Chapter 7

Chapter 7 — Searching for Clues of the Tenseigan

Whoosh—

Whoosh, whoosh—

In the forest outside Konoha, four ANBU ninja leapt rapidly through the trees, converging from different directions.

“No sign of the target!” one ANBU reported after stopping atop a branch, using sensory techniques to scan the surroundings while speaking through a communication device on his ear.

The technological development of the ninja world was strangely uneven—firearms had barely progressed, yet wireless communication and microphones already existed.

The other ANBU halted as well, each taking elevated positions to maintain vigilance.

“Strange… where did he go?” The sensory ninja formed hand seals again. Chakra spread outward like ripples, but still found nothing.

Whoosh—

A sharp wind cut through the air as Kakashi, wearing a white cat mask, landed nearby.

As ANBU captain, Kakashi rarely mobilized personally. But this incident involved the Hyūga clan—one of Konoha’s two great noble families.

The Third Hokage had personally ordered him to lead a squad for investigation.

“Captain!” the others turned toward him.

“No trace on your end either?” Kakashi asked, his single visible eye heavy with concern beneath the mask.

After the mysterious figure vanished, Kakashi immediately organized a pursuit, spreading the ANBU like a tightening net.

Yet even near the village barrier, no trail had appeared.

“The orphanage has been inspected. No abnormalities,” one ANBU added. “Only scattered buildings exist here. The director is Yakushi Nono.”

“The wandering shrine maiden…” Kakashi murmured.

He knew the name. Root technically operated as a subdivision beneath ANBU, and many intelligence records were shared—though the operatives privately trained by Danzō were not.

“Continue the search. Two of you sweep east along the barrier. The rest follow me west,” Kakashi ordered.

“Yes!”

The squad dispersed instantly.

Konoha Hospital — Special Care Ward.

After emergency treatment by medical ninja, Hyūga Hizashi had escaped death and was moved into a private recovery room.

He was not only a jōnin but also head of the branch family—and the clan leader’s younger brother.

Yet sleep refused to come.

Lying in bed, his Byakugan stared at the ceiling, deep lines carved between his brows.

The battle replayed repeatedly in his mind.

The masked man had struck precisely at his blind spot—as if he possessed intimate knowledge of the Hyūga clan.

Knock, knock—

“Come in,” Hizashi said, turning toward the door.

Hiashi entered, now dressed in civilian clothing.

“Brother…” Hizashi tried to rise in greeting, but Hiashi stopped him with a raised hand.

“Lie down. Your condition is serious.”

Hiashi sat beside the bed, expression heavy.

Despite recent tensions between them, he could not deny that Hizashi’s combat strength rivaled his own.

Together they had attacked the intruder—and still suffered one severe injury and one moderate injury.

Such a powerful ninja should not be unknown.

“I came to confirm the techniques that man used,” Hiashi said sternly.

Hizashi nodded faintly.

“He understood us… or rather, understood the Hyūga clan.”

“When my Gentle Fist struck his tenketsu, chakra erupted from those points to resist me. He reinforced his chakra nodes each time—it felt like striking iron. I couldn’t seal his tenketsu or inject chakra into his pathways.”

Hiashi’s expression darkened. Their clash had been brief; he had used Eight Trigrams techniques directly rather than precise point strikes.

“I tried to see beneath his mask with the Byakugan,” Hizashi continued, “but beneath it was endless darkness. His chakra… was immeasurable.”

“And he knew my blind spot…”

His body trembled slightly.

Each branch-family member possessed a unique blind spot caused by the Caged Bird Seal. Even veteran opponents rarely discovered it during a single battle.

Yet the mysterious man found his within mere exchanges.

Hiashi crossed his arms and spoke after a long silence.

“I was defeated by his Twin Lion Fists.”

“What?!” Hizashi jolted in shock.

He had already been half-conscious when Hiashi fell and had not witnessed it.

The technique—Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists—was an advanced taijutsu reserved exclusively for the main family.

Chakra condensed into lion-shaped manifestations around both fists, dramatically increasing power and range.

Its difficulty rivaled Rotation itself. Even Hizashi, who independently developed Rotation, had never mastered Twin Lion Fists.

Countless possibilities flashed through his mind.

A traitor… within the Hyūga clan?

Late night — Hyūga Main House.

After evading ANBU pursuit, Uzumaki Menma returned silently.

With both Hiashi and Hizashi at the hospital, he walked calmly into Hiashi’s study.

The small Nine-Tails jumped from Menma’s collar onto the desk and began rummaging through drawers.

“What were we looking for again?” it muttered, momentarily forgetting.

“Clues about the moon and the Tenseigan,” Menma replied while scanning a massive bookshelf.

The descendants of Ōtsutsuki Hamura on the moon could not have had zero contact with the Hyūga clan.

Otherwise, it made no sense that among countless bloodline families, only the Hyūga developed the Caged Bird Seal.

Perhaps the seal was not meant to guard against other clans stealing Byakugan.

Other clans could at most obtain one or two eyes, like Ao once did.

But the Ōtsutsuki on the moon were different.

In the movie records, Ōtsutsuki Toneri had visited the ninja world as a child with his father, observing Hinata from afar at the Hyūga compound.

As an adult, Toneri even arranged a private meeting with Hiashi, who attended with only two trusted retainers.

That implied Hiashi might possess knowledge preserved within ancient clan records.

“Menma,” the small Nine-Tails suddenly sensed something and leapt back into his collar.

“The big sister is coming.”

It retreated into the mental space.

Menma paused while flipping through a book titled Byakugan Usage Manual.

He expanded his malicious intent sensing.

A familiar chakra signature was approaching.

And its owner was clearly angry.