An Eye Comparable to a God's Eye

"The Nara Clan's Shadow Imitation Technique?"

Chiba could not move his body, but through the 360-degree field of vision provided by his Tenseigan—which was far superior to the Byakugan—he could still see Nara Shikaku on the other end of the shadow connected to his feet.

"It seems this is one of the drawbacks of using the Eight Trigrams: Revolving Heaven Palm in mid-air."

If he had used this technique on the ground, it would not have been so easy for Nara Shikaku to bind him with the Shadow Imitation Technique.

"But it doesn't matter now."

Quickly regaining his composure, Chiba was not overly worried about his current predicament. "With my current abilities, it isn't difficult to break free from the Shadow Binding Technique."

"However, one of my Shadow Clones has already infiltrated the Hokage Building to steal... to retrieve the Scroll of Sealing."

"It works out perfectly that my main body can attract the attention of the Third Hokage and the others to buy some time."

The reason he didn't have a Shadow Clone attract their attention while his main body went to retrieve the Scroll of Sealing was that Shadow Clones were too fragile; they would dissipate as soon as they were attacked.

Besides, if his main body weren't here, how would he be able to activate the Tenseigan Chakra Mode later?

"Wood Style: Silent Strangle Jutsu!"

At that moment, the Anbu ninja with the cat face mask standing beside Sarutobi Hiruzen—none other than Yamato, who was still serving in the Anbu—summoned several long wooden strips from his right arm, binding Chiba's limbs and torso.

Chiba could clearly feel his chakra being absorbed by the wooden strips covering his body.

Due to this restriction on his chakra, Chiba's body gradually descended to the ground.

"Wood Style: Four-Pillar Prison Technique!"

Taking this opportunity, Yamato summoned wooden pillars around Chiba, combining them into a wooden cage to trap him inside.

"You've done well!"

After nodding to commend Yamato, Nara Shikaku, and the others, Sarutobi Hiruzen turned to Chiba and fired off three questions in succession: "Who are you? What is your relationship with the Hyuga Clan, and why are you attacking me?"

Chiba did not respond directly. Instead, as if he had sensed something, he said, "My identity? You will know soon enough."

Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen was taken aback. Suddenly, an Anbu ninja flickered into existence before him, knelt on one knee, and said respectfully, "Lord Hokage, this person is Hyuga Chiba of the Hyuga Clan's Branch Family."

"Because he was born without eyes, he was never branded with the Caged Bird seal. However, for some reason, he manifested a pair of mysterious blue eyes today and possesses immense power."

"A Hyuga Branch Family member, born blind, with blue eyes?" Sarutobi Hiruzen, Yamato, and Nara Shikaku were all left stunned.

These terms were fine individually, but together, they were quite baffling.

A moment later, another Anbu ninja flickered before Sarutobi Hiruzen to provide a further report: "Lord Hokage, I have confirmed with the Hyuga Clan. For some reason, Hyuga Chiba has awakened the Tenseigan, which is rumored to exist within the Hyuga Clan."

"It is an eye that rivals the Rinnegan, the God's Eye possessed by the legendary Sage of Six Paths, the ancestor of all ninja."

"The Hyuga Clan is powerless to deal with Hyuga Chiba and does not know his true objective. They request that the Hokage capture him!"

"If necessary, you may even kill him on the spot!"

"The Tenseigan, an eye comparable to the God's Eye?" Sarutobi Hiruzen, Nara Shikaku, and the others were completely shocked this time.

The existence of the Sage of Six Paths and the Rinnegan was already akin to myth and legend to them.

Had it not been for the information provided by the Hyuga Clan, they would never have even heard of the Tenseigan.

"No wonder Hyuga Chiba, who was born blind and should have been unqualified to become a ninja, was able to possess Kage Level strength in an instant."

Yamato couldn't help but exclaim, "If this is indeed the Tenseigan, which is on the same level as the God's Eye, then it is no longer strange."

"I never imagined that the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan actually hid such powerful strength," Nara Shikaku said with a grave expression.

If the title of "Strongest Shinobi Clan of Konoha" had seemed a bit hollow for the Hyuga Clan before, then once Hyuga Chiba, possessing the Tenseigan, returned to the clan to become its pillar, that title would truly be well-deserved.

By then, even if the annihilated Uchiha Clan were to be resurrected, it would be fundamentally impossible for them to compare to the Hyuga Clan.

So, the question arose...

"Since you possess such a powerful Tenseigan, you are fully qualified to become the true leader of the Hyuga, or even to change the Main Family and Branch Family system of the Hyuga Clan and lead them to create new glory. Why, then, have you come to the Hokage Building to attack the Hokage?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen asked Chiba, feeling very puzzled.

"Heh, you know the answer perfectly well!"

Chiba intended to stall for time, and since he did have some thoughts on the matter, he immediately sneered with disdain: "A decaying clan that had no vigilance regarding the annihilation of the Uchiha Clan—who possessed three pairs of Mangekyo Sharingan—and instead began calling themselves the Strongest Shinobi Clan of Konoha, while using the Caged Bird system to restrict their own development... is there any need for me to put effort into leading them?"

"As for the reason I came to attack you? That list is long."

"But the reason most closely linked to me is, naturally, that you forced Hizashi Hyuga to his death—a man who took care of me many times and also looked after my parents during the Third Shinobi World War!"

"In other words, I have come to take revenge for him!"

"Hizashi Hyuga?" Upon hearing these final words from Chiba, Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a complex expression, "I did not want to see him sacrifice himself for the village either."

"But at the time, the Cloud Village used the excuse that Hiashi Hyuga had killed their envoy to force us to hand over Hiashi's corpse to obtain the Byakugan of the Hyuga Main Family, or else they would declare war on Konoha."

"At that time, Konoha had gone through the Third Shinobi World War, the Nine-Tails Rebellion, Orochimaru's defection, and the departures of Jiraiya and Tsunade. We had no strength left to wage war."

Sarutobi Hiruzen could have actually mentioned that it was Hizashi Hyuga himself who stepped forward to die in place of Hiashi Hyuga.

But that was not an open secret, nor did it fit his persona.

"Ha, how ridiculous!"

At this, Chiba made no attempt to hide his contempt: "If you seek peace through struggle, peace will survive. If you seek peace through compromise, peace will perish."

"The more you compromise, the easier it is for the enemy to push for more."

"When Cloud Village obtained the corpse of Hizashi Hyuga back then, they didn't get the Byakugan they wanted. Why didn't they continue to press the issue?"

"Was it because they lacked further excuses, or was it because of your weak-willed compromises?"

"No, it was because after experiencing the Third Shinobi World War and the death of the Third Raikage, their national strength had been damaged, and they themselves had no desire to start a war."

"For the sake of a war that was never going to happen—and while you were in the right—you forced a member of your own Konohagakure to their death."

"Where the leaves of Konohagakure dance, the fire burns on?"

"What a ridiculous Will of Fire. It sounds so pleasant, but in the end, it is nothing more than a selfish ideology that burns the lives of others to illuminate itself."