Tanuki Swaps the Crown Prince for the Crown Prince, and the Byakugan Is His (Fifth Update, Please Vote!)

"Terrifying!"

Outside the battle, Kazama Kaguya had witnessed the scene with his own eyes. Every hair on his body instantly stood on end.

A shuddering current shot from his tailbone straight to the crown of his head, making his scalp tingle.

In an instant, Danzo had personally sent Hyuga Hiashi, head of the Main Family of Konoha's strongest kekkei genkai clan, from heaven straight to hell.

He wasn't just blind. He was paralyzed, too.

Even now, Kazama Kaguya could still see that grateful smile on Hiashi's face.

It was dripping with mockery and derision.

"Is the Self-Exerting Curse Binding Seal really that powerful? Can it instantly restrain Hyuga Hiashi out of nowhere?" Kazama Kaguya swallowed nervously and began thinking of a way to counter it.

"If I fought Danzo, how could I avoid being locked down?"

He carefully recalled Danzo's movements, replaying every moment in his mind from the instant they had entered the room.

Ignoring the conversations, during which it would have been impossible to apply a jutsu, the only possibility came to mind.

"It was when he patted Hiashi on the shoulder to comfort him! That's right, it had to be then. Danzo secretly formed hand seals while pretending to rub his cane, then distracted Hiashi with the promise of an entire commercial street's profits. Finally, he used the pretense of comforting him to pat his shoulder."

"When their bodies touched, he secretly planted the Cursed Seal, waiting for the right moment to activate it."

Kazama Kaguya had seen through Danzo's trick, and he felt relieved. Good thing the Self-Exerting Curse Binding Seal requires physical contact. As long as he doesn't touch me, I should be practically immune to it.

He remembered Danzo's battle with Sasuke in the original story.

During that fight, Sasuke had been locked down by the Self-Exerting Curse Binding Seal for several seconds. If Danzo hadn't insisted on showing off and spouting a bunch of nonsense, wasting time because he was so overconfident, the second of the Uchiha brothers would've been done for.

The Self-Exerting Curse Binding Seal was indeed a powerful restraining technique. Sasuke had even overdrawn his Mangekyo's ocular power and used Susanoo to break free of the seal.

But the technique had an obvious weakness, too.

Without physical contact, it was useless—completely ineffective.

"As expected of the Darkness of Konoha. His methods of taking people by surprise are terrifying. I need to stay far away from Danzo from now on. I absolutely cannot let him touch me."

Kazama Kaguya quietly edged backward. While his wariness of Danzo grew, his eyes drifted toward the eyeballs in Aburame Ryoma's hand.

"The Byakugan! The Main Family's Byakugan!"

The two bloodied eyeballs looked hideous, but to Kazama Kaguya they were more captivating than the most beautiful jade in the world.

"With them, I can evolve into a pure-blooded Otsutsuki and escape my destined death!"

Kazama Kaguya's eyes brimmed with longing. Before he knew it, his breathing had grown heavy.

Huff... huff...

His labored breathing sounded jarringly loud in the oppressive room.

Danzo turned around and swept him with a cold gaze. "Hmph. What a useless piece of trash. Ever since Orochimaru left Konoha, his taste has really gone downhill."

He disparaged Kazama Kaguya and Orochimaru without restraint, then snorted, his expression haughty.

Kazama Kaguya's heart lurched. He immediately lowered his head, putting on a show of submission.

Danzo smiled with satisfaction, turned his attention back to Hiashi, and formed hand seals again.

"Ninjutsu: Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal."

He gripped Hiashi's cheeks, and black markings spread into Hiashi's mouth.

Soon, a special Cursed Seal appeared at the base of Hiashi's tongue.

It was the Cursed Seal Danzo used to control the members of the Root Organization. It not only prevented them from revealing his secrets, but could also restrict a person's ability to speak.

"Self-Exerting Curse Binding Seal, release." Once everything had settled, Danzo released the technique restraining Hiashi.

Thud...

Hyuga Hiashi collapsed like a heap of mud. Only his head could still twitch slightly.

His hair hung loose, and his face was covered in blood. His eye sockets were empty, with only two bloody hollows left. Combined with his frenzied, contorted expression and his wide-open mouth that couldn't produce a sound, the sight was eerie and horrifying.

The scene was so shocking that it left everyone silent.

Yet, in that moment of stillness, a hoarse voice broke the silence.

"W-why?"

Hyuga Hizashi's throat sounded like two pieces of wood scraping together as he asked in a dry, raspy voice.

He had witnessed everything that had happened to Hiashi, yet he had no desire to intervene.

He stared blankly at Hiashi, looking at the empty, bloodied sockets where his own older brother's eyes had been. His heart was full of confusion.

He was the one who was supposed to be abandoned and have his eyes gouged out. Why had it happened to someone else instead?

The world was changing too quickly. He even wondered if it was all a delusion he'd imagined before his death.

"Why?"

Danzo gave a cold smile and answered, "Of course, it's to have you take Hiashi's place as head of the Main Family."

He leaned on his cane, a smug glint in his single eye as he looked down at Hyuga Hizashi. He spoke as if sharing good news.

"Hizashi, be glad. Rejoice. From now on, you, the head of the Branch Family, will completely take the place of the Main Family's leader. They wanted to switch things around and make you take the blame. Why can't you swap the tanuki for the crown prince and turn a fake into the real thing?"

"Swap the tanuki for the crown prince? Turn a fake into the real thing?" Hizashi murmured. He instinctively raised a hand to touch his forehead, then pulled it back as if shocked by an electric current.

"The Caged Bird! Right, the Caged Bird. As long as I have this, I'll always be a fake." The hope in Hizashi's eyes faded again.

The ugly green mark of the Caged Bird remained etched on his forehead. Anyone could see it as soon as he removed his Forehead Protector.

But Danzo's plan had already accounted for every flaw.

"It doesn't matter."

He stepped forward, placed a hand on Hiashi's face, and performed another jutsu.

"Ninjutsu: Facial Erasure Technique."

Orochimaru had developed this jutsu during his human experiments. As his financier, Danzo naturally had the right to share the research results.

As chakra surged, Hiashi's face melted like wax. It eventually gathered in Danzo's hand, forming a lifelike skin mask.

"This is your hope."

Danzo tossed the face taken with the Facial Erasure Technique to Hizashi and ordered, "Put it on. It'll cover the Caged Bird Seal. From now on, you're the head of the Main Family, Hyuga Hiashi."

Hizashi held the warm skin in his hands. He looked at Hiashi, whose face had been mutilated beyond recognition, then at the ambitious Danzo. A wild, manic delight suddenly welled up from the depths of his heart.

"Ha... hahaha... I understand... hahaha..."

He let out a low, broken laugh and grinned as he muttered, "If we're all just pawns, what difference does it make who controls us? Hahaha..."

Without hesitation, he pulled off his Forehead Protector and bandages, then put on the lifelike skin.

The dark green Cursed Seal was covered, revealing a smooth, noble forehead.

"Good. Now kill 'Hyuga Hizashi' to prove your loyalty to me."

"As you wish, Lord Danzo."

Thud!

Eight Trigrams Palm struck, killing him with a single blow.

And so Hizashi offered his proof of loyalty, swapped places with the crown prince, and became the noble head of the Main Family: Hyuga Hiashi.

Kazama Kaguya watched, dumbfounded, his heart full of admiration.

"Danzo deserves an Oscar."

Although the idea for the plan to "swap the tanuki for the crown prince" had originally come from him, under the pretense of speaking on Orochimaru's behalf, he hadn't taken part in any of the actual steps.

The only reason he had come here with Danzo and the others today was because Danzo wanted to show off.

According to Danzo, there had to be an audience for the grand play he had directed himself.

He was both the director and the star. Hiashi and Hizashi were supporting actors, while the two Root Organization members were extras, there to serve as tools.

Only he—the sickly weakling who had brought Orochimaru's brilliant idea and was destined to be disposed of shortly—was the perfect audience.

He wouldn't reveal the secret, and he would give Danzo's vanity a tremendous boost.

Kazama Kaguya naturally did his best to play along.

He put on an utterly astonished expression and exclaimed, "Lord Danzo, no one can match your wisdom. With the Hyuga clan's support, I'm sure you'll soon be the Fifth Generation. It's a shame I won't live to see your face carved into Kage Rock."

"The Fifth Generation? Hahaha... Exactly. You're right. I ought to be the Fifth Generation!"

Danzo laughed heartily, as if he were already wearing the Hokage's robes.

He was increasingly pleased with the consumptive man before him who knew how to flatter him. With a satisfied smile, he tossed Hiashi's Byakugan over and said, "Take the Byakugan and get lost."

"I'm in a good mood tonight, so I'll give you ten minutes to catch up with Orochimaru."

"Remember to tell Orochimaru that I have plenty of resources at my disposal. Even the Wood Release he once coveted is within my reach. If he has any more brilliant ideas, I'll cooperate whenever he wants. Hahaha..."