Naruto Birdcage

Konoha Hospital.

Makoto sat on the hospital bed with his upper body bare, while a middle-aged male doctor carefully reviewed a set of documents in his hand.

The doctor then reached out and gently pressed on the frightening scar across Makoto's chest and abdomen.

The scar was caused by a piercing wound from a sharp blade, which was also the reason for Makoto's death before his soul traveled here.

At the time, it was treated urgently by Nohara Rin, and now the wound had already healed.

When the doctor touched it, there was only a slight itching and stinging sensation.

"Your body is recovering normally. Just come in for regular check-ups," the doctor advised.

"You should be fully recovered in about a week.

During this time, avoid strenuous activities and refrain from practicing ninja techniques.

When you shower, be careful not to rub the wound too hard." the doctor continued.

"I understand," Makoto nodded in response.

The middle-aged doctor then picked up another set of documents.

"All the indicators from the physical exam are normal, except for some slight decline in vision... but that shouldn't be much of an issue for you," he remarked.

He knew that the person in front of him was from the Hyuga clan, and the vision he had before, with the Byakugan, was naturally incomparable to what he had now.

"You can go now. If anything feels off or if you're uncomfortable, come to the hospital for a check-up."

"Thank you, doctor," Makoto nodded in gratitude, then took his report and left the examination room.

The hospital environment was far from quiet; in fact, it was somewhat chaotic and noisy.

Due to the ongoing war, most of the medical ninjas had been sent to the front lines, leaving the hospital understaffed.

Additionally, more and more injured personnel were being sent back to the village from the front.

In the hallway, people wrapped in bandages or wearing casts could often be seen stumbling along, while busy medical staff hurried past with swift footsteps.

This scene left Makoto with a feeling of melancholy.

Just as he was about to leave the hospital and turned a corner, he suddenly bumped into a hurried figure.

"Ah!"

A startled cry rang out as papers and documents scattered all over the floor.

"Hey! Who walks without watching where they're going?!"

Before Makoto could even see who it was, he heard a bratty, bossy voice.

A young girl with short purple hair was sitting on the floor.

She looked even younger than he was now.

She seemed... somewhat familiar...

She glared at Makoto with an annoyed expression.

"You idiot! Do you even know who I am? If you delay me from delivering something to Lord Orochimaru, can you bear the consequences?!"

With such a heavy accusation thrown at him, combined with the mention of Orochimaru, Makoto immediately realized who this person was.

She lowered her head to gather the scattered documents from the floor.

Just as she was about to scold the person who bumped into her again, she noticed Makoto leaning against the wall with one hand, clutching his chest with the other, his face contorted in pain.

Anko froze in shock and instinctively took a step back.

"You… What are you doing? What's wrong with you?"

Through clenched teeth, Makoto hissed.

"My chest… it hurts so much. You hit me, ugh~"

Anko's face was full of suspicion.

"Stop faking it! How could a little bump hurt that much?"

Makoto trembled as he handed over the medical report in his hand.

Anko took it and carefully looked it over, only to realize that it detailed Makoto serious, yet-to-heal injuries.

Her face immediately turned pale with panic.

She stood there helplessly, hesitating to approach Makoto yet too afraid to touch him.

"Are… are you okay? Does it hurt a lot?"

"Doctor! Doctor!"

She shouted in a fluster, finally managing to call over a female medical staff member.

"What happened?"

The nurse approached to check on Makoto condition, while Anko hurriedly handed over the medical report.

In a panicked tone, Anko stammered.

"I just… accidentally bumped into him.

I didn't realize he was injured.

I didn't do it on purpose, I swear I didn't!"

The female medical staff member glanced at the report, then at both Makoto and Anko.

Seeing this, Makoto let out a relieved sigh and said.

"I'm feeling much better now. It doesn't hurt as much anymore."

The nurse handed the report back with an indifferent expression and said.

"The staff in the hospital are very busy.

Make sure something like this doesn't happen again."

Makoto replied.

"Sorry for causing trouble."

However, little Anko didn't catch the subtle implication in the nurse's words.

She thought she was being scolded and repeatedly bowed in apology.

Once the medical staff left, only Makoto and Anko remained in the hallway.

Anko cautiously asked.

"Are… are you really okay now?"

Makoto glanced at her and said.

"No, I'm not."

Anko lowered her head, clutching the stack of documents tightly in her hands.

She bit her lip and asked hesitantly.

"Then… what do you want? I-I don't have any money!"

Makoto found the situation amusing and couldn't help but feel he was being a bit mischievous.

"Can you afford to treat me to a meal?" he asked.

"Huh?" Anko was momentarily stunned.

"Treat me to a meal as an apology."

Anko finally understood.

Just as she was about to agree, a thought struck her—what if this guy was a big eater trying to bankrupt her? What if her allowance wasn't enough?

After a moment of deliberation, she nodded hesitantly and said.

"Alright… but I need to deliver these to Lord Orochimaru first.

Don't worry, I won't skip out on the bill! Or… you can come with me—"

Makoto interrupted.

"It's fine, I trust you. I'll wait for you at the barbecue place on West Street."

Barbecue…

Anko's little face scrunched up in distress.

Barbecue?! This guy is definitely going to make me pay a lot of money!

"Alright, give me half an hour. Wait for me!"

The two parted ways at the hospital entrance.

Makoto watched her small figure jogging away and felt a bit surprised—Orochimaru is actually in Konoha right now? 

He had assumed Orochimaru would be on the front lines.

In the fragmented memories of his original body, there wasn't much about Orochimaru, mostly hearsay and rumors.

Taking his time, Makoto made his way to the agreed meeting spot and sat down in the barbecue restaurant.

About half an hour later, a petite figure appeared at the entrance, looking around cautiously.

At that moment, Anko was inwardly cursing Hyuga Makoto.

After delivering the items to Orochimaru, she had started to worry about whether her allowance would be enough to cover the meal.

Out of desperation, she asked Orochimaru for some money.

However, when Orochimaru handed her his wallet, she realized with shock—

Lord Orochimaru doesn't have much money either! 

Inside the wallet were only a few paper bills.

She couldn't bring herself to take too much.

This bastard not only put me in an awkward position but even made me take money from Lord Orochimaru.

Unforgivable!

When Anko noticed Makoto sitting inside, already looking at her, she quickly suppressed her frustration, making sure it didn't show on her face.

She walked over, tiptoed onto the seat opposite Makoto, and sat down.

"Your name is… something Makoto, right?"

Earlier, when she glanced at the medical report, she hadn't paid much attention to the name.

"Hyuga Makoto."

"Oh, Hyuga Makoto… I'm Mitarashi—Hyuga?"

Anko nodded and started to introduce herself but suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

"You're from the Hyuga clan?"

She asked in shock, her eyes wide as she stared at Makoto dark eyes.

"What's your full name, Mitarashi… what?" Makoto asked.

"Oh, Mitarashi Anko…" Anko replied, still staring at Makoto with wide, curious eyes.

Makoto called over the owner and asked for the menu, not bothering to consult Anko as he casually started ordering food on his own.

After pondering for a moment, Anko suddenly said.

"I remember now! You're the one Rin saved, aren't you?"

"You know Rin?"

"Yeah, Rin and Kurenai are really close, so I know her through them."

Anko wasn't from the same class as Rin; she was two years below her.

Before long, the owner brought over a dessert and some drinks.

Anko's eyes immediately lit up, and without any hesitation, she grabbed them and started shoving them into her mouth.

It's my money anyway—I need to eat as much as I can!

When the grilled meat Makoto had ordered was finally brought to the table, he picked up his chopsticks and began placing the slices of meat onto the grill one by one.

Anko, seeing this, wanted to help.

However, her grilling skills were terrible—she just haphazardly threw pieces of meat onto the grill without paying attention to them.

With a flick of his chopsticks, Makoto lightly tapped her.

"Stop messing around. Just sit there and wait to eat."

Anko pouted, silently cursing him in her heart.

This jerk! I'm the one paying, and he still dares to boss me around.

She picked up another piece of dessert, shoved it into her mouth, and chewed aggressively.

When Makoto placed a freshly grilled slice of meat onto Anko's plate, she tasted it and instantly forgot all her earlier annoyance.

"You're pretty good at this."

Anko said while picking up another piece of grilled meat with her chopsticks.

Makoto wasn't particularly inclined to chat with such a young girl, but given the current situation, he couldn't avoid it.

After eating a few bites, Anko couldn't hold back her curiosity anymore.

Bluntly, she asked, "I heard… your eyes belonged to your dead teammate?"

Makoto glanced at her, his expression calm. "Mm."

"I have a friend in a similar situation, but he only replaced one eye."

"Hatake Kakashi, right?"

"You know him?"

"A genius jonin—who in the village doesn't know him?"

Anko nodded upon hearing this.

Indeed, Kakashi's name was well-known throughout the village.

She then asked.

"So, does your current eye feel any different from your old Byakugan?"

Makoto paused for a moment while picking up meat and looked at her.

"Of course it's different. I used to have Byakugan, which allowed me to see things from kilometers away, see through any obstacles, and even observe the flow of chakra and the points on the human body. Now, I just have a normal person's eyes. I can't see anything."

Anko couldn't help but say.

"Wouldn't that make you miserable?"

Makoto replied calmly.

"It's only temporary. I'll soon get my Byakugan back."

Anko was taken aback.

"Huh?"

Makoto continued.

"Our Hyuga clan has kept many of our ancestors' eyes.

These eyes have been preserved in excellent condition, specifically for times when a member of our clan's eyes get injured.

The clan has already arranged for me to have surgery to replace my eyes. Soon, I'll have Byakugan again."

"Is that even possible?"

Anko hadn't really thought about why Makoto was sharing this with her, but she found it all quite fascinating to listen to.

"Since I was able to change from Byakugan to normal eyes, I can naturally change back to Byakugan," Makoto said.

"And those eyes come from some very powerful ancestors, as well as the Byakugan of past clan heads."

Anko sat there, dazed, then asked.

"Whose Byakugan are you going to get?"

Makoto's gaze shifted slightly at her question.

Looking at Anko, who was listening intently, he replied slowly.

"I don't know. The place where the Byakugan is kept is a clan secret.

The key is held by our clan's senior Jonin, Hyuga Hitsuo.

No one is allowed to enter without the clan head's command."

Anko couldn't resist asking again, "So you're...?"

Makoto lightly tapped her head with the other end of his chopsticks.

"Stop asking so many questions, just eat your grilled meat."

Anko pouted, rubbed her head, and went back to eating the grilled meat.

Makoto only ate a few pieces, the rest of it was all served onto her plate.

"Stop putting food on my plate, I'm getting full."

"It's your money, eat more."

"…Fine, I'll eat a bit more."

End of chapter

Exclusive access : Get 25 advanced chapters ahead of everyone else

Join now : patreon*com/DeCakraWnloverz