Rustle... rustle...
The night wind swept through the Forest of Death. Layer upon layer of leaves rubbed and swayed, surging like endless waves of dark green.
Shisui Uchiha hid among the branches and leaves, watching the Hyuga Clan Compound.
He was carrying out his convictions, just as he had told Fugaku before leaving the Military Police Force.
Become part of Konoha. Starting tonight, he would begin by protecting the Hyuga clan.
Under the hazy moonlight, Shisui's scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan gave him an absurdly powerful ability to perceive movement. He could see every move within the Hyuga compound.
Just half an hour earlier, he had seen Danzo enter the Hyuga Clan Compound with three members of the Root Organization.
He knew the Hyuga faced a major decision tonight: either compromise or erupt into conflict.
The former was far more likely, but if the latter happened, he hoped he could intervene in time.
First, he wanted to make up for his guilt at not stepping in when Hinata was kidnapped two days ago. Second, he wanted to contribute to Konoha's stability and peace, as a member of the Uchiha.
"I hope the Hyuga Clan makes it through this safely."
He liked Konoha very much and sincerely hoped everyone in the village could live together in peace.
"I hope the Uchiha can do the same, setting aside their dissatisfaction and following the Lord Third's leadership," he added silently.
He thought quietly about the future, hidden in the shade of the trees, silently protecting the ideals he held dear.
Until something changed, he wouldn't set foot in the Hyuga Clan Compound.
Suddenly, Shisui saw an elder of the Hyuga Main Family leave the house.
A short while later, a black-robed, masked figure also came out. The person then headed toward the Forest of Death at what seemed to Shisui an incredibly slow pace.
"Hm? What's someone from the Root Organization going to the Forest of Death for now?"
Shisui frowned as he watched the figure run through the woods. "That posture, that speed... Is that person a Genin?"
After only a couple of glances, he had gauged the black-robed figure's strength.
But that only left him more confused. "Does the Root Organization even have Genin? And one who can take part in a situation like this with Danzo?"
The longer he watched, the stranger it seemed.
The black-robed figure was moving with such urgency. The person was running at the very limit of a Genin's speed, nothing like someone on a mission. It looked more like a desperate attempt to escape.
"That's right. They're running for their life!" Shisui, who had lived through the Third Shinobi World War, couldn't mistake it.
He had hunted down many people. The way those ninjas ran before they died was just as desperate.
His scarlet eyes narrowed. He glanced at the peaceful Hyuga Clan Compound and made his choice in an instant.
"The Main Family elders have left. The Hyuga must have accepted the Lord Third's arrangement. But that black-robed figure is strange. I'll follow and see."
The Body Flicker Technique activated. A blur tore through the night wind and vanished among the branches.
Meanwhile, the instant Kazama Kaguya stepped out of the Hyuga Clan Compound, he burst into a sprint toward the Forest of Death at top speed.
Two bloodied Byakugan were tucked against his chest, and his heart was pounding with excitement.
"Ha ha, the Byakugan! I finally got them!"
After more than two years since his transmigration, countless hardships, and dancing on the edge of a blade as he plotted, tricked Kisame, borrowed others' influence, put on a friendly face, and finally obtained the most important material for his evolution.
"Ten minutes. Danzo gave me ten minutes. I can't waste them. I have to hurry."
Kazama Kaguya knew that Aburame Ryoma, who specialized in using Kikaichū, had surely planted some means of tracking him.
Once the ten minutes were up, they would definitely come to dispose of him.
Those bug users always had dirty tricks up their sleeves.
Right now, all he wanted was to leave Konoha and enter the Forest of Death as quickly as possible. With Kisame's protection, he could evolve into an Otsutsuki sooner and gain the power to protect himself.
Running, leaping, charging forward...
Kazama Kaguya leaned his upper body forward and stretched both arms behind him, moving quickly with a running style unique to ninjas.
He skirted the scattered buildings. As man-made traces grew fewer and giant trees grew more numerous, Kazama Kaguya finally entered the Forest of Death.
Five minutes had passed since he left the Hyuga Clan Compound, and he had covered about four kilometers.
"Now's the time." Kazama Kaguya stopped, breathing heavily.
He glanced at the pitch-black primeval forest and took out a test tube filled with preservative fluid. Inside, the two Byakugan taken from the Main Family head drifted gently, pale and mysterious, utterly captivating.
"Evolve! The time is now!"
Pfft...
Kazama Kaguya steeled himself and gouged out his left eye.
A wave of intense pain hit him, making him stagger, but he didn't waste a second. In one smooth motion, he fitted the Byakugan that had belonged to Hyuga Hiashi, head of the Main Family, into its place.
Sizzle!
A puff of white smoke rose as the Shikotsumyaku and Byakugan bloodline abilities made contact for the first time.
Then the Shikotsumyaku's powerful healing ability kicked in.
Flesh buds wriggled inside his empty eye socket. Nerves connected, and chakra flowed in.
In his mind, the Evolution Obelisk began to vibrate wildly as line after line of text appeared.
[Current equation charge: 99%. Inject chakra to charge?]
"Inject it."
In an instant, nine-tenths of Kazama Kaguya's chakra was drained. A wave of weakness washed over him, and he nearly crashed into a tree.
But the rewards were just as immense.
More information streamed down the obelisk like a waterfall.
[Charge at 100%. Evolution conditions met. Begin evolution?] [Warning: This is a super-evolution that will transcend a level of life. Estimated time required: fifteen minutes. Evolver, ensure your safety.] [Warning: This evolution will bring unpredictable changes to your life form, but all changes will be positive. Please prepare yourself mentally.] [Warning: The Evolver has lost a large amount of chakra. Genetic collapse accelerating. Estimated survival time: 30 minutes.] [Warning: Evolve into a higher form before your survival time runs out to repair the genetic collapse. Otherwise, the Evolver will be consumed by the backlash of All-Killing Ash Bones and completely erased.]
"Four warnings? It's that serious?"
Four red warnings appeared one after another, leaving Kazama Kaguya stunned.
This wasn't his first time activating evolution mode.
Back in Kirigakure, when he had absorbed Natural Energy and unlocked the evolution equation for All-Killing Ash Bones, not a single warning had appeared.
Now there were four, and every one of them told him the same thing.
This was a super-evolution that would transcend the very nature of life, and every second counted.
If he succeeded, he would ascend in a single leap to the ranks of higher life forms.
If he failed, he would be doomed beyond redemption.
"Gulp..." Kazama Kaguya swallowed unconsciously.
"Thirty minutes to live, fifteen minutes to evolve, and in five minutes, Danzo's pursuit will begin. Thrilling. This is really thrilling!"
The threat of death, the anticipation of evolution, and the approaching pursuers made Kazama Kaguya's heart pound. A rush of adrenaline flooded his system.
A touch of madness appeared on his face. He pulled a glass jar containing a tiny shark from his ninja pouch. The Shikotsumyaku activated, bone jutted from his hand, and he crushed the little shark to death.
"One short? Ha ha, then let's complete it! Kisame Hoshigaki, come on—live by your creed."
"Evolution Equation, evolve! Evolve right now!"
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