Drip… drip…
Water droplets echoed through the arched space, layered and overlapping, mingling with faint moaning winds from unseen vents. Damp mold mixed with the stale tang of old rust washed over everything.
A pitch-black cat crouched in the shadows, paws idly toying with several half-dead white snakes.
Whenever the snakes stopped moving, the cat loosened its grip just enough for them to twist and struggle again—only to pin them firmly once more with soft pads. There was a cruel playfulness to the game.
But soon it sensed something. The cat lifted its head.
Only then did its true appearance become clear.
This entirely black cat had one white eye and one black eye.
Most people would simply think it was blind in one eye. No one would ever imagine that the white eye was the Byakugan—the dojutsu the other four great ninja villages coveted more than anything.
After all, the Mist Village jonin Ao had earned the nickname "Byakugan Killer" just for possessing one transplanted Byakugan, and it had landed him on Konoha's bingo book.
No one would believe a madman had taken something so precious and implanted it into a cat.
Yet someone had.
The black cat picked up a white snake corpse in its mouth and leaped as a silent blur into the shadows of the crisscrossing pipes overhead, landing as quietly as if stepping on clouds.
Perched at a bend in the drainage pipe, its white pupil dilated slightly while the black one narrowed to a thin slit. It stared at the calm water surface far ahead.
Murky sewage, deep enough to reach the knees, shimmered with an oily sheen, reflecting the rusted pipes above.
Splash… splash…
Moments later, ripples broke the stillness. Three swift black figures skimmed across the water, their reflections twisting into eerie shapes in the waves.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and his two ANBU operatives had worked hard to reach this point. They had navigated countless traps and decoys Orochimaru had left behind before finally finding the right path through the maze of underground pipes.
This dark, damp environment suited snakes and rats perfectly. Orochimaru's habits really were starting to resemble those of a serpent.
"…"
Sarutobi Hiruzen stopped abruptly. His gaze locked on the rusted door ahead, his expression darkening. He raised a hand, signaling the ANBU forward.
BOOM!!
The iron door burst open with a heavy thud. A nauseating stench of rot, disinfectant, and the sickly-sweet smell of decaying flesh rushed out on a cold draft.
Dim yellow lights cast sharp shadows, but the scene inside made Sarutobi Hiruzen's pupils shrink.
The laboratory walls were mottled with dark red bloodstains like some grotesque abstract painting. Ceiling light bulbs swayed and flickered from the impact of the door.
The floor was caked with layers of black-brown residue, as if no amount of scrubbing could ever erase the evidence.
Hiruzen heard the two ANBU beside him suddenly breathing faster. Their eyes were fixed on the tall cylindrical glass containers standing in the lab.
Inside the pale green liquid floated curled human silhouettes. Their skin, long soaked, had a semi-translucent waxy sheen, and exposed muscle tissue was crisscrossed with worm-like suture lines.
Inside the opened chest cavities, hearts still beat. Snake-like organs had been grafted into the abdominal cavities, with messy tubes snaking out like jellyfish tentacles.
Dozens of similar specimens filled the room, each marked with blood-red numbers: "32," "42," "65."
Iron shelves around the walls held glass jars containing organs at various stages of development, twitching grotesquely and still alive in the fluid.
"This…" The ANBU's pupils trembled behind their masks.
The sight was horrifying, but Sarutobi Hiruzen had been somewhat prepared.
After all, Orochimaru's earliest human experiments—transplanting Hashirama cells—had been carried out with the tacit approval of Hiruzen and the other Konoha leaders. Those subjects had volunteered, hoping to revive Wood Release. It proved Hiruzen was no soft-hearted man.
Even now, looking at the horror before him, he still felt pity and guilt toward his former student.
Until his eyes reached the deepest part of the lab and the two overlapping shadows…
Because Orochimaru had his back to the doorway, Hiruzen first noticed the young face on the operating table and the slashed neck.
Any trace of a smile had vanished from Hyūga Kumokawa's face, replaced by raw terror. Tears slid slowly down his youthful cheeks.
When the boy saw Sarutobi Hiruzen, he lifted a trembling hand and moved his mouth, but no sound came out.
Hiruzen understood perfectly what he was trying to say.
"Grandpa Third…" the boy had mouthed.
At the sound of the door, Orochimaru turned. Bright, cold light fell across his pale face, making the blood-smeared ferocity look even more evil and hideous.
The headless corpse at his feet continued gushing blood, turning the lab into a crimson hell. The whole scene formed a brutal, nightmarish painting.
This sight struck Sarutobi Hiruzen far harder than the experimental subjects.
Most importantly, he knew the boy. The memory was vivid.
As honorary principal of the Konoha Ninja Academy, he often gave speeches to shape his image as a kind elder and teach the Will of Fire.
Once, he had visited Kumokawa's class. While speaking about the Will of Fire, he noticed the pure admiration shining on the child's face.
Afterward, as always, the teacher had the students write their thoughts.
Hiruzen rarely read those reflections, but something about that longing young face stayed with him. On a whim he pulled out the paper.
And he was stunned.
My family is like a great tree with deep roots and lush leaves.
The Third Grandpa is the trunk—sometimes harmonizing what's inside, sometimes providing nourishment.
Father is the branches and leaves—sometimes keeping us warm, sometimes sheltering us from wind and rain.
Though they are old and their strength is fading, though they've been gnawed by pests until full of holes, they still drive their roots deep into the earth to support and protect the whole family and its fruit.
And we are the fruit.
Our family rejoices at our birth. We often suckle on delicious nutrients, and someone is always there to shield us.
But we forget who provides that nourishment and who shelters us from the storm.
I have been too high up.
Perhaps only when I fall, am chewed up, and thrown to the ground—as a seed that takes root and sprouts—will I truly understand.
Hiruzen had grown tired of adults' elaborate flattery and children's blind adoration.
But this piece had no flowery language. It captured the Will of Fire perfectly and subtly pointed out the tension between the ninja clans and the village. The child's innocent words carried genuine warmth.
Especially the final lines—they struck straight into Hiruzen's heart, warming his weary body in an instant.
Yes. The clans only taught their children to protect clan interests. They never taught them to see themselves as part of Konoha. Yet those clan children only noticed the "branches and leaves" that sheltered them, completely overlooking the one who supported the entire "great tree" and all its "fruit."
There was no doubt: this was a good child who could rise above clan limitations, focus on the whole village, and truly inherit the pure Will of Fire.
If anyone ever told Sarutobi Hiruzen that Hyūga Kumokawa was a bad child, he would pull out Enma on the spot and bash their brains out.
But now, such a good child was…
Watching the figure slowly collapse onto the operating table, the complicated feelings Hiruzen held for Orochimaru quietly vanished. Veins bulged across his aged face.
"Orochimaru!" he roared, eyes locked on his former student. "What are you doing?!"
"What have you done?!"
Seeing Hiruzen truly furious, Orochimaru's heart sank.
He had never expected this level of rage. From what he knew of his increasingly indecisive teacher, even if the human experiments were exposed, Hiruzen would never attack him. There had still been a good chance of escaping Konoha.
But why now…
Before Orochimaru could connect it to Hyūga Kumokawa, the enraged Hiruzen had already formed hand seals.
Boar—Dog—Rooster—Monkey—Ram!
"Summoning Technique!"
POOF!
In a burst of white smoke, a large, sturdy monkey wearing a fur coat and Konoha headband appeared beside Hiruzen.
"Hiruzen, got trouble?" Enma asked instinctively, but when he looked up and saw Orochimaru, he paused. "This…"
"Enma!"
Hiruzen's sharp shout cut him off.
With another burst of white smoke, Enma transformed into a thick staff the size of a pillar.
Using Enma right from the start?!
Orochimaru's face darkened instantly. He had no time to wonder why the old man was so angry today or why his white snakes had given no warning.
If he hesitated any longer, he might actually die here.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!!"
WHOOSH!!
A gale laced with razor-sharp wind blades erupted from Orochimaru's mouth. The screeching gusts rippled through the air.
Bottles and jars shattered instantly, carried toward Hiruzen and the others in a storm that blinded the two ANBU.
Even now, Orochimaru still planned to take Hyūga Kumokawa with him as he fled.
But Hiruzen didn't even glance at it. His staff lengthened and slammed toward Orochimaru in the distance.
THUD!
Orochimaru, already drained from the organ transplant, was sent flying as he reached for the boy. He coughed up a thick mouthful of blood mixed with organ fragments while still in midair.
"Damn it! Damn it!!"
Orochimaru glared hatefully at the grim-faced Hiruzen below. Seeing the old man body-flicker straight to Kumokawa's side, he knew he wouldn't be taking the boy this time.
Accepting the reality—even if unwillingly—Orochimaru calmed himself.
"Earth Release: Hiding in Earth Technique!"
Using the momentum, he quickly formed seals in the air, planted his feet on the ceiling, and melted into the solid ground like a fish slipping into water.
"Sandaime-sama!"
The two ANBU stepped forward, looking at Hiruzen, who now stood with his head raised and a cold expression.
Hiruzen withdrew his gaze. Some of his anger faded as he looked at the boy beside him. "Take this child for immediate medical treatment. Do everything possible to save his life."
"Yes!" The ANBU didn't ask questions. They nodded, lifted Kumokawa, and vanished on the spot.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru tunneled upward through the earth, clutching his chest. His face had turned deathly pale.
His chakra was almost gone. Even at full strength he couldn't defeat Sarutobi Hiruzen.
All he could do now was pour everything into escaping Konoha. Hyūga Kumokawa would have to stay behind for now—he could plan later. He also needed the boy alive to keep the secret.
The thought filled him with frustration.
How had everything suddenly spiraled out of control?
It was all that damn brat's fault!
But could it really all be the work of that kid?
Had he schemed against him for years and even dragged the old man into it? Was everything that happened today part of the boy's plan?
The kid was only fifteen—could he be some kind of monster?!
His mind racing, Orochimaru burst out of the ground—only to face a figure.
ANBU mask. Short blade on his back. Signature silver hair.
Hatake Kakashi.
"Raikiri!"
No words wasted. Kakashi charged straight at him with the crackling lightning blade. Orochimaru almost laughed in rage.
Were all these brats so overconfident?!
As killing intent surged in Orochimaru's heart, a faint sound reached his ears.
Hiss!
"What is…"
Orochimaru looked down and saw a black cat dart past. It glanced back at him one last time.
The cat's face showed an eerily human sneer.
Most importantly…
"Byakugan?!"
Noticing the white eye, Orochimaru's narrow pupils shrank.
The next instant, before he could react—
BOOM!!
Multiple explosive tags detonated, shattering the quiet night. The entire experimental base was torn apart by terrifying force.
The flat ground collapsed inward like a landslide. Flesh and blood scattered and flew like rain from the blast!
At the same time, in the opposite direction, the two ANBU leaping through the trees stopped at the distant explosion.
"Was that Sandaime-sama…?" They looked toward the sound, hearts pounding.
They didn't notice that, in their arms, Hyūga Kumokawa's face now held a faint, imperceptible smile.
"So he still held back after all?" he thought with a quiet chuckle. "I hope Orochimaru enjoys my final gift."
He hadn't expected Hiruzen's momentary anger to actually kill Orochimaru. Emotional bonds couldn't compare to decades of master-disciple ties.
Once Hiruzen calmed down completely, he might even regret striking too hard.
But it didn't matter.
What Kumokawa wanted was to clear his own suspicions. Whether Orochimaru lived or died was irrelevant.
Besides, a useful pawn like Orochimaru wasn't easy to find.
It would be a shame if he died before being fully used.
With that thought, Hyūga Kumokawa glanced at the sky.
It was already five in the morning. Dawn was breaking on the horizon.
The sun was both sunset and sunrise at every moment. As it set, extinguishing itself while descending the mountain to gather the desolate afterglow, on the other side it rose, climbing the peak to spread brilliant morning light.
"Next… the Tenseigan," Hyūga Kumokawa closed his eyes and smiled inwardly.
Heh. Hyūga clan. Caged Bird.
Today the weak became strong and the strong became weak. The attacker and defender had switched places.
From this day forward, everything had changed.
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