The next Stage in evolution

He received a summons two days after the successful defense of the village and was told to report to the hospital immediately.  He did not even say to the family that now lived with him that he was leaving but took to it in the morning.  It did not take him long to arrive at the hospital…a place he had not been to in…many years, but there were things he remembered.  The defense against a small incursion of a missing ninja…the destruction of a third of the village due to a giant…and, of course, when he attended a ceremony for his fallen sensei, a queen's man.  He showed his order to the guards, and they instinctively knew where to take him. Soon, he found himself in the Royal Medical Wing... a private ward for the Kage and the Royal Family of Hoshigakure, and took a seat on a lone table as he knew that this meeting was so that he could further bring his strength to the front for future issues such as the first invasion.  He also had questions to ask this time; the spark ignited before was telling him to go to Amegakure…his rightful place…his birthright…he needed to be there, he needed to do his wrongs…right.

He waited there as the morning sun shined through the window, the place was immaculate, and he felt suitable for once…

WC:232

There she was again, dressed in the white coat of a doctor instead of the blue uniform of a Hoshi Ninja. The Royal Medical Ward was silent as a church. The type of work conducted in this wing was gated behind Master and above authorization. Thus, it was empty save for the men and women who guarded it. And today, Natsuki, whose ability to use Iryojutsu was considered one of the finest in the Village of Hoshi, had seen since Akihana reigned as the Hogokage. The main difference between the Hyuuga Princess and the Queen was that Natsuki was more of a fighter before she was a medical, efficiently using the Medical Arts to cause damage instead of healing others. Much to her disappointment, she had her fill of the latter more than the former.  After Valen's coup, the village required her services in hospitals and war clinics. And the far worse Hoshimura rebellion. The wars left countless injured in their wake. She had to amputate many limbs and sometimes wishes she could have given the gift of mercy to them. 

But a doctor is sworn to try and save a life, and he used mystical palm and chakra anesthetic and even listened to their final thoughts. Sometimes the wounded and ready to depart would confuse her with a long-lost lover or sister they had before they died right there in her arms. Natsuki pitied them at the end; others would have to if they saw them.

“Shinrei Yamato Terumi.” 

The Silver Hyuuga said as the room doors opened wide and the man she was to operate on entered. "Rise, Fall, and Rise again" would be an excellent title if someone wrote a book about Yamato's life.  When she was in the Academy, ninja spoke of her brother's teammate and friend with awe. His achievements, heroism, and talent at a young age were brought as an example to mimic. Only to be replaced with resentment during Valen's failed coup, where he was branded a deserter for failing his village.

Today, Miyamoto was a flawed ninja with issues he kept himself from facing, but he was never truly evil. He loved his teammates, which drove him to fight in a despair-filled world. The Terumi's courage during the Battle of Hoshigakure gave Ayato and the rest of Hoshi a fighting chance, and perhaps for the first and only time in his life, Yamato found his place among others.

Natsuki knew all about her patients, as she knew all about their wishes.

"I am glad you are here today. You have both the Uchiha and Senju bloodlines. These are necessary for a human to host that Dojutsu. I can sense there is something you want to discuss on your lips, but that can wait until after the surgery. It won't take long, I promise." She waved a gloved hand at a clean surgical bed.

WC: 481

Walking through the secret medical wing always made Yamato uneasy…not because of how it was guarded or because of what went on in these roos past, present, and future…but it was the last time he indeed was here that made him begin to resent Hoshigakure…to begin his descent into madness that nearly cost him his life but at the same time allowed him to leave.  He talked of the giant that ran rampant through the village…the one that separated Team Winter, and the point where the darkness inside of Yama…Miyamoto began to twist into an unyielding weapon.  

His footsteps echoed through the hall as he walked on the marble floor, remembering when he had his last transplant here…his debt to the village grew as a way to integrate him back into the fold—then repaid with the village defense, only to be turned around as he was told to come here for yet another secret mission by none other than Toneri himself.  He was to meet Hyuuga Princess, Natsuki, here to receive yet another transplant.  He took a deep breath and entered the chamber he was instructed to enter.  He was greeted with his name called out in full, the code name as it were…a way to cover up Miyamoto Terumi…from traitor to unflinching sword…he may have disgraced himself further in the tournament for not being able to think on his feet or experiencing a lack of longing to fulfill his desire.  That loss taught him once more that he needed to temper his body and mind so that he could be the sword of Hoshigakure…but also that he should not give up on his goals, which led him to where he was with another desire in his head.  

To begin the path to resurrecting Amegakure.

With a polite bow, he closed the doors behind him as he walked forward, still dressed in his training Gi as a way to minimalize any need to cover up damage or blood that would stain a white cloth with one of the earthy tones.  “Good evening Natsuki…a pleasure as always.”  He said as he walked forward and placed a box on the table next to the operation area before taking his spot on the cool marble stone slab.  She explained that she was glad he was there and could tell that there was something he wanted to say or discuss, but it would have to wait.  Yamato nodded once as he laid his head back down, breathing slow and steady as he went slack and relaxed his muscles for her.  He would likely not receive any anesthetic for the procedure, but then again…he was no stranger to pain, as the burned skin on the left side of his body still was light pink from the near-fatal attack he received from Tsuna in the Nova tournament.

With a quiet bow and heel spin, Yamato closed the door behind him and did as asked, lying on the bed. The white-haired worried tried to steady his breathing, as his mouth seemed to relax with every moment. 

Natsuki placed one gloved hand on Yamato's chest. She could feel his breathing and hear his heartbeat. 

The last time she operated on them, he was a dull-eyed boy returning from exile to the City of Haven. Then he had stuttered and put his eyes on her longer than he should have with her brother in the room. But today, there was no staring, and Yamato was a boy no more but a man of the Village Hidden in the Stars.

With her free hand, she would execute the seals for Chakra Anesthetic, and her fingertips would push into his chest, numbing all pain from his body. She would draw a blood sample from his red left arm, then replace Yamato's left eye with the Rinnegan of the creature he had killed to defend Hoshi. She would not call him a man. Men were nobler than that, and so were dogs, she thought. Ayato raised a point that the creature named Ibari had died better than it had lived by trying to buy some time for a comrade to escape. Yet that was hardly a redeeming quality for someone who had come to their gate intending to burn the village and its people out of spite. 

Humans were not built to kill; they did not have claws or fangs. Many returned with trauma after the battle because they were not meant to endure awful things. All life was connected and meant to be preserved as such. That was one of the Sage of Six Paths teachings, or so the priests of the Ninshu Temple had preached to her when she was a child. 

She figured it must have been those same preachings that had made Ayato so interested in Rinnengan after discovering knowledge of it deep within the Archives. And why he gave Yamato this mission to host the eye inside the body.

"For the next Sage of the Path, I choose you," Natsuki said when it was done. "How are you feeling?"

-1 Left Rinnengan from Ibari's body and placing it on Yamato
+1 Yamato's original left eye.

Natsuki was a trained professional, and while he was a beautiful woman, she was also someone nobody tried to oppose or sleight.  However, his past meetings with the woman had only seen him develop feelings for the woman.  This time was different as Yamato laid down and felt his heartbeat speed up…he was having difficulty figuring out if it was because of whatever surgery he was about to receive…or because she was near him.  He watched her as she placed a hand on his chest, and his breathing slowed until it was beating at the rate of someone weak…he had allowed himself to calm down and enter a state of being where he was practically a corpse.

He could see the look in her eyes as she applied the jutsu to numb his body to the coming pain.  He knew that the man she gazed upon was no longer just a man but a tool to be used by this village until his usefulness had peaked.  He did not speak up about this because the Chakra Anesthetic worked fast; he soon saw a different scene than the fact that his left eye was being traded off.

---

He saw the vision of his family as they were alive in front of him. They were around a fire pit and eating merrily…even his father was there, and Yamato…no Miyamoto. Miyamoto began to weep as his family gathered around him and tried to console him, but the Terumi was not having any of it as the colors around him changed drastically as the night soon turned to day.

He then stood above ground and looked down at the graves we made before him.  Each one held a family member, with tombstones that read how they died…all pointed out Miyamoto as the cause. His reckless desire to revive a fallen village…his quest for power…and his paranoia drove them all to their deaths.  He then fell to his knees as the voice of Worr Terumi fell upon his ears, the hearing of the sun making his back burn as it felt like daggers shredding his ears.  “YOU ARE NO SON OF MINE!!! UNABLE TO KEEP YOUR FAMILY SAFE!  Now, look at them, lying dead due to your negligence.”  

Miyamoto spun around and was ready to fire back his argument, but the scene changed once again as he was back at the Water Gardens of Hoshigakure.  The night was young, the crickets chirped, and a light breeze was causing Miyamoto to wince before he looked into the water, no longer able to recognize the man in the water.  Yamato stared back and looked stoic as he did not say a word.  As Miyamoto moved to escape the Water Gardens, each step saw his reflection; a much older version of himself walked alongside him…the duality painted a vivid picture as he finally reached the exit.  Except now, at the exit, he saw something troubling…Yamato was standing on solid ground as the floating sensation overtook Miyamoto.  Then slowly, the new faces of Team Winter joined beside him…his living clones…even the kage joined in on this vision.

Yamato then reached into the water, into his reflection…into Miyamoto’s reality as the young disaster from Amegakure faced a decision.  To accept things as they are and to embrace who he was now…or to reject this new side of himself and forge a new path of revenge.  He then saw in the back, behind Yamato but not in a physical form…Kyousuke, Geni, and the former fallen members of Team Winter.  

Miyamoto reached towards Yamato’s hand…

---

Yamato whispered in pain the names of those he remembered that were now gone from this life.  He was afraid he could not measure up to their greatness…his failures piled up, and he was experiencing searing pain in his eyes and a well of power growing in his chest.  Then he heard Natsuki speak, and his eyes snapped awake as he was now experiencing a new view of the world that made him disoriented as he moved to the other side of the bed and threw up onto the floor.  He was sick like a dog for a moment until, finally, he could see straight.  He reached into the box he had brought and pulled a vial out before downing the concoction in one gulp.  His right eye felt like it was on fire as colors, sounds, and even the world spun and enlarged before shrinking, and he looked at Natsuki and screamed, “OH GOD, NO!  I HAVE TURNED MY BACK ON MY FAMILY!!! I MUST BURN IT ALL DOWN!!! I!  WILL! HAVE!  MY!  REVENGE!”  He cried out as he looked like he was going to attack Natsuki, and his right eye started to turn milky in color as he looked like a true chimera…a monster…a living weapon.

WC:827
TWC:1,527

Yamato shifted in his seat, groggy still from the anesthetic. One turn and then another, he opened his mouth as if to speak, and then, a sickening sound followed by the smell of vomit exploding in the room. Everything happened in a flash. Natsuki's Byakugan was activated almost instinctively, her vision covered by the scene of Yamato's chakra system going haywire, almost as if it was about to be split in two. That took her aback momentarily, and she missed Yamato consuming that liquid, or perhaps it was the white-haired ninja's sleight of hand. Using a healing potion a second later was a matter of life for Bukijutsu users like him, who did not rely on using jutsu to heal or protect themselves.

Miyamoto's gaze met her own then; there was something primitive behind it, fiery and full of pain. But it wasn't the Terumi clan's green eyes but the Hyuuga's white eye and their ancestors' six-ringed purple eye.

Detaching an eye and attaching a new one was a susceptible procedure and a great success. As far as the head of the patient was concerned, what went into this patient's mind that made him rise into a frenzy, was another story. Perhaps if she had the ability of Ninshu, the skill Ayato was famed for, she could have entered his mind and found a peaceful resolution to whatever was tormenting Shinrei Yamato Terumi. Natsuki Hyuuga would arrive at a peaceful resolution by using superior firepower.

"Yes, you did. But you have found your real one."

With a step to the left in response to Miyamoto looking as if he were to pounce at her like a wild animal,  Natsuki delivered a sharp jab to his nose, followed by a right hook aiming to hit him square in the jaw and knock him out of consciousness once again. The room went silent for some time, minutes, hours, or perhaps seconds that felt like a lifetime. A voice as sharp as a kunai pierced through the silence of it all.

"Perhaps, going easier on that anesthetic dosage would have been for the best." She knew that voice; Natsu had heard it a thousand times before; it was her brother's voice. Cold and full of judgment, a Kage's voice. One who always pushed his siblings to a limit, expecting better from them. Of course, he would be present; the operation was a security risk if things had gone south.

"Ayato..." She managed, forgetting to address him by his proper title and rank. But she did not have time for apologies, nor easy courtesies, not now—she had to tell him. Tell him about the broken vial on the floor, the last vestiges of the liquid vaporizing—Yamato, who was flat on his back, and the power of Rinnengan would grace Hoshigakure once more.

"The right eye, that was."

"I know what it was." Lord Hogokage declared with a pause. "It doesn't matter, so long as he is alive and you are not hurt." Ayato did not move when nurses entered the room and put Miyamoto back on the surgical bed, and took him away to recovery. "I didn't mean to hurt him." Instead, Ayato looked at her hands, then Natsuki did as if for the first time. Only then did she realize she was shaking? The adrenaline left her body, and her hand was suddenly throbbing with pain. A drop of water fell on it, and then another. Tears, from where? No, they couldn't be hers, not hers. Natsuki was a Hyuuga, a field medic, a surgeon, a proud kunoichi of Hoshigakure, and a sister to the Hogokage.

"It's alright; you are safe now."

That was the first she had cried so loud since their mother passed.

WC: 621

He was not himself…he saw red and then a sharp pain as he was punched in the nose. He let out a guttural growl and was hit again as he felt his jaw pop.  The pressure was immense, and before he could do anything further, his vision went dark, and he lost consciousness.  Miyamoto was inside of his head once again. Still, this time he was faced not with one, two, or even three versions of himself…no, instead, he was visited by a version of himself that was the child Miyamoto, Yamato with Rinnegan, Yamato with Byakugan, and of course,,, the feral version of Miyamoto that became a liability and the reaper of his own family.  They all stared at him for a few moments, and he was soon given sight…of what was happening in the operating room…he saw Natsuki hugging her older brother, the Kage, Ayato Hyuuga.  Miyamoto felt as though he had crossed a line or that there was a great deal of remorse, but for him, he felt a power welling up inside of him that he could not fathom how deep this energy reached.

“This…I have become a true monster, haven’t I?”  He asked the others; they all looked as if contemplating an answer, and then Miyamoto's tiny child soldier version walked forward.  “You have become what you have always wished to be…Yamato…you are a weapon that will bite its master if not used correctly.”  He said before walking by and giving a squeeze to Yamato’s hand and disappearing as he felt a piece of his soul come to terms with the mistakes of his childhood.  The next one to step forward was the Byakugan-wielding version of himself.  “You have unlocked a power that you have envied…but as a price, you have only given yourself a target on your head.”  The vision said as he clasped the shoulder of the original and disappeared.  Miyamoto…Yamato…whatever he was going to go forward with, he suddenly felt the world around him illuminate, and he could see the entire room as if someone had opened a screen for him to view the world.

He looked around and walked around metaphorically as he could see the other two versions and Ayato and his sister still in the room.  He was feeling…resentful that Ayato had family…he despised that he no longer had his family.  That is when the Rinnegan-wielding version spoke up as he walked toward the vision of the original.  “You are resentful for your past mistakes made when you were confused. With a new scope of the world, you understand these mistakes…excavating new paths to a glorious and prosperous future.  With the Rinnegan, you gain a key to unlocking an even bigger well of power you have already felt.  You also learn to have more compassion as the world's energy flow can be seen with your new eyes.”  The version said before disappeared. Its wise words echoed momentarily throughout the space as the feral Terumi was all left.  “So…you and me are the only two left…What we…you…have done is a sin that will have to be lived with for the rest of your time alive.  However, you have matured…gotten a reign on your anger, and learned to temper your expectations…hell you could even say you are the golden boy of your generation…though Ayato would probably dispute it.  Learn from the mistakes, accept what you have done…and become your best version of yourself.”  The feral Miyamoto then waved and walked off towards Ayato, flipping him off the entire time as soon as he faded away. Yamato/Miyamoto was left alone once again as the scene fell to darkness Ayato’s last words echoed, and the sound of crying filled his ears.

He slept for an entire day before waking up and finally sitting up.  He did not have to look around as he felt the energy and was now aware of his surroundings.  The pain from all of this was already long gone, and the only thing that gave him away was the grumbling of his stomach.  After rubbing his stomach, he would look for orders given by his kage. If they were there…he would take them before stepping away, finally leaving this place in favor of his apartment where he could clean himself and eat until his stomach no longer protested.  There was much work to be done…


WC:770
TWC:2,297

[EXIT]

Claims:
Rinnegan Implant
Byakugan eye through the use of Chimera Blessing on the stat page

With 25% max stat discount
[1500/1500] to familiarize Bloodline with Rinnengan
[797/1500] to familiarize Bloodline with Byakugan

[EXIT]

TWC: 1466

Claiming with Max Stat discount for Ayato

C-rank Flower Garden [750/750]
C-rank False Perception [716/750]

Approved