Nighttime Reconnaissance and Discovery

Night fell like thick ink, slowly engulfing Konoha Village.

Hyuga Xiao stood by the window of the Branch House dormitory, watching the lights of the Main House estate go out one by one in the distance. He had changed into a coarse, dark-gray outfit. The fabric brushed against his skin with a rough texture. It was an old uniform discarded by the Branch House patrol squads, dark enough to blend into the night and quiet enough not to rustle while moving.

The system panel unfolded before his eyes:

[Current Main Quest: Prevent the Hidden Cloud Envoy Delegation from kidnapping Hinata within seven days (Time Remaining: 5 days, 23 hours)]

[Temporary skill activated: Breath Concealment (Trial Card) · Duration: 30 seconds · Cooldown: 12 hours]

[Warning: If you actively attack or move strenuously while the skill is active, the concealment effect will fail]

Xiao lightly tapped the windowsill with his fingertips, the rhythm as steady as a heartbeat. While changing his bandages at the hospital that afternoon, he had "accidentally" overheard the medical team chatting—three Branch House patrol squads had been temporarily assigned to guard the perimeter of the Hokage Tower tonight, supposedly to "strengthen security during the envoy delegation's visit."

The Main House's excuse sounded perfectly legitimate.

But Xiao knew Hiashi was deliberately creating a gap in their defenses.

The patrol gap along the eastern wall would last from the Hour of the Boar to the Hour of the Rat, a full two hours. For well-trained Hidden Cloud spies, that was more than enough time to scale the wall, seize someone, and retreat.

"What a fine scheme," Xiao muttered, his voice as cold as frost on a winter night.

He pushed open the window, and the night wind rushed in, carrying the damp scent of grass and trees unique to Konoha's forests. A few barks echoed in the distance before quickly falling silent again. Xiao drew in a breath, then flipped out the window like a fallen leaf. His toes touched down first, his knees bending slightly to absorb the impact without a sound.

The streets were deserted.

Xiao moved along the shadows at the base of the walls, quietly activating his Byakugan in the darkness. His vision turned black and white, and the flow of chakra became as clear as ripples in water. Within three hundred meters, he could "see" three Branch House ninja on patrol, their routes fixed and their intervals predictable.

Avoiding them would not be difficult.

The difficult part was following that straw-hat merchant without being noticed.

Xiao circled around to the alley behind the teahouse, the location old Hizou had told him about that afternoon—the merchant passed through here around the Hour of the Boar every night, heading toward the Forest of Death. Xiao crouched behind a pile of wooden crates and slowed his breathing until it nearly stopped.

Time passed second by second.

The first quarter of the Hour of the Boar.

Footsteps approached.

There was more than one person.

In Xiao's Byakugan vision, two glowing clusters of chakra were drawing near. One blazed like fire, a typical trait of a Lightning Release ninja; the other was dim and unclear, its chakra flow strange, as though it had been deliberately concealed by some technique.

Two people.

Xiao's pupils narrowed slightly.

The straw-hat merchant walked in front, still wearing that broad-brimmed hat. Behind him followed a tall, thin man dressed in an ordinary dark-blue kimono, though a short blade hung at his waist—the sheath was the matte black used exclusively by Hidden Cloud ANBU.

The two said nothing. After exchanging a glance, they headed straight toward the Forest of Death.

Xiao waited until they were fifty meters away before rising from the shadows.

Tracking was a technical art.

Too close, and he would be discovered; too far, and he would lose them. Using the Byakugan, Xiao kept the two men at the edge of his vision. He moved only through natural cover—rooftops, tree shadows, wall corners—timing his footsteps to match the sound of the wind.

The edge of the Forest of Death drew closer and closer.

The outlines of towering trees resembled crouching monsters in the night. Xiao smelled rotting leaves and wet soil in the air, while the ground beneath his feet became softer and looser. He stopped and watched the two men enter the forest.

Should he go in or not?

Visibility would be limited inside the forest, and even the Byakugan would be obstructed by the dense trees. But if he did not follow them inside, he would never know what they were plotting.

Xiao gritted his teeth and followed.

The forest was darker inside than outside. Moonlight was sliced into fragments by layers of overlapping canopies, scattering mottled patches of light over the ground. In Xiao's Byakugan vision, the two chakra clusters stopped a hundred meters ahead.

They met beneath a giant tree that would have taken three people to encircle.

A third person appeared.

Xiao held his breath and hid behind a thick cluster of bushes. His Byakugan spun at full force, his vision piercing through layer after layer of branches to lock onto the three figures.

The straw-hat merchant removed his hat.

He had a typical Hidden Cloud face—dark skin, high cheekbones, and an old scar beneath his left eye. When he spoke, he kept his voice very low, but Xiao's chakra-enhanced hearing barely caught fragments of it.

"...The time is set... Hour of the Boar... eastern wall..."

The tall, thin man nodded and pulled out a scroll from his robes. He spread it open. Fine ink lines formed a detailed map—the floor plan of the Hyuga Main House Estate. He pointed at the eastern wall, then traced a retreat route leading straight into the depths of the Forest of Death.

The third person kept his back to Xiao the entire time.

But Xiao saw what hung from his waist—a metal badge engraved with cloud patterns. It was the insignia of an official member of the Hidden Cloud Envoy Delegation.

"Has the inside man been arranged?" the straw-hat merchant asked.

The man facing away nodded, his voice hoarse. "There'll be a patrol gap for two hours. But on Hiashi Hyuga's side..."

"Hiashi wants to use our hands to clean out the Branch House." The tall, thin man sneered. "He deliberately leaves an opening, then afterward he can blame the Branch House guards for inadequate protection. We kidnap the Main House's young lady, and he can 'grief-strickenly' sacrifice a few Branch House Elite Ninja to give the Leaf Village higher-ups an explanation. Killing two birds with one stone."

"Stupid Main House." The straw-hat merchant spat. "They think they can use us? Once Hinata reaches Hidden Cloud, her Byakugan will be ours. Then the Hyuga Clan..."

Xiao did not hear the rest.

Because his foot stepped on a dead branch.

Crack.

The sound rang sharply through the silent forest.

All three figures turned at once.

For that instant, Xiao's heart nearly stopped. He could feel six gazes sweeping over the bushes where he hid like blades. The tall, thin man already had a hand on his sword hilt, while lightning flickered around the straw-hat merchant's fingertips.

Run?

Too late. There were three of them, and at least two were Elite Ninja level.

Fight?

Certain death. Once his Branch House identity was exposed, the Main House would be the first to silence him.

Countless thoughts flashed through Xiao's mind before finally settling on the gray skill icon on the system panel.

[Breath Concealment (Trial Card) · Available]

There was no time to hesitate.

Xiao silently recited in his heart, "Activate."

A chill rose from his spine and rapidly spread through his body. He could feel his chakra fluctuations being forcibly suppressed to their lowest point. The sounds of his breathing, heartbeat, even the flow of blood through his veins disappeared. His whole body seemed to merge with the surrounding shadows, becoming a lifeless stone.

He maintained his crouched position and did not even dare blink.

Footsteps approached.

The tall, thin man was the first to reach the bushes. His blade was already half-drawn, its edge glinting coldly under the moonlight. The straw-hat merchant followed behind him, forming hand seals with both hands, ready to unleash Lightning Release at any moment.

They were only three steps away from Xiao.

Xiao could smell sweat and leather on them. The tall, thin man's gaze swept across the bushes, and Xiao could even see moonlight reflected in his pupils.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

The tall, thin man frowned and turned to the straw-hat merchant. "Probably an animal."

"Stay cautious." The straw-hat merchant did not relax. He crouched and touched the ground with his fingers. The broken branch Xiao had stepped on left clear traces behind.

Cold sweat seeped from Xiao's temple.

But Breath Concealment was still active. That drop of sweat did not fall. Instead, some force evaporated it into invisible chakra particles.

"The footprints are shallow." The straw-hat merchant stood. "Not much weight. Probably a fox or wildcat."

Only then did the tall, thin man sheathe his blade. "Let's go. The mission comes first."

The two turned and left.

Xiao remained completely still.

Only after the three chakra clusters disappeared entirely beyond the limits of his Byakugan vision, only after the forest was once again filled with nothing but insects and wind, did he slowly release the breath he had held for too long.

The effect of Breath Concealment ended at that very moment.

[Temporary skill has entered cooldown: 11 hours, 59 minutes, 58 seconds]

Xiao slumped into the bushes. The fabric on his back had been soaked through with cold sweat, clinging to his skin with an icy touch. He raised a hand to wipe his face, his fingertips trembling slightly.

Not from fear.

From excitement.

That feeling of brushing past death just now was like a powerful drug injected into his veins. Xiao could feel his heartbeat accelerating, his blood boiling, something suppressed for far too long breaking through the soil.

He slowly rose and walked beneath the giant tree.

There were footprints on the ground, as well as marks left by the scroll when it had been spread open. Xiao crouched and dipped a finger into the dirt—mixed within it were extremely fine metal particles, traces left by Hidden Cloud's specially made ink.

He closed his eyes, replaying the conversation he had just heard.

"Three days from now, Hour of the Boar. Target: Hyuga Main House Estate, eastern wall."

"Hiashi wants to use our hands to clean out the Branch House."

"Once Hinata reaches Hidden Cloud, her Byakugan will be ours."

Every sentence was a puzzle piece, assembling into a complete picture of conspiracy.

The corner of Xiao's mouth slowly curved upward.

Cold.

Sharp.

He turned and left the Forest of Death. His steps were lighter than before, yet steadier. The night wind swept through the treetops with a rustling sound, as though playing the overture to an approaching storm.

By the time he returned to the Branch House dormitory, it was near the end of the Hour of the Rat.

Xiao did not light a lamp. By moonlight, he spread a sheet of paper across the table. Using charcoal, he wrote several key phrases.

[Three days from now · Hour of the Boar · Eastern wall]

[Three Hidden Cloud spies: Straw-hat merchant (scar), tall thin man (ANBU short blade), envoy delegation member (cloud-pattern badge)]

[Hiashi cooperates · creates patrol gap · frames Branch House]

[Target: Kidnap Hinata · seize the Byakugan]

At this point, Xiao's pen paused.

Then, in smaller writing at the bottom-right corner of the page, he added one more line.

[My opportunity.]

Yes, an opportunity.

Hidden Cloud wanted to kidnap Hinata, while Hiashi wanted to kill with a borrowed blade. Both sides were scheming, both believing themselves to be players moving the pieces.

But they did not know there was still an inconspicuous insect crouching in the corner of the board—an insect ready to overturn the entire board at any time.

Xiao rolled up the paper and walked to the brazier in the corner. The charcoal fire had long gone out, leaving behind only a pile of pale-gray embers. He gathered a wisp of chakra at his fingertips and rubbed them lightly. Sparks flew, and the paper caught fire.

The flames danced, casting shifting light and shadow across Xiao's face.

He watched the paper curl in the fire, blacken, and turn to ash. His eyes remained as calm as a deep pool.

"Three days left,"

Xiao said softly.

Three days were enough for him to do many things.

For example, find out the envoy delegation member's exact identity.

For example, prepare a few "surprises" near the eastern wall of the Hyuga Main House Estate in advance.

Or perhaps... make Hiashi Hyuga understand one thing.

The Branch House was not so easy to sacrifice.

The distant clock tower chimed outside the window.

It was the Hour of the Tiger.

Xiao lay back on his bed and closed his eyes. His mind began to simulate every possibility, each one branching into dozens of possible responses. It was a habit he had developed as a programmer in his previous life—breaking a problem into modules, writing code for each module, and finally integrating them into a complete program.

Only this time, what he intended to write was a "program" that would overturn the entire Hyuga Clan.

And Hinata was the most crucial variable.

"Wait for me, young lady," Xiao silently said in the darkness. "I'll let you see what this clan truly looks like."

Then I'll tear it apart with you.