Shisui's Eyes

The liquid in the cultivation tank glowed a ghostly green.

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

Most shocking of all was the face.

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

"Shisui Uchiha."

Xiao's lips moved soundlessly.

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

But the official announcement had stated that Shisui Uchiha had thrown himself into a river and committed suicide 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 test subject, Number One."

The label affixed to the base of the cultivation tank bore those words in black ink, written with a neatness that was almost cruel. In the lower-right corner was another line in small print: "Status: Life maintained. Experimental value: S-rank."

The sound of metal clashing 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-secret mission."

"Yes!"

Three ANBU answered in unison.

Xiao's heart suddenly tightened.

He swept his eyes around—the area contained twelve cultivation tanks, and Shisui's was tucked away at the innermost end of the third row, relatively concealed. But the ANBU were clearing them from the first row onward. At this pace, they would reach this place in three minutes at most.

What should he do?

Snatch him directly?

Xiao's gaze fell on Shisui. This body was far too fragile. If the cultivation tank broke and those life-support tubes were forcibly pulled out, 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 eyes settled on the data port on the side of the cultivation tank.

A palm-sized black chip was inserted there, its indicator light flashing green at a steady rhythm. The label read: "Experimental record chip, Subject Number One, 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, an even crazier thought surged up—why did he have to choose only one?

He slowly exhaled and formed hand seals before his chest.

"Shadow Clone Technique."

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

"Who's there?!"

Kakashi shouted sharply.

Almost at the same instant, Clone Xiao kicked over an instrument 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 out three shuriken with a backhanded motion, precisely smashing the glass of two distant cultivation tanks. Green cultivation fluid gushed out as the two test subjects inside crashed to the floor with dull thuds.

"Stop him!" Kakashi's voice carried an unusual urgency.

Two ANBU lunged at the clone simultaneously.

Now.

The real Xiao moved.

He moved as fast as a shadow. The fingers of his right hand came together, chakra condensing at his fingertips into blades as thin as cicada wings—this was a variation of the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist, transforming chakra's penetrating properties into cutting power.

His fingertips swept across the data port.

"Hiss—"

The chip was cleanly severed and dropped into Xiao's palm. It felt cold, though its surface still retained the faint warmth of the running machinery.

But Xiao did not stop.

At the same time, his left hand pressed against the glass wall of the cultivation tank. His Byakugan vision opened fully, locking onto the life-support system at the bottom of the tank. The tubes, pumps, and sensors appeared in his vision with absolute clarity.

"Gentle Fist Method: Acupoint Strike."

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

It was an extraordinarily risky operation—using the vibrations of chakra through thick reinforced glass to affect delicate instruments within. Too much force could shatter Shisui's fragile internal organs; too little would accomplish nothing.

But Xiao did not hesitate.

For the past year, he had observed his own Caged Bird Seal every day with his Byakugan. The structure of those curse mark runes was ten times more complicated than this life-support system. He had grown accustomed to controlling chakra within the slightest margins, accustomed to finding the one path to survival in desperate circumstances.

"Click, click, click."

Three faint mechanical sounds came from inside the tank.

The cultivation fluid began draining automatically. The tubes attached to Shisui fell away one after another, while gelatinous substances quickly sealed the openings to prevent the loss of bodily fluids. The glass wall at the front of the tank slowly slid open to either side.

The entire process took only seven seconds.

By then, the fight at the other end of the laboratory had already reached a fever pitch.

Clone Xiao was barely holding on 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 as the three tomoe in his Sharingan slowly turned.

He was observing.

This suddenly appearing attacker—his movements, taijutsu, even the way his chakra flowed...

"The Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist." Kakashi muttered, his eyes suddenly sharpening. "But it isn't completely the same. It's simpler, more... lethal."

He suddenly looked up, his gaze passing over the chaotic battle toward the row of cultivation tanks in the depths of the laboratory.

"A diversion?"

Almost at the moment Kakashi realized it, the real Xiao had already lifted Shisui out of the cultivation tank.

The instant he touched him, Xiao frowned.

Too light.

The body was too light to belong to 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. At 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 genius became an experiment."

Xiao murmured as he swiftly pulled emergency medical bandages from his ninja tool pouch and tightly secured Shisui to his back. His movements were practiced, as though he had rehearsed them countless times—in truth, over the past three months, he had 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 prepare for the worst.

"Over there!"

Kakashi's shout finally rang out.

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

"Stop him!"

But they were already too late.

Xiao stomped hard against the ground, his body shooting toward the ventilation shaft at the rear of the laboratory like an arrow loosed from a bow. That was the escape route he had identified when he entered—the duct was wide enough for an adult to pass through, and it led directly to the forest beyond the base's perimeter.

"Don't even think about it!"

One ANBU flung out six kunai. The explosive tags tied to their handles burned in midair.

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

"Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!"

No, not the complete Revolving Heaven.

It was a reduced version, a chakra shield that covered only the one hundred and eighty degrees behind him. Blue-green chakra spun like a vortex, knocking all six kunai away. The explosive tags detonated outside the shield, and fire and smoke temporarily obscured the view.

By the time the smoke cleared, Xiao had already slipped into the ventilation shaft.

"Pursue!"

Kakashi's voice was cold as ice.

But just as the three ANBU prepared 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 through the air like a torrential storm.

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

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

The laboratory fell dead silent.

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

An ANBU walked over to inspect the collapse. After a moment, he turned back. "Captain, the passage is completely blocked. It can't be cleared anytime soon. Should we notify the perimeter forces to intercept him?"

Kakashi did not answer immediately.

He walked to the cultivation tank where Shisui had been and looked at the empty container, the neatly severed data port, and the footprints left on the ground.

The footprints were shallow, almost impossible to notice.

But Kakashi crouched and touched the dust along their edges with his fingers.

"His chakra control is extremely precise. He used chakra to cushion the force when he landed." Kakashi rose to his feet, a complicated look flickering in his single eye. "And he took the experimental data chip."

"Should we report this to Lord Hokage?" an ANBU asked.

Kakashi was silent for several seconds.

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

"Undetermined?"

"The opponent used the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist, but his movements were modified and better suited to real 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 exchanged looks.

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

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

He paused.

"He will appear again."

Deep in the forest, three meters underground.

The air inside the temporary cave Xiao had excavated using Earth Release was damp and stifling. He laid Shisui flat on a prepared emergency blanket, then pulled the black chip from his clothes.

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

Almost at the same time, a system notification 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 data for Orochimaru's Cursed Seal; 3. Shisui Uchiha physical function monitoring reports; 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 highly intertwined with multiple main storylines, including the "Uchiha Clan Massacre," "Rise of the Akatsuki Organization," and "Internal struggles within Konoha Village." 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 in his mind without the slightest hesitation:

"Continue."

Fear? Hesitation? Retreat?

Those emotions had died the day the Caged Bird Seal was carved onto his forehead. Now, every step he took was on the edge of a cliff, and every choice could doom him beyond redemption.

But so what?

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

He inserted the chip into the portable reader he carried with him. The screen lit up, dense data scrolling down like a waterfall. Xiao opened his Byakugan fully and read, memorized, and analyzed at more than ten times the speed of an ordinary person.

The success rate of Sharingan transplants... the rate at which curse marks eroded chakra pathways... the decline curve of Shisui's physical functions...

Every piece of data was a secret.

Every secret was a blade.

And what he had to do was grasp every one of those blades in his hand.

The screen's glow shone over Xiao's face, making his pure white eyes startlingly bright in the darkness. Shisui's breathing against his back was weak, but he was indeed still alive.

Faint sounds of searching drifted through the forest outside the cave.

Leaf Village's pursuers would arrive soon.

Xiao shut off the reader and tucked the chip close against his body. Then he carried Shisui onto 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 took one last look at the cave ceiling—there was nothing but soil and rock, yet it felt as if he could see through layer after layer of obstruction, toward Konoha Village, toward the Hyuga Clan compound, toward those lofty members of the Main House.

Just wait.

He whispered in his heart.

When I return, everything you have inflicted upon me—

I will repay tenfold.