Chapter 12: White Eye Vision Range
Although the garrison positions once patrolled by the Uchiha had been taken over, the Hyuga clan struggled to fill their shoes.
Unlike the Uchiha, who never cared about your connections—if you were guilty, you were caught—the Hyuga were far more restrained. Their actions were bound tightly by the will of the main family, making them hesitant and inefficient.
At the same time, Kaien quietly mobilized certain civilians from the Uchiha clan who had a knack for business.
Konoha maintained strict internal monitoring but was lax with people leaving the village. Civilians without shinobi potential often went unnoticed.
The Uchiha clan still had many members who lacked ninja talent and would never awaken their Sharingan. Aside from their surname, they were no different from ordinary people.
In his previous life, Kaien had been in the catering business. Over the past few days, he'd been writing down recipes and planning food ideas. These delicacies were unheard of in this world.
Outside the Konoha Barrier
Ao, leading seven elite Kirigakure shinobi, approached the village swiftly.
"Byakugan!"
The veins around Ao's right eye bulged as he activated his dōjutsu. In his view, it wasn't the Uchiha who were on guard—it was the Hyuga clan.
"So, there's a rift between the Uchiha and Konoha? This is our chance. Let's move!"
Ao was elated. Although the Hyuga also wielded a powerful eye technique, they posed far less of a threat than the Uchiha.
The Byakugan's range depends on purity, training, and user strength. After obtaining this eye, Ao trained relentlessly. The purity of this Byakugan from the Hyuga main family was high, and its visual distance was exceptional.
Ao also knew that using the Byakugan in 360-degree observation reduced the viewing distance, whereas focusing in one direction greatly extended it. Most people, including the Hyuga, were used to watching the 180 degrees in front of them, rarely scanning directly behind.
"If they don't check behind with their Byakugan before we reach them, we have a chance."
"You all follow my lead. There's a Hyuga patrol ahead."
"Yes, Ao-sama!"
They advanced using the Silent Killing Technique, avoiding detection.
Hinata Morisuke and his squad were patrolling as scheduled.
Every few minutes, Morisuke would activate his Byakugan to scan the surroundings. Everything appeared normal.
Unbeknownst to him, the enemy was maneuvering just outside his backward field of view.
When Morisuke turned his body, so did Ao's group, staying hidden behind the blind angle.
Ao couldn't figure out why Morisuke didn't just check behind him directly, but the more he turned forward, the more confident Ao became.
Once close enough, the Mist-nin rushed forward.
"Be careful!"
Morisuke shouted just as a flash of steel slashed out from behind him.
A katana cut through Yusuke Kobayashi's neck before Morisuke could react.
"Damn it!"
A masked swordsman with bandages wrapped around his face and neck appeared from the mist.
"It's Zabuza Momochi!"
"The Silent Killing Technique…!"
Morisuke immediately expanded his Byakugan's range to full 360-degree vision. Several chakra signatures suddenly flared up all around them. The enemy had surrounded them in the mist.
Before the remaining two shinobi could fire flares, they were already dead, blood pooling at their feet.
The others emerged, fully outfitted in Kirigakure's assassination corps uniforms.
Their leader, wearing an eyepatch over his right eye, stepped forward.
"Ao...!"
Morisuke's heart sank. This man was on Konoha's golden wanted list—infamous for stealing a Byakugan during the Third Ninja War.
Ao stood on a tree branch, eyeing Morisuke. "Pity you're from the Hyuga clan. Otherwise, I could've claimed another Byakugan."
Morisuke knew there was no way the main family would be sent to patrol the outer barrier. He was on his own.
Surrounded by eight Mist shinobi—all of them high-level, judging by their chakra—he knew death was imminent.
He assumed his Gentle Fist stance.
Zabuza grunted, "Let me test him."
Ao nodded. "Make it quick."
Morisuke was furious—he was being treated like a training dummy.
Zabuza disappeared into the fog, but Morisuke had already locked onto him with his Byakugan.
Zabuza lunged with his blade, but Morisuke met him head-on with precise, practiced strikes.
Though Zabuza was known for his swordsmanship and raw power, Morisuke's form was calm and focused—true to Hyuga tradition.
Despite being locked in close combat, Morisuke held back. He had one mission: sound the alarm.
They clashed rapidly until Morisuke found an opening. With a precise strike, he struck Zabuza's blade from the side.
Crack!
With a sound that made even Zabuza grit his teeth, his blade was knocked from his hands.
In the same motion, Morisuke rolled backward, clutching his arm where blood poured freely—and pulled a signal flare from his pocket.
"Don't let him!"
Shuriken flew in to intercept, but Morisuke threw himself into their path, using his body to shield the flare.
BOOM!
The warning flare exploded into the sky.
Just after, one of the Mist-nin kicked him hard in the side, sending him tumbling across the ground.
Blood dripped from his mouth. Several shuriken had embedded themselves in his chest and neck.
As he drew his final breath, the cursed seal of the Caged Bird on his forehead glowed, erasing the power of his Byakugan.
Nearby, within moments, the emergency flare was spotted.
Three shadows leapt into the clearing, landing beside the bodies.
One of them wore a fox-like ANBU mask, silver hair and carried a blade—Kakashi Hatake.
Kakashi quickly uncovered his Sharingan and scanned the surroundings.
The other two ANBU checked the corpses and reported,
"Physical wounds. Mist-style technique."
"Blade injuries… It's almost certainly Kirigakure."
Kakashi nodded. "They may come back. I'll report to the Third Hokage immediately."
Since the Third Great Ninja War, Mist-nin had repeatedly attempted sabotage missions in Konoha—but until now, the Uchiha had always fended them off.
This time, however, four Konoha shinobi had died—including a Hyuga.
Konoha was in serious trouble now.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Translated By – Ancient Lores
TL Note:If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to show your support by leaving a review and letting us know what you think!
And if you'd like to see more chapters released faster, send us some Power Stones for extra chapters—your support really helps us keep the translations coming!
Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more!— Ancient Lores Translation Team