After seeing off Hyuga Hiashi and the elite guard, Satoru could clearly feel a coming storm.
Part of it was the weather—but the greater part was the shifting wind of politics.
Still, despite that unease, he remained too optimistic. He thought that Hiashi's departure, even with several top clan members, wouldn't cause any immediate disturbance within the Hyuga Compound.
He was wrong.
That very night, chaos came quietly.
The sky grew heavy, and soon, a fine drizzle began to fall. Raindrops pattered softly against the stone pavement and rooftiles, creating a rhythmic, ringing sound.
Having finished his nightly training, Hyuga Satoru turned off the lamps in the dojo and stepped out into the courtyard.
He stood under the eaves, raising his head slightly to watch the rain fall in thin, glimmering threads. His mind wandered, adrift between thought and instinct—
Until something strange caught his attention.
"Hm?"
On the training grounds ahead, a shallow puddle rippled—not from raindrops, but from something beneath. The small streams of rainwater flowing across the stones suddenly converged, gathering unnaturally toward that puddle.
Within moments, under Satoru's sharp gaze, the water began to rise, twisting together until it faintly took the form of a human silhouette.
A tall figure stood there, cloaked in a black raincoat. Under the dim lantern light from the walkway, a faint metallic glint flashed from the protector on his forehead.
"Kirigakure?"
Satoru's eyes narrowed. With just one glance, he recognized the engraved symbol of the Hidden Mist.
His chest tightened slightly. Without hesitation, he pressed one hand together in a quick seal.
Byakugan—activate!
The veins around his temples bulged faintly as the world opened to his all-seeing gaze.
"…To think you managed to sneak in this far," he murmured coldly. "Looks like Konoha's Barrier Corps has been getting lazy again."
In Satoru's memory, Konoha's security had always been full of holes.
Once, Cloud-nin had nearly succeeded in abducting the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki from inside the village. Not long ago, Uchiha Obito had walked straight into Konoha as if it were his backyard.
Sure, Obito's Kamui ability made him an exception—but that Cloud infiltration? Completely inexcusable.
There was even a time when the entire village had been littered with explosive tags without anyone noticing.
And now, an enemy had managed to infiltrate the Hyuga Compound itself—the very heart of Konoha's inner district.
Satoru sighed inwardly. "Unbelievable."
(Though, to be fair, he was slightly underestimating the enemy's espionage skill. Disguise and infiltration were the bread and butter of any shinobi. And Konoha, as an open village welcoming merchants and travelers, couldn't possibly screen everyone. A Mist spy slipping in under a fake civilian identity wasn't hard to imagine.)
"Impressive composure…"
The intruder's voice rasped from beneath the rain cloak—low, hoarse, and oddly mocking.
"No wonder you're a Hyuga."
Then, his mouth twisted into a grin—revealing a row of jagged, shark-like teeth.
In the same instant, his wide sleeve flicked out. Six senbon needles shot through the night, slicing through the rain, aimed straight at Satoru's legs.
They reached him almost instantly.
"What's your purpose here?" Satoru asked calmly, barely moving.
With a casual motion, his right hand lifted—and a burst of chakra blasted outward. The invisible shockwave struck the incoming senbon, scattering them midair, and continued forward toward the enemy.
The Mist-nin hadn't expected the child to counterattack so fiercely. The chakra shockwave hit him squarely, hurling his body several meters backward before he crashed hard against the courtyard wall.
But Satoru didn't relax. His expression remained composed, eyes shifting slightly—not toward the fallen enemy, but toward another puddle in the corner of the courtyard.
"Cheap tricks like that don't work against the Byakugan."
His voice was calm, indifferent.
As he spoke, the puddle he was watching began to stir. Ripples formed, rising and condensing into another human figure.
The body he had just blasted against the wall collapsed into liquid, splashing onto the stones—nothing but water.
A Water Clone.
The Byakugan couldn't distinguish clones from real bodies at a glance, true—but chakra signatures could never lie. And as long as the enemy was still alive and moving within his range, there was no hiding from him.
Realizing his cover was blown, the Mist-nin hesitated for only an instant before throwing several smoke bombs to the ground.
Bang! Bang!
Thick violet smoke erupted, spreading rapidly through the courtyard.
He sprang upward, landing on the top of the wall, ready to flee.
But before he could leap away—
A surge of violent chakra flared behind him.
His instincts screamed.
He turned just in time to feel the killing intent wash over him like a crashing wave.
Down below, Satoru had already raised his right hand again.
This time, his chakra condensed in his palm, shaping itself into the roaring visage of a lion's head—its jaws opening to reveal a glowing sphere of pure energy.
The moment the Mist-nin moved, Satoru's eyes hardened.
The lion roared silently.
A blinding chakra sphere shot forward like a meteor.
It tore through the smoke instantly, leaving a glowing tunnel in its wake, and struck the outer wall of the compound—
BOOM!
Stone exploded, the wall shattering open in a cloud of debris.
Outside, the Mist-nin had just landed on the street when dread consumed him. He turned his head—and found death itself racing toward his eyes.
The chakra sphere struck.
BOOOOOOM!!!
A deafening explosion tore through the night, a flash of white light momentarily turning the Hyuga Compound as bright as day.
The thunderous sound reverberated across the village, waking countless villagers from their sleep.
Within moments, Hyuga clansmen were rushing toward the source, faces grim with anger and worry.
…
Meanwhile, beneath one of Konoha's hidden courtyards, a man in dark robes stood silently, gazing up at the night sky.
Danzo Shimura narrowed his single visible eye as the explosion echoed across the village.
For the briefest second, his breath hitched. Then his expression cooled, and he lowered his head.
"Hyuga…" he murmured.
"More troublesome than I anticipated."
......
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