"I see…"
At those words, Sarutobi Hiruzen could not help but heave a deep sigh, his emotions swaying entirely with Hyūga Kumokawa's words.
Indeed, to date the Yin Seal had only ever been mastered by Uzumaki Mito. Even Tsunade, as of now, had only learned it without fully mastering it. If Hyūga Kumokawa had been able to master this technique in such a short time, Sarutobi Hiruzen himself might have felt alarmed—perhaps even wary.
A person's talent, if just a little greater than others, was considered genius. But if it was far greater… that person was a monster.
Hyūga Kumokawa understood this well. The level he showed now was "just right."
"…"
Sarutobi Hiruzen pondered in silence for a long while, as though hesitating. Finally, he patted Kumokawa's shoulder gently, speaking warmly:
"Remember—during this mission, you must be cautious, cautious, and cautious again. Always follow the orders and commands of your seniors."
Truthfully, he was already reluctant to let this child leave the village and risk his life.
Inherited loyalty, promising talent, a lonely and tragic background… and unlike Kakashi, there were no stains upon him.
Aside from the disgusting Caged Bird seal, Hyūga Kumokawa was practically the "blade" crafted by fate itself for Hiruzen's hand.
But Hiruzen also knew—good steel, without being tempered, could never become a sharp blade.
"Yes, Lord Third!" Hyūga Kumokawa replied solemnly. "Please rest assured, I will complete the mission successfully and return safely."
"Mm. Go, then."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded with satisfaction, then added:
"If the Hyūga clan cuts off your resources, come to me. You are a good child—the hope of Konoha's future. As Hokage and as the village's father, I will never let you suffer injustice."
"Thank you."
At just the right moment, Hyūga Kumokawa revealed a look of gratitude. Sarutobi Hiruzen's face softened with benevolence in return.
It was a picture-perfect scene of elder and youth in harmony.
But in truth, Hyūga Kumokawa's heart was as still as dead water, coldly looking down on Sarutobi Hiruzen's performance.
He knew very well—unlike Uzumaki Naruto—he would never call this man "Grandpa Third."
Sarutobi Hiruzen would never accept it, and Kumokawa himself would never agree.
But that didn't matter. This was enough.
Sarutobi Hiruzen played the benevolent elder. Hyūga Kumokawa played the filial youth.
The Third Hokage's "compassion" had been aged like fine wine for decades; Kumokawa's "filial piety" was heated to just the right warmth.
Both were masters of performance.
The only difference—Sarutobi Hiruzen stared down at the chessboard, unaware that he was already a piece upon it.
Hyūga Kumokawa, however, had already set the board and now looked up, calmly watching the Hokage fall into his game.
Hyūga Kumokawa departed.
But he carried many things away with him.
---
[Name: Hyūga Kumokawa]
[Age: 15]
[Bloodline: Ōtsutsuki Clan (9.9%)]
[Chakra Capacity: S-rank]
[Chakra Attributes: Wind, Fire, Water, Earth, Lightning, Yin, Yang]
[Ninjutsu: … Wind Release: Pressure Damage (B-rank), Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame (B-rank), Extraction Technique (B-rank), Summoning Jutsu: Rashōmon (A-rank), Lightning Release: Raikiri (S-rank), Yin Seal (S-rank) …]
[Taijutsu: Front Lotus (B-rank), Reverse Lotus (A-rank) …]
[Secret Techniques: Shadow Strangling Jutsu, Adamantine Sealing Chains]
[Kekkei: Tenseigan, Stage Two (30.3%) – (Abilities: Heart Wheel Binding Seal, Jade Wheel Spirit-Eater Explosion, Chakra Rosary)]
[Achievements: …]
[Remaining Truth Points: 18,094]
"A true harvest."
Leaping across rooftops, Hyūga Kumokawa's figure moved swiftly. Looking at the panel before his eyes, a smile crept onto his lips.
He had already been just a step away from fully mastering Raikiri. Now, after reading the scrolls, achieving mastery was only natural.
But to him, the true gains were the Yin Seal and the two secret techniques.
At that thought, he lifted his left hand, gazing at his palm.
There, a faintly-colored black "◇" mark had appeared. Though still light, it was proof he had mastered the Yin Seal.
With this jutsu, he no longer needed to retreat in advance and refine chakra—like he had in the Land of Hot Springs—just to unleash his most powerful techniques.
But what surprised him most was the strange sense of familiarity the Yin Seal gave him.
Not the familiarity of having seen it before—but one that resonated from the depths of his bloodline.
"Ōtsutsuki clan…"
His eyes flickered as he stared at the mark in his palm. That sense of familiarity only grew stronger.
Finally, a thought struck him
"Karma?"
The word slipped from his lips, his heart suddenly halting—before pounding wildly.
Yes, that was it. That was the source of the familiarity.
Karma was the unique ability of the Ōtsutsuki.
They could convert themselves into data and replicate it, embedding it into another's body. The one who received it was called a "vessel."
A black rhombus-shaped mark would appear on the vessel's palm. That mark was the Kāma.
Simply put, Karma was a compressed "backup file" of an Ōtsutsuki.
The compressed data would gradually "decompress" over time—or could be accelerated through battle.
When all the data was fully decompressed, the vessel's body would be completely overwritten by the Ōtsutsuki's data.
The vessel's existence would vanish, and the Ōtsutsuki would thus be resurrected.
"…"
Thinking of the similarities between the Yin Seal and Karma, Hyūga Kumokawa licked his parched lips unconsciously.
If the word "data" felt too abstract, it could also be called "genes."
Essentially, it was packaging one's genetic code and transferring it into another body, gradually taking it over.
While the shinobi world was still dabbling in organ and cell transplants, the Ōtsutsuki were already copy-pasting their genetic data.
If the Yin Seal stored chakra, then Kāma stored genetic data. Both followed the same principle: storage and release.
Though their purposes differed vastly, their foundations were alike. Moreover, Kāma also had the ability to absorb ninjutsu and release chakra.
Even Orochimaru's cursed seal had effects somewhat similar to it—though at this time, Orochimaru likely hadn't even developed it yet.
"If I could truly master Karma—this unique authority of the Ōtsutsuki—even just a trimmed-down version…"
At the thought, even Hyūga Kumokawa's gaze hardened.
If he really could, then the possibilities before him would multiply.
After pondering, Kumokawa lifted his head, silently commanding in his mind:
"Manifest—the method that will allow me to cultivate a complete Karma."
[Insufficient Points.]
"As expected."
His eyes flickered, but he was unsurprised.
After all, Kāma was the power that allowed the Ōtsutsuki to surpass death itself. It must have extremely high requirements for Ōtsutsuki bloodline purity. Even Kinshiki and Urashiki had never displayed it.
Only Momoshiki, whom even Urashiki respected, and Isshiki, who had the qualification to plant a God Tree on this world, possessed Karma.
So Kumokawa lowered his standard, silently commanding:
"Manifest—a method, based on the Yin Seal and the Cursed Seal, suitable for my current stage to cultivate Karma."
[Cost: 8,000 Truth Points. Proceed?]
A smile spread across Hyūga Kumokawa's lips. Without hesitation, he thought:
"Manifest!"