Inside the Hyuga clan…
"This…"
Hiruzen Sarutobi and all the ninjas who had followed him in couldn't help but gasp sharply.
The scene before them looked like a painting from hell. The stench of blood filled the air, making them feel nauseous.
Nearly a hundred members of the Hyuga main family lay sprawled in pools of blood.
The floor was stained a shocking dark red, as if a winding river of blood had flowed across the entire area. The place had completely turned into a human hell.
Almost every bone in the bodies of these Hyuga clan members was broken. They lay weakly on the ground, barely clinging to life, their breaths like candles flickering in the wind, ready to go out at any moment.
Their faces were twisted in pain, as if even in unconsciousness they were still suffering immensely.
"Where's Neji?" Danzo Shimura's eyes swept around like a hawk, leaving no corner unchecked, but he still couldn't find Neji anywhere.
His brow immediately furrowed into a deep crease, his tone heavy, as if each word carried a tremendous weight.
In his mind, Neji had been an ideal test subject. And now he had disappeared for no reason? The thought left him extremely disappointed.
"We were monitoring nearby and didn't see anyone leave!" At that moment, a Root ninja hurried over, his expression serious as he reported.
Even as he spoke, his voice couldn't hide his shock. Perhaps he himself couldn't believe that Neji had vanished so mysteriously.
Under their strict surveillance, there had been no sign of any abnormal activity.
"No one left?" Danzo's frown deepened, his face full of disbelief.
How could this be? Neji seemed to have evaporated into thin air. Disappeared? The thought made Danzo's expression turn extremely grim.
A sense of foreboding rose in him, like an invisible hand tugging at his mind, filling him with an inexplicable fear.
Yet he didn't dare think too deeply about it, nor did he want to, because the consequences might be unbearable.
"Yes… we've been monitoring all other directions of the Hyuga clan. No one appeared, and no one left!" The Root ninja spoke again, his tone heavy and silent. His eyes showed confusion and perplexity, as if he could not understand what had just happened.
At that moment, an ANBU ninja stepped lightly in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi, bowing slightly as he whispered, "Hokage-sama, the elders of the Hyuga clan are all missing!"
Buzz—
Instantly, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes snapped wide open, filled with shock and disbelief.
Hiruzen had heard every word of the conversation between Danzo and the Root ninjas just moments ago. Now, he learned that Neji, along with the elders of the Hyuga clan, had disappeared?
If that was true, there could only be one explanation.
It was a space-time ninjutsu.
The thought sent a chill racing from the soles of Hiruzen Sarutobi's feet straight up to his heart. He could not help but break out in a cold sweat.
To think that the Atsukara had a ninja capable of performing space-time ninjutsu… If that were the case, anyone trying to enter Konoha—or worse, the Sarutobi clan—would be walking into their territory as if it were empty.
It was far too dangerous.
The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had relied on his mastery of the Flying Thunder God Technique on the battlefield, moving like a phantom and striking fear into all the villages.
It was because of such extraordinary skill that he had ascended to the position of Hokage.
And now, to think that the enemy had someone who could wield a similar space-time technique… Hiruzen felt as though a thorn had been lodged in his back, making it impossible to sit still.
"This matter can be dealt with later. Focus on what's in front of us!"
Danzo and Hiruzen thought the same thing almost simultaneously, yet wordlessly agreed to ignore this terrifying topic for now. Their voices echoed almost in unison.
At this moment, they both understood that the priority was to handle the immediate chaos.
Danzo's gaze swept over the critically injured people before him. He barked out orders: "Find the medical ninjas! Heal these people immediately!"
The scene was horrifying. Neji Hyuga's methods of revenge far exceeded what they could have imagined.
Before long, medical ninjas from both the Konoha Hospital and the Uchiha Hospital hurried to the scene.
They moved with urgency, their steps quick and precise. Upon arriving, they immediately threw themselves into the tense work of treatment.
However, after careful examination and diagnosis, the conclusion was grim. The bones of these people were almost entirely shattered. And that wasn't all—their eyes had been destroyed as well. They had completely lost their vision.
"What… their Byakugan?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi received yet another piece of devastating news, his voice filled with shock and disbelief.
Although the bones of the main branch members could be repaired with Konoha's advanced medical techniques over time, their eyes… had gone blind.
That meant all these members of the main branch were now doomed to a life of blindness.
Without the Byakugan, the main branch of the Hyuga Clan was like a beast stripped of its sharp fangs, having lost its most proud and reliable asset.
They had become the very definition of uselessness, and in the world of ninja, such a state was undoubtedly fatal.
Originally, it seemed that Hyuga Neji had left a sliver of hope for the main branch, but unexpectedly, this only made the members suffer more, forced to live in even greater pain.
The Hyuga main branch had always stood tall in Konoha, largely because of their control over life and death of the branch family and their pure Byakugan. Now that the Byakugan was gone, this loss was far worse for them than death itself.
"Quick… no matter what, we have to heal them!" At this moment, Hyuga Hiashi didn't think much beyond wanting the medical ninjas to treat his clan members.
His eyes were filled with anxiety and worry, and his voice trembled slightly with emotion.
This time, the main branch had suffered heavy losses; nearly half of its members were rendered incapacitated. For the entire Hyuga Clan, this was undeniably a catastrophic disaster.
"Hiashi… things have come this far. Accept it," Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly stepped forward, his expression grave, speaking softly to comfort Hyuga Hiashi.
He patted Hiashi's shoulder, trying to give him some strength and solace. Then he continued, "Don't worry. I'll issue a wanted order as soon as I return. Hyuga Neji won't escape!"
Hiruzen's tone was firm, as if he already had victory in hand.
But in reality, Hiruzen knew well that Neji's abilities were extraordinary, making him one of Konoha's finest ninjas. No one could confidently claim they could capture Neji easily.
Moreover, Neji had deep connections with Atsukara. Catching him would not be simple. Yet, as Hokage, he had to take a stand and provide an explanation to the Hyuga Clan and to all of Konoha.
"There's no need for the Hokage to worry!" Just as Hyuga Hiashi hesitated to respond, Hyuga Sanmei stepped forward steadily. His posture was upright, his gaze firm.
Meeting Hiruzen's eyes, he said calmly but confidently, "Hokage-sama, this is an internal matter of the Hyuga Clan. From here on, you need not trouble yourself!"
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