"There are signs of a struggle here, Lord Danzō," a Root shinobi wearing a bird mask knelt beside Danzō and reported.
"Any trail to follow?"
"My apologies. The insects lost his scent here."
"Keep looking. I want Hyuga Gakuya found—no matter what."
A greedy glint flickered in Danzō's eyes. The evolved Byakugan… if he could obtain those eyes and combine them with Shisui's Mangekyō, becoming Hokage would be child's play.
"You don't have to look. I'm right here."
A calm voice echoed from above. Everyone instinctively looked up—and there stood Hyuga Gakuya, perched casually atop the railing of the Konoha Police Force headquarters.
"Kill him," Danzō ordered without hesitation.
In an instant, several Root operatives leapt to the rooftop and launched their assault.
Gakuya remained calm. His Tenseigan flared to life, and a glowing, ethereal eight-trigram seal expanded beneath his feet, capturing the Root ninja in its radius.
"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms."
Gakuya vanished from sight. When he reappeared, there was a version of him in front of each Root ninja.
He struck with precision—targeting their chakra points one after another. In a blink, every one of them collapsed in a heap, coughing blood and losing consciousness. Only Gakuya remained standing atop the rooftop.
He walked back to the railing and opened his arms toward Shimura Danzō.
"If you so much as lay a finger on Neji, then Konoha better be prepared to burn."
The words had barely left his lips when Danzō felt a crushing force slam into him, launching him into the air. Fortunately, a few Root shinobi caught him mid-flight and broke his fall.
Gakuya didn't wait. He hoisted Uchiha Izumi over his shoulder and disappeared in a flash of Body Flicker, vanishing from Konoha.
...
Meanwhile, inside the Hokage's office—
Kakashi was mid-report.
"Lord Hokage, we found three surviving members of the Hyuga clan. They happened to be at the night market when the attack began and narrowly escaped. They returned just in time to witness Gakuya leaving the compound. According to them, there was a brief exchange of words."
"Gakuya didn't harm them?"
"No. One is his younger brother—Hyuga Neji. The other two are Hinata and Hanabi, daughters of Hyuga Hiashi."
Hiruzen Sarutobi inhaled deeply. "Good work. Post elite guards. We must protect them at all costs—Gakuya might return to finish what he started."
"Yes, sir."
Though Gakuya had left Konoha, no one could predict how far he'd go for revenge.
In a sealed chamber deep within the village, the last three members of the Hyuga clan stood—bewildered and uncertain.
Neji's mind was in turmoil. Why would his brother annihilate their entire clan? Power? No… Gakuya was never obsessed with power.
It had to be revenge. Neji had seen firsthand how the clan had shunned Gakuya. But the innocent ones… they didn't deserve this.
He had to uncover the truth—and bring his brother back.
Hinata and Hanabi, on the other hand, were trapped in a fog of pain and confusion.
Gakuya had kept his promise to Hiashi—he'd used the Sharingan to rewrite their memories. In their minds, he was the gentle, kind brother who'd always protected them.
Especially Hinata. Gakuya was her savior—the one who'd rescued her from Kumogakure three years ago. She'd looked up to him… even idolized him. To suddenly see that person as their enemy was unbearable.
The sisters couldn't make sense of his actions—and the pain was overwhelming.
Neji cut through the silence.
"Believe me or not… but Gakuya must've had a reason. Otherwise, he would've killed us too."
Fortunately for Neji, Hiashi hadn't raised him for long. He'd only been instilled with one principle: protect Hinata and Hanabi. His sense of loyalty to the clan itself was shallow.
Hinata, eyes red from crying, gave a shaky nod—first denying, then accepting, all at once.
"I don't care what you say. No matter his reasons, my sister and I will kill that man. For our parents," Hanabi declared, gripping Hinata's hand tightly.
"I'll stop you," Neji responded, gaze firm. "There's a reason for what he did. I'll find out the truth."
The three stood in an awkward harmony—united in love, divided in hate—all centered around Hyuga Gakuya.
...
Elsewhere—
A swirling vortex appeared in the forest beside the Naka Shrine.
Uchiha Obito stepped out.
From the earth, Black Zetsu emerged. "You alright, Madara?"
"I'm fine." Obito narrowed his eyes. Black Zetsu had known intel that even he didn't.
He was supposed to be Madara Uchiha's chosen successor—and Madara had told him clearly: the Byakugan could not evolve.
So how did Zetsu, supposedly the manifestation of Madara's will, know what Madara didn't?
Something wasn't right. Black Zetsu was always slippery, and now that suspicion had taken root—it would only grow.
...
Nearby, Uchiha Itachi spoke his most iconic line.
"You're not even worth killing. Foolish little brother… if you want to kill me, hate me. Curse me. Run. Cling to life. And one day, when you have eyes like mine… come and find me."
With that, Itachi bid farewell to Sasuke. The boy's trauma triggered the awakening of his Sharingan—just one tomoe.
From a distance, Hyuga Gakuya watched with his Tenseigan, clicking his tongue in disbelief.
"So this is the reincarnation of Indra? And that was enough to trigger one tomoe? Man, that's underwhelming."
Beside him, Izumi groaned softly—starting to wake.
"Not yet," Gakuya said flatly, and knocked her out again.
Itachi, having fulfilled his purpose, turned toward the Naka Shrine and disappeared into the shadows.
Down below, Root shinobi began cleaning up the battlefield. Gakuya frowned.
"They're not even gonna let me eat anyone?"
He sighed. But then—
Two immense chakra signatures approached fast—it was Hiruzen and Danzō.
"Not the time to make a move," Gakuya muttered. "I'm not Orochimaru—I don't have the protection of being Sarutobi's student."
Against legendary Kage-level shinobi and a team of elite ANBU? Not worth the risk.
With that, he slung Izumi over his shoulder once more and vanished from the outskirts of the village.
...
Back at the edge of the forest near the Naka Shrine, Itachi arrived.
Obito was already waiting.
"It's done?"
Itachi gave a cold nod.
"Then it's time I introduced you to the Akatsuki."
As they walked, Obito suddenly asked, "Do you know Hyuga Gakuya?"
"Who?" Itachi blinked, confused why he of all people was being asked about someone so… random.
"Hyuga Gakuya," Obito repeated. He'd just learned the name from White Zetsu, who monitored the Five Great Nations. Even he couldn't know everything at once.
Itachi frowned, trying to figure out where this was going. "He came to Konoha about ten years ago…"
He gave a brief account—Gakuya had been a fellow ANBU member and had even mentored him at times.
"Wait—you said he never awakened the Byakugan?"
"Correct. Despite that, his talent in taijutsu was remarkable. He even created a unique hybrid of ninjutsu and taijutsu."
"Heh… that's outdated intel," Black Zetsu said, emerging from a plant-like pod. "He not only awakened the Byakugan—he evolved it and wiped out the entire Hyuga clan."
Obito's eyes narrowed. "Where is he now? Can he be used?"
White Zetsu answered first. "He fled Konoha with Uchiha Izumi. They're headed toward the Land of Grass."
At the mention of Izumi's name, Itachi's expression hardened. He turned sharply toward Black Zetsu.
Sensing his reaction, Zetsu added, "Gakuya used a technique that lets him steal the bloodline limits of the dead. He absorbed the Byakugan from the Hyuga clan—and the Sharingan from the Uchiha in the police force."
"What a terrifying jutsu."
Itachi's brows furrowed, a shadow of concern flickering in his eyes. Izumi might be in serious danger.
But after a moment, he relaxed. All his love had been given to Sasuke. Izumi… she was just a friend.
"Just keep an eye on him."
"No worries. He'll never spot us. We are nature itself."
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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