Danzo's Scheme (Part 2)

"Although the Byakugan's bloodline limit is precious, this is the only way to save you from the Hyuga clan. Afterward, we can replace them with a pair of ordinary eyes so you can continue to walk openly under the sun of Konoha. Oh, right, Kawaki Aoba, where are the Byakugan you gouged out?"

Kawaki Aoba sneered inwardly; the mask had finally slipped. The Root ninja spoke with honeyed words, but in the end, wasn't he just planning to discard him to face the Hyuga clan's wrath once he had served his purpose? It was common knowledge that Konoha was a harmonious and loving village, yet it would be a simple matter for the prestigious Hyuga clan to make a civilian genin disappear without a trace. However, he was sorry to disappoint their calculations.

"Those Byakugan? I've already swallowed them. They belong to me; even if they were to be destroyed, I would have them remain with me. Such a radical method was originally intended to disgust the Hyuga clan—even in death, I would never hand my Byakugan over to them. But I never expected there to be such a method; what a pity. My Lord, you arrived too late. Damn it, if I had known there was a way to let the Hyuga clan's Byakugan slip away, I would have kept them." As he spoke, Kawaki Aoba feigned frustration and punched the door frame.

The Root ninja: ...

The Root ninja opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing. Beside them, the anger that had been consuming Sarutobi Asuma had largely subsided. "That's right, such a method must work! It's a problem that can be solved by just changing a pair of eyes—why didn't I think of that? It's all that damn Hyuga clan's fault."

On the other side, Yuhi Kurenai bit her lip, saying nothing, but walked over to Kawaki Aoba and reached out to wipe the bloodstains from his face with a tissue. After doing so, she asked softly, "Gouging out your own eyes... it must have hurt a lot."

"It's fine. Finding a solution is already good enough. They're just a pair of Byakugan; I don't mind." Although he knew this matter wouldn't end so easily, Kawaki Aoba had no intention of telling his two friends, nor did he ever plan to replace them with ordinary eyes. The lost light would serve as a constant reminder that his eyes had been stolen by the Hyuga clan.

As for the Root ninja, having heard Kawaki Aoba's words, even he—a tool trained in Root to have dulled emotions—felt an urge to vomit blood. That was a pair of Byakugan! You might not care, but we certainly do, and they were one of his mission objectives! However, with things as they were, the Root ninja had no other choice but to continue following the mission Danzo had laid out: to bring Kawaki Aoba to the Hokage Building. Perhaps it was a stroke of luck that the existence or absence of the gouged-out Byakugan would not affect the measures Danzo intended to take against the Hyuga clan.

Kawaki Aoba was very cooperative. With Sarutobi Asuma and Yuhi Kurenai leading the way on either side and the Root ninja accompanying them, they headed straight for the Hokage Building. However, as soon as they disappeared around the corner of the street, the Anbu and Root squads hidden in the shadows emerged to search Kawaki Aoba's house. As ninjas, they naturally couldn't fully trust his words, and the importance of the Byakugan went without saying; even if there was a one-percent chance, they had to search thoroughly.

But the result was destined to disappoint them. The Byakugan sacrificed by Kawaki Aoba had vanished forever; how could they possibly be found in this world? Both the Root and Anbu teams returned empty-handed. At the same time, Kawaki Aoba and the others had already arrived outside the Hokage Building.

"Alright, I'll see you here. Once you go in, head straight to the Hokage Office. However, there are three extraordinary figures inside right now. For the sake of their safety, you must temporarily leave all your ninja tools behind," the Root captain stated. Although he addressed all three, his target was clearly Kawaki Aoba alone.

"What kind of ridiculous rule is that? Why have I never heard of it?" Naturally, only Sarutobi Asuma would be so blunt under such circumstances. However, before he could continue, Kawaki Aoba stopped him. "Forget it, Asuma. Since it's the rules, we as ninjas should just comply."

As he spoke, Kawaki Aoba unhesitatingly removed his ninja tool pouch and handed it over. Yuhi Kurenai followed suit, and only Asuma curled his lip in annoyance before removing his own pouch. Afterward, the Root captain watched them enter the Hokage Building before inspecting Kawaki Aoba's pouch. Aside from a few empty bottles, everything was standard—the most valuable items were three explosive tags. There was no sign of the Byakugan he had been anticipating.

The empty bottles with residue had been mentioned in the intelligence reports; they were special drinks the brat made using Military Ration Pills. He had heard there were blueberry and strawberry flavors. Military Ration Pills were indeed unpalatable, but by doing this, the recovery effects would surely be weakened; the brat was simply wasting resources. However, out of caution, the captain checked them anyway, and after confirming everything was in order, he put Kawaki Aoba's things back. Indeed, as cautious as Kawaki Aoba was, how could he leave any hidden dangers on his person? He had prepared the most perfect cover for everything he had retrieved through sacrifice.

"You bastard! What do you take our Hyuga clan for? When Konoha was founded, it was already agreed that outsiders would not interfere in our internal affairs. Who do you think you are, daring to point fingers in front of me? As long as that boy awakened the Byakugan, he is a member of the Hyuga clan, and this is our family business. It is not for an outsider like you to manage!"

Just as they reached the door of the Hokage Office, the three of them heard a roar from within. Without a doubt, it was the Hyuga Second Elder venting his fury. One could only wonder what Danzo had done to make an old man of his age so enraged. But thinking about it, it made sense—if the Hyuga Second Elder didn't lose his composure, how else could they happily extort him later?

Knock, knock, knock. Kawaki Aoba raised his hand to knock.

"Lord Hokage, Genin Kawaki Aoba requests an audience."