"Don't make a move, Hyūga Clan Head. This precious little girl—if my hand slips… who knows what might happen?" Lotty sneered, pressing his kunai against Hinata's throat.
"You bastard!" Hiashi's eyes went cold. "Do you think you can escape the Land of Fire?"
"Who knows?" Lotty laughed. "What's that, Clan Head—are you planning to strike me?"
He pressed harder—the blade grazed Hinata's skin. A bead of crimson blood welled up.
"Hold on!" Hiashi growled. His expression turned more severe.
Lotty was dangerous enough—but whoever could slip into the Hyūga compound was on another level. Probably the space–time ninja was lurking nearby, ready to strike.
But Hinata could not be harmed, no matter what.
"Release Hinata, and I'll let you walk away."
Lotty chuckled mockingly.
"Do you even believe that, Clan Head? This girl is my insurance—without her, there's no way I leave the Land of Fire alive."
He'd managed to steal Kekkei Genkai—but what good was that if he couldn't get away? His life—and now hers—were in the balance.
Fortunately, he was clever. When planning with "the other guy," he had chosen Hinata… if he'd seized an average Hyūga, they'd never be this restrained.
Plus, his teammate Kirito had also taken another Byakugan from a Main Family boy—so even if he died, someone could still smuggle them out.
"I swear on the honor of the Hyūga clan—release Hinata, and we will forgive everything." Hiashi's voice shook with fury.
Lotty just smirked and held firm. For every minute this drag dragged on, the mission's risk increased—but so did its likelihood of success.
A sudden rush of wind, and a figure in the Hokage's cloak burst in, dragging another muffled figure behind.
"We got them all back," Uchiha Fugaku declared. He tossed the bound Kumo shinobi—sealed at eyes, mouth, limbs—onto the floor and handed Hiashi a small petri dish.
"This was found on him. This guy was probably trying to buy time for you to take these eyes back."
"Thank you, Fifth Hokage," Hiashi said solemnly.
Opening the petri dish, he saw the mesmerizing swirl of a Byakugan inside and carefully tucked it into a sealed scroll.
Ever since the rule barring Main Family heirs from the battlefield, no Byakugan had been stolen—until now.
Previously, stolen eyes were immediately destroyed to prevent bloodline leakage. But after Yoru shared knowledge of the Tenseigan, Hiashi decided to preserve them—just in case.
Once stored, Hiashi turned to Lotty—his rage blazing clear.
This had clearly been a plot aimed at stealing the Byakugan all along.
"How much intel did you gather on that guy?" Fugaku glanced at Lotty, who was holding Hinata hostage, and whispered: "Did the Byakugan not lock onto his position?"
"No. He used space–time ninjutsu to snatch the elder's grandsons and some Branch Family kids—but I suspect he's still watching us."
Hiashi's voice was grim as he continued:
"Fifth Hokage, after today, we must overhaul all barriers in the village and clan grounds to resist space–time ninjutsu."
Fugaku nodded.
The Nine-Tails Disaster and this theft both stemmed from that same forbidden power.
"If I may," Fugaku said to Lotty, "you used the peace process as cover to spy on our Kekkei Genkai. So Kumogakure wants war to continue?"
"Don't be naive, Fugaku," Lotty said coldly. "This war never truly ended."
Facing Fugaku, he realized the mission had failed. No Byakugan was secured—and they were probably going to die here.
However… it didn't matter!
That mysterious man had already stolen the Byakugan and the Hyūga clan's bloodline—meaning the Byakugan kekkei genkai would now be exposed to outsiders. Although it wouldn't benefit Kumogakure, it indirectly weakened Konoha.
What's more, with their entire delegation killed within the Land of Fire, Kumo could now use that as leverage—claiming the moral high ground to pressure Konoha politically.
The peace delegation we sent to Konoha has mysteriously vanished? And you expect us to believe you still seek peace? No… there is no peace in your hearts!
"Let the entire shinobi world see your wicked Konoha faces—and let this war go on!"
"Ridiculous." Fugaku scoffed, his blood-red Three-Tomoe Sharingan gleaming with killing intent. "Before these eyes, everything you do is meaningless. In the end, the only victor will be Konoha."
"Oh?"
Lotty sneered. But unlike before, his eyes no longer held fear—only cold, mocking contempt as he stared at Fugaku.
"Uchiha Fugaku… I admit the Mangekyō is powerful. But I've heard a secret about it."
"A secret about the Mangekyō?"
Hiashi leaned forward, and Fugaku's gaze hardened.
Lotty grinned wickedly:
"That man told me... long ago, Uchiha Madara—former "Shura of Shinobi World"—rampaged through the Warring States era with the power of his Mangekyō Sharingan and went on to found the Hidden Leaf. But in the midst of his conquests, he went blind."
"It was only after transplanting his brother's eyes that he obtained eternal sight."
"Uchiha Fugaku… the Mangekyō Sharingan is a Pandora's Box. The moment it is awakened, your vision begins to fade—until one day, it vanishes entirely."
"You've fought in countless battles, and during our war, you used Susano'o without restraint. So tell me—how much vision do you even have left?"
A mocking grin spread across his face:
"Victory will belong to Kumogakure. Konoha… will become your dinner for us!"
At that moment, Hiashi's expression hardened.
"Use genjutsu—stop him!" he immediately shouted to Fugaku Uchiha beside him.
Fugaku didn't hesitate. His Sharingan's three tomoe spun rapidly into the Mangekyō, unleashing powerful genjutsu.
But before the jutsu could take hold, a power nearly equal to its strength surged from Lotty—blocking it completely.
"How is that possible?!"
"Heh heh."
In the shadows, Obito, who had been in the Kamui dimension the entire time, revealed a cold sneer. Even though his Mangekyō felt a slight sting, the smile on his face was impossible to suppress.
Experience the loss of your disciple, Yuki Yoru!
And with no genjutsu to restrict him, Lotty savagely raised the kunai in his hand and plunged it towards the unconscious Hinata in his arms.
"No!" Hiashi yelled, lunging and filling his palms with chakra.
But it was too late.
Just as Lotty had said, no matter how powerful Hiashi's Eight Trigrams Palms were, how could they be faster than the kunai in his hand?
Amidst Lotty's loud laughter, the kunai in his hand savagely struck Hinata's body.
A weak, slender little girl could hardly withstand an elite jōnin's close-range attack. In an instant, Hinata's neck was completely pierced by the kunai, crimson blood splattered, and her blood even splattered onto Hiashi's face.
BOOM!!
Hiashi Hyūga's palms instantly struck Lotty, who had made no attempt to dodge or defend, sending him flying. But Hinata was already on her last breath.
"No… no…"
Hiashi's expression was tense, and Fugaku's figure also instantly appeared. But upon seeing Hinata's injuries, his eyes suddenly constricted.
A deep gash had been slashed across Hinata's fair neck, skin and flesh torn open. Amidst the blood still pouring from the wound, even her pale spine was visible.
This attack showed no mercy. To eliminate even the slightest chance of saving Hinata, Lotty had twisted the kunai viciously in her neck as Hiashi's attack landed—carving another gruesome, bone-deep wound across her face.
At this level, the injuries were instantly fatal.
"You bastard!!!"
Fugaku's face twisted with fury. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before Lotty.
Hinata wasn't just Hiashi's daughter or the Hyūga clan's heiress—she was also Yuki Yoru's disciple.
That man had only just left Konoha. And now, his student lay on the edge of death.
How would Yoru take this?
That man's wrath…
"Cough… cough…" Lotty spat out blood, lightly coughing. Hiashi's strike had done serious damage, but Lotty ignored it completely now.
It wasn't the perfect ending—but to him, it was worth dying for.
He had completed his mission from the top. He'd thrown the entire peace process between Konoha and Kumogakure into chaos… and taken the Hyūga heiress down with him.
"Prepare for war, Konoha!"
"You think some nearly blind Mangekyō can stop the might of Kumogakure—? Ptooey!"
Lotty burst into wild laughter, while Fugaku's face darkened with rage.
But before Lotty could finish his final taunt, his body suddenly jerked.
Blood exploded from his throat.
A bone-deep wound appeared out of nowhere, tearing across his face as well.
The excruciating pain and sudden fatal injuries left Lotty stunned and uncomprehending.
He had braced himself to die in battle… but Fugaku hadn't even moved yet.
Confused and shocked, he had no time to think.
The wounds were fatal—limbs numb, life slipping away—his consciousness rapidly fading.
Within seconds, he clutched his bleeding neck and collapsed.
"Wh-What the hell…"
Fugaku stood frozen, bewildered.
He hadn't even attacked—and yet, Lotty suddenly died a violent death.
And those wounds...
"How… is this possible?!"
Behind him, Hiashi's alarmed voice rang out.
Fugaku turned quickly—only to see something even he could hardly believe.
"A genjutsu…?"
Just moments ago, Hinata had her throat slashed and her face mutilated—yet now, she lay safely in Hiashi's arms.
No fatal wounds. Not even a scratch.
But how?
They had both clearly witnessed her brutal injuries. How could she be unharmed now?
Fugaku looked at Hiashi, who was frowning deeply. But then his eyes caught something:
At the base of Hinata's neck, on the left side—a faintly glowing Quincy cross, previously hidden beneath her collar.
Hiashi paused, realization flashing through his eyes. He quickly drew Hinata into his arms.
"Hiashi… What was that?" Fugaku asked.
"It was his technique," Hiashi replied, voice low.
Clearly, this had been a protective countermeasure that Yuki Yoru left behind for Hinata—he hadn't expected it to activate so soon.
His eyes shifted to Lotty's corpse—those brutal injuries were an exact match for the ones Hinata had seemed to suffer.
"This… is going to get very complicated," he muttered.
The entire Kumogakure delegation was now dead.
No matter what their true motive had been, in the eyes of the world, they had come under the banner of peace.
And now… they had all died within the Land of Fire.
Kumogakure could seize this pretext and stand on the moral high ground, claiming righteous outrage.
And that would put Konoha in a dangerously weak position in whatever followed next.
But that wasn't the end of it.
Hiashi glanced at Fugaku's eyes.
"Your eyes…"
Fugaku instinctively touched his own face, blood still drying at the corners of his vision.
"It's not as bad as that guy claimed," he said flatly. "Besides, he gave me his word."
He shook his head slightly, then looked toward Lotty's body.
"You take Hinata back. I'll handle things here."
"Even if Kumogakure really intends to stir up conflict… then we'll just fight another war."
Hiashi nodded softly.
"Thank you…"