[Hyūga Shigure]

"a dog's trail". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." FROM EARTH TO LIGHTNING The Chuunin Exams were still underway in Kuwana, but as the candidates were busy with the first couple rounds, Shigure had some time for himself where he was not busy supporting his students or his beloved. And with that free time, he started to dig through the Hyuuga clan's documents, trying to get a clear view of who the clan had wronged, and who Urashi had hurt. As he dug through these documents, he found more information about the conditions surrounding the death of Hyuuga Kyo, and how Inuzuka Tsukimono had been blamed for that. Urashi liked to keep a sealed record of his deeds, maybe due to his own vanity, and that had worked against the man, for it had provided Shigure with the evidence he needed to remove him from his position, even if that didn't work quite as he had planned. It seemed like Tsukimono was potentially wronged, used as a scapegoat for the death of Kyo. The man had his brain fried by the caged bird seal to the point he was a little more than a vegetable, and yet, the other clan reports had been altered to pretend like he was recovering. Interpreting that, Shigure couldn't help but to wonder if Tsukimono didn't just relieve the man from his misery as an act of mercy. It made sense. Kyo was his sensei, and they were quite close up until that moment. He had very little to gain from executing a member of the branch house of the Hyuuga clan, and the Hyuuga clan had very little to gain from wanting him dead; Urashi's regime saw the branch members as disposable, so why would they want Tsukimono's death so adamantly? It was extremely suspicious to say the least. With that in mind, Shigure continued to dig through reports and correspondence, finding notes that indicated that Urashi had not only tried to have the man executed many years later by hiring criminals and thugs, but also tried to keep tabs of his general location. That obsession just added to Shigure's suspicion that the man was potentially innocent. But there was only one true way to find out: by finding the man and talking to him. With his mind set on this goal, he flew towards the Land of Lightning, where Tsukimono had last been sighted not too long ago. He had used his Convocation of Eagles to make the trip, and while they couldn't carry him continuously for too long without needing a break, the fact that there were three of them did make things easier, and he would make it to the place in just a couple days. Once he had arrived in the area, he would thank his Eagles and let them go back to their realm, leaving Shigure near the Valley of Lightning. With his eagles gone, he would activate his Byakugan, now with an incredible range of eight kilometres radius, and start searching for any trace of the man's presence, or chakra. Even if this search was going to take a while, Shigure was determined, and he could move quite fast. That, together with his impressive range, made him capable of covering a huge area in a short spam of time. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." Valley of Lightning Searching for Tsukimono [Inuzuka Tsukimono] [542 words]

[Hyūga Shigure]

"a dog's trail". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." FRUITLESS SEARCH No matter how hard he looked for Tsukimono, he found no trace of the man in the area where he was supposedly spotted last. There were traces of his chakra here and there, but any evidence he found indicated he had left the Land of Lightning, and if Shigure were to follow such tracks, it would mean getting into some enemy nation's territory, and that was not something he was willing to do. Moreover, he didn't have a lot of time to spare, as he had to get back to Kuwana in time for when the rounds of the Chuunin Exams were done, so after half a day search, he decided he would have to give up on that quest, at least for the time being, as frustrating as it may be. "It's okay, I won't be able to right all wrongs immediately. My clan has been causing harm to people for centuries, and I've only just started my work." he thought to himself, seeking the motivation to carry on, while also reminding to be generous with himself; he had just started his work, and already things were changing for the Hyuuga clan. And changing for the better. With that in mind, he used his summons once again to return to Kuwana, cycling through the members of the convocation of Eagles so that he could return as soon as possible. But fate is an interesting thing, for Tsukimono had travelled to the exact same place Shigure was returning to, even though the Hyuuga was - at this point - still completely oblivious to that. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." Way back Exit post [Inuzuka Tsukimono] [264 words]