Jonin Ao had yet to open his eyes fully when the unfamiliar figure before him vanished.
The next moment, Ao's vision blurred completely. His face covered in blood, he clutched his wounded eye and used his remaining eye to look at Zou Hyuga's palm. Resting there was, of course, the Byakugan that had belonged to him.
Putting the Byakugan into the culture medium he carried with him, Zou Hyuga thought of Obito, who had brushed past him.
Although he could not see through the mask imbued with sealing jutsu, he was certain that Obito's lips had curled into a faint, mocking smile at the time.
Originally, although he knew about Ao's Byakugan, he had never intended to take it.
For one thing, the Main Family member whose Byakugan had been taken all those years ago had not enjoyed a particularly good reputation within the clan. For another, Kirigakure, which would most likely become Konoha's ally, needed that Byakugan to fight the Akatsuki.
But since the Mist Ninja Ao had stumbled right into him, he had no choice but to reclaim it.
If Ao saw through his disguise with the Byakugan, things would become troublesome.
After a brief moment of shock, the Mist Ninja beside Ao quickly recovered and shielded him while unleashing water release ninjutsu at Zou Hyuga. Bubbles also floated above the passage.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A gale swept through, making the bubbles explode the instant they touched the buildings.
Under cover of the explosions, Zou Hyuga dodged the other water release ninjutsu and reached the rooftop.
Meanwhile, on another rooftop, the Konoha Squad caught up with Obito and surrounded him.
For a moment, the Mist Ninja and their Konoha allies faced off against the two Akatsuki members across the rooftops.
The sight of Kakashi and the others