"Although the Byakugan's Kekkei Genkai is precious, this is the only way to save you from the Hyuga Clan. Afterward, we can also replace them with a pair of ordinary eyes. That way, you can continue walking openly beneath the sunlight in Konoha.
"Oh, right, Kawaki Aoba, what happened to the Byakugan you removed?"
Kawaki Aoba sneered inwardly. So this was where they showed their hand.
The Root shinobi made it sound nice, but when all was said and done, wasn't he supposed to secure their interests and then be thrown to the wolves to bear the Hyuga Clan's wrath?
Everyone knew that Konoha was a harmonious, friendly village. And for the mighty Hyuga Clan to make a civilian Genin disappear without a trace would be simple.
But I'm sorry. Your scheme is going to fall through.
"Those Byakugan? I already swallowed them. They were mine. Even if they had to be destroyed, I wanted them to remain inside me. This extreme method was meant to disgust the Hyuga Clan. Even if I died, I wouldn't hand my Byakugan over to them.
"But I never expected there'd be a way like this. What a shame, sir. You came too late. Damn it, if I'd known there was a way to let the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan slip out, I would've kept them."
As he spoke, Kawaki Aoba feigned regret and punched the doorframe.
Root shinobi: ...
The Root shinobi opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing.
Meanwhile, much of the anger radiating from Sarutobi Asuma had faded.
"Yeah, this method would definitely work. The problem could be solved just by replacing his eyes. How did I not think of that? Damn that Hyuga Clan."
On the other side, Yuhi Kurenai bit her lip and said nothing. Instead, she walked over to Kawaki Aoba, took out a tissue, and wiped the streaks of blood from his face.
Only after she was done did she ask softly, "It must have hurt to remove your own eyes, right?"
"It's fine. It's already great that we found a way to solve this. They were only a pair of Byakugan. I don't care about them." Although he knew this matter wouldn't end so easily, Kawaki Aoba had no intention of telling his two friends. Besides, he'd never planned to replace them with ordinary eyes.
His lost sight would constantly remind him that the Hyuga Clan had taken his eyes from him.
As for the Root shinobi, hearing Kawaki Aoba's words nearly made even an emotionless tool like him, trained to suppress his feelings in Root, spit blood.
Those were a pair of Byakugan! You didn't care, but we did! And one of them was a target of his mission, too.
But things had come to this, and the Root shinobi had no other choice. He could only continue carrying out Danzo's orders and take Kawaki Aoba to the Hokage Building.
Perhaps he should be grateful that whether the removed Byakugan existed or not wouldn't affect Danzo's next move against the Hyuga Clan.
Kawaki Aoba was quite cooperative. With Sarutobi Asuma and Yuhi Kurenai leading the way on either side and the Root shinobi accompanying them, he headed straight for the Hokage Building.
But as soon as Kawaki Aoba and the others disappeared at the end of the street, the Anbu and Root squads concealed nearby emerged together and began searching Kawaki Aoba's house.
As shinobi, they naturally couldn't trust Kawaki Aoba completely. And the importance of the Byakugan went without saying. Even if there was only a one percent chance, they had to search thoroughly.
But the result was bound to disappoint them. The Byakugan Kawaki Aoba had sacrificed had vanished forever. How could they possibly find them in this world?
The Root squad and the Anbu squad returned empty-handed. At the same time, Kawaki Aoba and the others had arrived outside the Ninja Building.
"All right, I'll take you this far. Once you're inside, go straight to the Hokage Office. However, there are three very important people in there right now. For their safety, you'll need to leave all the ninja tools you're carrying here for the time being," the Root captain said.
Although he addressed all three of them, his sole target was Kawaki Aoba.
"What kind of stupid rule is that? Why have I never heard of it?" The only one who would be so blunt under these circumstances was naturally Sarutobi Asuma.
But before he could say anything else, Kawaki Aoba stopped him. "Let it go, Asuma. If it's a rule, then we're shinobi, so we should follow it."
Without the slightest hesitation, Kawaki Aoba removed the ninja tool pouch from his waist and handed it over. Yuhi Kurenai followed suit, while Asuma pursed his lips in displeasure but still took off his pouch.
After watching the three of them enter the Hokage Building, the Root captain inspected Kawaki Aoba's ninja tool pouch.
Aside from a few empty bottles, everything else was ordinary. The most valuable items were three Explosive Tags. The Byakugan he'd been hoping for weren't there.
The intel also mentioned those empty bottles with residue in them. The kid had used Military Ration Pills to make a special drink. Apparently, it came in blueberry and strawberry flavors.
Military Ration Pills didn't taste good, but making them into a drink like this would surely weaken their restorative effects. The kid was simply wasting them.
Still, out of caution, the Root captain checked everything. Once he'd confirmed there was nothing amiss, he returned Kawaki Aoba's belongings.
Of course, Kawaki Aoba was cautious. How could he possibly leave any vulnerabilities on himself? He'd taken every precaution to disguise anything he'd brought out through sacrifice.
"You bastard! What do you take the Hyuga Clan for? When Konoha was founded, it was agreed that the affairs within our clan were not for outsiders to interfere in. What sort of person are you to dare lecture me?
"As long as that boy has awakened the Byakugan, he belongs to the Hyuga Clan. This is a family matter, and it's not for an outsider like you to meddle in."
As soon as the three of them reached the door to the Hokage Office, they heard the roar from inside.
There was no doubt that it was the Hyuga Second Elder venting his fury. What exactly had Danzo done to make an old man of his age so angry?
Then again, it made sense. If the Hyuga Second Elder hadn't lost his temper, how were they supposed to enjoy squeezing him later?
Knock, knock, knock. Kawaki Aoba raised his hand and knocked.
"Lord Hokage, Genin Kawaki Aoba requests an audience."
Before you continue