In a gloomy cave, Uchiha Madara sat on a stone bed. The dim light illuminated half his body, while the other half remained shrouded in darkness.
Just like his state of mind at that moment, he had indeed been affected by Hyuga Shin's words.
"Lord Madara, why didn't you kill him? If he found his way here, he might uncover the secrets underground too. Could that interfere with your plans?" A White Zetsu emerged from the ground.
"It's not that I didn't want to. I just couldn't." Uchiha Madara sounded somewhat helpless.
"Do you know what allowed Hyuga Shin to survive the Warring States Period and become so powerful?"
Staying alive!
"He's an oddity among the Hyuga Clan. Aside from the clan's inherited ninjutsu, he's dabbled in ninjutsu, Genjutsu, Taijutsu, Sealing Techniques, hidden weapons, stealth, traps, and swordsmanship—and he's mastered them all to an impressive degree."
"As he puts it, you have to stay alive to deal damage."
"He'll try anything that might help him survive."
"He's the strongest member of the Hyuga Clan in generations, much like Hashirama and me among the Senju and Uchiha."
"If Hashirama and I hadn't been around at the end of the Warring States Period, Shin would undoubtedly have been the brightest star."
"Even though he's now on his last legs, I'm not doing much better."
"His stealth has improved, too. He actually infiltrated the underground base before I noticed him." Madara looked displeased. He was confident in his sensory abilities.
"Then what should we do if he reveals the secrets underground, Lord Madara?" White Zetsu asked anxiously.
"Then we'll have to take our chances. Besides, he only saw the surface and doesn't know my real plans. If something does happen, we'll figure something out." Madara's face darkened, and his eyes gleamed with menace.
Madara didn't know that Hyuga Shin knew his plans inside out and thought nothing of them. He didn't care about them at all; his only goal was to make Madara recognize the problems with his body.
"I don't have much time left. I need to choose a successor to carry on my plans! The war is about to begin, so speed up the screening of the Uchiha Clan. I want my arrangements in place before the war is over." Madara gave White Zetsu his orders.
"Understood, Lord Madara! I'll be off, then." With that, White Zetsu sank into the ground and disappeared.
"Death is another kind of rebirth. Hyuga Shin, have you already seen it coming?" Uchiha Madara murmured to himself.
Then the light gradually dimmed, and Madara's figure vanished into the darkness.
Hyuga Shin flew for a while, then stopped to take in the sights of the Shinobi World. He immersed himself in the workings of nature and continued to refine his Immortal Cultivation Method. His method was already quite comprehensive, and it could even reach a Nascent Soul Realm comparable to that of the Sage of Six Paths. He was only one step away.
The cultivation method he had created had five realms: Qi Condensation, Aperture Opening, Qi Sea, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul.
And just as Hyuga Shin had expected, an Immortal Cultivation Method based on Natural Energy could greatly extend one's lifespan!
Hyuga Shin was currently at the peak of the Golden Core Realm, just half a step from the Nascent Soul Realm! His lifespan was a full five hundred years! He was undoubtedly far stronger than Madara or Hashirama at their peaks, and could probably even match Six Paths Madara!
Although he could take that final step at any time, Hyuga Shin had yet to do so.
It wasn't that the Sage of Six Paths had scared him off.
The problem was that breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm required a vast amount of Natural Energy to nourish both his body and his soul, and he didn't yet have a good way to handle that.
Besides, if things went as he expected, the breakthrough would cause such a commotion that someone would notice. Then he wouldn't just have the Sage of Six Paths to deal with. That Toad Head, the Old Loach, the slug, and even his ancestor Hamura could all become his enemies.
This was a place where the Otsutsuki Clan was treated like a crop to be harvested. It was better to play it safe and be prepared.
"I'll keep refining the cultivation method until it goes beyond the Nascent Soul Realm. While I'm at it, I'll figure out how to keep the breakthrough quiet, so I can reach the Nascent Soul Realm without anyone noticing." Hyuga Shin already had a clear plan.
Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, more than a month had passed.
The Third Shinobi War had begun, and all Five Great Shinobi Villages had joined the fighting in quick succession.
This time, Konohagakure was fighting four enemies at once, as if it had gone mad. Many ordinary shinobi couldn't make sense of it.
They didn't know that the conflicts within the various villages had driven their leaders to use war to ease tensions and weaken the powerful clans that had grown beyond their control.
The Kage of the Five Great Shinobi Villages were all on the same page, and their actions were remarkably coordinated.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had waited a long time for this opportunity. Although he had secured the Hokage Position, he had reached the limits of his patience with the great clans' lip service and defiance.
The great clans only realized what was happening near the end of the war. By then, they could no longer pull out.
They were like insects raised by the Sage of Six Paths, fighting for power in a narrow world. They kept sacrificing their lives to nourish the Chakra system, and their souls would even be controlled without their knowledge!
The pursuit of power and strength would ultimately become the greatest evil! Hiruzen Sarutobi was like that, the Sage of Six Paths was like that, and Hyuga Shin was like that too!
To achieve the Great Way, Hyuga Shin wouldn't hesitate to make the whole world his enemy!
If that Old Bastard, the Sage of Six Paths, could treat the Shinobi World like a field of crops to harvest and still present himself as a spiritual guide leading the Child of Prophecy, then Hyuga Shin could be hailed as the hero who led all living beings in slaying the dragon.
"It's time. I'll use this identity to stir things up and become the Great Teacher of Virtue of the Shinobi World, planting the seeds of resistance."
"Come to think of it, the warning I gave Madara was a little too mild. Next time I get the chance, before he dies, I'll give him another bowl of poisonous feel-good drivel to wash over him." Hyuga Shin quietly planned to find another chance to water and fertilize Madara.
Hyuga Shin was a man of action. Once he'd made up his mind, he flew straight toward the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, where the fighting had already begun.
He would start with the Hyuga Clan, the easiest target.
At the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, at the Leaf Camp's central command.
The commander was Shimura Danzo, who would one day be known as the Shinobi of Darkness.
He had already fought the Sand Village several times over the past few days, without achieving any significant victories. But everything was going according to Shimura Danzo's calculations.
He had been appointed commander because he had Hiruzen Sarutobi's full trust and could carry out the plan to weaken the great clans.
The idea was to slowly expand the conflict, like boiling a frog in warm water, and drag the great clans into the war to weaken them.
Hyuga Shin landed near the shinobi camp and returned to his former, frail appearance. He then shuffled slowly toward the Konohagakure camp.
"Who goes there? How dare you trespass in the Leaf Camp!" A shinobi on guard at the entrance shouted at the elderly figure approaching from afar.
"Boy, are you blind? Can't you see my Byakugan?" Hyuga Shin's aged voice rang with authority, and an invisible killing intent burst from him!
"E-Elder! The camp is under lockdown. We need the p-password to enter!" The two Chunin guards tensed up all over. It was as if an ancient beast had fixed its gaze on them; they could barely get their words out, and their legs trembled.
"Who's in charge of the Hyuga Clan here? Bring him out to see me. Tell him I'm Hyuga Shin! Go and report it." Hyuga Shin withdrew his killing intent and waited quietly where he stood.
The two shinobi immediately felt they could move again.
"Please wait here, Elder. I'll go report it right away!" One shinobi signaled to his companion, then hurried off to deliver the message.
"Lord Danzo! An old man named Hyuga Shin has arrived outside the camp! He wants to see the Hyuga Clan's squad leader." The guard reached the commander's tent and reported to Danzo first.
"Hyuga Shin! Didn't the Hyuga Clan say he was missing? How did he end up here?" Danzo was shocked. He hadn't expected Hyuga Shin to be so good at getting around.
As far as he was concerned, Hyuga Shin was already on his last legs and close to death.
"Go notify Shota and Ooki."
"Do you want to go out in a blaze of glory? The last remaining ember of the Warring States Period." Danzo thought for a moment before making his decision.
Shota and Ooki received the message and immediately put aside what they were doing. The two headed together toward the camp entrance.
"Greetings, Lord Shin!" As soon as Shota and Ooki arrived at the entrance, they recognized Hyuga Shin.
"So you two are leading the group this time, Shota and Ooki." Hyuga Shin had thought he'd run into a leader who didn't know him, but it turned out they were both familiar faces.
Shota was from the Branch Family, part of the line of the Main Family's Third Elder. He was also Hyuga Kusuke's bodyguard captain, and he and Kusuke had both once received instruction from Hyuga Shin. His strength was about that of an Elite Jonin.
Ooki was from the Second Elder's line. Hyuga Shin had met him a few times and knew him reasonably well. He was a little weaker than Shota.
"Lord Shin, what brings you to the battlefield? When you suddenly disappeared from the clan grounds, the Main Family members were quite worried." Shota asked with concern.
"Worried about what? That I'd died, or that the Byakugan might leak out?" Hyuga Shin replied calmly, though his voice carried a faint note of mockery.
Shota said nothing. Ooki remained silent beside him.
"Let's go to the camp. We can talk there. Lead the way." Hyuga Shin's voice was weary.
Then he stepped into the camp.
The Hyuga Clan's camp.
The younger clan members were curious about Hyuga Shin's arrival. He looked so old, and very few of them actually knew him.
Inside a tent, Hyuga Shin sat facing Shota.
"Shota, Ooki, what arrangements has the Hyuga Clan made? Why is the camp full of young faces? And they're all Branch Family Members, aren't they?" Hyuga Shin demanded angrily. He was a born actor.
"Yes, sir," Shota replied.
"Didn't the Main Family send even one person?"
"The clan leader sent his second son, young master Hizashi, to fight with the troops." Ooki's voice was weak, and he clearly lacked confidence.
"The Hyuga Main Family has really fallen into decline!" Hyuga Shin sighed, his face weathered.
Shota and Ooki looked grim and had no reply.
"While I still have a little time, gather all the young men without assignments. I'll put them through special training to improve their chances of surviving on the battlefield! And call Hizashi Hyuga over, too." Hyuga Shin gave the two of them his orders.
"That's wonderful! Having Lord Shin teach them is an incredible opportunity for these young people!" For the first time, a smile appeared on Shota's face.
"Absolutely. I'm sure we'll benefit greatly from Lord Shin's cultivation and combat experience, too!" Ooki was also excited.
Facing a war, the two squad leaders felt a heavy responsibility for the lives of their subordinates and clan members.
"Pick a training ground and go notify them. Come back and tell me once everything's arranged." Hyuga Shin waved them away.
"Understood, Lord Shin. We'll take care of it." They answered and turned to leave the tent.
"Kids of the Hyuga Branch Family, get ready for a lesson from your old ancestor."
Before you continue