"The target is highly skilled in Genjutsu. You must work in teams of three, keep a certain distance from one another, and watch your teammates closely at all times!"
"If anything happens, don't try to handle it alone. Set off a flare and call for everyone's help!"
"He managed to take the Hyuga Clan's Young Miss without a sound, right under the noses of two Byakugan users. He could just as easily snatch any one of you away without a sound!"
Sarutobi Kou, who had only recently taken up his new post, was also assigning tasks to his new subordinates. The newly formed Security Force had a very complicated makeup.
Some were members of the Sarutobi Clan who had come to help Kou; others had been placed there by different ninja clans. Most of the rest were civilians who had failed to make their mark, mainly Chunin and Genin.
Maintaining public order was one thing, but the force was nowhere near the size or combat strength of the former Security Force. When faced with more serious missions, they could only play a supporting role.
The Third Hokage was also assigning missions to the Anbu. His job was relatively easy. He
sent out nearly half of the Anbu who had no other assignments, specified each person's patrol area and reporting time, then quietly waited for further news.
After bringing Hyuga Yue and Hanabi to him, Hyuga Hiashi also hurried off. He needed to return to his clan, issue orders to search for Hinata, and make sure he was protected as well.
After all, he still had his pride. He couldn't stay in the Hokage Building like Hanabi and accept the Hokage's protection.
Now, only three people remained in the Hokage Office: one old, one adult, and one child. Sakura had been brought there by Hiashi as well, but her family had come to take her away just a few minutes later.
As a student at the Ninja Academy, she hadn't been punished at all. She was simply overwhelmed with guilt, blaming herself for failing to protect Hinata.
After reviewing a few more documents, Hiruzen Sarutobi put down his pen and looked up at Hyuga Yue, who sat on a sofa nearby. She had her head bowed, gazing at Hyuga Hanabi in her arms, lost in thought.
"Is this the Genjutsu Uchiha Jie invented?" the Third Hokage asked quietly, breaking the silence. "Your teacher told me about it—a Ninjutsu that uses lenses to create illusions. It doesn't invade another person's mind; it only affects their vision?"
"It's very subtle and hard to detect. I heard he fooled quite a few people with it. Even a Three-Tomoe Sharingan has trouble seeing through it."
"Yes. He's been using this Genjutsu since he was a Genin." Hyuga Yue nodded as she looked at the glass lenses the Hokage had taken out.
"At first, he used Ninjutsu to create one or more enormous mirrors to confuse his enemies. Later, he modified it. Now, he only needs to toss out a few scrolls to create an illusion," she continued.
"The illusion takes shape much faster than the Clone Technique or Transformation Jutsu. It doesn't require the user's chakra or any Hand Seals. Combined with other tools, it can produce all kinds of sounds and effects. It's well suited for traps or ambushing people."
The Third Hokage nodded, then asked, "Can you use this technique?"
Hyuga Yue shook her head and explained:
"It doesn't really count as a Ninjutsu. Anyone can use a scroll made by Jie. They only need to put a little chakra into it before a fight, then toss it on the ground."
Perhaps thinking it would be too much trouble to explain, Hyuga Yue took a scroll from her pocket and tossed it onto the floor.
The instant the scroll touched the ground, another Hyuga Yue appeared in the Hokage's office, dressed completely differently.
The illusionary Hyuga Yue wore tight-fitting clothes suited for combat. She held a short blade that glimmered with blue light, its blade covered in unusual patterns. She wore loose pants and Ninja boots with covered toes, with close-fitting chain mail beneath her pants and two sharp little daggers strapped inside her boots.
Overall, she looked much more spirited than she did now, holding Hyuga Hanabi. This was what she wore when she fought.
The Third Hokage stood up and examined the illusion carefully, then looked Hyuga Yue over from head to toe.
Hmm, she did seem a little different.
He couldn't shake the feeling that Hyuga Yue, dressed in a white robe and holding little Hanabi, was just a bit bigger. Perhaps it was the difference in clothing—or perhaps it was the difference in their roles?
But as a dignified old ninja, the Third Hokage ultimately kept the question to himself.
"I have two more scrolls. They contain illusions of me, too." Hyuga Yue took out two more scrolls and showed them to the Third Hokage.
"Who else do you think could use this technique?" the Third Hokage asked.
Hyuga Yue paused, then slowly replied, "Toshio told me the Young Miss in the illusion was exactly the same as the Young Miss today. There was no difference at all, so it definitely wasn't a scroll like the ones I have, prepared in advance."
"To make a scroll like that, the lenses and the core are the most important parts."
Hyuga Yue picked up a spherical piece of glass from the scroll on the floor. The moment she lifted it, the entire illusion vanished.
"The core needs the Sharingan's powerful vision to carve out the incredibly fine details inside. It also takes a good talent for Genjutsu to construct the final image."
The Third Hokage frowned. Since Hyuga Hiashi had asked Hyuga Yue to look after his daughter, she couldn't be the primary suspect. Besides, the entire Hyuga Branch Family was under Hyuga Hiashi's control.
The inventor of this technique had already been burned to ashes by Uchiha Itachi. The soil on his urn was still fresh; not even grass had grown on it yet.
And according to Hyuga Yue, even if someone got the instructions, they would still need the Sharingan to make it work. The only person in Konoha who might awaken the Sharingan was lying unconscious in a bed at Konoha Hospital.
No. Besides Uchiha Sasuke, there was one other person in Konoha with the Sharingan—and he had a great many of them.
That person had also inherited the Uchiha Clan's legacy. It was entirely possible he had found instructions for using this technique among the various scrolls.
Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped on the desk. An Anbu suddenly appeared in the room.
"Go invite Elder Danzo to the Hokage Building," he ordered.
The Anbu he had sent out had barely left when another Anbu, belonging to the Barrier Team, suddenly appeared in the room.
"Lord Hokage!" he reported. "Barriers near Training Ground 11, Training Ground 31, and the southwest part of the Forest of Death have all been breached by unknown objects that forced their way out of the village!"
"The Inuzuka Clan and their Ninja Dogs are pursuing the enemy who left from the Forest of Death. The Anbu's Third Squad is tracking the one from Training Ground 11. At Training Ground 31, the pursuer is Jonin Might Guy!"