Return and Interrogation

The night wind swept through the forest, carrying the damp scent of earth.

Hyuga Xiao carried the unconscious Kimimaro on his back as he moved soundlessly through the shadows of the trees. His Byakugan maintained a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree field of vision in the darkness; every trembling branch and every falling leaf was clearly etched into his mind.

The rendezvous point was still three li away.

He lowered his head and glanced at the boy on his back. Kimimaro's breathing had stabilized, but the black patterns of the Curse Mark still flickered beneath his skin like some living parasite. The system's development progress for the "Cursed Seal Simulation Technique" remained at 23%; it needed more of Orochimaru's experimental data to advance.

"The cost..." Xiao muttered.

Treating Kimimaro had consumed 15 Destiny Points, leaving him with only 42. Treating Shisui Uchiha, meanwhile, required a full 50—the system's explanation was: "Interfering with the fate of a key figure in the Uchiha Clan massacre will trigger massive karmic backlash."

He chose to give up.

It was not cruelty. It was calculation. Fifty Destiny Points were enough for him to poach another lesser-fortune kunoichi, or exchange them for a trial card for Tenseigan Chakra Mode. As for Shisui... an Uchiha Clan member who had lost both eyes, bore a Curse Mark, and was regarded by Leaf Village's upper ranks as a rogue ninja had limited value.

"Sorry, Shisui of the Body Flicker." Xiao adjusted the strap across his shoulder without expression. "Your fate ends here."

Chakra fluctuations came from ahead.

Three of them.

Within his Byakugan's vision, three chakra signatures from the Hyuga Branch House flickered inside a cave at the rendezvous point. One of them was especially weak—that was Ko Hyuga, the most seriously wounded.

Xiao landed almost without a sound.

Carrying Kimimaro, he entered the cave. A small campfire burned within, its light dancing across the rock walls. Ko Hyuga sat slumped against the cave wall, his left shoulder wrapped in a blood-soaked bandage, his face as pale as paper. The other two Branch House members—Hyuga Shin and Hyuga Ken—stood guard warily on either side of the entrance.

"You're back?" Ko raised his eyelids, his voice hoarse.

"Mission complete." Xiao gently laid Kimimaro on the ground. "The laboratory has been destroyed, and I obtained the data chip."

Shin and Ken exchanged a glance, and a hint of relief flashed through their eyes. This mission had cost them four Branch House elites. Having three men return alive was already a stroke of luck.

But Ko's gaze remained fixed on Kimimaro lying on the ground.

"Who is this?"

"An experimental subject from the laboratory," Xiao replied calmly. "Orochimaru used living people for Kekkei Genkai research. This child is a survivor of the Kaguya Clan."

"Kaguya..." Ko's pupils contracted slightly. "That Dead Bone Pulse clan that was wiped out?"

"Exactly."

The cave fell silent for several seconds.

The campfire crackled, and sparks splashed against the rock wall before instantly going out.

Ko slowly rose to his feet. Though the movement tugged at his wound and brought cold sweat to his forehead, his eyes sharpened. "Hyuga Xiao, what do you mean by bringing back an experimental subject from another clan?"

"He has value." Xiao's tone remained mild. "Dead Bone Pulse is a rare Kekkei Genkai. If it can be controlled—"

"Controlled?" Ko cut him off, his lips curling into a mocking smile. "What right does a Branch House member like you have to speak of 'control'?"

The atmosphere tightened instantly.

Shin and Ken instinctively stepped back half a pace, their hands moving to their ninja tool pouches. They knew Ko's tone too well—this was the sign that a lackey of the Main House was preparing to exercise his "privilege."

Xiao lowered his eyes, letting his hands hang naturally at his sides in a submissive posture. "Lord Ko, I merely thought—"

"You thought?" Ko walked over to Kimimaro and nudged the boy's side with the tip of his foot. "Experimental subjects from a laboratory should die in that laboratory. Bringing one out only creates trouble."

He raised his head and stared at Xiao. "Hand him over."

Xiao's fingers curled slightly.

Firelight cast shifting shadows across his face, making his pale eyes seem especially deep beneath the darkness.

"Lord Ko, this child bears Orochimaru's Curse Mark and requires special methods to suppress it." Xiao lowered his voice further, with just the right amount of pleading. "I happened to learn some methods from the laboratory data. Perhaps I can—"

"I said, hand him over." Ko spoke each word distinctly.

He raised his right hand, pressing his index and middle fingers together to form a simple hand seal.

Caged Bird Seal.

A stabbing pain suddenly erupted in Xiao's forehead, like a red-hot iron needle piercing in from between his brows and driving straight into the depths of his brain. He let out a muffled groan and dropped to one knee, bracing both hands against the ground. His knuckles turned white from the force.

"Do you see now?" Ko looked down at him, his voice icy. "A Branch House member is a Branch House member. Everything you have—your body, your ninjutsu, even this stray dog you picked up—belongs to the Main House."

Shin and Ken turned their heads away.

They had seen it too many times. At a single thought from the Main House, the Branch House would suffer agony worse than death. Resist? The Caged Bird Seal was directly linked to the brain's nerves. The Main House could cause a Branch House member's brain death whenever they wished.

Xiao's breathing grew heavy.

The pain in his forehead came in waves, as though someone were slowly scraping his skull with a dull blade. He clenched his teeth as sweat slid down from his temples and dripped onto the dust of the cave floor, blooming into dark spots.

Five seconds.

Ten seconds.

Ko finally released the seal.

Xiao slumped onto the ground, gasping for breath, while the veins on his forehead continued to throb.

"Now," Ko said, "tie up this child and seal his chakra. Once we return to Leaf Village, I'll report his value to the Main House—of course, the credit will be mine."

Xiao slowly raised his head.

His gaze remained calm, even carrying a trace of appropriately measured fear and obedience. But if anyone could see through that mask, they would find something cold beginning to solidify deep within those Byakugan eyes.

"Yes, Lord Ko."

He rose to his feet, took sealing tags and rope from his ninja tool pouch, and began binding Kimimaro. His movements were practiced; every knot was tied at a critical joint, and sealing tags were placed over the chest, abdomen, and limbs, thoroughly locking down the flow of chakra.

Ko watched with satisfaction.

Only after Xiao finished did he speak. "Where's the chip?"

Xiao took the thumb-sized data chip from his clothes and presented it with both hands.

Ko accepted the chip, inspected it carefully, then tucked it into an inner pocket. He patted Xiao on the shoulder—an action that should have been encouraging, but paired with his current expression, it felt more like a handout.

"Not bad. When we get back, I'll ask the Main House to reward you."

Xiao lowered his head. "Thank you, Lord Ko."

"However..." Ko shifted his tone. "There's something you should be told in advance."

He leaned close to Xiao's ear, lowering his voice, yet speaking clearly enough for everyone in the cave to hear.

"The Main House has decided that after this mission, they'll carve a Level-Two Caged Bird Seal onto you."

Xiao's body stiffened.

Shin and Ken both sucked in a sharp breath.

The Level-Two Caged Bird Seal—only Branch House members who had harbored "improper thoughts" toward the Main House would be subjected to that Curse Mark. It was tighter than the ordinary Caged Bird Seal, monitored more frequently, and inflicted more intense pain. Once branded, it meant the Branch House member would be permanently marked as a "high-risk individual," with life and death completely controlled by the Main House. Even their ordinary chakra flow would be monitored in real time.

"Why?" Xiao's voice trembled slightly.

"Why?" Ko smiled, his expression filled with mockery. "Because you've been performing too 'outstandingly' lately, Xiao. Your showing during the Chunin Exams, your adaptability on this mission... The Main House believes they need to pay you more 'attention.'"

He patted Xiao's cheek, the gesture as flippant as if he were patting a dog.

"Don't worry. As long as you remain loyal, the Level-Two Caged Bird Seal won't kill you. It'll merely... make you understand your place more clearly."

Xiao lowered his head, his bangs obscuring his eyes.

The campfire's light flickered across his face, casting shadows of varying depth.

"I understand," he said, his voice frighteningly calm.

Ko noticed nothing unusual. He turned toward the cave entrance and instructed Shin and Ken, "Pack up. We leave for Leaf Village before dawn. This child..." He glanced at Kimimaro, who had been tied up like a dumpling. "I'll escort him myself."

"Yes."

Shin and Ken began packing their gear.

Xiao stood where he was, watching Ko's back. His right hand slowly rose, and his fingertips lightly traced a line within his sleeve—a thin thread of chakra extended from the cuff, its other end connected to the back of one of the sealing tags on Kimimaro's chest.

On that tag, written in strokes nearly invisible to the naked eye, was a single word:

"Wait."

After finishing this, Xiao walked to a corner of the cave and began sorting through his ninja tool pouch. His movements were slow and meticulous. He wiped every kunai clean and checked the edge of every shuriken.

When Shin passed by, he glanced at Xiao and seemed to want to say something.

In the end, he merely sighed and said quietly, "Xiao, endure it. We're all Branch House members. This is our fate."

Xiao looked up and offered Shin a gentle smile.

"I know," he said. "I've always known."

But deep within his Byakugan, that chill was spreading.

Level-Two Caged Bird Seal?

Good.

Then let the Main House see what happens when they think they've trapped a beast in a stronger cage... what that beast will use to bite through their throats.

Outside the cave, the sky was beginning to brighten.

The forest filled with the crisp, lively calls of early-rising birds.

A new day was about to begin.

And Hyuga Xiao's war had only just begun.