Red Eye.
A Kekkei Genkai found in the Kirigakure region,
it had appeared in Ranmaru during the Shippuden arc,
Like the Byakugan, it was a visual Kekkei Genkai. It could see through objects, sense power and danger, and even had a greater ability than the Byakugan to observe chakra.
This eye possessed an extremely unusual ability: at its user's will, it could project chakra-made images into an enemy's field of vision. It created a condition like a computer infected with a virus, deceiving the target into seeing scenes that were both false and real.
When the Byakugan faced this eye, its Insight Eye and Far-Seeing Eye abilities were severely suppressed by this power,
making Red Eye the Byakugan's natural enemy!
At that moment,
Hyuga Yu's vigilance shot up, and he also understood why the Main House, despite bringing a large entourage of bodyguards, had been wiped out.
Far from the mainland, Kirigakure had always preserved more Kekkei Genkai than any other village, and in better condition.
Its arsenal included Stone Style, Lava Style, Boil Style, Shikotsumyaku, Ice Style, Dark Style, and countless other Kekkei Genkai. Add the Hozuki clan's secret techniques and the varied abilities of the Seven Ninja Swords, and Kirigakure became a formidable power whose potential for war rivaled Kumogakure's.
Before the Bloody Mist Village policy was implemented, Kirigakure had already imposed strict measures within the village,
but the persecution of Kekkei Genkai users had yet to begin.
It was no surprise that they had a counter to the Byakugan in the form of Red Eye.
And,
unlike the Sharingan, the visual technique released by Red Eye wasn't a Genjutsu that could be dispelled. It was a Kekkei Genkai specifically suited to countering sight.
Just like now—
When the Red Eye user in the Kirigakure squad raised his head,
Hyuga Yu, who was exceptionally sensitive to "sight," immediately sensed an intensely "unnatural" distortion.
In his field of vision,
the Kirigakure squad he had "suddenly" encountered seemed to notice him, decide against any trouble, and immediately head in another direction, putting distance between themselves and Hyuga Yu as they went around him.
They left the road to the Grass Wave Coast open.
Under normal circumstances, this made perfect sense.
After all, most of the time during a war, shinobi didn't stay in their own camps, waiting for the main force to advance and engage in battle. More often, they split into small teams and operated behind enemy lines for long stretches, disrupting supply routes, assassinating important figures, and cutting off transport.
In such situations, most of a shinobi's work on the battlefield was to "find the enemy" and "hinder the enemy," not "kill the enemy."
Complicating a mission was foolish, so even if they ran into a weak Genin like Hyuga Yu, it was common enough to avoid him and carry on with their mission, rather than risk drawing a whole group of stronger enemies down on them.
But
Hyuga Yu didn't feel relieved. Instead, amid the enemy's disappearance and the lucky reprieve of being spared, he sensed something "unnatural."
It was as if everything before him was covered in a "haze" that distorted its colors.
Now that he knew the enemy had a Kekkei Genkai user with Red Eye, he couldn't tell whether what he saw was real, and he couldn't refresh his vision by dispelling Genjutsu.
All he could do was continue with his plan.
And so,
after "hesitating" for a while, Hyuga Yu finally moved.
First, he acted as though he was breathing a sigh of relief.
Then he chose a direction at a 90-degree angle to the one the enemy shinobi had taken, stepped onto a tree, climbed onto its trunk, and continued on his way.
He leaped over one enormous tree after another, drawing closer and closer to where he'd encountered the enemy.
1,200 meters...
1,000 meters...
700 meters...
200 meters...
Until,
Hyuga Yu's leaping figure among the treetops entered the naked-eye field of vision of Ao of the Mist's squad, which had stayed exactly where it was, not moving a single step.
The summer sun's rays filtered through the trees,
and amid the dappled light,
the two sides passed each other.
Kurenai, who had removed the black cloth covering his eyes, stared coldly at Hyuga Yu as he leaped by in the distance.
A bewitching gleam flashed in his crimson eyes.
A moment later,
Hyuga Yu's back disappeared from the Kirigakure squad's sight.
Ao asked in a low voice, "How is it?"
"It was an accident, just as we thought. He was only passing by." Kurenai nodded to him.
Nearby, the Jonin who had sensed Hyuga Yu asked curiously:
"Wait, how did you figure that out?"
"I can see his chakra, and I can sense how much of a threat someone poses to me through their chakra." Kurenai shook his head, a smile that might have been self-mocking or scornful crossing his face.
"There's no doubt about it. I'm the weakest shinobi on this mission."
"And yet that Hyuga Clan fellow felt like an ant I could crush just by lifting my foot."
"Too weak..."
"Far too weak..."
Kurenai scoffed as he explained:
"His chakra fluctuations and the restraint and fear reflected in his chakra were both as clear as could be!"
"Don't let your guard down!"
Ao felt the same way. He hadn't sensed even the slightest threat from Hyuga Yu either, but he still scolded Kurenai sternly. Shaking his head, he gave the order:
"Keep waiting here. Wait for the vanguard to launch the signal flares."
Meanwhile,
Hyuga Yu, unable to tell if he was still within that Kirigakure squad's range of perception, traveled a full kilometer before the distortion in his vision finally faded.
At the same time, he confirmed that the Kirigakure shinobi and the Red Eye user had indeed altered what he saw with their ocular powers.
The image he'd seen of the Kirigakure squad going around him and retreating had been entirely false.
But he didn't stop.
He traveled another five kilometers before finally coming to a halt.
Then he took a deep breath.
He had made it through the most dangerous stretch of the journey and, as planned, reached the far side of the enemy's encirclement.
Now—
the hunter and the hunted would trade places!
With that thought,
Hyuga Yu opened his eyes wide. Veins bulged around them as he rapidly molded chakra and poured it in great quantities into the meridians around his eyes.
"Byakugan, open!"
His field of vision gradually narrowed and stretched out lengthwise.
Instead of seeing everything in meticulous detail within a one-kilometer radius, it became like a flashlight in the dark, projecting a straight, cylindrical beam of light.
Hyuga Yu's vision extended farther and farther!
Until he could see a region about 72 degrees in front of him, 200 meters wide and 7 kilometers long!
Hyuga Yu swept his field of vision around in a sudden circle!
Within that range,
every Kirigakure squad concealed in the shadows, quietly waiting for the Main House to arrive, was caught in his gaze!
The positions of the Kirigakure squads formed a rough, horn-shaped sketch in his mind!
Then,
Hyuga Yu abruptly raised his head and looked toward the narrow end of the horn.
There,
two specially made smoke bombs were thrown into the air one after the other, colliding!
"Bang!"
A thick red cloud billowed above the forest!
At the same time,
the Kirigakure squads all began charging toward the center of the encirclement!
Hyuga Yu let out a heavy breath.
"Thud!"
He set down the huge wooden box he had been carrying on his back,
then slowly drew out a massive bow, 2.2 meters long!
Before you continue