The chill of the Glacial Mine Tunnel seeped into the rock walls, condensing into fine frost crystals in the dim light.
Hyuga Xiao sat cross-legged deep within a newly carved cave, the azure glow of the Tenseigan Prototype flowing through the depths of his pupils. Three hours had passed since he had used "Tenseigan: Soul Shadow Theft." Kurenai Yuhi stood guard at the entrance, gripping a kunai tightly, her breathing kept deliberately low.
"How did it go?" Hong's voice carried suppressed worry.
Xiao did not answer immediately.
His consciousness was immersed in the stolen memory fragments—disjointed scraps rather than coherent scenes, pieces repeatedly ground down by the Curse Mark. They were like shredded parchment soaked in blood, every scrap bearing thirty years of pain and despair.
The first fragment: the Hyuga Clan Grounds, on a summer night thirty years ago.
A young Hiei Hyuga knelt before the Ancestral Shrine. The Caged Bird Seal on his forehead had not fully solidified yet, its blue patterns gleaming with an eerie light beneath the moon. He was seventeen, recognized as the Branch House's greatest genius of his generation. The purity of his Byakugan even surpassed that of some Main House descendants.
Hyuga Hiashi's father—Tennin Hyuga, the Main House head at the time—stood on the steps, three masked elders behind him.
"Hiei, your talent is the glory of the Branch House." Tennin Hyuga's voice was terrifyingly calm. "But glory demands a price."
"Clan Head, I am willing to die for the clan." Hiei Hyuga's voice still carried a youth's fervor.
"No." Tennin Hyuga shook his head. "Death is too simple. The clan needs you... to live in another way."
Two elders stepped forward, forming hand seals Xiao had never seen before—not ninja hand seals, but gestures more akin to some ritual. Hiei Hyuga's chakra