama, heads tilted. People blinked. It was as if he didnāt exist.
No mention of defection. Of being killed in action. Of being kidnapped.Ā
Visits to the Uchiha district proved just as fruitless. It was completely empty, with no sign of a struggle. He continued-- in the vein hope he might find a note, or that Yuki might be hiding out.
But like any shinobi, Neji had to press forward, and move on.
His relationship with Hiashi had drastically improved. More often than not, he was allowed to train with him and the other members of the main branch. That which he learned there, Neji took back and taught the members of the side branch.
This was a privilege few would ever get-- Neji knows itās partly because of his his status as Hiashiās nephew. But one day-- in the far future, there will be a truly united Hyuga clan, and this is just the first step there.
Lady Hinata joins his sessions. Heās thankful for it as well-- this is a level of forgiveness he knows he isnāt due.
But Yuki remains on his mind. Always lingering in the back, always making him think what happened. Most shinobi just didnāt... disappear like that.Ā
āOf course, you would be the first of us to reach Jonin!ā Lee almost screams at Neji, hands firmly planted on his shoulders, the excitement too much to bear to him. The weight is uncomfortable, Neji winching slightly.
āAre you going to take students now!?ā
āHaha!ā Gaiās laughter slices through the one-sided tension.Ā
āNeji might be a Jonin now, but heās still a little too young for students of his own. It takes a great deal of experience before weāre allowed to train the next generation of shinobi.ā His hand is comforting over Leeās shoulder.
āBut thatās enough for us from today. Youāre all dismissed until dinner tonight, where weāll celebrate your promotion.ā
(That usually meant the curry place, and Nejiās not sure how that counts as a celebration for himself.)
Ah, well, he sets off on the familiar path to the district.
Yuki is there, like a ghost on the edge of his vision.
Neji neverĀ saw things that werenāt there. His Byakugan activates, and confirming Yukiās chakra system tells him so little and so much at the same time. Immediately, heās wrapped himself around Yukiās torso.Ā
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