On the other side, at the edge of a nameless forest, lay a battlefield in total disarray.
Surging waves swallowed the woods; above the rushing torrent, only the swaying tips of a few treetops remained visible.
Hyuga Yu kept his center of gravity low, his feet gliding rapidly across the water's surface. Ethereal green waves of chakra swirled around his body, pushing back the encroaching white mist while simultaneously forming his final line of defense for sensory perception.
As long as the Caged Bird Curse Seal existed, a one-degree blind spot remained in his field of vision behind his head. This had nothing to do with whether or not he had transplanted a Main Branch Byakugan. Furthermore, this one-degree blind spot was not something that could be compensated for by simply tilting one's head or shifting one's gaze, as many might assume. It was directly linked to the first thoracic vertebra. No matter how he twisted his neck—up, down, left, or right—it remained fixed in that exact position. When an opponent stood more than two meters away, that one-degree gap was wide enough to conceal an entire person. Only by rotating his entire body could he compensate for the flaw.
The Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist was a style that demanded extreme precision. Often, to maintain the accuracy of a strike, a practitioner could not afford to constantly twist and turn like a spinning top. Consequently, when facing an opponent with exquisite taijutsu skills, this single degree of blindness became a fatal vulnerability.
At this moment, both sides were acutely aware of this fact.
Yu kept his Byakugan open, his eyes steady. Though his pupils didn't move, his gaze swept across the chakra signatures rushing toward him through the mist, silently counting his enemies. One, two, three, four, five...
Reaching into his ninja tool pouch, he blurred his hand, launching several shuriken to interrupt Raiga Kurosuki, who was weaving signs for a Lightning Style jutsu nearby. Simultaneously, relying on his keen "visual touch," he sensed a cold, murderous gaze appearing directly behind his head. Without a moment's hesitation, Yu pivoted his foot and arched his back, leaping into the air like a carp snapping its tail.
The edge of the Executioner's Blade swept past his face; Yu could even see the fine, serrated textures on the blade's surface.
He braced one hand against the water and performed a 720-degree backflip, narrowly evading the Twin Sword Hiramekarei as it swung toward his legs. He skidded back down onto the water's surface.
"Huff... huff..."
Having escaped yet another lethal strike, a bead of sweat rolled down Yu's forehead, and his breathing grew ragged.
"It seems this brat's taijutsu is nothing special after all!" Fuguki Suikazan growled, staring at Yu as he struggled to hold his ground against the combined assault of six men. A cruel sneer curled on Fuguki's lips. "His Wind Style requires him to maintain a specific state. As long as we don't give him a stable footing, he can't use it!"
"Juzo Biwa, keep up the pressure!"
"Jinpachi Munashi, you pin him down from the front! Jinin Akebino, flank Raiga Kurosuki!"
"Hozuki brat, coordinate with me—"
"It's time to end this farce!"
As the orders fell, the 5.5 Ninja Swordsmen shifted their formation again. Jinpachi Munashi gripped the Blastsword Shibuki with both hands, cautiously closing the distance. Behind him, Jinin Akebino swung his hammer and axe, Kabutowari, staying close to Raiga's side. Meanwhile, the one-armed Juzo Biwa moved with silent steps, vanishing back into the thick mist and quickly positioning himself within Yu's blind spot.
With the Hozuki clan ninja beginning to unleash the Twin Sword Hiramekarei and Fuguki Suikazan calmly waiting with Samehada for Yu to expose a fatal opening, the trap was set.
Yu surveyed his surroundings and took a deep breath.
The situation was grim.
This was despite the fact that Yu had used the Byakugan's information advantage to neutralize the two biggest threats—the assassination specialists. He had used poison to take Juzo Biwa's arm and relied on his newly developed Wind Style to crush Kushimaru Kuriare.
Fortunately, Yu never actually intended to win a seven-on-one fight.
His plan was clear: lead Team 10 away, stall the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, expose their location, and draw in the Konoha powerhouses currently scattered throughout the nameless forest.
Setting aside Shisui Uchiha, whose information was unclear, Might Duy should have received the signal Yu arranged through Terai. Duy and the Root shinobi should be rushing to this location.
With the Swordsmen already down 1.5 members, Duy's activation of the Seventh Gate of the Eight Inner Gates should be enough to force the remaining Swordsmen to retreat, even if he didn't outright defeat them.
Furthermore, with Yu's current surgical skills, he could at least ensure Duy survived the aftereffects of the Seventh Gate.
If that happened, his initial goal would be achieved.
The downside was that Yu would likely be injured in this battle and forced to return to the village for recovery. Additionally, to save Duy, he would need to be in Konoha to perform the surgery under better conditions. This meant he would likely have to face the Hyuga Main Branch head-on.
Regarding that, Yu had already completed the sealing of the Zero-Tails. He could use its dark chakra to mask the existence of his own cyan chakra. He had also arranged for Hyuga Natsu to find Tsunade. Even if Tsunade didn't take him as a disciple now that he had "resolved" his situation, the connections he had built in the Medical Department over thirteen years should be enough to protect him from the Main Branch... right?
Yu held a mental question mark over that, but... there was no other way. Once certain things are set in motion, there is no turning back!
Yu's gaze turned cold.
Watching the Seven Ninja Swordsmen close in, he took a deep breath and switched his Byakugan to a bird's-eye view, preparing to estimate his allies' distance and how much longer he needed to stall. However, the information returned by his overhead vision made him freeze. Three terrifying chakra signatures were approaching the battlefield in a straight line at incredible speeds!
Their chakra colors were two greens and one blue.
The two green signatures were Might Duy—whose chakra was surging violently from the Sixth Gate—and another figure whose speed matched Duy's, but whose green chakra was concentrated only in the eyes. Unsurprisingly, that was Shisui Uchiha.
But what Yu couldn't understand was: where were the twenty-plus Root members he had arranged for?
Why hadn't that Root youth in the bird mask followed them?
And... what was this faint blue chakra? It was blurry in his Byakugan's sight, only becoming slightly visible once it reached the 300-meter mark.
Before Yu could process this, a searing, agonizing pain suddenly erupted from his forehead!
His expression changed instantly. Veins bulged and throbbed across his temples as a sense of humiliation—as if he were being treated like mere livestock—surged from the depths of his memories, flooding his mind!
"Gah... AHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Yu realized what was happening. He ground his teeth so hard they began to crack, and his body trembled violently. The hatred rising in his heart was ignited with a roar; his nose and throat felt scorched as if filled with thick smoke, and his head felt like it would explode from the pressure of his own blood!
The Main Branch!
The Caged Bird!
His vision and hearing began to blur. Enduring the excruciating pain, he abruptly deactivated his Eight Gates mode. Ignoring the backlash of his unfinished Byakugan: Wind Style Chakra Mode, he forced it open. He raised his palm, aiming at the Main Branch member in the distance who was currently activating the Caged Bird seal. A blade of cyan wind condensed in his palm!
"Wind Style: Vacuum Blade!"
"DIIIIIIIIIE!!!"
A beam of cyan light shot forth!
At the same moment, Yu felt his body grow weightless. Like a piece of rag hit by a hundred-ton truck, he was sent flying backward!
During the flight, Yu channeled every drop of his cyan chakra toward his forehead. The flood of cyan chakra lunged at the pulse of higher-quality, pure, concentrated chakra emanating from the Caged Bird seal!
They clashed, decomposed, and devoured each other!
A battlefield seemed to manifest inside his skull, or perhaps ten thousand bells were tolling at once. It was so chaotic that Yu only faintly heard a triumphant shout from the surroundings:
"A perfect opening! Kill him!"
Yu's vision went black.
Simultaneously, beneath the surface of the water at the center of the battlefield, a tiny white snake no larger than a finger watched the events above with cold, clinical eyes, its tongue flicking out with a hiss.
————
Supporting me on Pa-treon to gain early access to advanced chapters and enjoy expedited updates. Your support is greatly appreciated.
pat-reon .c-om/Dragonhair
(Just remove the hyphen - and space, to access Pa-treon normally.)