In the end, Zou Hyuga abandoned the idea of teasing Kabuto Yakushi and returned to the little house in the Uchiha Clan Compound.
Early the next morning, Zou Hyuga and Hanabi disguised themselves and quietly left the village.
Wearing a hood and goggles, Hanabi followed behind Zou Hyuga, gazing idly at the flowers and trees around them.
After half a day of walking, Hanabi asked Zou Hyuga, "Zou, this trip isn't just for my training, is it?"
Seeing that Hanabi had caught on, Zou Hyuga smiled. "Of course not. Protecting you is the main reason. Training comes second."
"Protecting me? Then why doesn't Hinata have to..."
Zou Hyuga stopped and looked at Hanabi. "There are bad people who want to steal your Byakugan. Yours is purer than Hinata's."
Hanabi nodded, only half understanding. She had heard countless times within her clan that outsiders coveted the Hyuga's Byakugan.
After thinking for a moment, Hanabi asked again, "Then where are we going? Is it far from the village?"
Zou Hyuga shook his head gently and looked at the distant sky.
"Not too far. We'll be there this afternoon."
Before long, Zou Hyuga brought Hanabi to the mountain above Daimyō Castle and stopped before a rock wall.
While Hanabi was still puzzling over this, Zou Hyuga walked toward the rock wall, his figure gradually disappearing. Seeing this, Hanabi gritted her teeth and followed.
Unlike the darkness she had expected, the passage opened up into a bright, spacious area, and they soon reached the interior of the base.
Someone had already been waiting inside the base for quite some time.
Hanabi tugged at the hem of Zou Hyuga's clothes and tilted her head up in confusion. "Zou, does Oto know about this place?"
Zou Hyuga's expression darkened. This was not the first time someone