Troy handed the unconscious Hyuga Neji to Samui, then turned his back to her and looked toward Hyuga Hiashi's residence, his expression firm and unwavering.
"Samui, I'm going to steal the Main Family's heir," he said calmly. "You take this child and leave the village. Wait for me at the outpost outside the walls. If you see me before dawn, don't be too happy—we'll return to Kumogakure together. If you don't see me… don't be too sad. Go back to Kumogakure on your own."
"Senior Troy…"
"Those are orders."
"…Yes."
---
Hyuga Hiashi's Residence
A dark figure landed silently in the courtyard.
Seeing the restless silhouette moving inside the house, Troy formed hand seals and repeated a familiar technique.
As large, illusory white feathers drifted into Hinata's room, her breathing soon grew slow and steady.
Troy slipped inside, tucked Hinata under his arm, and leapt away.
But before he could leave the compound, a shadow flashed out from the front yard.
"?!"
Hyuga Hiashi stared at the black-clad intruder, then at Hinata in his arms. The momentary shock on his face vanished, replaced by uncontrollable fury.
To dare steal from the Hyuga Clan—what insolence!
Hyuga Hiashi activated the Byakugan, veins bulging at the corners of his eyes, and charged straight at Troy.
A sharp glint flashed through Troy's eyes.
Hyuga Hiashi's reaction was slightly slow.
Perhaps years of living in comfort had dulled his edge, or perhaps he had never imagined anyone would dare infiltrate the Hyuga Clan, and so his vigilance had waned.
But it was enough that he had discovered him.
During the Third Great Ninja War, the Kirigakure jōnin Ao had once seized a Byakugan from a Hyuga Main Family ninja and successfully transplanted it, greatly increasing his strength.
That incident made the outside world realize just how different the Byakugan was from the Sharingan.
The Sharingan was extremely domineering—successful transplants placed an enormous burden on the body.
The Byakugan, by contrast, was relatively gentle, with a high transplantation success rate and minimal rejection.
On the underground black market, a single Byakugan was now worth thirty-five million.
Kumogakure lacked neither ninjutsu nor secret techniques.
What it lacked were top-tier dōjutsu bloodlines like the Byakugan and the Sharingan.
The Sharingan was out of the question—even Kumogakure wouldn't dare provoke those Uchiha lunatics.
By comparison, the Hyuga Clan was far easier to bully.
But Kumogakure's appetite was enormous.
It didn't want just one Byakugan—it wanted the Byakugan bloodline.
Using the excuse of a peace treaty to abduct Hyuga children.
This was Troy's first mission.
After successfully stealing Neji, the mission had already been completed.
His insistence on kidnapping Hinata was for the second mission.
To die by Hyuga Hiashi's hands.
His death would give Kumogakure the excuse to demand Konoha hand over the murderer—Hyuga Hiashi—or face war.
If Konoha complied, three things would happen:
First, it would ignite conflict between Konoha's hawk and dove factions.
Second, it would drive a wedge between the Hyuga Clan and the Hokage faction.
Third, it would deal a devastating blow to Konoha's reputation.
If Konoha refused and chose war instead, that would suit Kumogakure just as well.
The Fourth Hokage and his wife had died during the Nine-Tails' Attack.
Orochimaru had defected.
Tsunade and Jiraiya were missing.
The conflict between the Uchiha and the Hokage faction was growing sharper by the day.
Konoha was now a sick tiger.
Kumogakure was not afraid.
No matter the outcome, the gains would be enormous.
The price?
Merely the life of a single Kumogakure envoy.
Troy had volunteered for this glorious mission.
The Fourth Raikage had approved it.
After all, only a battle-hardened veteran like Troy had any chance of completing it.
It's just death, Troy laughed inwardly.
Whoosh!
He tossed Hinata aside, pulled out a red scroll, tore it open with both hands—and two massive shuriken shot forward, slicing through the air.
Hyuga Hiashi caught Hinata with ease.
At that moment, the two square shuriken were already upon him.
"Eight Trigrams: Rotation!"
He took a deep breath as refined chakra erupted from the tenketsu across his body, instantly forming a massive spinning sphere.
With two dull thuds, the shuriken slammed into the chakra barrier and were deflected away.
Seizing the opening, Hyuga Hiashi used the Body Flicker Technique, appearing directly in front of Troy. His palms moved in a blur.
The first strike smashed into Troy's shoulder, paralyzing half his body.
The second strike hit his chest, instantly disrupting the pulse of his heart.
Troy spat out a massive mouthful of blood and was flung backward, crashing to the ground, completely unable to move.
As his body fell, he murmured softly,
"Hyuga Hiashi… nothing special."
"..."
Hyuga Hiashi frowned slightly.
He couldn't understand the meaning behind the thief's final words.
This man wasn't strong—if anything, he was weak, far inferior to even an average Hyuga chūnin.
With such strength, how could he dare infiltrate the Hyuga Clan and attempt to kidnap the Main Family heir?
Was he just some ignorant bounty hunter?
Just as Hyuga Hiashi was puzzling over this, a crisp clang sounded behind him—as if something had fallen to the ground.
Startled, Hiashi turned around, his pupils shrinking instantly.
It was a massive square shuriken.
Unlike ordinary shuriken, it was made of a transparent material—even the Byakugan struggled to detect it.
Shock crossed Hyuga Hiashi's face.
He threw three shuriken… but I only saw two?
That meant—
He had a chance to kill me?
No—impossible.
He died to just two strikes. He was clearly trash.
If he truly had the strength to kill me, how could he have fallen so easily?
An intense sense of unease surged through Hyuga Hiashi's chest.
Frowning deeply, he stepped forward, bent down, and tore off Troy's black mask.
Hyuga Hiashi froze.
Beneath the mask was a resolute face, calm and composed—even carrying a faint smile in those deep-set eyes.
That familiar face struck him like lightning.
Hyuga Hiashi shuddered violently.
It felt as if he had fallen into an icy abyss, a bone-chilling cold flooding his entire body.
Troy…?!
How could it be Troy?!
---
Neji struggled for a long time before finally forcing his heavy eyelids open. His blurry vision slowly came into focus.
He sprang up with a sharp kip-up.
On a nearby tree stump lay a corpse, a long sword piercing straight through its chest.
It wore an animal mask and a green flak vest.
Judging by the still-warm blood, the time of death was no more than ten minutes ago.
I've already been taken by a Kumogakure ninja…
Where is this place?
Veins bulged at the corners of Neji's eyes as he activated the Byakugan.
This was a coconut grove.
Two kilometers ahead lay the endless sea.
A coconut grove… the ocean… that means this is the northern border of the Land of Fire.
As his vision expanded, dozens of bodies appeared one after another. The ground was scarred with the remnants of explosive tags and ninjutsu.
At the edge of his vision, Neji detected two faint chakra signatures.
There are still survivors.