A disgusting teacher who had no concept of personal boundaries left Hua Yue speechless, especially since he had chosen to approach him disguised as a woman.
"Did it fail? Before, you used this face to drive the previous Eight-Tails Jinchuriki out of control. Or do you prefer women who are a little younger, Hua Yue?"
The mask of skin peeled away, revealing Orochimaru's cold, sharply lined face. His vivid red lips returned to their usual pale purple, and his smile was full of curiosity.
"How did you manage to please the White Snake Sage and leave Ryūchi Cave unscathed? It's a place only madmen would visit, though countless people seek the power of the Sage Caves."
"Could it be that you've obtained the power I've always wanted to master—the power of the sages?"
Under Orochimaru's curious gaze, Hua Yue only smiled in silence. After a long pause, he asked a meaningful question in return.
"Oh, Orochimaru-sensei, wasn't your dream to learn every technique in the world? Besides, the Sage Modes possessed by the Three Great Sage Regions are all completely different."
"Human life is finite. Even if you spent your whole life at it, you'd live no more than a century. Even if you learned one forbidden technique a month, you'd only master twelve hundred in your lifetime."
"Not to mention all the ninjutsu, secret techniques, and forbidden techniques that have disappeared over the long river of time. Anyone can see what your goal is."
The wind howled as the Immobilization Genjutsu slowly wore off. Orochimaru gazed intently at the young man who rested his cheek in his palm, never seeming to tire and never showing an opening.
A hint of excitement appeared in his snake-like vertical pupils—an understanding gaze unlike those of the fools all around him.
This was someone who truly understood him, someone following a path similar to his own. He had always treated this disciple with utmost seriousness, yet could never see the measure of his potential.
"Then..."
"Don't misunderstand. Just as you wouldn't die for the village, I have no interest in becoming a stepping stone on someone else's path to immortality."
"Enough. Our teacher-and-disciple chat ends here. What did you come to see me about?"
His outstanding disciple was cold and merciless, leaving no room for negotiation—more cold-blooded than Orochimaru himself. Orochimaru collected his thoughts and spoke slowly.
"Konoha's defenses are very thin right now. In the village, Teacher Sarutobi... Lord Third Hokage has given you the task of holding off Ōnoki."
This time, it was Hua Yue's turn to twitch at the corner of his mouth. The Third Hokage really must have unlocked a Mangekyo to send him after the original user of Imperial Release: Nine-Clan Detachment Technique. Quite something, Third Hokage.
"Dust Release, the Kekkei Tōta. You mean Ōnoki of Both Scales? Should I be grateful for Lord Third Hokage's trust in me, or should I pray to the gods right now that I don't run into him?"
"Heh heh heh. My most prized disciple, with the power you've hidden so deeply, you're not entirely without a chance, even against the Third Tsuchikage. I have more faith in your abilities than you can imagine."
In a rare departure, Orochimaru didn't leave on a giant snake. He seemed to have come only to see how Hua Yue had escaped the White Snake Sage, and to pass along the village's mission while he was at it.
The Tsuchikage has joined the fighting? That means that, with the war between Konoha and the Land of Earth drawing to a close, the Third Shinobi World War is nearing its end...
The malice that had been fixed on Obito has also vanished without a trace. So he's already prepared to choose the successor to his will.
The night rain fell in silence. Dim starlight glimmered through the clouds.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the central district of Konoha, a major residence stood within the Hyuga Main Family compound.
Members of the Hyuga Main Family and Branch Family had gathered together. Everyone wore a grim expression. As the Branch Family faced one accusatory gaze after another, its members remained silent.
"Why do we distinguish between the Main Family and the Branch Family? It's to prevent the Hyuga Clan's Kekkei Genkai from falling into outside hands. But look at what's happened now!"
"You Branch Family members utterly failed in your duty, letting the Main Family's Kekkei Genkai—the Byakugan—fall into the hands of Kirigakure!"
Seated in the middle, the Hyuga Clan elder, Hyuga De'en, spoke gravely. The many Main Family members looked on with questioning eyes.
"Wait. Hyuga Menfeng acted recklessly and went off on his own. He even got so many of our clansmen killed on the battlefield..."
The elder struck the floor hard and turned to berate him.
"Silence! Whatever happened, your Branch Family bears responsibility. Why didn't you keep an eye on him? Now the Byakugan has fallen into Kirigakure's hands!"
The Hyuga Branch Family members were furious but dared not speak up. They could only turn pleading eyes toward the current Branch Family head, Hizashi Hyuga.
"Hyuga Menfeng brought his death upon himself. The seven Branch Family members assigned to protect the Main Family all died in battle. The Byakugan was lost, and he failed in his duty as a member of the Main Family."
"Anything can happen on a battlefield. Are you asking the entire Branch Family to protect him, while ignoring the missions Lord Third Hokage assigned us?"
Hizashi Hyuga argued his case, but the only response he received was the elder's cold, merciless words.
"If that lost Byakugan can be recovered, then it would be worth every one of you dying. That is the Branch Family's duty: to protect the precious Kekkei Genkai!"
Their stifled dissatisfaction and hatred could only build inside them. The Cursed Seals etched into their foreheads, sealing away their freedom and light, seemed to ache faintly. They dared not show any of it.
"Things have come to this. I have no choice but to ask Lord Hokage and the experts from the other clans to kill that loathsome Kirigakure jonin, Ao, and recover the precious Byakugan."
"Branch Family members, remember this: in the coming war, under no circumstances can you lose a second Byakugan. Even if it costs the lives of the entire Hyuga Branch Family..."
The meeting ended on a sour note. The current head of the Hyuga Clan, Hyuga Hiashi, looked at his brother, born only a moment after him and nearly his equal in ability, and fell silent.
After the meeting broke up, the Branch Family members gathered in their quarters, their eyes bloodshot and their faces twisted with rage. Seven of their people had died in that battle, including a boy who was still a minor. Was that not worth mourning?
Was it really acceptable for their entire Branch Family to die, all for a Main Family member who had acted recklessly and brought death upon himself?
In the oppressive silence, no one spoke for a long time. Hizashi Hyuga said nothing. After everyone had dispersed, he wandered alone through the streets.
At some point, he found himself at a training ground on the edge of Konoha, used for practice. Hizashi slowly raised his head and looked at a figure dressed in black robes, whose presence was almost imperceptible. His brow furrowed.
"What will you become?"
The figure turned his head. A Three-Eyed Demon Fox, its form woven from red and white, seemed like a restless spirit wandering Konoha without purpose.
"What will I become?"
"A lone bird, its wings broken and locked in a cage—or a star that tears open the night with fangs and blood, burning with blood-red fire?"
"What will you become?"