Trap

Evening.

Anko and Oda came to visit Hyuga Kagami in his room.

As former subordinates of Orochimaru, Hyuga Kagami, Anko, and Oda shared the same troubles. They were also close in age and belonged to the same squad, so they got along fairly well.

After chatting for a while, Oda suddenly smiled. "Kagami, you really picked the worst possible time to get sick."

Hyuga Kagami was puzzled. "Why?"

Oda explained, "The captain just assigned Anko and me a special mission. If we complete it successfully, we might be transferred back to the village and never have to endure this wind and sand again!"

"A special mission!?" Hyuga Kagami paused, then said, "I wish you both success."

For some reason, a bad feeling suddenly welled up in Hyuga Kagami's heart. However, it was a rule among ninja not to pry into one another's missions, so despite his suspicions, he said nothing more.

Oda patted Hyuga Kagami on the shoulder and laughed heartily. "Don't worry. The village won't forget outstanding ninja like us who have been through war. Before long, you'll be transferred back too. For now, just focus on recovering."

Hyuga Kagami cautioned, "Be careful."

After a few more words, Oda and Anko left Hyuga Kagami's room.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

Still in the adjustment period, Hyuga Kagami was occasionally tormented by dizziness and stabbing pain. Yet the torment was not bitter, because every wave of pain came with an increase in strength.

Although he had not undergone precise testing, Hyuga Kagami secretly estimated that the amount of chakra in his body was now more than ten times what it had been before he injected the Genetic Fluid.

There was no clear standard for ranking ninja. The criteria for Genin, Chunin, Jonin, and even Kage-level ninja changed according to different environments and different eras.

Take Hyuga Kagami, for example. Before injecting the Genetic Fluid, he had really only been an experienced Genin. Aside from the most basic Three Basic Jutsu, Gentle Fist, and a rudimentary grasp of Summoning Jutsu and Sealing Jutsu, he could barely use any other Ninjutsu.

Even so, the village had promoted him to Chunin and assigned him to lead several reconnaissance missions.

Still, no matter what, there was a vague standard of judgment that everyone recognized.

For example.

A ninja who could use E-rank Ninjutsu or wield their own Kekkei Genkai met the standard for a Genin.

A ninja who could cast C-rank Ninjutsu multiple times could be considered a Chunin.

A ninja who could cast B-rank Ninjutsu multiple times and had mastered one of Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, or Taijutsu, or possessed a powerful Kekkei Genkai, could be considered a Jonin.

As for Kage-level, it really just meant selecting the standout among the village's strongest ninja. Thus, the concept of Kage-level differed from era to era.

For that reason, chakra reserves had become one of the most important indicators of a ninja's strength.

If Hyuga Kagami's previous strength had only qualified him as a Genin, then his current chakra reserves had already clearly surpassed those of an ordinary Chunin and were racing toward the level of an ordinary Jonin.

Three days of adjustment had also allowed Hyuga Kagami to barely use his eyes.

Upon careful observation, he discovered that his eyes had become like flawless sky-blue gemstones, gleaming with a soul-stirring radiance that made people unable to resist becoming lost within them.

At the same time, he found that the Caged Bird Seal on his forehead still remained, but it seemed to have lost its effect.

That was only natural. The Caged Bird Seal targeted the Byakugan and all the cranial nerves connected to it. Hyuga Kagami's eye sockets now held Tenseigan rather than Byakugan, so although the seal formula had not been destroyed, it had effectively undone itself.

Just as Hyuga Kagami was estimating how much longer the Tenseigan's adjustment period would last, he suddenly sensed a familiar chakra rapidly approaching the outpost.

Without a second thought, Hyuga Kagami hurriedly supported himself against the wall and left his room.

Before long, a slender figure rushed into the outpost.

It was none other than Mitaraishi Anko, who had left with Oda several days earlier to carry out the special mission!

Anko looked terrible. Her face was nearly bloodless, her body was covered in wounds, and her breathing was extremely disordered. She seemed to have endured one life-and-death battle after another.

Relying on the vigilance tempered through war, Hyuga Kagami had already slipped his hand into the Ninja Tool Pouch at his waist and drawn a Kunai the moment he identified the arrival as Anko. Beneath his goggles, his Tenseigan shone brilliantly as he searched for possible pursuers following behind her.

However, after only a brief sweep, Hyuga Kagami found no pursuers behind Anko and breathed a sigh of relief.

The other ninja at the outpost also gathered around, some bandaging Anko's wounds while others asked about the details of the ambush.

Standing at full alert nearby, Hyuga Kagami used the Tenseigan's unparalleled perception to notice that squad captain Mitsui Chuichi had flashed a strange expression when he saw Anko. It seemed to be a complicated look mixed with surprise and anxiety.

In that instant, a grim suspicion arose in Hyuga Kagami's heart.

He had actually considered that possibility long ago. He simply had not dared to be certain, or rather, he had been unwilling and did not want to be certain.

Instinctively, Hyuga Kagami put some distance between himself and Mitsui Chuichi.

Mitsui Chuichi's attention was entirely on Anko at the moment, and he did not notice Hyuga Kagami's unusual behavior. He merely asked Anko with a grim expression, "Was the mission completed?"

Anko looked coldly at Mitsui Chuichi. "We were ambushed the moment we arrived at the designated location. It was a trap. Oda died on the spot, and I hid in the desert for two days before barely managing to escape!"

Mitsui Chuichi's expression became slightly unnatural. "Perhaps our undercover agent among the Sunagakure Ninja was exposed, which is why you were ambushed. I'll report it to the village."

After saying that, Mitsui Chuichi hurried away. Hyuga Kagami said nothing either and silently helped Anko to her feet.

After returning to Anko's room, Anko suddenly asked Hyuga Kagami, "Has the village abandoned us?"

Since Orochimaru had accepted Anko as his disciple, she was clearly not stupid. There had been something strange about this so-called special mission at every turn, and someone as perceptive as her had naturally noticed it.

As Hyuga Kagami wrapped Anko's wounds, he said, "Don't let your imagination run wild. Missions going wrong is common. You just haven't been through enough."

Seemingly persuaded by Hyuga Kagami, Anko said nothing more, and her expression returned to its usual numbness.

After treating Anko's injuries and confirming that no enemies were approaching the outpost, Hyuga Kagami returned to his room.

The moment he lay down on the bed, Hyuga Kagami's face darkened uncontrollably. Gritting his teeth, he thought, How could they do this? How dare they do this!?