Dual Crisis

The Hyuga Clan Grounds were terrifyingly silent in the dead of night.

Xiao sat cross-legged on the tatami in the Branch House dormitory. Three scrolls lay spread out before him—one was a copied record of the Main House meeting that Tokuma had risked delivering, one contained a herbal formula excerpted from ancient texts, and the last was a map of the Land of Rice Paddies border he had drawn himself.

The candle flame flickered, casting shifting shadows across his face.

"Refuse the mission, and the Caged Bird Seal activates immediately." Xiao lightly tapped the edge of the tatami, his voice so low that only he could hear it. "Accept the mission, and thirty Branch House elites plus me will all be buried at the Land of Rice Paddies border."

He closed his eyes, and the words from the meeting record surfaced in his mind:

"Mission Rank: S."

"Objective: Eliminate a group of rogue ninjas at a suspected Orochimaru hideout on the Land of Rice Paddies border."

"Team Leader: Hyuga Clan Main House Elder, Tetsushin Hyuga."

"Members: Thirty Branch House elite ninja and special elite ninja."

"Note: The intelligence on this hideout is questionable, and it may be a trap. However, to demonstrate the Hyuga Clan's loyalty to the Leaf Village, the mission must be carried out."

A cold curve tugged at Xiao's lips.

Demonstrate loyalty?

It was nothing more than a pretty excuse for murder by proxy. The Main House wanted to use this mission to purge the most promising members of the Branch House, while conveniently burying him, an "unstable element," alongside them. As for that supposed "Orochimaru hideout," the intelligence was probably bait planted by the Main House itself.

The candle crackled as a burst of wick flame popped.

Xiao opened his eyes. His pure white pupils gleamed like jade beneath the dim yellow light.

"System," he murmured inwardly.

[Fate-Breaking System activated]

[Detected that the host is facing a dual crisis]

[Crisis One: Main House purge plan. Death probability: 98.7%]

[Crisis Two: Anko Mitarashi's cursed seal rampage countdown: 71 hours 42 minutes]

[Emergency mission issued: Stabilize Anko's cursed seal within 72 hours]

[Mission reward: Cursed seal suppression technology fragment ×1, Byakugan purity +2%, Destiny Points +500]

[Failure penalty: Anko's death. The host loses the chance to intercept this fate node. Leaf Village investigation risk rises to "high danger"]

Xiao's gaze swept over the mission panel before settling on the herbal formula scroll.

He had found this formula in a fragment tucked away in a corner of the Hyuga Clan's ancient archives. It recorded a secret remedy once used by Hyuga ancestors during the Warring States Era to suppress rampaging chakra within their bodies. Most of its ingredients were common herbs, except for the key ingredient—Evening Primrose.

It only grew on the banks of the White-Eye Spring, the Hyuga Clan's forbidden ground, and only on nights of the full moon.

Tonight happened to be a full moon.

Xiao rose and walked to the window. Through the crack in the paper screen, he could see the Main House residence brightly lit in the distance, where several Main House elders were discussing matters in the courtyard. Farther away, the outline of Konoha Hospital flickered in and out of sight in the darkness. Anko was there, her life being consumed bit by bit by the cursed seal.

There was not much time.

He needed Evening Primrose. He needed to brew the suppression medicine. He needed to stabilize Anko's life before departing for the Land of Rice Paddies. And all of it had to be done before dawn.

Xiao drew a deep breath and began to act.

First, he dragged an unremarkable wooden box out from beneath his bed. Inside, bottles and jars were neatly arranged—medicinal ingredients and tools he had secretly gathered over the years. He took out a mortar, an alcohol lamp, a set of silver surgical blades, and more than a dozen labeled porcelain bottles.

Then he changed into dark gray night clothes, tightly wrapped his palms in bandages, and finally took out a thumb-sized black pill from the bottom of the box.

"Shadowveil Pill." Xiao pinched the pill between his fingers, his expression calm.

It was a secret medicine he had spent three months refining. After taking it, it would drastically reduce his chakra fluctuations for three hours. Combined with the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist Breath-Concealment Technique, it was enough to evade the senses of most sensory ninjas. The price was six hours of weakness once the effects wore off.

But it was worth it.

Xiao swallowed the pill. A chill slid down his throat into his stomach, then spread through his limbs and bones. He felt as if a thin veil had wrapped around his chakra, rendering it faint and indistinct.

He pushed open the window, and the night wind rushed in.

Xiao flipped out the window like a falling leaf, landing without a sound. He moved along the shadows at the base of the wall, his pale pupils glowing faintly in the darkness—Byakugan, activated.

His vision changed instantly.

Within his three-hundred-and-sixty-degree field of unobstructed vision, the chakra flow throughout the Hyuga Clan Grounds became perfectly clear. Seven powerful chakra signatures shone in the direction of the Main House residence; they belonged to Main House elite ninja on night watch. The forbidden White-Eye Spring lay in the deepest part of the grounds, enveloped by three layers of barriers. Two Branch House guards stood at its entrance.

Xiao calculated the route.

To reach the forbidden ground from the dormitory, he needed to cross three patrol routes and avoid four sentry posts. The best opportunity would be two in the morning, when the guards changed shifts and left a twenty-seven-second gap.

He crouched in the shadows, motionless as a statue.

Time passed second by second.

Moonlight spilled through gaps in the clouds, coating the buildings of the Hyuga Clan Grounds in silver. Xiao could hear insects chirping in the distance, feel dew gathering on blades of grass, and smell the sandalwood mixed into the wind—the incense burned year-round at the Main House ancestral hall.

These subtle sensory details wove themselves into a three-dimensional map in his mind.

He waited.

When the moonlight reached the third branch of the century-old cherry tree in the courtyard, Xiao moved.

Without a sound or a trace of chakra fluctuation, he streaked along the wall like a shadow merged with the night. In his Byakugan vision, two Branch House ninjas on patrol had reached a corner ahead, their backs turned toward him.

Xiao swept past three meters behind them. Even the breeze he stirred failed to flutter the corners of their clothes.

After crossing the first corridor and vaulting over a low wall, Xiao arrived at the training ground in the middle of the clan grounds. It was empty, with only wooden posts and targets standing quietly under the moonlight. He did not pause, charging straight toward the bamboo grove on the other side.

Bamboo leaves rustled softly.

Xiao darted through the bamboo grove, his steps pressing into the thick fallen leaves with only the faintest rustle. In his Byakugan vision, the sentry outside the grove was yawning, clearly inattentive.

Now.

Xiao sprang from the edge of the bamboo grove. In the instant the sentry turned around, he had already cleared the three-meter wall.

He landed, rolled, and rose.

The entire sequence flowed seamlessly, without a single unnecessary movement.

The forbidden ground was right ahead.

It was a courtyard enclosed by tall walls. A heavy wooden gate stood at the entrance, carved with the Hyuga Clan crest. Two Branch House guards stood on either side, their eyes alert.

Xiao hid behind an ancient tree twenty meters away and held his breath.

He needed to wait for the shift change.

Another fifteen minutes passed.

When the clock struck two in the morning, footsteps sounded in the distance. Two new guards approached and relieved the original pair. The instant they turned to bow, their attention scattered—

Xiao moved.

He crossed the twenty-meter distance like a phantom. By the time the guards looked up, he had already vaulted the high wall and landed in the forbidden courtyard.

As he landed, he rolled to disperse every bit of impact, then swiftly concealed himself behind a cluster of shrubs.

He had succeeded.

Xiao exhaled softly before lifting his head to inspect his surroundings.

The White-Eye Spring truly deserved its reputation as a Hyuga Clan forbidden ground. At the center of the courtyard lay a spring roughly five meters across. Under the moonlight, the water glowed with a faint milky-white sheen, while visible chakra mist rose from its surface. All manner of exotic flowers and plants grew around it, but one cluster of plants blooming with tiny silver flowers stood out in particular.

Evening Primrose.

Xiao hurried over and crouched to inspect it carefully. The herb had only three leaves, each marked with patterns resembling Byakugan pupils that glimmered faintly beneath the moonlight. He took out a small blade and carefully cut six stalks—he could not take too many, or it would be noticed.

After sealing the Evening Primrose inside a specially made jade box, Xiao prepared to leave. But from the corner of his eye, he spotted something glowing at the bottom of the spring.

He frowned and activated his Byakugan's penetrating vision.

Deep within the spring, roughly ten meters beneath the water, lay a palm-sized stone slab. Dense ancient writing covered its surface, and at its center was unmistakably the image of a Caged Bird Seal—but unlike the version currently used by the Main House, this pattern was more complex, with an additional ring of reversed runes around its edges.

Xiao's heart jolted.

Was this... the original version of the Caged Bird Seal?

He nearly jumped into the spring to retrieve the stone slab, but reason forcibly suppressed the impulse. A barrier surrounded the spring, and touching it would trigger an alarm. Besides, this was not the time. Anko's problem had to come first.

Xiao stared deeply at the spring, committing the slab's location and its design firmly to memory.

Then he turned and retraced his path.

Leaving the forbidden ground went even more smoothly than entering it. The guards who had just changed shifts were noticeably more lax. Xiao easily vaulted the high wall and silently returned to the dormitory along the route he had taken.

He shut the door and drew the curtains.

Xiao lit a candle, placed the jade box on the table, and opened it. The Evening Primrose gave off a soft silver glow in the candlelight, and its distinct cool fragrance spread through the room.

He began preparing the medicine.

He placed the main stems of the Evening Primrose into the mortar and carefully crushed them with a pestle, squeezing out pale silver juice. Then he added three drops of water from the White-Eye Spring—he had secretly filled a little into a special vial earlier. Next came seven supporting herbs: Hemostatic Vine roots, Tranquility Flower powder, chakra stabilizer crystals...

The amount of every ingredient had to be accurate to the milligram.

Xiao's hands were steady.

Like a precision machine, he followed the ancient formula step by step. Candlelight cast his shadow onto the wall, where it swayed gently with his movements. The room filled with the complex scent of blended herbs—some pungent, some sweet, and some bitter beyond description.

An hour later, the medicine was complete.

It was a translucent pale-blue liquid, contained in a thumb-sized crystal vial. It shimmered beneath the candlelight. Xiao held the bottle up to the light, examined it, and nodded in satisfaction.

[Temporary Cursed Seal Suppressant (Quality: Excellent)]

[Effect: Temporarily suppresses Orochimaru's Cursed Seal rampage. Duration: 72 hours]

[Side effect: The user will fall into deep sleep for six hours after taking it]

The system provided its appraisal.

Xiao put the medicine away, then began cleaning up his tools. Every used container was washed with a special solution, leaving no trace behind. The mortar and pestle were dismantled into parts and hidden separately in different places. The remaining herbal residue was burned into ash with Fire Release and scattered out the window.

By the time he finished everything, the sky had begun to pale.

Xiao sat on the tatami, watching the gradually brightening sky outside the window, his gaze deep.

He had the medicine, but getting it into Konoha Hospital and making Anko take it remained a problem. The hospital had three layers of barriers, and Anko was under strict confinement. Anyone who approached her would be recorded.

Moreover, once dawn came, the Main House would officially issue the mission order.

He had to resolve Anko's situation before departing, while also laying plans for the Land of Rice Paddies mission—it was not merely a purge, but also his chance to strike back at the Main House.

A plan began taking shape in Xiao's mind.

Step one: Use the clan meeting this morning to create a reasonable excuse to "go out for supplies."

Step two: While purchasing supplies, use the Transformation Technique to disguise himself as a medical unit member and enter the hospital.

Step three: Find an opportunity to mix the medicine into Anko's nutrient solution.

Step four: Once the medicine took effect and Anko fell asleep, immediately leave the Leaf Village and head for the Land of Rice Paddies.

As for the mission in the Land of Rice Paddies...

A cold glint flashed through Xiao's eyes.

The Main House wanted to use Orochimaru's blade to kill people?

Then he would turn that blade around and hold it to the Main House's throat.

Outside, the sky grew brighter and brighter. The first ray of dawn pierced through the clouds and shone on Xiao's face. He stood, changed into an ordinary Branch House training uniform, and carefully hid the medicine in a concealed pocket inside his sleeve.

Then he pushed open the door and stepped into the morning light.

A new day had begun.

And the war belonging to Hyuga Xiao had only just begun.