Intelligence Revealed

The Anbu patrolling the area stopped in their tracks, exchanging bewildered glances. They could not fathom why the Hyuga clan would make such a declaration. Uchiha Itachi had left Konoha some time ago; could he have snuck back into the village again?

Pedestrians on the street looked up toward the Hyuga compound, some silently wondering if the events of the recent past were about to repeat themselves. And in broad daylight, no less!

Inside the Hokage Building, the pipe in Sarutobi Hiruzen's hand nearly clattered to the floor.

"Hyuga Hiashi? What madness has seized him?"

The Anbu beside him shook his head. "It is unclear, but it sounded as though he was cursing Uchiha Itachi."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression darkened. Uchiha Itachi had already left Konoha; why would Hyuga Hiashi be cursing him? Furthermore, the phrase "going too far" did not sound like a simple insult.

It sounded more like... someone had touched a reverse scale.

Hyuga Hiashi knelt in his living room with a scroll spread out before him. The fury roiling in his chest was impossible to suppress. His clan had endured and retreated to such an extent—why did those people insist on pushing them into a corner?

His hands trembled, his face flushed deep red, and the veins on his forehead bulged. His wife and the elders of the branch family dared not speak; they had not seen their clan head this enraged in a long time.

The last time had been when Sunagakure attempted to seize the Byakugan.

"Hiashi, what exactly happened?"

Hyuga Tendou, the Great Elder of the main house, knew Hyuga Hiashi's ability to maintain his composure. If even he had lost his cool, it meant they had encountered a crisis so severe that even he could not resolve it in the short term.

Hyuga Hiashi did not answer; he simply pushed the scroll toward him.

"See for yourself."

Hyuga Tendou took the scroll, unfurled it, and read from beginning to end. His complexion shifted instantly.

"This... this... who could have done this?! Is this not an attempt to drive my Hyuga clan to extinction?"

"To know these things so intimately, to understand the Caged Bird seal of our clan... there is only one who could..." Hyuga Hiashi said, his voice heavy with gloom. Although he had shouted Uchiha Itachi's name earlier, Itachi was still young, and there were certain secrets he could not possibly have accessed.

"Great Elder?" The other elders of the main house, seeing the two men withholding the nature of the crisis and hearing mention of the "Caged Bird"—the very foundation of the Hyuga—asked with growing anxiety.

Hyuga Tendou said nothing, merely passing the scroll to the other elders. The Second Elder took it, and he and the others began to read immediately.

"How is this possible? Our alliance with the Kaguya Clan was something we never disclosed to outsiders!"

"Just because we didn't speak of it doesn't mean others couldn't investigate!" Hyuga Hiashi gritted his teeth. "And it is written clearly here. We and the Kaguya Clan are descendants of the brother of the Sage of Six Paths, Otsutsuki Hamura. Our Byakugan and the Kaguya Clan's Shikotsumyaku are both inherited from Otsutsuki Hamura."

"But... we have never even heard of this Otsutsuki Hamura. How can it claim we are blood relatives? One has eyes, the other has bones—how are we kin?"

"That is exactly why this is so terrifying." Hyuga Hiashi took a deep breath, struggling to calm himself. "Someone knows more about the Hyuga than we do ourselves. They even know the secrets of the Caged Bird seal."

The elders lowered their heads to read the final paragraph of the scroll.

It read: "To ensure no one doubts the authenticity of this intelligence, we hereby publish the method for applying the Caged Bird seal of the Konoha Hyuga clan. With this seal, one can apply the Caged Bird to anyone, and subsequently kill them at any time. The hand seals are as follows..."

What followed was a long, complex sequence of hand signs and chakra circulation paths.

The elders' hands shook even more violently.

"This... this... how dare they?!"

"The Uchiha Clan was wiped out in a single night. What is there that they would not dare?" Hyuga Hiashi said coldly.

The elders gripped the scroll tightly, not daring to let go, terrified that the branch family elders might see it.

"Clan Head... this intelligence is..."

"Sent by someone who commissioned the Bounty Exchange." Hyuga Hiashi took a deep breath, stood up, and walked to the door, staring at the sky outside. "I had my men inquire. Someone placed a commission at the Bounty Exchange, sending a copy to every village and every ninja clan. Sunagakure, Iwagakure, Kirigakure, Sunagakure... now, everyone, whether they have an interest in the Byakugan or not, knows the secret of the Caged Bird."

The room fell into a deathly silence.

Four or five seconds later, Hyuga Tenchu, the Great Elder of the branch family, rushed to the main house elders and forcibly snatched the scroll, beginning to read from where they had left off.

"Thud!" The scroll fell to the floor, and Hyuga Tenchu collapsed along with it, staring blankly ahead.

It was over. Everything was over. The Hyuga clan's greatest secret, their greatest trump card, and their greatest weakness—all laid bare for the world to see.

"Pass the order!" Hyuga Hiashi turned, his eyes fierce. "Every member of the Hyuga clan must return to the compound immediately. From this moment on, no one is to move about in groups of fewer than three! Go and pass the order now! Mobilize the entire branch family! No one is to stop the clan members from returning! If anything happens, I, Hyuga Hiashi, will take full responsibility!"

"Yes!"

Although the branch family elders did not yet know what had occurred, they obeyed Hyuga Hiashi's command and departed.

Hyuga Hiashi stood where he was, clenching his fists until his nails dug into his flesh.

"All members of the main house are to relocate to my vicinity! And dismiss all branch family guards currently stationed near you!" He gritted his teeth, continuing his orders. "Remember! I mean! All! Of! Them!"

The main house elders were stunned at first, but they immediately grasped Hyuga Hiashi's intent and hurried off to execute the order. The sooner it was done, the sooner their descendants would be safe.

Hyuga Hiashi watched the elders depart using ninjutsu and looked down at the scroll on the floor, a sense of infinite exhaustion washing over him. It seemed that, just as Uchiha Setsuna had said, the Hyuga clan might not need to wait too long for the Uchiha in the Pure Land...

The Hyuga clan was in a frenzy, recalling all branch members from abroad, regardless of whether they were currently on missions. Under normal circumstances, Sarutobi Hiruzen would have already arrived at the Hyuga compound to demand an explanation.

However, the current situation was that complaints from ordinary ninjas and villagers regarding the Hyuga were piling up on Sarutobi Hiruzen's desk. Yet, Sarutobi Hiruzen remained indifferent, quietly watching as the Hyuga clan began to tighten their defenses within their compound.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had already seen the scroll sent by members of the Sarutobi clan. Upon seeing the two seals at the end, he understood the Hyuga clan's predicament. The Hyuga no longer cared about Konoha or the Hokage; surviving this catastrophe was their only priority, and everything else had become irrelevant.

"Hokage-sama, I have received a piece of intelligence..." Nara Shikaku knocked on the door of Sarutobi Hiruzen's office, holding a scroll. He had intended to say more, but upon seeing the identical scroll in Sarutobi Hiruzen's hand, he fell silent.

Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep drag from his pipe and ordered, "Shikaku, take some members of the Sealing Team to the Hyuga compound and see if there is anything they need help with."

"Understood." Nara Shikaku nodded. At present, this was the most appropriate way to handle the Hyuga clan.

"Hiruzen..." No sooner had Nara Shikaku left than Shimura Danzō pushed open the door, accompanied by Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura. "This is a golden opportunity. We can seize control of the Hyuga clan in one stroke! We can..."

"Fine! I leave it to you to execute!" Sarutobi Hiruzen did not listen to any more of Shimura Danzō's words, replying directly and bluntly.

"I..." Shimura Danzō had originally intended to say more, but he was interrupted by Sarutobi Hiruzen's immediate agreement. "You agree?"

"Yes, I agree. Everything is to be handled by your Root."

"You actually agreed?!" Shimura Danzō asked again. He knew that whenever he discussed matters with Sarutobi Hiruzen, he was usually met with a refusal. Sarutobi Hiruzen's straightforward agreement now left him feeling somewhat incredulous.

"Yes!" Sarutobi Hiruzen did not look at Shimura Danzō again, instead beginning to study the scroll carefully once more.

"Then..." After receiving Sarutobi Hiruzen's affirmative reply, Shimura Danzō nodded with a face full of joy, preparing to say something. But immediately, as if remembering something, his face darkened. "I might need some support from the Anbu. After the Uchiha Clan incident last time, Root's losses were quite heavy... and I also need your written order to recruit some members from other ninja clans..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen did not even lift his head, tossing two words directly at Shimura Danzō: "No."

"You..." Shimura Danzō was enraged by Sarutobi Hiruzen's attitude. He realized that the previous agreement was entirely Sarutobi Hiruzen's way of humiliating him.

"Alright, alright, stop talking. Konoha cannot afford any more conflict right now!" Seeing that Shimura Danzō's emotions were unstable, and realizing that Sarutobi Hiruzen had no intention of moving against the Hyuga Clan, Utatane Koharu acted as a peacemaker between the two. "Let's first discuss the intelligence regarding the Sage of Six Paths. The person behind this has made the secrets of the Sage of Six Paths public. What exactly are they trying to do?"

Mitokado Homura, also a veteran of the "firefighting" team, immediately followed up on Utatane Koharu's words: "The several ninja clans mentioned in this intelligence—the Senju and Tsunade, the Uchiha and Itachi, the Uzumaki and Uzumaki Naruto. The Kaguya situation isn't clear, though I heard they were wiped out. Only the Hyuga still have a significant population. I wonder if other ninja villages will..."

"It's hard to say." Seeing that everyone had begun to discuss the matter seriously, Sarutobi Hiruzen shifted his attention away from the scroll and began to think along the lines of the group: "Since the owner of that scroll revealed the Caged Bird seal of the Hyuga Clan, it is clear they want to cripple the Hyuga Clan, or perhaps even see them wiped out..."

"An enemy of the Hyuga Clan? Could it be the Cloud Village? Don't they possess some of the Sage of Six Paths' tools?" Utatane Koharu offered a guess.

"Unlikely. Setting aside the Sage of Six Paths for a moment, the ability to understand so much about so many ninja clans is not something a simple enemy of the Hyuga could achieve. Instead, it feels like someone from Konoha..." Shimura Danzō shook his head, rejecting Utatane Koharu's speculation and offering a completely different one. "Only someone from Konoha could have contact with the Senju, Uchiha, Hyuga, and even the Uzumaki clans simultaneously. I suspect it is..."

When Shimura Danzō reached his hypothesis, he stopped, instead casting his gaze toward Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Sarutobi Hiruzen happened to be contemplating Shimura Danzō's analysis and also looked up.

Their gazes collided in the air, and then, a flash of inspiration struck both of them simultaneously. They spoke a single name in unison: "Uchiha Madara!"

"Uchiha Madara?!" Mitokado Homura was shocked by the name the two had spoken. "Hasn't he been dead for a long time?"

The room fell silent for a moment.

"Actually, Itachi reported to me previously that someone claiming to be Uchiha Madara had approached him. At the time, I thought it was an outsider in disguise, but now it seems..." Sarutobi Hiruzen rubbed his temples, revealing a piece of information that Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura were unaware of.

Shimura Danzō nodded, indicating his agreement with Sarutobi Hiruzen's suspicion. "At the time, I guessed it might be a descendant of Uchiha Madara, but after seeing the abilities mentioned in the intelligence regarding the fusion of the Senju and Uchiha clans, I am starting to think that person might truly be Uchiha Madara."

Utatane Koharu shook her head, shaking off some chaotic thoughts. "I still don't believe Uchiha Madara is alive."

"You should all remember that after the Third Great Ninja War ended, Jiraiya took on three disciples in the Land of Rain," Shimura Danzō decided to reveal a secret to prove his point, a secret he intended to have his subordinates spread after the meeting.

"For the sake of Konoha's safety, I later sent people to investigate those three disciples of Jiraiya, and I discovered a major secret."

"What secret?"

"One of Jiraiya's disciples has the red hair of the Uzumaki clan, and... and..."

"And what? Speak up!"

"And he possesses a pair of eyes legendary for being the same as the Sage of Six Paths—the Rinnegan!"

"Eyes like the Sage of Six Paths? The Rinnegan? Why wasn't this reported to me!" Sarutobi Hiruzen hadn't been paying much attention to Shimura Danzō's secret, but upon hearing it involved the legendary Sage of Six Paths, he slammed the table and glared at Shimura Danzō.

Shimura Danzō could not see clearly, but he heard the sound of Sarutobi Hiruzen slamming the table. "Your own disciple didn't report the intelligence about your grand-disciple to you, so why should I be the one to play the villain?"

"You..." Sarutobi Hiruzen was rendered speechless by Shimura Danzō's retort.

"Enough, enough. Let's assume for now that the person behind this scroll is Uchiha Madara. Why would he do this? And it mentions the Hyuga Clan here." Seeing that Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō were about to start arguing again, Utatane Koharu hurriedly changed the subject. "The secret of the Caged Bird seal has been exposed. How are we going to handle the Hyuga?"

"I have already sent Nara Shikaku with the Sealing Team to go there first. Let's see what Hyuga Hiashi's thoughts are." Sarutobi Hiruzen rubbed his temples. "The Hyuga Clan is currently a powder keg waiting to explode. If any of the four of us go there, we might trigger that explosion."

"Nara Shikaku is indeed more suitable to go there than us right now." Utatane Koharu nodded, agreeing with Sarutobi Hiruzen's approach. If any of the four of them went, people might associate it with the Uchiha incident, leading to unnecessary casualties. Nara Shikaku, who has always leaned toward neutrality, is much more appropriate.

Sarutobi Hiruzen took a sharp drag of his cigarette, looking at the map of the ninja world on the office wall, his voice filled with worry. "Now, I am even more worried that other villages will take advantage of our weakness. The Uchiha Clan is gone, the Hyuga Clan is crippled, and the village's combat power has been drastically reduced. I fear that..."

"Regardless, we must be prepared. First, send Jiraiya to find Tsunade and bring her back to the village. Whether it is to deal with war or to help the Hyuga Clan modify the Caged Bird, we need Tsunade to step forward." Hearing the speculation about war, Utatane Koharu immediately suggested.

"I fear she won't return because of the news about the Uchiha," Sarutobi Hiruzen said vaguely. Among his three disciples, he felt he had wronged Tsunade the most, which was why he had indulged her in staying away from the village all these years. "Forget it, send Jiraiya to do it. No matter what, he must tell her about the village's plight."

Shimura Danzō spoke up: "What about the other ninja clans?"

"Internally..." Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed. "Internally, focus on stability. At the same time, issue an order to draw personnel from various departments to accelerate the training of Genin and Chunin."

"What about the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?"

"I will instruct Jiraiya on that; you don't need to worry about it. Right now, I need your Root to mobilize fully and collect intelligence on other ninja villages. If there is any unusual movement from them, I want to know immediately." Sarutobi Hiruzen stood up and walked to the window. "Konoha cannot afford any more turmoil."

Outside the window, Uchiha Lake shimmered under the sunlight. Those two bodies of water looked like two eyes, coldly watching Konoha, watching this village that was once glorious but now decaying.

"A descendant of Otsutsuki Hamura? The Byakugan and Shikotsumyaku fused can become a god?" After reading the scroll, the Fourth Raikage A's face was even uglier than before. He slammed the scroll onto the table. "Who the hell wrote this? Are they making up stories?"

"Lord Raikage, it is written in great detail here." The aide beside him picked up the scroll. "Even the hand signs for the Caged Bird seal are written out. If it were made up, it couldn't be this realistic."

"And you believe it?"

"I... don't know." The aide shook his head. "But if it is true, then the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan is not just a simple reconnaissance tool."

The Raikage was silent for a moment, his expression shifting uncertainly.

"If the Byakugan can truly become a god..." he muttered to himself, "it's a pity we don't have anyone from the Kaguya Clan..."

He did not continue, but everyone present understood what he meant.

"Otsutsuki... Sage of Six Paths... the path to godhood..." Ōnoki held the scroll in his hands, reading it three times over before setting it down. He rubbed his temples and offered a wry smile. "Who on earth dug up this mess of nonsense?"

"Lord Tsuchikage, do you believe it to be true or false?" his guard asked from the side.

Ōnoki remained silent for a long time before speaking: "Whether it is true or false is irrelevant. What matters is that there are people who believe it."

"Then should we..."

"Do nothing," Ōnoki interrupted. "Observe first. Wait for the reactions of the other villages. If someone makes a move, we follow. If everyone stays put, we stay put."

"But if the intelligence is true, we would lose the initiative if we wait..."

"It could also be a trap," Ōnoki shook his head. "This information came too suddenly, too detailed, too perfect. It's too perfect to be real. It feels more like someone released it on purpose to incite war."

The guard was stunned: "Then who could it be?"

Ōnoki did not answer, but he already had a guess in his heart—

Konoha.

It could only be Konoha.

Because only Konoha possessed both the Uchiha Clan and the Hyuga, holding the most complete intelligence on Kekkei Genkai.

But why would Konoha do this? What benefit would inciting a war bring them?

Ōnoki could not fathom it.

"The path to godhood... the unification of the Tailed Beasts..." After reading the scroll, the Fourth Kazekage Rasa's expression shifted between light and shadow. He muttered to himself, "If this is true, then we in Sunagakure only have the One-Tail. Doesn't that mean..."

He did not continue.

Elder Chiyo took the scroll from the side, read it once, and then laughed.

"Rasa, you don't actually believe this, do you?"

"Elder, do you think it's fake?"

"True or false is irrelevant," Chiyo set the scroll down. "What matters is that someone wants to throw the ninja world into chaos. We in Sunagakure are currently overwhelmed; we have no time to play their games."

"But..."

"There are no 'buts'," Chiyo cut him off. "Stabilize our internal affairs first; do not be swayed by the winds blowing outside. As for this intelligence, keep it for now and investigate slowly."

Rasa wanted to say more, but seeing the look in Chiyo's eyes, he shut his mouth.

He knew Chiyo was right, and since he relied on her support to become the Fourth Kazekage, he could not afford to turn against her without sufficient strength.

In the Akatsuki base, Nagato sat in his wheelchair with the scroll floating before him. After reading it, he remained silent for a long time.

"Konan, what do you think?"

Konan took the scroll, read it, and her delicate brows furrowed. "Someone is deliberately spreading this information."

"I know," Nagato said. "But the content isn't entirely false. I've always wondered where these Rinnegan of mine came from. Now it seems someone intentionally placed them on a descendant of the 'Sage Body'..."

"Is your body still holding up? What do you intend to do?"

Nagato was silent for a moment before saying: "Ignore it. Our plan remains unchanged. Collect the Tailed Beasts, create peace. Regardless of whether this intelligence exists or not, we must do it."

"What about the 'two Otsutsuki above the heavens' and the 'Otsutsuki hidden within the ninja world' mentioned in the report?"

Nagato's Rinnegan flickered: "If those three truly exist, they will come knocking sooner or later. We will deal with it then."

Konan nodded and asked no more.

In another room, Uchiha Obito also received the intelligence. After reading it, his face beneath the mask remained expressionless.

"Interesting... someone has unearthed the secrets of the Sage of Six Paths." He muttered to himself, "Who is it? Madara? Impossible, Madara is dead. Black Zetsu? Unlikely, Black Zetsu wouldn't do something like this."

He pondered for a long time but could not find an answer.

"No matter who you are, don't ruin my plans," he whispered. "Otherwise, I will make you regret coming into this world."

Not far from Uchiha Obito's room was the Konoha rogue ninja Orochimaru, who was also sitting in his laboratory with the scroll in hand, his golden vertical pupils gleaming with excitement.

"Otsutsuki... Sage of Six Paths... Rinnegan... the path to godhood..." He licked his lips. "The Rinnegan must be those eyes the leader has! Interesting, truly interesting!"

Orochimaru stood up, walked to the lab bench, and picked up a petri dish containing a Sharingan.

"If the Sage Eye needs to evolve into the Rinnegan, does it require the fusion of Yin and Yang with the Sage Body? Hashirama Cells are filled with life force, symbolizing Yang; therefore, the Sharingan represents Yin. What does it need to be filled with? Pupil power?"

Based on the contents of the scroll, Orochimaru began to hypothesize boldly...

"The arm I made for Danzo previously required several Sharingan to maintain balance with the Hashirama Cells," Orochimaru laughed. "That proves my guess is correct: the Sharingan needs more pupil power to balance the life force."

"Danzo's previous Sharingan were all three-tomoe, only enough to maintain balance. This indicates that I now need a higher grade of Sharingan, such as the Mangekyō Sharingan of Itachi, who just joined the organization..."

After formulating his idea, Orochimaru placed the petri dish back on the rack and turned to look at the map on the wall.

"Who exactly are you? To know so many things... have you also embarked on the 'path to godhood'?"

"I am an avenger of the Uchiha Clan..."

"I am an avenger of the Uchiha Clan..."

"I am an avenger of the Uchiha Clan..."