After dinner of instant noodles and boiled eggs, Hyuga Ritsu stayed behind in Hiruko's tent to rest, while Hiruko went out to pull some strings. He was going to see Orochimaru, one of the renowned Sannin and the supreme commander responsible for the Eastern Front.
Hiruko and Orochimaru had been classmates.
More precisely,
Hiruko and the Sannin had all been classmates, once attending the Ninja Academy together.
But if the Sannin were phoenixes perched upon the branches, then Hiruko was a sparrow on a neighboring branch, there only to serve as contrast. The reason Hiruko had violated the village's prohibitions and secretly dabbled in the Forbidden Jutsu known as the Chimera Technique was because he refused to spend his whole life as a drab, inconspicuous sparrow.
Still,
In Hyuga Ritsu's eyes,
Teacher Hiruko thought too little of himself.
Whether he could be mentioned in the same breath as the Sannin was beside the point. The fact that he had improved the Chimera Technique from creating half-beasts into something capable of seizing five Kekkei Genkai for oneself was enough to show the extent of his talent. Forget improving a Forbidden Jutsu—ordinary people might not even be able to understand one if they tried to learn it.
"Caged Bird!"
Hyuga Ritsu removed his forehead protector and held a small mirror before his face. In the reflection, there was an "X"-shaped mark on his forehead.
This was the Caged Bird Seal,
Which the Main House had placed upon him when he was three years old.
His right index finger gently rubbed the Caged Bird Seal on his forehead, and Hyuga Ritsu's heartbeat quickened slightly. From the moment it had been branded onto him, he had wanted to remove this ugly, revolting thing that resembled a slave's mark.
For that reason,
He had gone to great lengths to approach Hiruko and become his disciple at the age of six.
Actually, his initial target had been Orochimaru, the number one scientist in the ninja world. The Caged Bird Seal had been passed down for a thousand years without ever being broken, which showed just how formidable this curse was. As a transmigrator, Hyuga Ritsu believed that the person most likely to break the Caged Bird Seal in the current ninja world was Orochimaru.
But Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, was simply too difficult to approach. He was merely a Branch House descendant of the Hyuga Clan. Even with the reputation of a genius, he was too young and his status too low to have any chance of contacting Orochimaru.
Left with no other choice,
He settled for the next best thing and set his sights on Hiruko, who appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary Jonin.
In the movie, Hiruko had successfully used the improved Chimera Technique to seize four Kekkei Genkai and gather them within himself. According to his own claims, if he obtained a fifth Kekkei Genkai, he might even achieve immortality.
Of course, it was hard to say whether immortality was real or not.
But Hyuga Ritsu had never expected to attain immortality through this Forbidden Jutsu. As long as he could erase the Caged Bird Seal, that would be enough.
After Hyuga Ritsu became his disciple,
Hiruko conducted an in-depth study and confirmed that the foundation of the Caged Bird Seal was the Byakugan, this Kekkei Genkai. There were two ways to break the Caged Bird Seal. The first was to surpass its creator in curse technique mastery and devise a method to lift it. But the Hyuga Clan ancestor who had created it was also an extraordinary genius. The Caged Bird Seal was so profound and complex that Hiruko admitted he might not be able to devise a method to lift it even if he spent his whole life trying.
Fortunately, there was another method,
One that struck at the root.
The foundation of the Caged Bird Seal was the Byakugan, this Kekkei Genkai. If the Byakugan could be altered, then the Caged Bird Seal would immediately become a tree without roots, water without a source. It would vanish on its own without needing to be lifted.
As it happened,
The Chimera Technique Hiruko had improved was a Forbidden Jutsu specifically aimed at Kekkei Genkai.
It truly might be possible to use the Chimera Technique to break the Caged Bird Seal.
"At last, I have a chance to get rid of this thing."
Hyuga Ritsu muttered to himself.
"Ah Ritsu, what did you say?"
Hiruko lifted the tent flap and walked in.
"Just feeling a little sentimental."
Hyuga Ritsu picked up his forehead protector and tied it back around his forehead. Looking at his approaching teacher, he noticed the document in his hand. "Teacher, did you get it done?"
"It only took a word from Orochimaru."
Hiruko handed the document to Hyuga Ritsu. Watching his beloved disciple open it and carefully read through it, he said, "Before I left, Orochimaru told me something. The matter of Hyuga Daisho's Byakugan being stolen has caused a huge uproar in the village. The Hyuga Clan Head, Hyuga Hiashi, has personally set out and is heading for the Eastern Front."
"Only Clan Head Hiashi?"
"I heard several Main House members and a number of Branch House guards are accompanying him."
"They don't come with good intentions."
Hyuga Ritsu spoke without even raising his head.
"Exactly."
Hiruko nodded, his expression rather gloomy. "Orochimaru gave me a little warning. The Main House members of the Hyuga Clan are coming to the front to demand accountability. At the Hokage Building, they declared that someone must bear responsibility for the loss of a Main House Byakugan. They intend to hold the Branch House forces at the front accountable for arriving too late with reinforcements. The target is clearly you, Ah Ritsu."
"Just as expected."
Hyuga Ritsu remained calm and showed no anger or indignation. He merely carefully tucked away the document Hiruko had helped him obtain.
"Sigh! I misjudged the situation before."
Hiruko let out a helpless sigh.
The Hyuga Clan's damn mess was truly something he had not anticipated. He had thought that the Hyuga Clan would at least have some sense of shame. Ah Ritsu had saved Hyuga Daisho's life. He might not deserve credit, but surely he would not be blamed when the time came to assign fault.
Yet the result was that these Main House members of the Hyuga Clan had no shame at all. Or perhaps they truly did not regard the Branch House clansmen as their own people. In their hearts, Branch House clansmen might as well have been no different from slaves and servants. The Main House punishing the Branch House was only natural. And so, Ah Ritsu had instead become the target of everyone's attacks.
It was fortunate that Orochimaru, out of a little regard for their former classmate bond, had given him an early warning. Otherwise, once that group reached the front, there would be no room left to maneuver.
"Ah Ritsu, leave now. Avoid this whirlpool for the time being. But... there's something you need to understand. If you truly erase the Caged Bird Seal with the Chimera Technique, you will become a thorn in the Main House's side. I know it may not be appropriate to say this, but as your teacher, I still want to tell you this: if the time comes when there is truly no other choice, remember to protect yourself first and stay far away from danger!"
Hiruko gave him one final warning.
Those words,
Were indeed inappropriate.
Stay far away from danger?
But this danger came from the Main House of the Hyuga Clan. To avoid it meant leaving Konoha, and leaving the village without permission was, in plain terms, "defection"!
For Hiruko to say something so rebellious, so contrary to ninja morality, meant that he truly treated Hyuga Ritsu as his own son.
After several seconds of silence,
Hyuga Ritsu nodded. "Teacher, I understand."
"Go, quickly!"
Hiruko lifted the tent flap and looked at the darkening sky outside. "If you leave now, you should be able to reach our laboratory before dawn."
Before you continue