Konoha.
Night fell.
In the forest outside the village, all was deathly still.
Amid the swaying shadows of the trees, killing intent lurked beyond the notice of ordinary people.
Kakashi crouched atop a thick tree trunk, forming a seal with one hand.
The Sharingan in his right eye spun rapidly as it stared fixedly at the earth below.
"Hyuga Clan Head."
Without turning around, Kakashi kept his voice low.
Hyuga Hiashi emerged from the shadows behind him.
He held a glass vial filled with green liquid.
It was the Byakugan Enhancement Serum Orochimaru had specially formulated for the Hyuga Clan.
Without the slightest hesitation.
Hiashi tipped back his head and downed the serum in one gulp.
Crack!
A faint sound of bones shifting rang out.
The veins around Hiashi's eye sockets bulged instantly, even taking on a faint purplish hue.
He let out a muffled groan and clenched his fists tightly.
Terrifying Chakra gathered within his eyes.
Soil, rock, underground rivers.
Before these forcibly stimulated Byakugan, every obstacle might as well have been nonexistent.
"I see them clearly."
Hiashi panted heavily, but the corners of his lips could not stop lifting.
"Three hundred meters underground, directly east. Twelve of them."
"Northeast, five hundred meters deep. Twenty-four of them."
"They're tangled together like plant roots, completely unguarded."
Kakashi's expression beneath his mask was exceptionally cold.
He raised his right hand and made a sharp sweeping motion through the air.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
More than a hundred elite Anbu sprang from their hiding places at once.
Earth Style: Earth Core!
A massive surge of Chakra tore open the ground directly.
The White Zetsu deep underground had not even had time to scream.
Specially made sealing talismans were already plastered onto their pale bodies.
Lightning Release: Chidori Sharp Spear!
Kakashi became a streak