Gekko Hayate's figure vanished into the shadows beyond the tree hollow, leaving behind only the intelligence: "Forest of Death, Southeast Zone Seven, abandoned watchtower." It clung coldly to Hyuga Xiao's memory like the scales of a venomous snake.
Inside the hollow, the smell of blood mingled with medicinal herbs.
Hyuga Xiao leaned against the rough inner wall, his right hand pressing against the bandages on his left shoulder. Beneath them, the burning pain of the Caged Bird Seal writhed like a living thing. Every heartbeat brought a needle-like warning—he had less than forty-eight hours left to live.
"Orochimaru..."
He murmured the name, the corner of his mouth pulling into a smile devoid of warmth.
Cooperation? What a naive way to put it.
That man had never wanted cooperation. He wanted specimens. Byakugan bloodline data? The moment he obtained it, Xiao would probably be soaked in a jar of formaldehyde or turned into the next vessel for Living Corpse Reincarnation.
But right now, he had no choice.
Subtle sounds came from the forest outside the hollow—not wind. It was the crisp crunch of shoes crushing dead leaves, faint but numerous. At least five people were closing in in a fan-shaped formation, their movement rhythm disciplined. They were pursuers from the Main House.
Hyuga Xiao closed his eyes. With the Curse Mark suppressing him, he could barely activate his Byakugan within a thirty-meter radius.
In his vision, five chakra points were slowly converging. Three displayed the standard chakra flow of the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist. The other two... carried the fluctuations of sealing formulas. They were the Curse Mark Unit specially trained by the Main House, responsible for hunting down rogue Branch House members.
They were still sixty meters from the tree hollow.
Hyuga Xiao took a deep breath and began calculating.