When they found the Hyūga clansman who had been missing for half a year and saw his pitiful state, Hikari felt a terrible certainty take root inside him—
that the other Hyūga abducted two years ago must already be dead.
So when Shigeo suddenly said he was going to find the last missing family member, Hikari couldn't believe what he'd heard.
"He's still alive. I can feel it."
The entire laboratory complex covered less than ten li. Within that range, Shigeo could sense a faint, familiar chakra—undeniably Hyūga.
Guided by that feeling, he soon arrived before a sealed chamber. Inside, several medical-nin were frantically working—some burning notes, others moving test specimens.
In the corner stood a man in a loose white surgical robe. His back was hunched, skin deathly pale, the mark of the Caged Bird seal etched deep into his forehead.
A pair of dull Byakugan stared lifelessly at the floor—he looked more like a corpse than a man.
Shigeo coughed lightly. "Hard at work, are we?"
The doctors turned and saw a man dressed in the Orchid Sect's robes. Taking him for one of their own, they relaxed.
"Quickly, move that primary subject! This facility's no longer secure!"
"Move him where? There's another base?" Shigeo asked while slowly approaching.
Though the old shrine maiden's memories had mentioned only two bases, it was possible there were more. She might not have known the full truth.
"Temporarily to the Sect Leader's mansion in the city outskirts," an elderly medic replied without looking up.
"The Sect Leader's mansion?" Shigeo asked softly.
At once, the room fell silent. Every gaze turned toward him, suspicion dawning.
By then he had already placed one arm around the limp Hyūga subject, smiling faintly.
"Long hair… blue eyes… it's him! The intruder!" someone shouted.
Panic erupted. Some ran for the exit; others lunged forward to seize the Hyūga captive.
Jiton (Magnet Release) surged from Shigeo's palm, sealing the doorway in a sheath of iron dust. One tried opening an alternate passage, but the magnetic field closed it off instantly, trapping them all.
Those who rushed forward fell in moments—cut down where they stood.
Silence returned. Someone managed to slam the alarm rune, but in this sealed chamber, no rescue would come.
"Let's try again," Shigeo said evenly. "Where is your Sect Leader's mansion?"
The group huddled together, trembling. One stammered, "Wh-who are you?"
Shigeo's expression froze. "I asked once already."
Cold air gathered around him. Dozens—hundreds—of Hyōton (Ice Release) spikes formed behind his back, gleaming like crystal spears.
"I'll only ask one more time."
"We… we don't know—"
The man's words ended with a scream as the ice spikes shot through him, blood splattering across the wall.
The survivors pushed an old man forward, their last hope.
"He's the head of the research division! He knows!"
Shigeo's eyes shifted to the purple rings of the Rinnegan.
He didn't need to ask again.
"Shinra Tensei. (Almighty Push.)"
The old man was ripped from the floor and dragged into Shigeo's hand as the rest were impaled by a volley of ice spikes.
A single touch to the old man's forehead—and the memories flowed.
Images flashed through Shigeo's mind: the laboratories, the experiments, the symbol of the Caged Bird seal replicated in countless test tubes.
He saw the reason the Hyūga captives were still alive. The Orchid Sect couldn't reproduce the Byakugan itself, but they had learned to replicate the Caged Bird curse mark, using it as a chakra key to stabilize failed experiments. The price was agony and madness for every test subject.
"Because of the Caged Bird," Shigeo murmured grimly.
He extracted the man's soul and sealed it within the Inkonrei (Soul-Summoning Bell), then gently lifted the weakened Hyūga clansman.
"Th… thank you," the man whispered hoarsely.
He had believed death inevitable. Now he could see the light again.
Shigeo said nothing. Space distorted around them. With a twist of his hand, both vanished into his dimensional space.
Inside, the chaos was constant. Over three hundred rescued women filled the air with chatter and excitement. The moment Shigeo reappeared, they swarmed toward him—
"What's your name?"
"How can we thank you?"
"Please, let us repay you somehow!"
Nearby, Shigeo's wooden clone looked ready to collapse. If not for his master's orders to guard them, he'd have gladly turned into a tree to escape the noise.
Even the two brides trapped in the small cage finally understood—this handsome man wasn't some "flower thief." He was their savior.
"Handsome one! Didn't you tell us to wait for you? We're ready—whatever you want!"
The shout set the entire group ablaze with giggles and chatter.
Shigeo sighed, shaking his head. He handed the rescued Hyūga man to his clone.
"Heal him," he ordered, then disappeared from the space.
He'd planned to unleash these three hundred kunoichi against the Orchid Sect, but seeing their current state, he thought better of it. If they were defeated, he'd have to save them all over again.
Outside, the battle continued. Shigeo's wooden clone fought ahead, clearing the way.
"Did you find him? Is he still alive?" Hikari called out.
Before Shigeo could answer, Hisuisei interjected skeptically, "Alive? Don't be ridiculous. You see him carrying anyone? Obviously not. Think before you ask."
Hikari ignored her, staring straight at Shigeo.
Shigeo nodded once. "Found him. And I know who the Orchid Sect's leader is. Let's move."
Hisuisei blinked in confusion but said nothing. They advanced.
Oddly, the deeper they went toward the surface, the fewer enemies appeared. When Shigeo's wooden clone finally blasted open the mountain's summit, they emerged into the night.
Outside, the cliffs were ablaze with torchlight. Hundreds of shinobi encircled their group of thirty survivors. At the head stood a woman in red—a beautiful, sharp-eyed kunoichi Shigeo recognized from the central temple.
She raised her hand and commanded, "Capture every last one of them!"
The surrounding shinobi surged forward.
From their headbands and uniforms, it was clear that most were not Orchid Sect members—though some mixed among them clearly were. These were the investigators who had come to Moon City seeking the truth behind the "Sea God's Bride" ritual, drawn by the promise of the Land of Water's bounty.
They had no idea that the real culprit now stood before them.
(End of Chapter)
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