Shisui's Eyes

The liquid in the cultivation tank gave off a ghostly green glow.

Hyuga Xiao held his breath, his Byakugan vision piercing through the thick glass and reflecting every detail of the body inside into his mind—the pale skin covered in stitching, the faint, rhythmic rise and fall of the chest, and the three life-support tubes inserted into the neck.

Most shocking of all was the face.

Though swollen from prolonged immersion, that distinctive spiky hair, high nose bridge, and small scar on the left cheek...

"Shisui Uchiha."

Xiao's lips moved soundlessly.

He remembered that face. Three years ago, when Konoha held its Chunin promotion ceremony, this Uchiha Clan genius had attended as an examiner. At the time, Shisui stood beside the Third Hokage, wearing a gentle smile and clear-eyed expression. Known throughout the village as Body Flicker Shisui, he had been a symbol of easing relations between the Uchiha Clan and the village.

Yet the official notice claimed that Shisui Uchiha had drowned himself in a river a year ago.

His body had never been found.

Xiao's gaze slowly lowered to Shisui's tightly shut eyelids. Through Byakugan: X-Ray Vision, he could clearly see the structure within the eye sockets—the depths were completely empty, the optic nerves neatly severed, their remaining ends already healed and scabbed over.

"Sharingan Transplant Experiment Subject No. 1."

These words were written in black ink on the label attached to the base of the tank, the handwriting so neat it was almost cold. In the lower-right corner was another line in small print: "Status: Life sustained. Experimental value: S-rank."

The sound of metal striking metal came from the other end of the laboratory.

Kakashi's voice carried through several rows of cultivation tanks. "Move quickly. Destroy every test subject and take all data chips. Remember, this is a top-level classified mission."

"Yes!"

The three ANBU answered in unison.

Xiao's heart suddenly tightened.

He scanned the surroundings—there were twelve cultivation tanks in this area, and Shisui's was hidden deep within the third row. But the ANBU were clearing them starting from the first row. At this pace, they would reach this place in three minutes at most.

What should he do?

Snatch the man directly?

Xiao's eyes fell on Shisui. This body was too frail. Once the cultivation tank broke and those life-support tubes were forcibly removed, Shisui might not last thirty seconds. And carrying an unconscious adult male, there was no way he could escape Kakashi and three ANBU.

Then...

Xiao's gaze shifted to the data port on the side of the cultivation tank.

A palm-sized black chip was inserted there, its indicator light blinking green at a steady pace. The label read, "Experimental Record Chip—Subject No. 1—Complete Data."

"If I can't take the person, I'll at least take the data."

The thought flashed through Xiao's mind.

But immediately afterward, another, even crazier idea surged up.

Why did he have to choose only one?

He slowly let out a breath and formed hand seals in front of his chest.

"Shadow Clone Technique."

A faint ripple of chakra spread through the air, and another Xiao appeared at his side. The clone nodded at him, then turned and rushed toward the equipment racks on the other side of the laboratory.

"Who's there?!"

Kakashi's sharp shout rang out.

Almost at the same time, Clone Xiao kicked over an equipment rack. The sound of glassware shattering exploded through the sealed space. An ANBU instantly appeared at the source of the noise, a kunai stabbing straight for the clone's throat.

The clone twisted aside, then flung three shuriken backhandedly, accurately smashing the glass of two distant cultivation tanks. Green cultivation fluid burst out, and the two test subjects inside crashed onto the floor with dull thuds.

"Stop him!" Kakashi's voice carried a rare urgency.

Two ANBU pounced on the clone at once.

Now.

The real Xiao moved.

He was as fast as a shadow. The fingers of his right hand came together, chakra condensing at his fingertips into a blade as thin as cicada wings—an altered form of the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist Technique, transforming chakra's penetrating quality into cutting power.

His fingertips swept across the data port.

"Sshk—"

The chip was cleanly sliced free and fell into Xiao's palm. It felt icy cold, though its surface still retained the residual warmth of the operating device.

But Xiao did not stop moving.

His left hand pressed against the glass wall of the cultivation tank as his Byakugan vision opened fully, locking onto the life-support system beneath the tank. The structures of the tubes, pumps, and sensors were all laid bare in his vision.

"Gentle Fist Method: Acupoint Strike."

His index, middle, and ring fingers tapped lightly against the glass at speeds too fast for the eye to follow. Every tap landed precisely on a corresponding control node outside the tank.

This was an extremely risky operation—using vibrations of chakra through thick reinforced glass to affect delicate instruments inside. Too much force might shatter Shisui's fragile organs; too little, and it would achieve nothing.

But Xiao did not hesitate.

For the past year, he had used his Byakugan every day to observe his own Caged Bird Seal. The structure of those curse-mark runes was ten times more complicated than this life-support system. He had grown accustomed to controlling chakra down to the finest degree, accustomed to searching for that single path to survival in desperate situations.

"Click, click, click."

Three faint sounds of internal mechanisms turning came from inside the tank.

The cultivation fluid began draining automatically. The tubes connected to Shisui fell away one after another, while gel-like substances quickly sealed the openings to prevent the loss of bodily fluids. The glass wall at the front of the tank slowly slid apart.

The entire process took only seven seconds.

Meanwhile, the battle at the other end of the laboratory had reached a fever pitch.

Clone Xiao was struggling under the combined assault of two ANBU, and three wounds had already appeared on his body. Kakashi did not join the attack. Instead, he stood at the perimeter, his exposed right eye fixed on the battle, the three tomoe of his Sharingan slowly turning.

He was observing.

This sudden attacker's movements, taijutsu, even the way his chakra flowed...

"The Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist Technique." Kakashi muttered, his gaze suddenly sharpening. "But it's not quite the same. More concise, more... lethal."

He abruptly raised his head, looking beyond the chaotic battle toward the row of cultivation tanks deep in the laboratory.

"A diversion?"

Almost the instant Kakashi realized this, the real Xiao had already lifted Shisui out of the cultivation tank.

The moment he touched him, Xiao frowned.

Too light.

This body was far too light for an adult male. His skin was cold and his muscles atrophied. If not for the faint rise and fall of his chest, he would have been no different from a corpse. On the back of Shisui's neck was a thumb-sized black curse mark shaped like a coiled snake—Orochimaru's Cursed Seal, and the most primitive, unmodified version at that.

"Even an Uchiha Clan genius became an experiment."

Xiao murmured as he swiftly took emergency medical bandages from his ninja pouch and firmly secured Shisui to his back. His movements were as practiced as if he had rehearsed them countless times—in truth, over the past three months, he had indeed simulated every kind of rescue and evacuation scenario in his mind.

Because he knew that in this world, if he wanted to survive, if he wanted to protect anything, he had to be prepared for the worst.

"Over there!"

Kakashi's shout finally rang out.

The two ANBU turned at once. The instant they saw Xiao carrying Shisui, their pupils contracted sharply.

"Stop him!"

But it was already too late.

Xiao stomped heavily on the ground with his right foot, shooting toward the ventilation duct at the rear of the laboratory like an arrow released from its bow. It was the escape route he had identified when he entered—the duct was wide enough for an adult to pass through and led directly to the forest outside the base.

"Don't even think about it!"

An ANBU flicked six kunai toward him. Explosive Tags tied to their handles ignited in midair.

Without looking back, Xiao swept his left hand behind him.

"Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!"

No, not the complete Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven.

It was a reduced version, a chakra shield covering only the one-hundred-eighty-degree arc behind him. Blue-green chakra spun like a vortex, knocking all six kunai away. The Explosive Tags detonated beyond the shield, and fire and smoke briefly obscured the view.

By the time the smoke cleared, Xiao had already crawled into the ventilation duct.

"Pursue him!"

Kakashi's voice was as cold as ice.

But just as the three ANBU were about to give chase, Clone Xiao's low laughter came from deep within the laboratory.

"Explode."

"BOOM—!!!"

The clone self-destructed.

A violent chakra shockwave erupted from the clone, blasting away all the instruments and cultivation tanks within five meters. Green cultivation fluid, shattered glass, and twisted metal parts scattered everywhere like a torrential rain.

Kakashi formed a seal with one hand. "Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

A stone wall rose from the ground, blocking most of the blast. But when the stone wall fell, the entrance to the ventilation duct had already been completely buried beneath the collapsed ceiling.

The laboratory fell silent.

Only the sizzling of short-circuited equipment remained, along with the drip-drip of cultivation fluid falling to the floor.

An ANBU walked to the collapsed area to inspect it. A moment later, he turned back. "Captain, the passage is completely blocked. It can't be cleared quickly. Should we notify the outer forces to intercept them?"

Kakashi did not answer immediately.

He walked to the cultivation tank where Shisui had been held, looking at the empty container, the cleanly severed data port, and the footprints left on the floor.

The prints were shallow, almost impossible to notice.

But Kakashi crouched down and touched the dust along the edge of one with his fingers.

"His chakra control is extremely precise. He used chakra to cushion the impact when he landed." Kakashi stood, a complicated expression flashing through his one eye. "And he took the experimental data chip."

"Do we need to report this to the Hokage?" an ANBU asked.

Kakashi was silent for several seconds.

"Report it," he said. "But regarding the attacker's identity... keep it uncertain for now."

"Uncertain?"

"He used the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist Technique, but his movements have been modified. They're more suited to actual combat." Kakashi spoke slowly. "And he rescued Shisui Uchiha. Why would someone from the Hyuga Branch House risk his life to save an Uchiha traitor?"

The ANBU looked at one another.

Kakashi turned around and looked toward the cultivation tanks deeper in the laboratory that had yet to be destroyed. The test subjects floated silently within the ghostly green light, like corpses awaiting judgment.

"The secrets hidden in this base run deeper than we imagined," he said quietly. "Finish the destruction mission first. As for that attacker..."

He paused.

"He'll appear again."

Deep in the forest, three meters underground.

The air was damp and stifling inside the temporary cave Xiao had created with Earth Release. He laid Shisui flat on a spread emergency blanket, then took the black chip from his clothes.

The chip gleamed with a metallic sheen in the dim light.

At almost the same time, the system prompt sounded in his mind:

[High-value fate-interference item detected: Shisui Uchiha experimental data chip]

[Analyzing item...]

[Analysis complete]

[Contained information: 1. Complete records of Sharingan transplant experiments; 2. Original version data for Orochimaru's Cursed Seal; 3. Shisui Uchiha physical function monitoring report; 4. Suspected analysis fragment of the Mangekyō Sharingan ability "Kotoamatsukami"]

[Fate chain reaction triggered]

[Current interference target: Shisui Uchiha (alive)]

[Estimated fate reversal magnitude: 47%]

[Warning: This target's fate line is deeply intertwined with multiple main threads, including the Uchiha Clan Massacre, the rise of the Akatsuki Organization, and Konoha's internal conflict. Forced interference may trigger large-scale fate backlash]

[Continue?]

Xiao looked at the prompts, and a cold curve slowly formed at the corner of his mouth.

"Backlash?"

He softly repeated the word, then chose without hesitation in his mind:

"Continue."

Fear? Hesitation? Retreat?

Those emotions had died on the day the Caged Bird Seal was carved into his forehead. Now, every step he took was at the edge of a cliff, every choice capable of leading to utter ruin.

But so what?

If this world was destined to crush him, then before it did, he would tear open this world's throat.

He inserted the chip into the portable reader he carried with him. The screen lit up, dense streams of data scrolling like a waterfall. Xiao opened his Byakugan fully, reading, memorizing, and analyzing at ten times an ordinary person's speed.

The success rate of Sharingan transplants... the erosion rate of curse marks on the chakra pathways... the curve of Shisui's declining physical functions...

Every piece of data was a secret.

Every secret was a blade.

And all he had to do was grasp every one of those blades in his hands.

The screen's glow fell across Xiao's face, making his pure white eyes shine strikingly in the darkness. Shisui's breathing was weak behind him, but he was truly still alive.

Faint sounds of searching came from the forest outside the cave.

Konoha's pursuers would arrive soon.

Xiao turned off the reader and tucked the chip close to his body. Then he carried Shisui on his back and formed hand seals.

"Earth Release: Subterranean Passage Technique."

His body slowly sank into the ground, like a drop of water merging into the sea.

Before disappearing, he gave the ceiling of the cave one last look—there was only soil and rock there, yet it seemed as if he could see through layer upon layer of obstruction, toward Konoha, toward the Hyuga Clan compound, toward those lofty members of the Main House.

Just wait.

He whispered inwardly.

When I return, everything you forced upon me—

I will repay tenfold.