The moment Hyuga Xiao burst out of the Main House residence, Leaf Village's night sky was awakened.
The wound on his left shoulder was still bleeding, and every breath tugged at a tearing pain. In his Byakugan vision, seven Main House Elite Ninja had already leaped onto the rooftops thirty meters behind him, their chakra burning with cold killing intent in the darkness.
Farther away, the barrier network across the entire Hyuga Clan Grounds was activating.
Pale blue patterns of light rose from the ground, closing in toward the center like a spiderweb—the Heavenly Net the Main House used to hunt down escapees. Once it fully closed, no one with Byakugan blood could escape.
Xiao gritted his teeth and frantically poured chakra into his legs.
He couldn't take the rooftops.
The Main House's Byakugan held an absolute advantage in open terrain. He twisted sharply and darted into an alley at the edge of the clan grounds like a wounded beast. This was the Branch House residential district, where low wooden homes were packed tightly together. Clotheslines crisscrossed above the alley, garments swaying in the night wind.
"Branch House district, third alley!"
"He's running south!"
The pursuers' voices exploded behind him.
Xiao kicked open the rear window of a house and rolled inside. The room was pitch-black, with only faint residual warmth from the charcoal in the stove. He held his breath, his Byakugan vision piercing through the walls—three Main House Elite Ninja were closing in from three directions, less than twenty meters away.
Ten meters.
Five meters.
Xiao pressed his right hand to the floor, letting chakra seep into the boards in extremely subtle pulses. It was a small trick he had learned at Orochimaru's Laboratory: using chakra to mimic biological signals and create momentary interference.
Outside, the three Elite