Fish Eyes

The Hyuga Main Family's decision made many people secretly breathe a sigh of relief, but several Hyuga Clan members nearby frowned deeply.

In the Hyuga Clan, apart from the Main Family and the designated heir to the next head of the Main Family, all the other clan members belonged to the Branch Family.

From childhood, they had been taught that their existence was meant to protect the Main Family's safety.

Although some clan members privately felt that such a fate was deeply unfair and strongly objected to the system separating the Main and Branch Families, they would still carry it out to the very end without hesitation.

Now, with the Main Family facing a crisis of life and death, asking them to abandon the Main Family and flee on their own was something they could never do, no matter what!

A Hyuga Clan member immediately stepped forward.

"Sir..."

"Don't say anything! Let it be!"

The Hyuga Main Family member gently shook his head and glanced at the three battered clan members, his heart filled with guilt.

There had originally been more than just these three Hyuga Clan members among the ninja protecting him, but the others had all died while helping him break through the encirclement.

The three remaining members were also badly injured, almost making one suspect that a gust of wind could blow them over.

Then, as if remembering something, he softly instructed the three of them, "If you can survive this crisis, take a few words back for me!"

"Please, tell us, sir..." Knowing they could not change the Main Family member's will, the Hyuga Clan members spoke with slightly choked voices.

The Hyuga Main Family member sighed and continued, "Go back and tell Hiashi and Hizashi that the position of Main Family head will be decided by the two of them."

"Who will be Main Family? Who will be Branch Family?"

"As their father, I have already given them a fair chance to choose."

"No matter what the result is in the future, neither side is allowed to hold any further resentment!"

Realizing that the Main Family member was giving his last words, the three Hyuga Clan members could no longer suppress their sorrow. Tears filled their eyes.

Seemingly moved by the Hyuga Main Family member's firm resolve to face death generously, the other Konoha ninja also began to hesitate over the idea of fleeing on their own.

Suddenly, someone stepped out of formation and said to everyone, "I have an idea. It might allow the Hyuga Main Family member to escape alive, but it will put the rest of us in greater danger!"

Hearing this, everyone present turned curious gazes toward him.

Someone immediately said, "Go on!"

The man took a deep breath and slowly said, "When the pursuers catch up later, we'll all use Transformation Jutsu and take on the Hyuga Main Family member's appearance. Then we'll scatter and flee!"

"That will both lessen the pressure on the Hyuga Main Family member and avoid delaying our own escape. However, the chances of us escaping will be greatly reduced!"

"Fine! Let's use this plan!" someone immediately agreed.

Afterward, perhaps feeling guilty about leaving alone, the Konoha ninja gradually began agreeing with the idea one after another.

"Thank you, everyone!"

Faced with everyone's enthusiasm, the Hyuga Main Family member could not refuse. He could only express his gratitude.

Although this plan would relieve much of the pressure on him, he knew very well that even so, his chances of escape remained extremely slim.

Therefore, his decision to fight to the death had still not wavered.

Before long, two squads of Mist ninja caught up with the Konoha group, who had stopped to rest.

However, the scene before them left them at a loss.

There were more than ten Konoha ninja in the clearing in the forest. Every one of them looked exactly alike, all bearing the same face as the Hyuga Main Family member they were searching for.

There was no doubt that a Konoha ninja had used Transformation Jutsu and mixed the real Hyuga Main Family member in among them.

They were trying to pass off the false as the genuine article and help him escape alive.

"Scatter!"

No one knew who shouted, but the dozen or so Konoha ninja scattered all at once, fleeing in every direction. Not one of them ran the same way as another.

Only after the figures of the dozen or so "Hyuga Main Family members" had completely vanished from sight did the stunned Mist ninja come back to their senses.

"Boss, which one do we chase?" someone tugged at his squad leader and asked quietly.

The squad leader scratched his head, then looked toward a squad leader from the other team and asked, "What do you think, buddy?"

The man thought for a moment and helplessly replied, "There has to be one real person among them! Their goal is obviously just to buy time!"

"However, even knowing they want to buy time, I don't have any particularly good way to deal with it!"

"We can only capture them one by one and identify them!"

With that, he shrugged, his face full of helplessness.

The squad leader who had spoken earlier continued, "Only our two squads know that they used Transformation Jutsu to confuse us. The others who haven't caught up yet don't know."

"I think we should leave them some information!"

With that, he drew a Kunai and carved the information about the Konoha ninja using Transformation Jutsu to confuse them into the trunk of a nearby tree.

"Let's go!"

After finishing, he aimed toward the direction in which one of the "Hyuga Main Family members" had fled, waved to his subordinates, and immediately gave chase.

"Let's go too!"

After finding the footprints left by one of the targets, the other squad leader led his teammates after them.

Before long, Ao's squad and the other squad also arrived at the place where the Konoha ninja had previously scattered.

Everyone immediately saw the striking characters carved into a tree trunk.

"Transformation and scattering?" Ao felt a headache coming on when he saw the information left behind by the people before them.

Apart from splitting up to capture the targets and identifying them afterward, they had no other choice.

"Looks like we'll have to separate for now!" he said to the squad leader who had come with him.

The squad leader nodded and smiled. "Good luck to you, and good luck to us too! I hope one of our two squads can find the real target!"

With that, he chose a set of footprints that no one was following and led his people off in pursuit.

Ao then casually chose another set of footprints and immediately began tracking it.

About three minutes later, Ao's squad spotted a distant figure trudging forward with heavy steps.

The four of them immediately sped up and cut him off.

Seeing that exhausted, slightly familiar face, the four of them instantly matched it to the appearance of the Hyuga Main Family member in their memories.

"I wonder if this one is real or fake?" Mei Terumi muttered.

Hearing this, Qi Shuang immediately shot her a fierce look and said, "Can't you say something more pleasant?"

"We've been running back and forth for half the day. If this one's fake, won't all that effort have been for nothing?"

"You..."

"All right, stop arguing, you two!"

Just as Mei Terumi was about to flare up again, Ao immediately interrupted the argument before it could begin.

Then he glanced at the white-eyed man surrounded by the four of them and said solemnly, "At a time like this, you still refuse to release your Transformation Jutsu?"

"What Transformation Jutsu? I don't understand!" the gray-haired middle-aged man replied expressionlessly. Web-like veins surfaced around the corners of his eyes.

He had activated his Byakugan.

"He has the Byakugan and a Kekkei Genkai. Looks like this guy should be the target we're looking for!" Seeing the slightly ferocious face caused by the activation of the Byakugan, Zabuza slowly drew his short blade.