First Move

Konoha Hospital's white walls gleamed with a cold light beneath the afternoon sun.

Hyuga Xiao lay on a hospital bed, his left arm wrapped in thick bandages and a suitably pained expression on his face. Two medical ninja were speaking quietly at the neighboring bed, their voices carrying through the thin curtain.

"Trauma medicine has been getting used up a little too quickly lately."

"You noticed too? When I checked the inventory yesterday, three rolls of hemostatic bandages were missing, along with five jars of trauma ointment."

"Think some ninja have been fighting in private?"

"Who knows... But I heard ANBU has been making moves. It might have something to do with the border."

Hyuga Xiao kept his eyes closed and his breathing steady, but every word hammered into his mind like a nail.

Just as expected.

The intelligence provided by the system was correct. Hidden Cloud spies were already operating within Leaf Village. The abnormal consumption of trauma medicine meant they had begun probing operations and might even have clashed with some of Leaf Village's people already.

"Hyuga-kun, how are you feeling?"

The curtain was pulled aside, and a young medical ninja wearing round glasses poked her head in. Her name was Yakushi Nono, one of the few people in the hospital who treated Branch House ninja gently.

"Much better, thank you." Hyuga Xiao sat up and gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks to your treatment."

"It's only a normal sprain." Nono adjusted her glasses. "But you were far too reckless while practicing Gentle Fist, weren't you? You even strained the muscles in your arm."

"How can someone from the Branch House survive without working desperately hard?" Hyuga Xiao said softly, with just the right hint of bitterness in his tone.

Nono fell silent for a moment before finally sighing. "Get some proper rest. Come back tomorrow to have your medicine changed."

"Yes."

The curtain was drawn shut again.

The gentle expression on Hyuga Xiao's face vanished instantly, replaced by cold calculation.

Today's "accident" had been carefully arranged. While practicing Gentle Fist at the training grounds, he had deliberately exerted too much force during a variation of Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven, straining the muscles in his left arm. It was not serious, but it was enough to give him a legitimate reason to come to the hospital.

The cost was that he would be unable to fight at full strength with his left hand for three days.

But what did he gain?

First, he had confirmed that Hidden Cloud spies were already making their move.

Second, he had learned the flow of personnel through Konoha Hospital. Countless ninja came and went here every day, making it an excellent place to gather intelligence.

Third, he had created a "reasonable" excuse to leave frequently. It was perfectly normal for an injured Branch House member to come to the hospital regularly for medicine changes, and it would not arouse the Main House's suspicion.

"System," he silently called.

[Host]

"If I directly report Hidden Cloud's plot to Leaf Village's higher-ups right now, what are the chances of success?"

[Analyzing...]

[Based on existing intelligence: the host is a member of the Hyuga Branch House, bears the Caged Bird Seal on his forehead, and has a "low" trust rating within Leaf Village. If he reports directly, the possible outcomes are as follows:]

[1. The Main House learns of the information first and executes the host on the grounds of "leaking clan secrets" (72% probability)]

[2. Leaf Village's higher-ups suspect the source of the host's intelligence and interrogate him (18% probability)]

[3. The intelligence is accepted, but the credit goes to the Main House, and the host may be silenced (10% probability)]

A cold smile tugged at Hyuga Xiao's lips.

Just as expected.

In this world, where bloodline and status determined everything, the life of a Branch House member was worth less than a roll of hemostatic bandages. Even if he truly saved Hinata and Leaf Village, his ultimate fate would only be to be quietly disposed of by the Main House.

Just like his father.

He remembered that when he was seven, his father, a Branch House Elite Ninja, had been sent to the Land of Rain on a mission and never returned. The Main House claimed he had "died in battle," but Xiao later secretly checked the mission records. It had only been a C-rank escort mission. There was no way it could have killed a Hyuga Elite Ninja.

His mother went to the Main House to demand an explanation. Three days later, she was found drowned in a pond behind the Hyuga Clan Grounds.

"Accidental drowning."

Four words had erased a human life.

From that day onward, Hyuga Xiao understood that within this clan, the Branch House were not people. They were tools. Once worn out, they were discarded. Once disobedient, they were destroyed.

So he could not report it directly.

He needed a more elaborate setup.

One that could save Hinata, clear himself of suspicion, and even... allow him to gain the greatest possible benefit from it.

"System, bring up a terrain map of the area surrounding Konoha Hospital."

[Projected]

A translucent screen unfolded before him, marking the streets, buildings, and patrol routes around the hospital. Hyuga Xiao's gaze settled on the alley by the hospital's rear entrance. It connected the commercial district and residential area, with a complicated mix of people passing through. It was the ideal cover for spy activity.

He needed to take a look there.

"Miss Yakushi." Hyuga Xiao pulled aside the curtain, his gentle smile returning to his face. "I'd like to go to the restroom."

"Do you need me to support you?"

"No, I can manage on my own."

He slowly got out of bed, deliberately letting his left arm hang by his side and walking with slightly unsteady steps—the standard posture of an injured patient. As he crossed the corridor, he kept his head lowered, using the corner of his eye to scan everything around him.

Three Chunin were chatting in the waiting area, discussing the recent decline in mission rewards.

An ANBU member hurried past, the gaze beneath the mask sharp as a blade.

Two Genin from the medical corps pushed a medicine cart, its wheels making a faint scraping sound against the tiled floor.

He committed every detail to memory.

Konoha Hospital's rear entrance was quieter than he had expected. The afternoon sun was blocked by the tall buildings, leaving the alley somewhat dim. Several discarded crates of medical equipment were piled beside the trash bins, and the air carried a faint scent of disinfectant.

Hyuga Xiao stood at the doorway, pretending to stretch his injured left arm while actually expanding the range of his Byakugan vision.

Fifty meters.

One hundred meters.

Three hundred meters—

There.

At the entrance of a teahouse around the corner at the end of the alley, a man wearing a conical hat was speaking with the owner. He wore ordinary merchant's clothing, but his stance was straight, and the lines of his shoulder muscles were faintly visible beneath the fabric. More importantly, the web between his right thumb and forefinger was covered in thick calluses—the kind left by gripping kunai or swords over long periods.

The brim of his hat was pulled low, concealing most of his face.

But it was enough.

Hyuga Xiao withdrew his gaze and turned to return to his room. The instant he took a step—

The man in the conical hat moved.

He ended the conversation and headed toward the alley. His pace was neither hurried nor slow, but the distance between every step was precise, as though measured with a ruler. When he passed Hyuga Xiao, the two brushed shoulders.

An extremely faint smell of blood drifted into his nostrils.

It was not fresh blood, but the scent of blood that had dried and seeped into the fibers of the cloth. Mixed with it was the aroma of a certain medicinal herb—Hidden Cloud's specialized wound medicine. He had seen it described in the notes his father left behind.

The man in the conical hat did not pause and walked directly into the hospital.

Hyuga Xiao remained where he was, his heartbeat steady and his breathing normal.

But his mind was racing wildly.

The Hidden Cloud spy was injured, so he needed trauma medicine. They did not dare buy it from Leaf Village's legitimate pharmacies because ANBU monitored those places. But the hospital was different. Large numbers of ninja entered and exited every day, making precise accounting of medical supplies difficult. It was the easiest place to steal from.

And this spy dared to enter the hospital directly...

Either he had a false identity, or there was an insider in the hospital.

"System, record this person's chakra signature."

[Recorded: Chakra nature leans toward Lightning Release, level approximately Special Elite Ninja, aura shows traces of disguise]

A Special Elite Ninja-level spy.

Hidden Cloud was serious this time.

Hyuga Xiao slowly returned to his room and lay back down on the bed. The curtain closed, cutting off the outside world. He shut his eyes and began running through possibilities in his mind.

Hidden Cloud's target was Hinata.

The operation should take place within the next few days. Hinata would formally begin training as the Main House heir next month, and her security level would rise sharply then, making kidnapping her exponentially more difficult.

They needed an insider.

That insider might come from within the Hyuga Main House or from Leaf Village's higher-ups. But whoever it was had to meet one condition: they had to be able to temporarily disable part of the Hyuga Clan Grounds' defenses without triggering a large-scale alarm.

"Bring up the patrol schedule for the Hyuga Clan Grounds," he commanded inwardly.

The screen unfolded, marking the rotation times of twelve patrol points around the Main House compound. Xiao had spent three years gathering this intelligence through observation, inquiries, and even deliberately "getting lost" at certain times.

Every night from eight to ten was the gap during patrol shifts.

Six patrol points changed shifts simultaneously, and the entire process lasted fifteen minutes. During those fifteen minutes, the defenses on the northwestern side of the clan grounds had a brief weak point.

And that position happened to face Hinata's bedroom window.

"So that's how it is..."

Hyuga Xiao opened his eyes, and a cold glint flashed deep within them.

The Main House had transferred away six Branch House Elite Ninja not to reinforce their defenses, but to create a gap. Those six men had been sent in the direction of Hidden Cloud, most likely on some certain-death mission. It both depleted the Branch House's strength and created the conditions for Hidden Cloud's infiltration.

Killing two birds with one stone.

No, three birds with one stone.

If Hidden Cloud successfully kidnapped Hinata, the Hyuga Main House would certainly fly into a rage. At that point, all responsibility would be pushed onto the "negligent" Branch House. Another group of Branch House members would be executed or sent on certain-death missions.

And if the kidnapping failed?

The Hidden Cloud spy might be killed, but they might also be captured alive. After being tortured, would the spy "confess" that certain "Branch House members" were insiders?

Whether the operation succeeded or failed, the Branch House lost.

"What a brilliant scheme, Lord Hiashi."

Hyuga Xiao murmured, his voice cold as ice.

But he was not his father, nor was he one of those Branch House members who had resigned themselves to their fate.

He had the system, intelligence that let him see the future, and most importantly—he had the resolve to survive at any cost.

"System, issue a side mission: obtain the Hidden Cloud spies' detailed operation plan."

[Generating mission...]

[Side Mission: Clues]

[Objective: Within 48 hours, obtain at least three pieces of key intelligence, including the Hidden Cloud spies' infiltration route, operation time, and extraction method]

[Reward: Destiny Points ×200, Byakugan purity +2%, Caged Bird Seal removal progress +0.5%]

[Failure penalty: None (but the difficulty of the main mission, "Prevent the Kidnapping," will increase substantially)]

Hyuga Xiao stared at the words on the screen, and the corners of his mouth slowly curved upward.

Forty-eight hours.

That was enough.

He threw back the blanket, got out of bed, and walked to the window. Outside, Leaf Village's streets bustled beneath the sunlight. Children laughed and played, while ninja hurried past. Everything looked so peaceful, so beautiful.

But beneath that beautiful facade, undercurrents had already begun to surge.

Hidden Cloud's blade was aimed at Hinata.

The Main House's schemes were aimed at the Branch House.

And his blade...

Would be aimed at everyone who wanted him dead.

"Miss Yakushi." Hyuga Xiao pulled aside the curtain, his face once again wearing that gentle, even somewhat timid expression. "My injury seems to be feeling better. Can I be discharged early? I want to... go back and continue training."

Nono looked up at the pale-faced boy, pity flashing through her eyes. "Don't push yourself too hard."

"I won't. I'll be careful."

Hyuga Xiao bowed in thanks, then slowly walked out of the room.

The corridor lights were somewhat glaring.

He raised his right hand to shield his forehead—partly against the light, but also to hide the Caged Bird Seal on it.

The seal beneath his skin gave off a faint heat, like the Main House's eyes watching his every move.

But soon.

Once this incident was over, once he tore open a path to survival from this dead end, once his Byakugan purity rose high enough to resist the Curse Mark—

He would personally carve this "Caged Bird" from his forehead.

Step by step, Hyuga Xiao walked out of the hospital.

The afternoon sunlight spilled over him, stretching a long shadow across the ground.

The shadow was dark and deep.

Like a path leading toward an unpredictable future.