The Oriole Behind

The sealed container traced a silver arc through the air.

The Hidden Cloud captain's fingers were only three inches away from it. His fingertips could even feel the chill of its metal casing—but in that instant, a blurry white figure shot out from the cave's shadows.

"Gentle Fist Technique: Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"

No hand seals. No warning.

A chakra shockwave compressed to the limit slammed precisely into the Hidden Cloud captain's wrist. The crack of breaking bone exploded through the enclosed space, sharp enough to make one's scalp tingle. The captain grunted, his entire right arm dangling limply as the container flew from his grasp.

The white figure caught the container in midair and landed without stirring even a speck of dust.

Hyuga Xiao stood in the middle of the cave, his white pupils gleaming coldly in the dim light. He held the sealed container in his left hand, while his right remained in the opening stance of the Gentle Fist. His loose Hyuga Clan robes, which had fluttered during that burst of speed, slowly settled.

"You..." The Hidden Cloud captain clutched his broken wrist, cold sweat beading on his brow. "The Hyuga Clan?!"

The female ninja behind him, Yumi, had already drawn a kunai, but she clearly hesitated—his attack had been so fast that she had not even seen how he appeared.

More frightening still, there was almost no chakra fluctuation coming from this Hyuga ninja.

Like a stone. Like a pool of stagnant water.

"Give it back!" the captain growled through gritted teeth. Forming seals one-handed with his left hand, he shouted, "Lightning Release: Lightning Serpent!"

Three lightning-formed pythons shot from his palm, lunging at Xiao in a triangular formation. The lightning illuminated the cave walls—and Xiao's expressionless face.

Xiao did not dodge.

He did not even fully activate his Byakugan. He merely shifted slightly, spread the fingers of his right hand, and lightly swept them toward the three Lightning Serpents.

"Gentle Fist Technique: Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven: Minor Rotation."

It was not a complete Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven, merely a chakra rotation extending three inches around his palm. Yet that three-inch rotation precisely cut into the energy nodes of all three Lightning Serpents—the most unstable points of Lightning Release chakra, the weakest "joints" in a ninjutsu's structure.

Pop. Pop. Pop.

The three Lightning Serpents fell apart in midair, dispersing into tiny sparks.

The Hidden Cloud captain's pupils abruptly contracted.

This was no ordinary Hyuga ninja. The Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist could indeed destroy chakra pathways, but that required close contact. Dispelling ninjutsu from a distance? And instantly seeing through the structural weakness of Lightning Release?

"Captain, watch out!" Yumi suddenly screamed.

Too late.

Xiao vanished from where he stood. When he reappeared, he was already standing to the Hidden Cloud captain's left. His movements were not fast; they could even be called unhurried—like taking a stroll through his own courtyard before casually brushing a fallen leaf from his shoulder.

His right index and middle fingers came together and lightly tapped a point beneath the captain's third left rib.

"Ugh—!"

The captain doubled over like a shrimp, spraying blood across his mask. He felt the chakra inside him instantly descend into chaos, like a pot of boiling water rampaging through his meridians. Worse still, that spot... was one of the core chakra nodes of the Lightning Release Body Technique.

This guy even knew the Hidden Cloud's secret chakra circulation route?

"Who exactly are you?!" The captain dropped to his knees, his voice hoarse.

Xiao did not answer.

His gaze passed over the captain and landed on the mutated Takuya, who was still convulsing deeper in the cave. Takuya's skin had completely turned dark purple. Curse Mark patterns wriggled across his body like living things, while inhuman growls escaped his throat.

"The Curse Mark's corrosion has reached his brain." Xiao spoke softly, as if talking to himself. "Within three minutes, he'll completely lose his mind and become a monster that knows only slaughter."

"So what?!" Yumi stood in front of the captain, holding a kunai in each hand. "Give us back the container! That belongs to Hidden Cloud—"

"Belongs to Hidden Cloud how?" Xiao interrupted, finally turning his eyes back to her. "Can stolen goods count as 'yours'?"

Yumi was speechless.

Xiao weighed the sealed container in his hand. Complex sealing formulas were carved into its metal shell. Through the observation window on its side, a thumb-sized black Seed could be seen floating inside. Fine patterns covered its surface, slowly breathing and writhing like a living embryo.

"Orochimaru's 'Active Curse Mark Seed.'" Xiao said, "What does Hidden Cloud intend to do with it? Mass-produce Curse Mark soldiers? Or... crack some similar Curse Mark control technique?"

The captain's body visibly stiffened.

Xiao caught that subtle reaction.

As expected. Kumogakure's interest in Curse Mark techniques was probably not merely about increasing military strength. Did the Land of Lightning have something similar to the Caged Bird Seal as well?

"That has nothing to do with you!" The captain struggled to his feet and pulled a signal flare from his ninja pouch with his left hand. "Hand it over, or I'll fire the signal immediately. There are two more Hidden Cloud squads nearby. You can't escape."

Xiao smiled.

It was a faint smile, only the slightest upward curve at the corner of his mouth, yet there was no amusement in those Byakugan.

"You won't be able to send that signal."

The instant he finished speaking, Xiao moved.

He did not charge at the captain. Instead, he stepped three paces to the side and precisely planted his right foot on a protruding stone in the ground. The moment it sank beneath his foot, dense Curse Mark patterns suddenly lit up across the cave walls—defensive traps laid down by Orochimaru. The Hidden Cloud squad had violently destroyed part of them earlier, but their core structure remained intact.

While observing the battle, Xiao had already used his Byakugan to see the chakra flow of the entire trap system clearly.

"Curse Mark: Binding!"

The patterns on the rock walls came alive like vines, instantly firing dozens of dark purple chakra chains. Their targets were not Xiao, but the Hidden Cloud captain and Yumi.

"What?!" The captain tried to dodge, but his broken right hand and chaotic chakra slowed him by half a beat.

Three chains wrapped around his left leg.

Yumi reacted faster. She performed a backward flip to evade the first wave of chains, but when she landed, she stepped on a chakra thread Xiao had drawn earlier with the tip of his foot—a Gentle Fist Technique application that placed chakra like spider silk in specific locations. It was fragile, but enough to disrupt one's balance.

Yumi staggered.

That single opening was enough for five chains to coil around her waist and arms.

"Bastard!" the captain roared. He formed seals one-handed with his left hand, intending to use Lightning Release to break free, but the Curse Mark patterns on the chains began to glow, and a cold chakra flowed through them into his body.

It was a chakra suppressant specially created by Orochimaru, designed specifically for those who tried to force their way through his traps.

The captain's chakra circulation visibly slowed.

Xiao stood outside the trap's range, quietly watching the two struggle. His expression was calm, as though he were watching an experiment unrelated to him.

"These traps were originally meant to protect the laboratory," Xiao said. "You destroyed the outer barrier and triggered the self-destruct mechanism, but the core binding trap remained. I merely... helped reactivate it."

"You planned this all along..." The captain gritted his teeth. "Since when?"

"Since you entered this cave." Xiao answered honestly. "I arrived five minutes before you. Five minutes was enough for me to memorize every trap structure here with my Byakugan."

Yumi suddenly stopped struggling.

She raised her head and stared at Xiao. "You deliberately waited for us and Orochimaru's guards to wound each other, then reaped the benefits?"

"More precisely, I waited for you to obtain what I wanted and save me the trouble of doing it myself." Xiao's tone was perfectly matter-of-fact. "After all, breaking Orochimaru's barrier would have taken time, and you saved me that."

"You..." The captain trembled with rage, but the chains only tightened further, and the Curse Mark's suppressive effect had nearly brought his chakra to a standstill.

Xiao stopped looking at them.

He turned and walked toward the mutated Takuya deeper in the cave. Takuya had now completely lost his human shape, crawling on all fours, his spine bent into a grotesque arc as blood-tinged drool spilled from his mouth.

Seeing Xiao approach, Takuya let out a beastlike roar and pounced.

Xiao did not even assume a Gentle Fist stance.

He merely raised his left hand, spread his fingers, and lightly pressed it toward the charging Takuya.

"Be quiet."

His palm touched the Curse Mark core on Takuya's forehead.

The next second, Takuya froze in midair. Xiao's chakra was like the most precise surgical blade, slipping through gaps in the Curse Mark patterns and severing the connection points between the Curse Mark and the nervous system—weaknesses in the Curse Mark structure he had analyzed with his Byakugan while observing the battle.

The madness in Takuya's eyes rapidly faded, replaced first by confusion, then pain. He regained a trace of sanity, but his body had already collapsed.

"Sorry..." Takuya's lips moved, forcing out his final words. "Captain... Yumi..."

Then his pupils dilated, and his breathing stopped.

Xiao withdrew his hand, and Takuya's corpse crumpled to the ground.

[Ding! High-concentration Curse Mark energy residue detected. Absorb and analyze?]

The system prompt sounded in Xiao's mind.

Absorb, Xiao silently commanded.

An invisible force extracted a strand of dark purple energy from Takuya's corpse and merged it into Xiao's body. At the same time, the sealed container in his hand faintly heated up. The black Seed inside seemed to sense something, and the patterns on its surface began writhing faster.

[Absorption complete. Obtained analysis progress for "Incomplete Orochimaru's Cursed Seal Technique": 17%]

[Obtained key item "Active Curse Mark Seed." This item can be used for: 1. Reverse-analyzing the Caged Bird Seal structure (estimated analysis efficiency increased by 300%); 2. Creating a one-use Curse Mark removal tool (requires a specific sealing technique); 3. Cultivating controllable Curse Mark organisms (high risk)]

Xiao's eyes narrowed slightly.

A 300% increase in Caged Bird Seal analysis efficiency... That meant if it had previously taken three years to completely break this Curse Mark, it might now take only one.

No, perhaps even less.

Because he had also obtained an ancient scroll regarding the Curse Mark's origins from the shrine's secret chamber. Combined, the two would increase the speed of deciphering it geometrically.

"Looks like this trip wasn't wasted," Xiao murmured.

He turned and walked back to the two trapped Hidden Cloud ninjas. The captain had already given up struggling and merely stared at him with hatred. Yumi kept her head lowered, lost in thought.

"Will you kill us?" the captain asked hoarsely.

Xiao did not answer directly.

He crouched and used two fingers to pull back the captain's left sleeve. On the inside of his elbow was a pale blue lightning tattoo, with a tiny character for "lightning" carved into its center.

"ANBU directly under the Raikage," Xiao said. "No wonder you're fairly capable."

The captain's body tightened.

"Kumogakure has officially become involved in Orochimaru's research," Xiao continued, as if stating a fact. "You didn't stumble across this place by chance. You came under orders. The Raikage wants to know whether Curse Mark techniques can be used to break 'that thing,' right?"

The captain's breathing visibly quickened.

Xiao knew he had guessed correctly.

Each of the Shinobi World's five great nations had secrets they did not want outsiders to know. Kumogakure had always been known for its militant faction, but it also deeply despised certain "traditional methods of control." If the Caged Bird Seal existed within the Hyuga Clan, perhaps Hidden Cloud had something similar as well.

"I won't kill you," Xiao suddenly said.

The captain and Yumi both looked up, disbelief flashing in their eyes.

"Why?" the captain asked warily.

"Because if I kill you, Kumogakure will send stronger people to investigate." Xiao stood and brushed the dust from his clan robes. "And I don't want to confront the Raikage head-on yet. So, you can go back alive and report this."

He paused, then added, "But you'll have to leave behind a souvenir."

A speck of bluish-white chakra light suddenly appeared on Xiao's right index finger. It was incredibly condensed, like a fine needle.

"What are you doing?!" The captain tried to retreat, but the chains held him firmly in place.

Xiao did not answer. He simply lightly pressed his finger against the captain's chest. The chakra needle pierced through his skin and entered a tiny meridian node near his heart.

"This is the Hyuga Clan's 'Gentle Fist Mark.'" Xiao withdrew his hand. "For three months, your total chakra reserves will drop by thirty percent, and the power of your Lightning Release will be halved. After three months, the mark will fade on its own and leave no permanent damage."

"You—"

"This is a warning," Xiao interrupted. "Tell the Raikage that I took Orochimaru's things. If he wants them, he can come to Leaf Village and find me himself—assuming he dares."

Having said that, Xiao looked at Yumi again.

The female ninja instinctively shrank back.

But Xiao merely glanced at her before turning toward the cave exit.

"You're not putting a mark on me too?" Yumi could not help asking.

"No need." Without looking back, Xiao said, "You're not strong enough for me to waste the effort."

Those words hurt worse than any insult. Yumi's face instantly flushed red, but as she watched Xiao's receding back, she ultimately said nothing.

When he reached the cave entrance, Xiao stopped.

"Oh, right." He turned his face slightly, half of it concealed in shadow. "If you want to live, you'd better wait where you are for an hour before breaking free of those chains. The Curse Mark trap has a delayed trigger mechanism. If you force your way out now..."

He smiled and did not finish, but the meaning was obvious.

Then his figure merged into the darkness outside the cave and vanished.

Only the soft scrape of chains against rock remained in the cave, along with the heavy breathing of the two Hidden Cloud ninjas.

After a long time, Yumi finally asked softly, "Captain, are we... really just letting him go?"

The captain stared toward the cave entrance, complex emotions churning in his eyes—anger, humiliation, fear, and a trace of barely perceptible... wariness.

"What else can we do?" he said with a bitter smile. "We can't even move right now. And besides..."

He paused, lowering his voice further. "That Hyuga ninja is wrong. Very wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"His fighting style, his eyes, and those techniques he used..." The captain took a deep breath. "Those aren't things an ordinary member of the Hyuga Branch House should possess. They don't even... seem like things someone his age should possess."

Yumi fell silent.

She recalled what had just happened: Xiao appearing out of nowhere, breaking the captain's hand in one strike, dispelling Lightning Release from a distance, casually activating the traps, and finally suppressing the Curse Mark mutant with one hand.

Everything had flowed seamlessly, without a single unnecessary movement.

As if... all of this had been part of his plan from the beginning.

"Once we return to the village, report everything truthfully to Lord Raikage," the captain said, closing his eyes. "Include every trait of that Hyuga ninja. I have a feeling that this guy... will become one of Kumogakure's greatest future troubles."

Outside the cave, the night grew deeper.

Hyuga Xiao moved rapidly through the forest, his Byakugan maintaining surveillance at maximum range. Once he confirmed there were no pursuers, he slowed down and took the sealed container from his robes.

The black Seed slowly rotated inside the container, the patterns on its surface brightening and dimming like breathing.

[Active Curse Mark Seed acquired. Begin reverse analysis of the Caged Bird Seal?]

Begin, Xiao said inwardly.

A stream of information poured into his mind—the system's preliminary analysis of the Curse Mark's structure. Complex chakra circuits, precise neural junction points, and some kind of hidden "remote-control protocol" buried deep within...

Xiao absorbed the information while leaping between the treetops.

His expression remained calm, but something cold gleamed in his Byakugan.

At last, he could see the first light of hope for breaking the Caged Bird Seal.

And Kumogakure's involvement, though unexpected, was not necessarily entirely bad. At the very least, it let him know that other forces in the Shinobi World were watching Curse Mark techniques—perhaps, in the future, they could "cooperate."

Of course, it would be cooperation under his control.

Xiao looked up at the night sky. The moon was half-covered by clouds, casting down hazy light.

The moon... the true core of the Ancestral Shrine Barrier was there.

Once he broke the Caged Bird Seal, that would be his next target.

He quickened his pace, and his figure vanished into the depths of the forest.

Meanwhile, dozens of miles away in another direction, Elder Ko Hyuga was anxiously waiting with the remaining Branch House members for Xiao's scouting report.

What they did not know was that the "mediocre and gentle" Branch House youth in their eyes had just completed a plunder that could alter the fate of the entire Hyuga Clan.

And all of this had only just begun.