To prevent the Ranmaru's Ketsuryūgan [Red Eye] from interfering with his Byakugan at this critical juncture and causing a lapse in judgment, Yu Hyūga acted first.
Using Medical Ninjutsu: Chakra Needles, he pierced Benimaru's Neiguan point, Shenmen point, the auricular subcortical reflex zone, and the auricular heart reflex zone.
These were all vital acupuncture points connected to the central nervous system.
At such close range, Yu Hyūga—who had mastered the Hyūga Gentle Fist and participated in several human anatomy studies at the Konoha Hospital—could distinguish these points with the naked eye even without activating his Byakugan. His exquisite senbon-throwing technique ensured every strike hit its mark.
Furthermore, Benimaru was merely a Hidden Mist Genin. After the first exchange, Yu realized that the protection offered by the Ketsuryūgan was primarily a form of precognition regarding danger.
In the absence of an immediate lethal threat, this precognition would fail.
Thus, Yu did the opposite of what was expected. He used an acupuncture technique typically reserved for treating insomnia to "hard-crowd-control" Benimaru on the spot.
It wasn't that Benimaru's chakra couldn't be molded; rather, his central nervous system believed he was currently asleep, causing it to ignore the brain's commands to mobilize chakra and flee.
Turning back to Eiki Hyūga...
After seeing Eiki's condition clearly through his Byakugan, Yu Hyūga fell into a sudden silence.
Eiki seemed to sense something as well. He turned his head stiffly, a look of agony gradually spreading across his face. There is a transfer of chakra between a Shadow Clone and the original body; since chakra is the fusion of a ninja's physical and spiritual energies, the fact that the process of the clone dispersing and returning to the host was now reversing proved only one thing:
Eiki Hyūga was already dead.
At this moment, Eiki looked at Yu, a flash of despair in his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but the moment the words left his lips, his face turned deathly pale, as if drained of all blood. His pupils dilated in shock.
"I... ugh, AHHHHHHH!!!"
He suddenly collapsed to his knees, clutching his hand and howling in pain.
"GAHHHHHHH!"
"It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!"
"My hand, my hand! It's burning, it's so hot!"
A flicker of pity crossed Yu's eyes, but he ruthlessly suppressed it within 0.1 seconds. He spun around, crouched down, and grabbed Eiki by the shoulders. Shaking him, Yu shouted even louder than Eiki's screams, questioning him:
"Eiki Hyūga!"
"What did you see!?"
"This is important! What did you see!?"
Eiki's pale lips trembled. He suddenly looked up, his white pupils vibrating violently. He seemed startled awake by Yu's roar, yet he remained unable to control the primal fear of approaching death.
In the final second before his true demise, he forced back his terror. Acting as a shinobi one last time, he relayed the final piece of intelligence he had gathered to Yu:
"The blade... the blade... a blade covered in Paper Bombs!"
Poof!
A cloud of smoke erupted. The lingering echoes of Eiki Hyūga's voice seemed to drift through the silence of this nameless forest.
Yu Hyūga watched the wisps of smoke slip through his fingers—substance he could not grasp—and felt a strange tightness in his chest. Even after enduring two years of the Shinobi World War and witnessing numerous life-and-death partings, seeing a living Jonin die like this right before his eyes still felt absurd.
Even a bit laughable.
He had stepped onto the battlefield for the sake of a vague "humanity," to become a Chunin, to distance himself from the Main House, and to gain freedom. But what about those who were already Chunin or Jonin—the ones Yu considered "winners" in life? Why did they step onto this meat-grinder of a battlefield?
Yu crouched on the ground, his empty hands hanging low, looking like a silent camel. For a moment, he could neither understand nor find an answer.
Just then, Benimaru—whose central nervous system was still suppressed by Yu—seemed to grasp the situation. Though his body was frozen, his eyes looked down mockingly at the crouching Yu. He couldn't help but curl his lips into a wide, derisive grin, letting out a loud, mocking laugh.
"Hehehe... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"You Hyūga brat... looks like the other side has succeeded."
"I don't know how you tricked my Ketsuryūgan's perception, but I'm certain of one thing: you can't kill me. Moreover, the Jonin you relied on to win—that Hyūga Elite—is dead!"
"Now, the moment you harbor any killing intent toward me, my Ketsuryūgan will automatically sense it and force my body to dodge. And you? Your chakra poses no threat to me. In other words, you cannot defeat me with Taijutsu alone!"
"Just wait until Lord Ao returns..."
At this, Benimaru's grin widened further, his face contorting like a blooming chrysanthemum.
"All of you... will DIE!!!"
Nearby, Tetsu Hyūga, who had witnessed the entire event, turned pale upon hearing this. He hesitated before walking over, looking at Yu with a sense of shame.
"Yu... I..."
"I..."
"I'm useless. I couldn't even help... I... I'm so grateful you came to save me."
Tetsu looked at the silent Yu crouching on the ground. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.
"But... but..."
"You have to run, now! I'll cover you. If it's you, you can definitely make it back to Konoha alive!"
However, Yu Hyūga let out a heavy breath and stood up. He didn't acknowledge Tetsu's sacrificial resolve, nor did he show any resentment or desire for revenge against Benimaru's taunts.
He simply asked Tetsu a different question:
"Tetsu."
"Where is Natsu Hyūga?"
The moment those words were spoken, Tetsu's face turned white. He opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, as if a chopstick were stuck in his throat, blocking the answer. He knew with desperate clarity that if he gave the answer, Yu would plunge headlong into hell to bring Natsu back, regardless of the odds or the certainty of death.
Because Tetsu had observed long ago that Yu Hyūga wanted to be a "human."
Yu viewed becoming a person with a sound personality and free will as the ultimate goal of his life. Or rather, his Ninja Way!
To that end, he could lower his head and be a "camel," enduring the strange looks of others. He could also show his claws and become a "lion" when necessary. But ultimately, everything was measured against the standard of becoming a "human."
Yet, Tetsu couldn't hide it. Having watched Yu's journey, he knew that even without him, Yu would find the answer through other means. Yu's obsession far exceeded that of any other Hyūga clan member—perhaps even everyone in Konoha.
Finally, Tetsu closed his eyes in pain and confessed:
"Natsu followed Young Master Mitsuteru Hyūga when he left."
"Very well." Yu Hyūga nodded calmly. He turned around, casting a scrutinizing gaze at the mocking Benimaru.
"Then, proceed toward the southeast. Ignore everything else and go straight to the Konoha camp at the Caobo Coast."
Tetsu looked at Yu firmly and said in a deep voice, "I can fight too!"
"No." Yu turned his head and looked at him calmly, shaking his head.
"Next... I need to see someone. And the contents of our conversation..."
"You cannot hear."
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