Killing Intent's Gaze

Hyuga Yūsha walked out of the ninja tool shop with a 2.5-foot long bow and arrow case slung over his back, heading home.

Inside the large case, besides the giant Japanese bow forged with sulfur, were three hemp strings, fifty Japanese Arrows, and the corresponding quiver, finger guard, and arm guard accessories.

Carrying such an exaggeratedly large box down the street made him quite conspicuous.

Along the way, Hyuga Yūsha could faintly hear the passing Ninja pointing and talking about him:

"Whoa, what kind of ninja tool is that guy carrying? Fuma Shuriken aren't even that big, are they?"

"Yeah, isn't that the freak from the Hyuga Clan, Hyuga Yūsha?"

"Who's Hyuga Yūsha?"

"Heh... a bringer of bad luck. Keep your voice down, don't let him pick you as a teammate."

"He was a weird kid back in the Ninja Academy. Instead of learning the Hyuga Clan's secret family techniques, he was always hanging out with that eternal Genin Might Duy and his son, practicing Steel Fist. What a shame, his talent was so bad that even Might Duy didn't pay him much attention."

"After becoming a Genin, he's had two teammates die successively..."

"He's always the weakest one who survives, it's like he sucks all the luck out of his teammates..."

"Now, I bet he knows he's useless at any Ninjutsu or Taijutsu, so he's switched to tool throwing, which doesn't use Chakra, haha. They really call him the shame of the Hyuga Clan."

Listening to the hushed discussions all the way, comments of pity, mockery, or jealousy drifted past his ears.

Hyuga Yūsha's gaze deepened slightly. He didn't argue, just quickened his pace a little, quickly leaving the vicinity of the Konoha Training Ground.

The clouds of war were already hanging over Konoha.

After leaving the Konoha Training Ground, the streets became increasingly deserted. Not many people were lingering on the streets. The few Konoha villagers they passed were all somber-faced and hurried.

Shops were closed, entertainment venues were shut down.

Only the Konoha Hospital and the area around the training grounds were more crowded than usual.

Soon, the sun began to set in the west.

Having rushed around to various places all day, making every effort to prepare for battle, Hyuga Yūsha returned to the vicinity of the Hyuga Clan compound.

He had two residences:

One was a side room in the mansion of Hyuga Takahiro, an elder of the Hyuga main family, meant for servants and slaves.

The other was a cramped apartment left to Hyuga Yūsha by his parents, located on the edge of the Hyuga Clan compound.

Having refused the letter of appointment from the main family elder, Hyuga Yūsha was effectively dismissed by them, so he could only return to that narrow, cramped apartment.

Fortunately, although the apartment was small, it gave Hyuga Yūsha a unique sense of peace.

However, Just as he was about to step into the Hyuga Clan compound, walking on the road, Hyuga Yūsha suddenly sensed a gaze hidden in the street shadows, spying on him!

Hyuga Yūsha's heart immediately tensed.

Hyuga Yūsha, who was very weak in the early stages and could only rely on his Kekkei Genkai, the Byakugan, as his core ability, was extremely sensitive to others' gazes.

In fact, it could be said that this was the reason he, as a cannon fodder Genin, had survived the Third Shinobi World War for two years, with almost all his teammates dead –

an extremely keen sense for the abstract concept of "gaze."

The horizontal field of vision for a human eye is generally 180 degrees, and the vertical is generally 135 degrees.

When looking straight ahead, the range that can be clearly seen is about 120 degrees, while peripheral vision can perceive 60 degrees on both sides. Looking up is generally 60 degrees, and looking down is about 75 degrees.

The Byakugan's field of vision is 360 degrees. Even for Hyuga Yūsha, a member of the Branch Family, his vision is 359 degrees. Moreover, this is a global perspective with penetration, like a God's eye view.

In other words, even if standing behind an enemy, Hyuga Yūsha could see the direction of the enemy's eyeballs rolling by looking through their body, and thus determine which direction the enemy was looking.

Theoretically, by properly utilizing this difference in vision, Hyuga Yūsha could stay behind the enemy while closing the distance, achieving a unique form of "invisibility."

That's right, this is the [Invisibility Jutsu] created by the genius young man Xiao Shuai in the movie Empty Room while in prison.

And after mastering this ability, combined with the Three Body Techniques common to Ninja, Hyuga Yūsha's survival rate on the battlefield instantly increased by more than one level.

Just like now--

The sensitive Hyuga Yūsha instantly discerned that the gaze directed at him carried a killing intent.

A fierce, decisive intent, like the gazes he had encountered on the battlefield that stripped enemies of their lives without personal emotion, solely to complete a mission.

A gaze of killing intent!

Hyuga Yūsha didn't understand where this killing intent came from, nor who had the audacity to try and ambush and kill him near the Hyuga Clan compound.

After sensing this gaze, he didn't immediately activate his Byakugan.

but relying on the instincts honed on the battlefield, he continued to move forward, His toes angled slightly, and he walked along the right side of the street, entering the shadow cast by a building in the setting sun.

The gaze quickly followed Hyuga Yu's figure, shifting its angle.

Using this change in "tactile" sensation, Hyuga Yu quickly deduced the other party's location—

Behind the eave of a two-story wooden mansion, to the right and in front.

Near the Hyuga clan, most of these buildings were simple, traditional Japanese houses.

Gray tiles, white walls, wooden structures, all quite grand, Correspondingly, there were many blind spots for vision.

Hyuga Yu's expression was calm and unhurried. When he was about fifty meters from the opponent's position, he suddenly turned sideways, tucking himself behind the building's shadow and a utility pole.

From the perspective of the enemy hidden in the dark, Hyuga Yu seemed to have suddenly noticed something posted on the utility pole, showing mild interest, and then he circled halfway around to get a closer look.

A large wooden box behind him, the utility pole, the building's shadow, and the blind spot together obscured Hyuga Yu's face.

Then—

"Byakugan, activate!"

The meridians around his eyes instantly bulged and filled with blood, and his colorful vision instantly turned grayish-white.

Then, Expand, expand!

As his sight covered a radius of one kilometer, he saw the face of the ninja who had been secretly tailing him.

The opponent wore a cat face mask with only two whiskers and a light yellow hooded long coat, concealing his entire figure beneath the coat.

Beneath the mask was a slightly cold, broad face.

His attire looked like Konoha's Anbu and Root, However, Hyuga Yu frowned slightly, immediately recognizing that the man was the owner of a pharmacy that had recently opened on the street facing the Hyuga clan's territory three months ago.

Hyuga Yu had passed by that pharmacy before.

In his memory, this broad, kind face was very approachable when smiling.

So, this was someone from Root?

Was he sent by Shimura Danzo to invite me?

But that didn't feel right...

Hyuga Yu couldn't help but frown deeply. He then considered that Konoha's Anbu and Root had no reason to be monitoring the Hyuga clan at this time.

Furthermore, monitoring the Hyuga clan's actions would be meaningless; any surveillance of the Hyuga clan, of the Byakugan, would almost certainly be exposed.

Moreover, this Root or Anbu operative was clearly hostile.

Why would he want to kill me?

Hyuga Yu had not provoked the Anbu, and the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen would not bother sending an Anbu to kill Hyuga Yu, who had no connection to him whatsoever.

And Hyuga Yu had only submitted a letter of appointment for an S-Rank Mission, which was actually an application to join Root, to Root that morning.

Even if Danzo disliked him and didn't want him to join Root, as long as he didn't touch Danzo's sensitive spots or involve Root's secrets, He had no reason to kill him.

Hyuga Yu had a very clear understanding of himself.

A nobody like him wasn't worth Danzo's effort to kill.

So now, Who was this person who wanted to kill him?