"Regarding the search for the Giant Tenseigan, Lord Hiashi should have a greater advantage than I do, so I won't interfere in this matter," Kusuo said. If the Giant Tenseigan was indeed found, it would provide another significant boost to his chakra reserves. The best reference for the amount of chakra required for the Ketsuryūgan (Bloodline Snare) was the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, making the chakra equivalent of ten Tailed Beasts his goal.
Currently, the chakra sources he had secured were Mōryō, senjutsu chakra, the One-Tail, and the Rinnegan. However, the latter two were not ideal direct sources of chakra and could essentially be disregarded.
"No problem. I will do my utmost to search for it in the future," Hiashi Hyūga readily agreed. He didn't need Kusuo's help. Now that he knew of this possibility, he would naturally devote all his efforts to the search without needing anyone to urge him on.
"Good. Now, I'd like to move on to the next matter," Kusuo said with a nod, his gaze shifting to the Hyūga clan members outside. Through his perception, he could tell that they had all reached a beginner's level with the Breathing Style, with no major flaws. They were progressing step-by-step according to the orthodox training method.
"Go ahead, Kusuo. Whatever you need, the Hyūga clan will fully support you." At this point, Kusuo was the Hyūga's greatest protector and their greatest hope for the future. Now that Hinata had even shown him her Rinnegan, Hiashi's opinion of his future son-in-law grew more favorable by the second.
"I need many Hyūga clan members to move out of the village and find another location to train."
"This...?" Hiashi was stunned, not understanding the meaning behind this request. "No problem, I will handle it," he said, gritting his teeth and agreeing. The war was over, and a large number of clan members had returned to the village. They had plenty of manpower, so sparing some for Kusuo was not an issue.
"Excellent. Then I'll leave this matter to you."
...
By the time the four of them returned home, it was already evening. The moon was dim, with only a few specks of brilliant moonlight shining through.
"It's so beautiful, Kusuo-kun," Hinata said, the sight of the moon reminding her of the night they confessed their feelings years ago. She became lost in the moment.
"Mm," Kusuo responded faintly.
Suddenly, he sensed an unexpected fluctuation nearby. It was familiar, very subtle, and filled with an extremely malevolent chakra.
'This is bad!' His heart tightened as a terrible guess formed in his mind.
"Hinata, Shion, you two take Hanabi and go back home! Hide in the basement and don't come out! You must remember my words!" Kusuo commanded urgently. His body had already shot up from the ground, flying towards the center of the village.
"Kusuo-kun!"
"Kusuo-kun!"
Hinata and Shion cried out in alarm. Before they could even see his movements clearly, he had already disappeared.
"Let's go, quickly!" The two women exchanged a look, their eyes filled with a heavy, lingering gravity.
"Right!"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Their figures flickered and vanished into the darkness.
Hatake Kusuo's form tore through Konoha at full speed. In the dark of night, only a faint gust of wind marked his passage, leaving no other trace.
'Could it be Obito?' he wondered, alarmed. Through his perception of breathing, he could generally identify any enemy he had met before by their unique breathing patterns. This was especially true for stronger enemies. What surprised him was that this aura was far more powerful than before!
'Has his experiment had a breakthrough?' This was his biggest worry. After all, all three parties were in a race against time. Orochimaru didn't count; Sasuke was a child of destiny, and Orochimaru would never be able to devour him. Whoever made a breakthrough first would seize the initiative.
The fluctuation ahead gradually became clearer. Sensing the aura, Kusuo knew. Obito! An enhanced Obito!
Space suddenly warped, forming a vortex-like tunnel. A slender figure wearing a yellow mask appeared, staring coldly at Hatake Kusuo.
"I didn't expect you to find me. Your perception is impressive," he said. It sounded like praise, but his tone was calm and indifferent, with a condescending air of judgment, as if he were the master of all.
"Your voice has changed. Done playing Tobi?" Kusuo noted the change in Obito's tone. At the same time, the light shining from Obito's eyes, like two miniature suns, reflected in his own. It was clear Obito's Mangekyō had evolved.
"Hmph!" Being reminded of his past of hiding his identity, Obito snorted, his expression turning uglier. Even hidden behind the yellow mask, Kusuo could sense his flustered anger.
In the original story, Obito only dared to show his true face after confirming Itachi Uchiha's death, which showed his fear of him. Now, not only was Itachi alive, but Obito had even given him Hashirama Cells, a testament to his current confidence.
SWISH!
An afterimage flashed, too fast to be seen in the night. The next instant, Obito was in front of Kusuo, a kunai with a red sealing tag tied to it stabbing towards Kusuo's face. Everything happened in an instant. Before half a breath could be taken, Obito's attack had arrived.
"Heh, to think that after hiding for so long, all you've learned is how to launch a sneak attack," Kusuo sneered. He knew exactly how to provoke this troubled young man.
"You're courting death!" As expected, Obito flew into a rage, the movement of his hand quickening.
CLANG!
A crisp sound rang out as a black sword sheath deflected the kunai from Obito's hand. The kunai shot into the ground, embedding itself deeply. A red light flared, and the ten-times-potency explosive tag tied to the kunai swelled and detonated, blasting the surrounding ground and buildings into fragments and dust.
Kusuo paid no mind to the explosion below, and neither did Obito.
'That stupid woman. Thinking these low-level tricks would work. How could she know how terrifying this boy is!' Obito cursed internally. Konan had confidently given him a large number of special explosive tags, insisting they were incredibly powerful and would have an unexpected effect. Now it seemed they were only good for blowing up nothing. This kid, Kusuo, could deal with these things with a casual swipe!
"Naruto isn't in the village. If you came to capture him, I can only regretfully inform you that you're too late. Even I don't know where he is," Kusuo suddenly said to him.
Obito was both shocked and suspicious. "You're looking for him too?"
Below, the massive explosion had woken up a large area. Many villagers, Anbu, and guard ninja were either rushing over or sounding the alarm. Before long, the entire village of Konoha was awake, all eyes converging on their location.
-------
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