Kirigakure Collapse Plan

Before he knew it, dusk had fallen.

After a day spent traveling, fighting, and traveling again, Hyuga Yu finally reached the Grass Wave Coast.

Konoha's camp was set up in a coconut grove on another stretch of coast, about twenty kilometers from where Hyuga Yu was.

The Grass Wave Coast lay along the eastern border of the Land of Fire. Across the sea was the Land of Waves, but the Naruto Bridge had yet to be built, so the two countries still relied on ships to travel between them.

The main battlefields between Konoha and Kirigakure in the Third Shinobi World War were the Land of Bears, the former site of the Land of Whirlpools, and the Land of Waves, all to the southeast of the Land of Fire.

With Kirigakure's ships and advantage on the water, the battlefields in the Land of Whirlpools and the Land of Waves, both isolated overseas, would soon fall. The front would then be pushed farther toward the eastern coast of the Land of Fire and the Land of Bears.

Before long, this coast in front of him would become a new battlefield.

As he saw it, it would be a bloody amphibious landing.

Whether Kirigakure's main force could land successfully, and whether it could establish a secure supply route between the sea and the mainland of the Land of Fire, would directly affect the situation and course of the entire eastern front.

But for now,

the pristine white sand had yet to be stained with blood. The broad beach glittered with fine sand, and coral and shells lay scattered about. The shadows of the coconut and mangrove groves behind the beach stretched long and longer in the light of the setting sun...

At that moment,

Aburame Ryūma stood in the shadow of a coconut palm.

Root shinobi seemed to have a particular fondness for standing in dark places while trying to look cool. Hyuga Yu saw him facing away, staring at the tree, and had no idea what he was looking at.

They stood there in silence.

Only after the horizon swallowed the last sliver of sunlight did Aburame Ryūma let out a relaxed breath. He looked away from the coconut beetle crawling up the tree trunk, ending his brief, leisurely respite.

The insect was a red palm weevil, a member of the snout beetle family. By day, it hid in leaf axils and crevices, and only came out at night.

Just like Aburame Ryūma.

After standing in the same spot for nearly three hours, Hyuga Yu had grown tired of the seaside view, no matter how lovely it was. When he saw Aburame Ryūma finally move, he hurriedly spoke up:

"Lord Ryūma."

"Mm."

Aburame Ryūma gave a muffled reply and slowly turned around.

He glanced at Hyuga Yu but didn't mention his formal induction into Root. Instead, he said:

"You're dissatisfied."

Hyuga Yu froze.

Then Aburame Ryūma continued in his cool, matter-of-fact voice:

"You've already guessed that the Hyuga Main Family was merely bait, and that Root had been in control of the whole situation all along."

"So you turned that fact around and tried to get Root to help you eliminate the risk of the leaked information coming back to haunt you."

Aburame Ryūma watched the slight twitch of Hyuga Yu's eyelid and stated calmly:

"But I didn't help you."

Hyuga Yu's heart gave a jolt, but for a moment, he didn't know how to respond.

Aburame Ryūma didn't dwell on it. He simply reminded him:

"You misjudged one thing in this incident."

"You did demonstrate enough 'value' for Root to accept you. But you were wrong to try to weigh that 'value' against the interests of 'all of Konoha.'"

"So—"

"You'll be used as a bargaining chip, becoming the second bait in the plan."

Hyuga Yu's heart tightened. He suddenly realized that the situation had slipped beyond his control.

He immediately asked, "The second bait? What plan? What are you talking about?"

Aburame Ryūma calmly revealed information that was classified at the time:

"Konoha is already fighting on three fronts, facing Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure at once. It can't afford to fight on a fourth."

"According to the intelligence assessment sent back by the 'Wandering Miko,' the odds of victory on the eastern front, where shinobi from clans like the Hyuga and Uchiha are fighting Kirigakure head-on... are practically zero."

"So, with the Hokage and the three advisors' approval and permission, Root's operation has been given a name—"

"Kirigakure Collapse Plan."

The grandiose name sent Hyuga Yu's heart lurching. He furrowed his brow and asked, "Then what's the bait? What do I have to do?"

Aburame Ryūma looked at Hyuga Yu as if he were already dead.

After a long moment, he shook his head and said flatly, "You don't have to do anything."

At that, Hyuga Yu finally understood why Aburame Ryūma had let Ao escape. His throat felt dry.

Not having to do anything meant that, whether he wanted to or not, Hyuga Yu would be made the second bait to lure Kirigakure into acting again. They would find an entirely plausible reason to make Kirigakure target him.

And at this moment, Hyuga Yu had that kind of "value."

As for whether the bait lived or died...

It didn't matter.

After all, would you care whether the earthworm you used as bait lived or died?

That helpless earthworm was Hyuga Yu's role now.

Root had never been a pleasant place, and it could never be an Eden where one could escape reality.

Hyuga Yu had seen it coming.

He just hadn't expected it to happen so soon!

He turned to Aburame Ryūma and asked, his expression grave and earnest:

"Lord Ryūma, if I want to stay alive, what should I do?"

Seeing the change in Hyuga Yu's expression, Aburame Ryūma's lips finally curled into the faintest smile.

"Get stronger," he said.

Hyuga Yu's heart pounded. He pressed on, "How strong do I need to get?"

Aburame Ryūma's gaze sharpened as he looked at the young man with the Byakugan and said in a low voice:

"Strong enough to have the 'value' to take part in the next phase of the mission."

"What's the next phase?"

Aburame Ryūma answered steadily and calmly:

"Overthrow Kirigakure."

"Assassinate—the Third Mizukage!"

Hyuga Yu suddenly grew calm.

But it wasn't the calm of someone who had realized the task was impossible and given up. It was the steel will to twist countless tangled goals into a single line in an instant, and carry it through the sea of fire to the end of hell.

"I understand."

"Good."

Aburame Ryūma said no more. He nodded calmly, then pulled a scroll from beneath his cloak and tossed it to Hyuga Yu.

Hyuga Yu caught the scroll and unfurled it.

A large "Root" character was written in the center. Beside it was a list of the supplies stored in the scroll:

Ninja tools, Root uniform, three scrolls of Wind Release Essentials, one Root-issued mask, poison, suicide poison...

Hyuga Yu studied the list carefully, then quickly looked up.

Aburame Ryūma asked, "You have one more chance to browse the secret techniques Root has collected and select one A-rank technique."

"What do you want?"

He asked without placing any restrictions on the technique. In other words, apart from the S-rank forbidden techniques kept in the Book of Seals, Hyuga Yu could choose any technique in Konoha.

Countless possibilities flashed through Hyuga Yu's mind.

Finally, he slowly named an A-rank technique:

"Sealing Technique: Five Elements Seal."

Aburame Ryūma nodded. "It'll be delivered to you in three days."

Then he turned and slowly walked toward the shore, his body dispersing in the sea breeze into swarms of Kikaichū.

From far away, only his words remained:

"Kid, welcome to Root~"