Splat~

Rustle, rustle, rustle.

Under the faint moonlight, one figure moved ahead at an unhurried pace while another chased closely behind.

Even while being pursued, that figure continued humming softly, the song echoing in Hizashi's ears.

Kagome, Kagome~

The bird in the cage~

When, oh when will it come out?~

On the night of dawn~

The crane and turtle slipped~

Who is behind you now?~

"Who the hell is this guy?"

Hizashi's brow furrowed tightly. The song irritated him more and more, and the pent-up frustration in his heart grew heavier.

This was the Hyuga Clan. This was the Leaf Village.

Although most of the defenses were focused on the Cloud Envoy Delegation and the matter involving the main family's daughter, deliberately singing to expose one's position was still an incredibly foolish thing to do.

"And he's been staying right at the edge of my Byakugan's range. Is he trying to lure me somewhere?"

Wait! No!!

Hizashi abruptly stopped, as if waking from a dream as he realized something.

"Release!" He formed hand seals, disrupting the flow of Chakra within his body.

The song that had been echoing in his ears vanished instantly, and the scene before him gradually twisted and changed.

An old courtyard, scattered wood chips, and Neji lying unconscious nearby.

He had never left the courtyard in the first place. He had been running in circles inside an illusion all along.

Hizashi's chest heaved as he panted, his expression filled with horror. "A genjutsu? When?!"

After dispelling the genjutsu, he immediately noticed countless errors in the details.

"How could I possibly fall for such an obvious trap or diversion, even abandoning Neji to pursue someone alone?"

Yet he had not noticed anything at all. He had followed that figure for five whole minutes!

If he had not accidentally noticed that the Byakugan's blind spot had vanished, he had no idea how much longer he would have remained lost in the illusion!

Hizashi was filled with lingering fear, and a thin layer of cold sweat formed on his forehead.

But with a glance from the corner of his eye, he saw a figure sitting silently in the corridor.

Hizashi instinctively moved to shield Neji behind him while preparing to send out an alarm for an intruder.

"Those five minutes just now were enough for me to kill you countless times. And the instant you send that signal, they would also be enough for me to slit your throat, pierce your heart, crush your skull, and kill the child behind you at the same time."

The cold, cruel words were accompanied by violent, bloody killing intent.

Hizashi's body stiffened, and the movement of his hands halted at once.

This guy was serious. And he had the strength to do it...

Hizashi tensed all over and slowly turned to look at the figure.

The man's upper body was hidden in the shadows, making his build and appearance impossible to discern, but Hizashi could vaguely make out the Three-Eyed Fox Mask on his face.

His attire was also completely unfamiliar. He was most likely not from the Leaf Village.

Hizashi cautiously took the initiative to ask, "Could the genjutsu you used just now have been an auditory genjutsu?"

Genjutsu were techniques that used Chakra to interfere with the opponent's five senses and disrupt their Chakra, plunging them into illusions.

Visual genjutsu were the most common type, and the Uchiha Clan excelled most at using them.

Genjutsu that used senses such as hearing, smell, and touch were exceedingly rare.

Hizashi had only heard of them before. This was the first time he had encountered an auditory genjutsu.

But the man did not answer. He merely reached out to tease the bird in the cage, not even sparing Hizashi a glance.

In a completely even tone, he said, "I am going to say a few things now, then leave. You will listen to what I have to say, then go home and take care of your child."

"In the years to come, whenever you look at his face, you will be glad that you survived, glad that you chose to walk toward the light rather than death."

"Because on one particular night, you chose not to take a particular path."

The Masked Man turned to look at Hizashi, his tone tranquil from beginning to end. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Looking into those blue eyes behind the mask, calm as stagnant water, Hizashi felt a chill rise in his heart.

When had such a person appeared in the Shinobi World? He had received no information whatsoever.

Just then.

The Masked Man suddenly said, "Your time of death is drawing near, yet you know nothing about it."

"What... do you mean?"

The Masked Man ignored his reaction and reached out to open the cage imprisoning the bird.

But perhaps it had been caged for too long and had forgotten how to fly.

The bird showed no reaction to the vast sky outside, continuing to peck lightly at its food inside the cage.

Menma began softly humming that song again.

"Bamboo cage, bamboo cage eyes~ Little bird in the cage~ When, oh when will you come out?"

"On the night of dawn~ The crane and turtle slipped~ Who is the one behind you?"

Having just been bound by a genjutsu, Hizashi reflexively formed a hand seal upon hearing it.

But the next instant, his white eyes widened.

"You!"

The figure who had been sitting in the corridor vanished in an instant and seized the hands he was using to form seals.

The grip felt light, yet it rendered him utterly unable to move.

"Isn't this nursery rhyme nice?"

Though he could not see the face beneath the mask, Hizashi somehow felt that this man was smiling.

But he did not find anything amusing about it.

He felt only fear.

With that uncanny speed, if this Masked Man wanted to kill him, he truly could have cut off his head in an instant.

"I heard this nursery rhyme on an island. At the time, the children there were playing a game."

The Masked Man said, "The child playing the demon crouches in the middle with their eyes covered, while a group of children circles around the demon and sings this song. When the song ends, if the child playing the demon guesses who is standing directly behind them..."

"That person must take the place of the bird in the cage and become the scapegoat."

The Masked Man's tone became meaningful. "The name of this nursery rhyme is 'Caged Bird.'"

Under the faint moonlight, Hizashi Hyuga finally saw the man's attire clearly.

He wore a white Three-Eyed Fox Mask, black fingerless arm guards, and dark red bindings around his arms and calves. Only his short, black hair was exposed.

His clothing, voice, and build were all utterly unfamiliar.

Hizashi said gravely, "Who exactly are you, and what exactly have you come here for?"

"Although my clansmen are currently gathered at the Ancestral Hall, as long as I send out a signal, even if you kill me, you still..."

"You can try."

The Masked Man directly interrupted his threat and said calmly, "This clone is rather weak. It cannot destroy the Leaf Village, but destroying the Hyuga Clan would not be a problem."

...A clone?

Hizashi froze. The veins around his eyes bulged, and his face instantly filled with shock.

His Byakugan could not see through it?

And yet, this terrifying Chakra...

"If what he says is true, then even a Shadow Clone possesses this kind of strength?"

Although Chakra could not completely represent one's strength, it could reflect it to a certain extent.

Through his Byakugan, the Chakra within this man's body was brighter and more abundant than even the Third Hokage's!

"I came here only to set the bird in the cage free, but it seems he does not want to leave."

The Masked Man extended his hand into the cage, and the bird obediently perched in his palm.

But the moment he tried to take it out of the cage, the bird began struggling violently.

Watching the bird flap its wings desperately in an attempt to escape his palm, the Masked Man's gaze sharpened.

Splat!

"We will meet again soon."

Under Hizashi Hyuga's horrified gaze, the Masked Man flicked the blood from his hand, said nothing more, and turned to leave.