The moment Aoran activated the Byakugan, he realized he had awakened only one of the eyes.
A 360° field of vision made little difference whether you had one eye or two; the only issue was that the Byakugan's sight felt different from normal sight, and he needed to get used to it.
With the Byakugan now active, the hood over his head could no longer block Aoran's vision.
Although it was his first time using the Byakugan, the basics posed no problem.
Aoran quickly took in his current situation.
The two Anbu who had abducted him were darting through the forest, soon entering a hidden passage that led underground to a sealed room.
The room was filled with swaddled infants and toddlers aged one to three.
They were alive, but their breathing was heavy—they were clearly in an unnatural, forced slumber.
"Hei-san, you wait here for Orochimaru; I'll check on the Hyūga side."
Frowning in thought, Aoran re-identified the Anbu beside him as a Root operative.
He now understood his own predicament as well.
After Minato's death, Orochimaru had believed he had a shot at becoming the Fifth Hokage, only to see the Third Hokage reclaim the title.
Having seen through Hiruzen Sarutobi, Orochimaru shifted his focus to secret techniques and immortality.
Research into forbidden arts usually comes at the cost of human lives.
It was now the fifty-fourth year of Konoha. (Counting from Naruto's birth in Year 51, Naruto is now three years old.)
The Third Great Ninja War had ended years earlier; Konoha no longer had enough prisoners to supply Orochimaru with test subjects.
At this point Orochimaru's mindset was rapidly changing. He no longer cared whether you were a villager, acting without restraint.
The Third Hokage hadn't learned of Orochimaru's human experiments overnight.
As long as the victims were outsiders, Hiruzen had simply turned a blind eye.
After all, Tobirama had conducted plenty of similar work in the shadows—precedent existed.
But once fellow villagers became test subjects, the Third could no longer feign ignorance.
No one knows the details, yet the outcome is common knowledge.
Orochimaru was caught red-handed and defected.
As Aoran considered these events, he arrived at a new conclusion.
If Danzo had supplied the test subjects, it was likely Danzo who had sold Orochimaru out.
As for why Danzo would back-stab his partner, the answer was probably political trade-offs.
Danzo's ambitions were enormous; he wanted far too much.
The Third Hokage still needed Danzo, so pressure on him was inevitable.
At such a moment, shifting the blame onto Orochimaru was perfectly natural for Danzo.
Clearly, Aoran himself had been turned into "evidence" to burn Orochimaru.
Should someone tied to both the Uchiha and Hyūga die on Orochimaru's operating table…
…the fallout would be spectacular.
Ding! A new quest has appeared—please check, host!
Quest: Beginner Mission – Escape.
Description: As an Archer, use your bow and arrows to escape this predicament.
Reward: Genin fundamentals and Bow Mastery.
Glancing at the quest, Aoran brainstormed how to break free.
Only one Root operative was inside the room—his chance.
With his back against the wall, Aoran tried to draw his bow from the so-called weapon space.
At his mental command, a bow and arrow appeared in his hand behind his back.
But the bow was too long to hide; before the Root ninja could turn, he quickly stowed it back.
Clutching the arrow, he began rubbing it against his bonds, trying to cut the rope.
The crude arrowhead was blunt and progress was painfully slow.
Aoran saw he still had 1 enhancement point.
He applied it to the weapon.
Weapon +0 → Weapon +1. Remaining points: 0
White-wood Bow → Flexible-wood Bow; Crude feathered arrows → feathered arrows.
With the Byakugan he watched rust vanish from the arrowhead, leaving it razor-sharp.
Using the head, he quietly sliced through the ropes binding him.
Flexing his wrists, he began testing the draw weight of the bow while keeping the weapon hidden.
Through the hood, his Byakugan observed the Root guard outside.
The man clearly never expected the "idiot" inside to pose any threat.
So he never bothered to check.
Keeping his hands behind his back, Aoran rose slowly from his kneeling position.
His pulse quickened as he took deep breaths, preparing for what came next.
Suddenly his right eye stabbed with pain.
Only then did he remember that the Byakugan's x-ray vision strained the eye and couldn't be used for long.
Wave after wave of pain warned him he was reaching his limit.
Lose the Byakugan now and he was finished.
[Heavy breathing]
The instant Hei-san heard the breath he spun round—only to see a white blur pounce like a leopard!
The floor screeched under the sudden friction.
Aoran vaulted upward. He had Chakra but knew no ninjutsu; he could not match a battle-hardened Root operative head-on.
He would get exactly one shot.
The Flexible-wood Bow flashed into his grip; the string drew back and a feathered arrow nocked itself.
Twang!
Barely five paces separated them.
Aim was unnecessary.
Before Hei-san could draw his blade, the arrow drove clean through his heart with tremendous force.
Hei-san's body convulsed; he stared in disbelief at the shaft protruding from his chest.
His limbs froze, every motion ceasing at once.
Shock turned to terror and bewilderment, then the light faded from his eyes as he toppled backward, rigid as a board.
"Hah…"
Exhaling, Aoran yanked the hood free and deactivated his Byakugan.
Ignoring the throbbing, he inspected the fingers that had drawn the string.
In his tension he had strained several fingers.
He flexed them—nothing serious, just a short rest needed.
Luckily the guard had been careless, letting Aoran land a surprise kill.
With Hei-san dead,
a chime rang instantly inside his skull.
Congratulations, host: quest "Escape" completed.
Reward acquired: Genin fundamentals and Bow Mastery.
A torrent of knowledge flooded his mind.
The three Genin techniques, water-walking, Chakra refinement…
Bow Mastery covered bow types, arrow matching, draw posture, finger placement, range estimation, wind reading… No wonder his fingers had hurt—he was supposed to hook the string, not pinch the arrow.
With the danger past, his first instinct was to leave immediately.
But when he saw the sleeping infants and toddlers, he hesitated.
Rubbing his chin—smooth, no stubble—he made up his mind.
He was living a second life; what the hell did he have to fear?
…