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's trajectory was clearly imprinted in his mind.

Three li remained until the rendezvous point.

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 required more of Orochimaru's experimental data to advance.

"The price..." Xiao murmured.

Treating Kimimaro had cost him 15 Destiny Points, leaving him with only 42. Treating Shisui Uchiha would require a full 50 points—the system's reason 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 intercept another lesser luck-bearing female ninja, or exchange them for a trial card for Tenseigan Chakra Mode. As for Shisui... an Uchiha stripped of his eyes, burdened with a Curse Mark, and regarded as a rogue ninja by Leaf Village's higher-ups had limited value.

"Sorry, Body Flicker Shisui." Xiao adjusted the straps without expression. "Your fate ends here."

A chakra fluctuation came from ahead.

Three of them.

Within his Byakugan's vision, three chakra masses belonging to members of the Hyuga Branch House flickered inside a cave at the rendezvous point. One was especially weak—that was Ko Hyuga, the most seriously injured.

Xiao landed almost without a sound.

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

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

"Mission complete." Xiao gently set Kimimaro down. "The laboratory has been destroyed, and I got the data chip."

Shin and Ken exchanged a glance, a trace of relief flashing through their eyes. Four Branch House elites had been lost on this mission. Having three return alive was already fortunate.

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. "The Shikotsumyaku clan that was wiped out?"

"Exactly."

The cave fell silent for several seconds.

The campfire crackled, sparks splashing against the stone 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 outsider experimental subject?"

"He has value." Xiao's tone remained gentle. "Shikotsumyaku is a rare Kekkei Genkai. If he 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 abruptly tightened.

Shin and Ken instinctively took half a step back, their hands resting on their ninja tool pouches. They knew Ko's tone far too well—this was the sign that a Main House lackey was about to exercise his "privilege."

Xiao lowered his eyes, his hands hanging naturally at his sides as he assumed a submissive posture. "Lord Ko, I merely thought—"

"You thought?" Ko walked to Kimimaro's side and nudged the boy's abdomen with the tip of his foot. "An experimental subject from a laboratory should die in that laboratory. Bringing him out only creates a hidden danger."

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

Xiao's fingers curled slightly.

The campfire cast shifting shadows across his face, making those pure white eyes appear especially profound in 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 enunciated every word.

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 from Xiao's forehead, as if a red-hot iron needle had pierced through his brow and driven straight into the depths of his brain. He grunted and dropped to one knee, bracing both hands against the ground as his knuckles turned white from the force.

"Do you see now?" Ko looked down at him, his voice icy. "The Branch House is the Branch House. 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, Branch House members could be tortured beyond endurance. 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 at any time.

Xiao's breathing grew heavy.

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

Five seconds.

Ten seconds.

Ko finally released the hand seal.

Xiao collapsed onto the ground, gasping heavily, the veins on his forehead still throbbing.

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

Xiao slowly lifted his head.

His gaze remained calm, even carrying an appropriate trace of fear and obedience. But if anyone could see through that disguise, they would discover that something cold was congealing deep within those Byakugan.

"Yes, Lord Ko."

He rose and took sealing talismans and rope from his ninja tool pouch, then began binding Kimimaro. His movements were professional; every knot was tied at a vulnerable joint, and the sealing talismans were placed on the chest, abdomen, and limbs, completely locking down the flow of chakra.

Ko watched with satisfaction.

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

Xiao took out the thumb-sized data chip from his clothes and offered 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 encouragement, but paired with his current expression, it seemed more like charity.

"You did well. Once we return, I'll ask the Main House to reward you."

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

"However..." Ko abruptly changed the subject. "There's something I need to tell you in advance."

He leaned close to Xiao's ear, lowering his voice, though it was clear enough for everyone in the cave to hear.

"The Main House has decided that once this mission is over, they will carve the '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—this was a Curse Mark imposed only on Branch House members who had harbored "improper thoughts" toward the Main House. It was more stringent than the ordinary Caged Bird Seal, monitored more frequently, and inflicted more intense pain. Once branded, it meant that the Branch House member would be permanently marked as a "high-risk individual," with life and death entirely in the Main House's hands. Even their daily chakra flow would be monitored in real time.

"Why?" Xiao's voice trembled slightly.

"Why?" Ko smiled, his expression full of mockery. "Because you've been performing too 'brilliantly' lately, Xiao. Your performance during the Chunin Ninja Exams, your adaptability during this mission... the Main House believes they need to pay you more 'attention.'"

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

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

Xiao lowered his head, his bangs covering his eyes.

The campfire's light flickered across his face, shadows deepening and fading.

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

Ko noticed nothing amiss. 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."

"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 brushed inside his sleeve—a faint thread of chakra extended from within, its other end connected to the back of one of the sealing talismans on Kimimaro's chest.

On that talisman, in handwriting nearly invisible to the naked eye, was a single word:

"Wait."

After doing all that, Xiao went to a corner of the cave and began organizing his ninja tool pouch. His movements were slow and meticulous. He wiped every kunai clean and inspected the edge of every shuriken.

When Shin passed by, he glanced at him, as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.

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 gave Shin a gentle smile.

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

But deep within his Byakugan, that coldness continued to spread.

A Level-Two Caged Bird Seal?

Good.

Then let the Main House see what a beast would do when they thought they had locked it in a stronger cage... how it would bite through their throats.

Outside the cave, the sky was beginning to brighten.

The forest echoed with the crisp, vibrant calls of early-rising birds.

A new day was about to begin.

And Hyuga Xiao's war had only just begun.