Elsewhere, in Nameless Forest.
Bang!
A signal flare was thrown into the sky and collided with another, streaking a long ribbon of green smoke across the forest canopy.
Red signified attack; green signified retreat.
Sending this flare meant that Kirigakure's hunt for the Hyuga Main Family had been declared a failure. The Kirigakure forces carrying out the mission had to withdraw from the Land of Fire at full speed.
Within the forest,
"Why are we suddenly retreating?" Munashi Jinpachi frowned, looking in confusion at Ao, who was being carried on Kensuke's back. "The rear guard only ran into a few Konoha Anbu. Is there really any need to make such a big deal out of this?"
"Haven't you figured it out yet? That brat's escape route was extremely strange!" Ao pressed down on Kensuke's shoulder, making him stop in place. Ao raised his head to gaze toward the desolate Crow Forest on the other side of the woods, his expression darkening. "He seemed to know our plan. He chose to cut straight through our encirclement, and deliberately picked a dead end where we would definitely catch up to him."
"And just at that moment, Konoha Anbu happened to appear behind us."
"What does that tell you?"
Munashi Jinpachi's eyes widened. "You're saying... Konoha already knew about our operation!? The information leaked!?"
"No."
Ao shook his head, his cold gaze sweeping toward the rear of the team.
"If Konoha truly knew about our operation, we would already be surrounded. Other than perhaps you two, no one else would get away alive."
"The more likely explanation is that the commotion from our pursuit attracted nearby Konoha ninja."
"And that brat was actually bluffing, making us think that our operation had been under Konoha's surveillance all along in an attempt to scare us off."
Munashi Jinpachi was thoroughly confused and immediately asked, "Then why..."
Ao shook his head and explained, "A member of the Branch House has implanted the Main House's Byakugan into himself. No matter what that brat is planning, those Byakugan are now protected by the Caged Bird."
"Even if we capture him, we won't be able to gouge those Byakugan out of his eye sockets."
"In other words, this mission to hunt the Main House has already failed."
Munashi Jinpachi immediately argued, "But... capturing that brat is clearly the better option now. Didn't you say it yourself? As long as we catch him, we can obtain even more Byakugan..."
Only then did Ao seem to realize it as well. He spread his hands helplessly.
"That would be another mission."
At those words, Munashi Jinpachi understood at once.
It was not only because their operation had already been discovered by Konoha, and continuing to pursue Hyuga Yu might lead to unforeseen complications.
The greater reason was—
The Third Mizukage.
The Bloody Mist Village was ruled through brutally oppressive policies. Failure to complete a mission brought severe punishment.
Yet completing tasks beyond one's assigned duties brought no benefit at all. Worse, such overstepping would be regarded as a challenge to the Third Mizukage's authority—especially when their team included someone from Elder Genji's faction.
Thinking of this, Munashi Jinpachi could not help gritting his teeth.
"This village really is..."
Beside him, Kushimaru Kuriarare, who had remained silent all along, suddenly cut him off coldly.
"Silence!"
Ao's expression turned serious as he addressed the group. "In any case, our highest priority is to bring this information back to the village and leave the decision to the elders and the Third Mizukage."
"As for how to capture that Hyuga Branch Family brat afterward... we will need to formulate a new strategy based on the situation and the specific intelligence."
"That's all."
"Retreat!"
After leaving Crow Forest and retrieving his bow and arrows, Hyuga Yu gradually came to understand the full picture behind this incident.
He had originally thought that, because of the "value" he had demonstrated, Aburame Ryūma would choose to close the net early and leave this Kirigakure force trapped in the Land of Fire.
Two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Ao of the Mist, a Red Eye bloodline user, several Kirigakure Jonin, and more than twenty Kirigakure ninja—eliminating them would deal a tremendous blow to Kirigakure's offensive.
But clearly, Hyuga Yu had underestimated what Root was after.
Compared with the possibility of the Hyuga Clan losing a large number of Byakugan and the chance to keep these people behind, the mission they were carrying out was even more important.
And at this time, nothing could be more urgent or severe than—
The Third Shinobi World War.
The mission Root was carrying out had to be a core operation that concerned the direction of the entire Kirigakure battlefield. Using the Main House's Byakugan as bait to lure Kirigakure into dispatching forces to capture a member of the Hyuga Main Family was merely the first step of this incident.
Hyuga Yu could not help connecting it with events that would occur in the future.
Using Konoha Year 49 as the dividing line,
The war between Konoha and Kirigakure would, barring any surprises, continue for more than another year before ending prior to Minato Namikaze succeeding as Hokage in Year 50 of Konoha.
Konoha's attacks against Kirigakure had two key turning points:
First, the eternal Genin Might Duy tore apart the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, reducing this special force directly under the Third Mizukage to a shell in name only.
Second, Hatake Kakashi foiled Kirigakure's core plan to use Nohara Rin as a Tailed Beast vessel bomb and unleash her in Konoha.
Beyond that, during the Third Shinobi World War, the most outrageous event hidden in the dark side of Shinobi World history was—
The Third Mizukage, who had never appeared in the recollections of any Konoha ninja, suddenly stepped down without any warning.
Immediately afterward, the Fourth Mizukage, Karatachi Yagura, who had become the Three-Tails' Tailed Beast vessel, took office.
So,
What role had Root played in this series of events?
At that moment,
As he pondered, Shigaraki Tanuki, who was walking ahead of Hyuga Yu, suddenly came to a stop.
Hyuga Yu looked around and discovered that the two of them had returned to Nameless Forest and were now very close to Grass Wave Coast.
Before them stood
The dilapidated entrance to an abandoned laboratory hidden within a small hill.
"This is as far as you go."
Shigaraki Tanuki suddenly spoke in an indifferent tone. "This will be your workplace from now on. After completing the Medical Team's daily fixed duties, you will come here and use your Medical Ninjutsu to help me handle some living materials."
"Living... materials?"
Hyuga Yu frowned slightly and looked at Shigaraki Tanuki.
Shigaraki Tanuki did not explain. Instead, he suddenly asked, "Kid, do you know about Zero-Tails?"
Hyuga Yu's heart skipped a beat, but he immediately shook his head.
Shigaraki Tanuki explained simply, "It was a project researched by the Second Hokage before his death. Its aim was to artificially create a 'controllable Tailed Beast' and gain control of the Tailed Beast's power."
"In short, it is currently a failed project, and the village has already shut it down. However, Elder Danzo is still funding this research in his personal capacity."
"You need to remember—"
"Right now, I am the deputy captain of the Medical Team at Konoha's Grass Wave Coast camp, while you are a Medical Ninja apprentice sent by the Hyuga Main Family to study. We did not know each other before, and there is no need for us to know each other afterward."
"But what you truly need to do is—"
"Conceal your identity as a Root ninja, secretly complete every mission Root assigns to you, and assist me in advancing this research."
Hearing this, Hyuga Yu's heart tightened as he seized upon the key phrase in Shigaraki Tanuki's words.
"My identity as a Root ninja?"
Shigaraki Tanuki sneered. "You don't count as official personnel. You're still far from this department's true core."
"Still, you should be able to receive some... interesting things."
At that moment, Shigaraki Tanuki suddenly raised his head as though he had sensed something, then turned to look toward the coconut grove not far away.
"That person has arrived. Go over there."
Hyuga Yu looked in the direction Shigaraki Tanuki had turned.
Then he saw—
Within the coconut grove in the distance, a figure completely shrouded in a hooded trench coat suddenly appeared, gazing at Hyuga Yu with detached indifference.
It was Aburame Ryūma, the high-ranking Root member in charge of this entry assessment.
Hyuga Yu immediately realized that
At this moment, he had finally been accepted by Root.
And before fulfilling the duties of a Root ninja and formally stepping into the dark side of the Shinobi World,
The benefits he could enjoy as a Root ninja
Had arrived!
Before you continue