Deep within the dense forest at the border of the Land of Fire, Hyuga Xiao sat cross-legged inside a naturally formed cave.
The Tenseigan's azure radiance slowly swirled in his eye sockets. His vision pierced through layers of tree trunks and rock, locking onto the pursuit force rapidly moving thirty miles away.
Twelve ninja.
Three Main House Elite Ninja, six Branch House Chunin, and three Root members—he could tell from the cold, sinister quality of their chakra flow. They advanced in a fan-shaped formation, with Hyuga Qingkong serving as the left-wing vanguard, pushing toward the abandoned mine where Xiao and Hong had stayed the previous night.
"Qingkong..."
Xiao's lips moved soundlessly.
Hyuga Qingkong, a collateral member of the Main House, thirty-two years old. His strength ranked in the lower-middle range among the Main House's Elite Ninja. His chakra reserves were ordinary, his Byakugan purity mediocre, and within the Main House, he was known for being "cautious"—or rather, mediocre.
Yet at this moment, this mediocre Main House Elite Ninja was doing something extremely unusual.
During the march, Qingkong left an exceptionally concealed mark on a tree trunk every three miles. The marks were written in Branch House code, hidden within the shadows of folds in the bark. Without the Tenseigan's penetrating sight and microscopic vision, it would have been impossible to notice them from thirty miles away.
Xiao's pupils narrowed slightly.
The message was simple: "Five miles northeast. Old Altar. Alone."
Old Altar.
A map of the Fire-Grass Border surfaced in Xiao's mind. It was a ritual site left behind from the Warring States Era, abandoned for decades. Located at the edge of a marsh, its terrain was complicated—ideal for ambushes, and also for... transactions.
"Interesting."
The corner of Xiao's lips lifted in a faint curve.
Within the Tenseigan's field of