So, whose eye had actually been taken—Hyuga Nobuhiko's or Hyuga Ginka's?
Kiyohara observed for a while, then stopped dwelling on it.
The original story had never explained this, but one thing was certain: it had to have been a Byakugan from the main family, and only one eye.
"Logically speaking, unless they were engaged in direct combat, a Hyuga Clan member with the Byakugan couldn't possibly have been left behind..."
Kiyohara stroked his chin.
With two members of the Hyuga main family joining them, the team's reconnaissance and anti-infiltration capabilities had undoubtedly improved enormously.
The Byakugan's perception was arguably the strongest reconnaissance method in forests and complex terrain.
Unless... there was something capable of countering the Byakugan.
He thought of a Kekkei Genkai that had appeared in the original story... the Red Eye!
But in the anime, Ranmaru had been the only one seen possessing the Red Eye. It was an extremely rare Kekkei Genkai.
Now, though, perhaps others possessed it as well.
After all, Kirigakure had quite a number of Kekkei Genkai users.
They were located not on the mainland of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, but on overseas islands.
Aside from the internal strife caused by the Village of the Bloody Mist's policies, the winds of war had never reached their homeland.
Just counting casually, there were Kekkei Genkai such as Yoton Release, Futton Release, Shikotsumyaku, Tai-ton Release, and Hyoton Release.
"Why do I feel like you suddenly frowned?"
Kurenai Yuhi noticed Kiyohara deep in thought and came over to ask.
"We're going on another mission. I doubt most people would be in a good mood about that."
Kiyohara answered casually.
Making barely enough to get by, wiping away tears at night.
During wartime, shinobi were essentially soldiers.
Many missions were military orders, and they had no right to refuse them.
Even prison sentences could be reduced. Missions, on the other hand, were simply endless...
"You have a point."
Kurenai Yuhi thought about it and felt that Kiyohara was right.
"All right, it's time to move out."
Kakashi was still leading the team.
The group quickly finished preparing and silently headed toward the border.
Somewhere at Kirigakure's front lines, within a concealed command camp.
A young woman with thick, long brown hair and seductive features was studying an intelligence scroll with emerald-green eyes.
She was Mei Terumi, Kirigakure's genius who possessed both Yoton Release and Futton Release Kekkei Genkai.
"Ao, are you saying this mission is the best opportunity?"
Mei Terumi raised her head and looked at the young-looking shinobi standing before her.
He had a rugged face and sharp eyes like an eagle's. Dressed in standard Kirigakure shinobi attire, he wore a Kirigakure forehead protector.
"According to Ranmaru's report, this Konoha reconnaissance squad has already entered the designated area."
"There are indeed two Hyuga main family members in the team. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to obtain the Byakugan."
As he spoke, Ao looked toward a child standing behind him.
There, a thin, pale boy with short dark-blue hair stood quietly.
His eyes were an unnatural dark red. He possessed the Red Eye, a Kekkei Genkai capable of disrupting and even blocking the Byakugan's reconnaissance abilities.
With him present, the Hyuga Clan's greatest asset, the Byakugan, would be severely weakened.
"Seizing the main family's Byakugan would not only greatly weaken Konoha's reconnaissance capabilities, it would also be an enormous merit."
A gleam of determination flashed through Ao's eyes.
Moreover, if he successfully led this team in taking the Byakugan, perhaps he himself would gain the qualification to have one transplanted!
Mei Terumi twirled a lock of brown hair around her finger, interest glimmering in her green eyes.
"In that case, I'd also like to see Konoha shinobi's strength for myself."
Elsewhere.
The team moved swiftly and silently through the dense forest.
Hyuga Nobuhiko and Hyuga Ginka walked relatively near the front of the group so they could activate their Byakugan and scout at any moment.
Though Hyuga Ginka wore Konoha's traditional green flak jacket, it still could not conceal her full curves.
At the same time, her pretty face carried the innate pride of a main family descendant.
From time to time, she swept her pure white eyes over the others in the team, lingering briefly on Kiyohara in particular.
Through certain channels, she had heard that Kiyohara had displayed impressive sensory abilities during previous missions, which left her somewhat unconvinced.
A civilian shinobi's sensory abilities might be strong, but could they possibly surpass the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan, passed down for a thousand years?
That thought caused her gaze toward Kiyohara to unconsciously take on a hint of comparison.
Kiyohara keenly noticed Hyuga Ginka's faintly probing gaze and concealed arrogance.
Main family members... They'd always been revered by the branch family and were used to standing above everyone else.
Like teachers in certain professions, they could become arrogant without even realizing it.
He understood, but did not care. This was not the time to fuss over such things. He had more important matters to focus on.
Before long, a spirit body drifted back from the distance.
This concerned their lives, so Kiyohara did not dare be careless.
Along the way, he had asked Young Kiyohara to wander around the surrounding area and scout for enemies.
After all, shinobi were all fragile glass cannons. Even someone as strong as Six Paths Madara could have his heart ripped out by Black Zetsu, whose strength was only at Chunin level.
After Young Kiyohara's spirit body returned, the information it brought made Kiyohara's expression sharpen.
"Abnormal chakra signatures are hidden in the forest on both sides ahead. There are quite a few of them—at least ten."
Kiyohara immediately raised a hand and said in a low voice:
"Kakashi, stop. Something's ahead. It could be an ambush!"
The team halted instantly. Kurenai Yuhi and the others, who trusted Kiyohara, immediately entered a guarded state.
"Kiyohara, where are they?"
Kakashi surveyed the surroundings. His sense of smell was far sharper than an ordinary person's, though it still seemed somewhat immature compared to veteran Jonin.
But he had not sensed any clear danger.
Meanwhile, Hyuga Ginka frowned at his words, a trace of disdain appearing on her face.
Without hesitation, she activated her Byakugan. Veins bulged around her eyes as her pure white pupils swept over the direction Kiyohara had indicated, as well as the wider area beyond.
"There's nobody there!"
A moment later, she withdrew her gaze, her tone questioning Kiyohara's judgment.
"My Byakugan hasn't detected any abnormal chakra reactions. Within eight hundred meters ahead, aside from us and a few animals, there are no other shinobi lying in wait."
Just as I thought... the Byakugan has been interfered with.
Kiyohara thought to himself.
He had not been certain whether there was a Red Eye user. He had merely made the worst-case assumption. Now, that possibility had increased greatly.
After all, there were very few abilities capable of affecting the Byakugan's perception.
Kakashi looked at Kiyohara, who had stopped the group, then at the confident Hyuga Ginka, and hesitated for a moment.
Kiyohara's past battle performance and warnings at critical moments had proven that his perception was unusual, but the Byakugan's authority in Konoha was deeply ingrained as well.
In the distance, among the Kirigakure forces hidden beneath a carefully disguised barrier.
Ao watched the Konoha squad's movements. When he saw Kiyohara suddenly raise his hand and halt the team, surprise flashed through his one eye.
"Oh? They stopped?"
He murmured quietly.
"That black-haired brat... his sensory abilities are actually that sharp?"
This was somewhat beyond his expectations.
His original plan had been to use the Red Eye to block the Byakugan and catch Konoha completely off guard.
"Ranmaru, keep maintaining the Red Eye's ability. Strengthen the interference. Don't let them spot any flaws."
"Everyone else, launch the assault!"
Ao calmly issued his orders.
He believed that under the Red Eye's perfect suppression, the Hyuga Byakugan was no better than blindness. As long as the Konoha squad continued forward, they would enter the encirclement.
Just as Kakashi was about to say something and attempt to unify everyone's opinions—
A sudden change erupted!
Rumble!
Without warning, the water in a forest stream behind and to the side of them surged violently.
It transformed into several enormous water dragons, rushing toward the halted Konoha squad with deafening roars!
The spectacle was terrifying!
Before you continue