"What are you still waiting for? Our war with the Hidden Stone Village isn't over yet!"
Tsunade shouted.
Although she hadn't really done anything in this war—
Well, not "although,"
She had literally done nothing.
But now that they were about to reach the Hidden Stone Village itself,
It should finally be her turn to contribute, right?
Hyūga Hiyasu couldn't possibly overturn the entire Hidden Stone Village by himself… could he?
On second thought—
No, better not think about it.
That kid might actually be capable of it.
"Everyone, gather quickly! If we move too slowly, this trip might end up having nothing to do with us at all!"
Hearing Tsunade's words, everyone hurriedly assembled and rushed toward the Hidden Stone Village.
Why did everyone know where the Hidden Stone Village was? Weren't hidden villages supposed to be… hidden?
Maybe they used to be.
But everyone knew that the Hidden Leaf Village once produced a Senju Hashirama, who practically invited people over to visit the Hidden Leaf Village every day, and was even hailed as the "God of Shinobi" back then.
All you can say is—idol worship really is a bad idea.
Now look, people can casually walk right into your base without even needing to gather intelligence.
...
Hyūga Hiyasu advanced at high speed.
Along the way, any Stone ninjas who had luckily escaped were effortlessly taken down.
Stone ninja: We successfully escaped, but the enemy went to guard our base. What do we do if we run into him on the way? Urgent.
Hyūga Hiyasu activated his Byakugan, eliminating every Stone ninja that appeared in his path.
"At this pace, heading straight to the Hidden Stone Village, I can get there in half a day. Once I arrive, I'll rest for a bit before launching an attack. It'll also be a good chance to gather information."
Hyūga Hiyasu thought.
Under normal circumstances, things should go exactly like that.
But plans never keep up with changes.
Hyūga Hiyasu abruptly stopped.
Why was there a Sharingan in that direction? Why would someone from the Uchiha clan be there?
Could it be that Uchiha Kamito was severely injured, which is why his chakra felt so weak?
No matter—better go check it out.
Hyūga Hiyasu changed direction and rushed toward the source of the Sharingan.
...
"Kōjirō, you're amazing. You actually managed to take down that terrifying Aburame insect demon all by yourself."
The one speaking was Gari, who had barely escaped.
After this battle, his Explosion Release unit was essentially finished.
But as long as he was alive, the Hidden Stone Village's Explosion Release unit could always be rebuilt.
Tōno Kōjirō lay weakly beside a large rock, resting.
At this moment, his eyes hurt terribly.
Those two Sharingan seemed to be constantly devouring his chakra.
But why hadn't he felt this when he ambushed that Aburame insect demon earlier?
And… didn't he have two pairs of Sharingan? Why was there only one pair left now? Did one attempt fail?
Damn it, my head hurts so much… why does it feel like I can't remember anything?
Uchiha Madara: Young one, you think you're capable just because you've received a few gifts from your elders? If it weren't for the fact that the Aburame rarely revealed his true body, how could you possibly be worthy of Uchiha eyes? Letting you experience it once was already generous. As for the other pair of eyes—consider it payment.
"I'm not sure. I'm still a bit confused. I didn't expect that Aburame insect demon to be this weak. When I got close, he didn't react at all, and I easily stabbed straight through his heart."
Although Tōno Kōjirō still had many unanswered questions, he was extremely pleased.
This was probably the most valuable opponent he had ever killed on the battlefield.
Once he returned to the Hidden Stone Village, what kind of reward would he receive?
The position of Fourth Tsuchikage?
No, no.
Tōno Kōjirō, calm down.
That's not something you can lay your hands on.
Gari was just about to chime in—
"Aburame insect demon? Who's that? Whose heart did you stab through?"
Hyūga Hiyasu suddenly appeared.
"Damn it—Byakugan user, a member of the Hyūga clan from the Hidden Leaf Village."
Gari immediately assumed a combat stance.
Tōno Kōjirō also quickly got to his feet, standing alongside Gari as they stared intently at Hyūga Hiyasu.
He had fought Uchiha from the Hidden Leaf before, and knew exactly how powerful those people with strange eyes could be.
But now… he had those eyes too.
"You—where did you steal that Sharingan from? And how could that guy Kamito possibly allow you to stay alive?"
Too many questions.
Looks like he couldn't just kill these two easily.
At the very least, he needed to extract some information first.
With that thought,
Hyūga Hiyasu slowly stepped forward.
Gari couldn't hold back any longer.
He was genuinely afraid this Konoha ninja would do something bizarre.
After all, he had seen a thousand-armed Buddha, mountains rising out of thin air, black-armored giants, endless seas of insects, boundless lightning, and even hundred-headed wolves.
At this point, nothing these Konoha shinobi did would surprise him.
So—even if he didn't know what Hyūga Hiyasu was about to do—he needed to stop him from getting close first.
"Explosion Release—"
"Too slow."
Gari could only stand frozen, watching as Hyūga Hiyasu passed right through him and walked toward Tōno Kōjirō.
His heart filled with fear.
What kind of technique was that?
Tōno Kōjirō was on full alert, his Sharingan locked onto Hyūga Hiyasu, as if trying to use genjutsu—just like he had against the Aburame insect demon.
But as more chakra was poured in, his eyes hurt more and more, as if they were about to burst.
"Ah!"
With a scream, he collapsed to his knees.
"I have to say, sometimes I really admire your courage. Do you not know that without Uchiha blood, the Sharingan cannot be properly controlled?"
"What?"
"The Uchiha clan's Sharingan is truly powerful only when it belongs to its original owner. But once someone without Uchiha blood installs it, it becomes a bottomless pit that constantly drains chakra, along with a whole series of side effects—eye pain and fatigue are the mild ones. I really can't understand what kind of fool would willingly install something like that into themselves."
Although Hyūga Hiyasu's words were full of mockery, deep down, he was actually a little envious.
Look at their Sharingan—it even recognizes its owner.
Unlike the Hyūga, where anyone can use their eyes once installed. Not a shred of security.
"Impossible! You're talking nonsense! I clearly used the Sharingan earlier to kill an Aburame ninja!"
Tōno Kōjirō roared in anger.
He refused to believe the Sharingan had such a massive flaw.
Even more so, he couldn't accept that the two pairs of Sharingan his squad had exchanged their lives for were nothing but decorations.
"An Aburame ninja…"
Now that made things clearer.
This guy had killed an Aburame ninja.
On this battlefield, the only one with the time and ability to be here was Shiken.
This guy… killed Shiken?
Hyūga Hiyasu absolutely didn't believe it.
"It's fine. The night is long—you'll eventually tell the truth. And besides, you still have your companion, don't you?"
"Soft Palm: Acupoint Strike."
He immobilized Tōno Kōjirō, then unsealed the mute points of both him and Gari.
"You bastard—what do you want?"
"Just kill me. I will never betray the Hidden Stone Village."
Hyūga Hiyasu took out a dissection knife.
"No rush. The night is long—we'll take it slow. The Hyūga clan's control over blade work is extremely precise."
As night gradually fell,
Hyūga Hiyasu's Byakugan looked even more terrifying.