Whose Hands Does the Byakugan Truly Rest In?

"But what if the enemy reacts?" Itachi asked.

"Then we head east!"

"East?" Uchiha Zongxin looked blank. "What's to the east?"

"The sea." Naoki was concise. "If we can't break through the encirclement to the south, we head east into the sea. No matter how capable Kirigakure is, they can't blockade the entire coastline. We can follow the coast north and take a wide detour to return."

"This..." Uchiha Zongye frowned. "Isn't that too risky? Few of us are capable of fighting at sea."

"It's the best plan I can come up with..."

A full day had passed since Naoki sent the distress signal to Shisui, and with no word from him, Naoki had to prepare for the worst to handle the current crisis.

Naoki explained his reasoning to the group.

"Heading east into the sea is one of the few viable ways to keep everyone safe. Besides, based on my estimates, they likely don't have the spare manpower to intercept us in the east."

"In short, neither south, north, nor west are good options. East is our only way out." Naoki looked at Hyuga Hiroshi. "Hiro, keep a close watch on the surroundings. Tell me immediately if there are any changes."

Over these past few days, Naoki had led them deep behind enemy lines and successfully completed the mission assigned by Hyuga Akira. Although they encountered unexpected difficulties, he always resolved them proactively. His leadership qualities were gradually taking shape, and he was beginning to earn everyone's recognition.

"This matter is my fault, truth be told..." Hyuga Akira said, blaming himself after arriving at the front line.

"If my intelligence hadn't been flawed, they might not have fallen into such a heavy encirclement. It is truly my error that things have turned out this way."

Shisui shook his head. "Don't say that. There is no such thing as a risk-free war. Once you step onto the battlefield, you must put life and death aside; completing the mission is the primary objective."

"It is still my fault." Hyuga Akira shook his head. "I brought everyone from the rear this time. We must take this opportunity to defeat the Kirigakure army and try to save Hiro and the others..."

Inside the tent, Hyuga Akira and Shisui discussed the situation, while Sarutobi Shinnosuke watched Hyuga Akira, his mind occupied by something else.

Rumor had it that fifteen years ago, Hyuga Ting, the sixth elder of the Hyuga main branch—a man who had been a lifelong bachelor and bedridden for years—suddenly announced he had a child.

Hyuga Ting never revealed how the child came to be or who the mother was, only insisting that Hyuga Hiashi record the child in the main branch genealogy.

Just one year later, Hyuga Ting passed away, and the child, Hyuga Hiro, was raised in Hyuga Hiashi's home for decades.

In the eyes of the Konoha high command, no one believed that the bedridden Hyuga Ting could have possessed such vigor two years before his death. Thus, it was widely assumed that Hyuga Hiro, while nominally Hyuga Ting's son, was actually Hyuga Hiashi's illegitimate child.

Was Hyuga Hiro able to become a member of the main branch because Hyuga Ting was so forceful?

Certainly not. Only the clan head, Hyuga Hiashi, was the unique sun of the Hyuga clan!

Therefore, there was only one truth: Hyuga Hiro was Hyuga Hiashi's illegitimate son, and since Hyuga Ting was dying, doing the clan head a small favor before his death was nothing. After all, he had no wife or children and didn't need to care about outside gossip.

Of course, this was only a rumor among the Konoha high command; no one knew the specifics. But as the eldest son of Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sarutobi Shinnosuke knew a bit more.

He knew that even if Hyuga Hiro wasn't Hyuga Hiashi's illegitimate son, he was definitely connected to him.

According to what he knew, fifteen years ago, Hyuga Hiashi had suddenly snuck out alone one night and didn't return until dawn, followed immediately by Hyuga Ting's sudden announcement.

Of course, these things were just the catalyst.

At worst, if Hyuga Hiashi's private life was messy, it was none of Sarutobi Shinnosuke's business; people could just listen and laugh.

However, a highly classified report from the Anbu on the Southern Border Battlefield recently gave him a hunch when combined with past rumors and the current situation.

Ask yourself: what would be the fate of an illegitimate child with a lowly status and original sin from birth, who was forcibly made a member of the main branch by personal will, if he were to lose his Byakugan on the battlefield?

Sarutobi Shinnosuke had seen plenty of filth in large clans. In his view, rather than Hyuga Akira's own mistake causing the intelligence failure, it was more likely that this main branch elder had malicious intent from the start.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh at how bold the old man Hyuga Akira was. Burying a family scandal by letting Hyuga Hiro die was one thing, but to drag Uchiha Naoki—whom Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Fugaku valued—along to his grave? He must have been tired of living.

Wasn't he afraid that if the truth came out one day, the Uchiha clan would go mad?

Right... he suddenly thought of something else.

If Hyuga Hiro's Byakugan was taken, then who was currently in possession of that missing eye?

In a house in a small town in the southeast of the Land of Fire, Ao, who had long gray-blue hair, took a small glass bottle from his pocket. Under the dim candlelight, the bottle emitted a cold luster, and a pure white eyeball floated silently in the liquid inside.

He gripped the bottle, stood up, and walked to the window, looking out at the pitch-black northern night sky.

That stolen Byakugan was a trophy he had obtained from a surprise attack on Hyuga Hiro on the battlefield.

The Kekkei Genkai of the Hyuga clan, possessing a 360-degree field of vision and the ability to perceive chakra—if he could transplant it into himself...

The corners of Ao's mouth curled upward slightly.

The future was bright, but the pressure of reality was heavy.

Ever since he took the Byakugan, Ao had been trapped in an endless pursuit. Every time he escaped to a safe place, a group of people would soon catch up, and he would have to flee again.

Just like that, for a long time, he could neither use the Byakugan nor escape the pursuit. After much struggle, he decided to find a safe place to transplant the eye first!

"If I don't transplant it now, I might not get another chance. Those guys are closing in..."

Acting on his decision, Ao quietly slipped out of the house and, under the cover of night, arrived outside a dilapidated medical clinic.

He pressed two fingers together and knocked on the wooden door.

"Knock, knock! Knock, knock!"

"Who is it?"

Accompanied by footsteps inside, the wooden door creaked open. Ao flashed inside.

"You... who are you!"