Danzo's Scheme (Part 1)

Closing his Observation Haki, the world before his "eyes" plunged back into a deathly silence.

For Kawaki Aoba, the difference between having his Observation Haki active and inactive was as vast as the distance between heaven and earth.

However, as the saying goes, one must commit to the act; in the early stages of his blindness, this was unavoidable.

Relying on his memory of the room's layout, Kawaki Aoba carefully groped his way toward his front door.

Outside the house, Sarutobi Asuma was still pacing back and forth in the courtyard, preoccupied with thoughts of how to convince Kawaki Aoba to move into his home.

Meanwhile, Yuhi Kurenai was worried about whether her father, Yuhi Shinku, would be able to completely resolve the issue of Kawaki Aoba possessing the Byakugan.

Clearly, as far as these two youngsters with little life experience were concerned, their thinking was still far too naive.

"Ah!" Suddenly, an exclamation from Yuhi Kurenai, devoid of any warning, startled Sarutobi Asuma out of his pacing.

Sarutobi Asuma turned his head, only to see Yuhi Kurenai covering her mouth with her small hands, staring at the doorway in shock.

Sarutobi Asuma couldn't help but look as well, but at that single glance, he froze in place.

Good heavens, what was he seeing? His teammate, Kawaki Aoba...

"Your eyes? Aoba, where are your eyes!" Sarutobi Asuma shouted in shock.

Indeed, he had seen at a glance the empty, hollow sockets of Kawaki Aoba, and the two trails of blood streaking down his cheeks.

Those two trails of blood were, naturally, intentional; otherwise, it would have been too fake to gouge out his own eyes without leaving a single drop of blood.

"Isn't it obvious? I've already gouged them out," Kawaki Aoba replied calmly, leaning against the doorframe.

"Wh-why? Kawaki Aoba, are you looking down on me? It's just a pair of Byakugan! The Old Man would surely have been able to help you keep them!" Sarutobi Asuma gritted his teeth, roaring in agitation.

At this moment, Kawaki Aoba could clearly sense the anger and faint guilt radiating from Sarutobi Asuma.

Although Kawaki Aoba had shut down his active Observation Haki, certain passive, special abilities still remained.

"The Hyuga Clan is a prestigious family that has been passed down for a thousand years in the ninja world. Their foundation is deep, and their clan's heritage is above all else. Given their obsession with their own bloodline, even the Hokage would likely find it difficult to make them compromise.

"Moreover, if I were to cause trouble for the Hokage, or even bring shame upon him because of my affairs, what face would I have to be an upright Konoha ninja? As a Konoha ninja, even if I cannot share the Hokage's burdens, I must never add to his troubles."

This statement was pure psychological warfare; indeed, Kawaki Aoba was intentionally trying to smear the Hyuga Clan in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Although Sarutobi Hiruzen was not here, his Anbu were.

Kawaki Aoba believed that there was a high probability his words would be reported back to Sarutobi Hiruzen by the Anbu.

While he had already prepared for the worst-case scenario of defecting from Konoha, this did not prevent him from farming some favor with Sarutobi Hiruzen before he left. Furthermore, this was a move that would make others lower their guard against him—why wouldn't he do it?

Besides, the malice he had previously detected from that group of suspected Root ninjas had also vanished.

Had they left?

Kawaki Aoba activated his Observation Haki once more.

Er, well, they hadn't left; it meant that the malice previously directed at him had truly dissipated.

Kawaki Aoba had not guessed wrong; the group hiding in the shadows that had previously harbored malice toward him were indeed Root ninjas sent by Danzo.

And as for their purpose...

"Captain, the brat has already gouged out his Byakugan one step ahead of us. What do we do now? Should we continue the mission?"

"Although an unexpected accident has occurred, our mission has not failed. Continue the operation."

After giving the order, the Root ninja instructed his subordinates to remain hidden, while he himself jumped out from his concealment and walked toward Kawaki Aoba's courtyard.

"Kawaki Aoba, a certain important figure has ordered me to help you. The Hyuga Clan's family rules are strict; it is difficult for you to resist them alone. If you do not want to be branded with the Caged Bird, and have yourself and your descendants enslaved by the Hyuga Clan, then do as I say."

Upon arriving in the courtyard, the Root ninja got straight to the point, relaying the words Danzo had commanded him to say before he left.

Looking at Kawaki Aoba's hollow eye sockets, the Root ninja paused in his tone before speaking again: "Whether for you or for Konoha, this is the best choice."

After the Root ninja finished speaking, before Kawaki Aoba could respond, Sarutobi Asuma turned his head and glared at him, saying bluntly, "You jump out of nowhere—who are you?"

Clearly, the Root ninja had become the target of Sarutobi Asuma's current fury; the anger over his partner's lack of trust in his abilities, combined with the guilt of being unable to protect him, had nearly caused the young Sarutobi Asuma to lose control.

Facing the angry Sarutobi Asuma, the Root ninja stepped back politely but did not answer his question, instead continuing to speak of Danzo's plan.

To put it plainly, Danzo's plan was simple: take the eyeless Kawaki Aoba to the Hokage Building, and under no circumstances admit that he had ever awakened the Byakugan.

"The process of you awakening the Byakugan was known only to a few people, excluding your squad, and it certainly did not include anyone from the Hyuga Clan. Furthermore, because of your caution, not a single person saw your Byakugan after you awakened them.

"Therefore, after you have lost those eyes, as long as you do not admit it, that important figure can protect you. Even the Hyuga Clan won't be able to do anything to you."

After hearing the Root ninja's words, Sarutobi Asuma and Yuhi Kurenai didn't react much, but Kawaki Aoba felt a chill in his heart.

Damn it, he finally understood what these Root ninjas were here for. It turned out that the old dog Danzo had been eyeing his Byakugan all along.

Gouge out his own eyes, then use him to blackmail the Hyuga Clan.

In this way, that old bastard would not only gain a pair of Byakugan but also extort a fortune by using the incident of the Hyuga Clan attacking a village ninja. What a calculating scheme.

Kawaki Aoba felt a bit of relief; fortunately, he had sacrificed his pair of Byakugan one step ahead of them.