Sounds of someone moving reached his ears.
Hyuga Shingo woke up from his daze, trying to open his eyes, but found that his limbs had lost all sensation. The only part of his body that could still function was probably his brain.
He didn't even have the strength to open his eyes.
He could hear someone moving nearby, but he didn't know who it was or where he was.
He could only feel that the place he was lying in was very cold, and a faint smell of disinfectant entered his nostrils, as if he were in a hospital.
A cold and solemn atmosphere surrounded him.
Seemingly noticing the slight movement of Hyuga Shingo's body on the operating table, the young man in a white hooded robe, standing beside a table, looked towards the operating table, then continued to lower his head and mix the reagents.
This young man was Shiraishi.
Because the next step was the experiment to break the Caged Bird, many conditions needed to be prepared in advance.
First, he needed a living body of a Hyuga branch family ninja, as he couldn't possibly use Ayane's body for such a dangerous experiment with no safety guarantees.
Although he had previously experimented on human bodies, showing that a human body, without chakra, could use natural energy to replace life energy.
However, those were just ordinary human bodies, only requiring a general conclusion, and the details still needed further penetration.
He not only had to save Ayane's life but also her incredibly precious Byakugan, which he couldn't easily abandon.
Therefore, he had the five Bug Men hunt Hyuga branch family ninjas. This clan's ninjas all possessed the Byakugan, and ordinary people and ninjas had no possibility of hiding from the Byakugan's sight.
In terms of insight, even the Sharingan was far inferior.
However, the five Bug Men did not rely solely on chakra for combat. Abandoning chakra only restricted their secret techniques, but their taijutsu was also formidable.
Moreover, natural energy was immune to tenketsu attacks.
The Hyuga clan's tenketsu could only cut off chakra flow, giving the five Bug Men a natural advantage against Hyuga Shingo.
Using taijutsu with natural energy rendered Hyuga Shingo's Gentle Fist, as a Jonin, ineffective.
In such circumstances, Hyuga Shingo's taijutsu power was greatly reduced, and being hunted was only a matter of time.
Ayane provided the list, while the observation was handled by the mud golem, named 'Earth General' by Shiraishi.
In terms of stealth ability, Shiraishi believed that the 'Earth General's' ability was not inferior to the white creatures that combined Wood Release and Tailed Beast factors.
As long as the whereabouts of the Hyuga branch family ninja could be confirmed, the rest of the matter was very simple.
After a successful hunt, the Earth General would quietly transport them back to Konoha, deliver them to the laboratory, and hand them over to Shiraishi for disposal.
After Shiraishi had prepared the reagents, he placed them on a medicine tray already containing instruments, then carried the tray to the operating table. After placing the tray down, he began to carefully observe Hyuga Shingo's body.
Hyuga Shingo had been brought here an hour ago. According to the return time of Hyuga Shingo's team to the village, they should normally return to Konoha on time tomorrow evening or the morning after to report their work at the Hokage's office.
If Konoha discovered Hyuga Shingo's disappearance, they would definitely inform the Hyuga clan's main family. As for what would happen after that, Shiraishi couldn't guarantee it one hundred percent.
To be safe, the time left for Shiraishi was not very ample.
It was evident that Hyuga Shingo, lying on the operating table, was very tense, as he, being a Jonin, must have already noticed someone watching him nearby.
His forehead protector had been removed, revealing a green cross-shaped curse mark on his forehead, with two opposing green hook patterns next to it.
This was the Caged Bird curse mark engraved on the Hyuga branch family ninjas.
And it was the problem Shiraishi urgently needed to solve.
Hyuga Shingo's chakra was in a blocked state, preventing him from activating his Byakugan. Coupled with his inability to open his eyes, he couldn't see who was standing beside him or where he was.
Shiraishi picked up a transparent glass bottle from the medicine tray. This bottle was made of a material that easily adsorbed chakra, and a sealing formula was engraved on it. He placed the mouth of the glass bottle towards Hyuga Shingo's chest.
Chakra flowed through his palm, activating the formula on the bottle, immediately generating a powerful absorption effect. At a visible speed, the chakra within Hyuga Shingo's body steadily gathered into the glass bottle.
As the color of the chakra in the glass bottle deepened, it indicated that more and more chakra was accumulating inside.
Shiraishi ignored this and began to perceive, watching Hyuga Shingo's every move.
He wanted to use sensory ninjutsu to carefully understand how the Caged Bird curse mark manifested.
According to Ayane, the Caged Bird curse mark had two trigger forms: one was activated by a main family ninja.
They could choose to inflict excruciating pain on a Hyuga branch family ninja, or they could choose to destroy the branch family ninja's eyeballs and brain nerves.
This was the active activation of the Caged Bird curse mark.
The other trigger method was that if a Hyuga branch family ninja died, or when their eyes were removed, the Caged Bird curse mark would directly destroy the branch family ninja's eyeballs and brain nerves.
This was a passive trigger form, completely opposite to the active one.
It was a very terrifying curse technique.
"Ah ah ah ah ah ah!"
Suddenly, when the chakra level was so low that it could endanger his life, Hyuga Shingo's body broke through the limit of the special anesthetic, and he let out a terrifying scream.
At a visible speed, the curse mark on his head emitted a green light, producing a form of chakra that Shiraishi had never seen before.
After this chakra was generated, in Shiraishi's perception, it directly began to flow into Hyuga Shingo's brain, possessing extremely powerful destructive capabilities.
This was completely different from the chakra flow generated when Ruri activated her Sharingan.
Shiraishi interrupted the absorption of chakra from Hyuga Shingo's body, and the chakra in the glass bottle began to flow back. Only then did the Caged Bird curse mark on Hyuga Shingo's forehead return to normal, and that chakra also retracted back into the curse mark.
Shiraishi picked up the chakra-adsorbing glass bottle. It had clearly visible cracks and shattered in Shiraishi's hand, with glass fragments falling to the ground.
"As expected, this is the situation."
Seeing Hyuga Shingo fall unconscious in extreme pain, Shiraishi let out a soft sigh.
The development of events did not exceed his expectations.
So-called 'jutsus,' no matter how they evolved, were essentially an application of chakra.
Take the genjutsu of the Sharingan as an example: achieving the 'eye contact' condition, using one's own chakra to invade the target's brain nerves, and then manipulating the brain nerves of the specified target.
In this process, chakra forms the concept of a 'jutsu,' which can then control the enemy's brain nerves.
Powerful genjutsu users can even hypnotize the target's brain nerves at will, achieving their desired effects.
This is true not only for the Sharingan but for other genjutsu as well.
Whether it's genjutsu triggered through sight, smell, or touch, or other types of five-sense genjutsu, they all require one's chakra to flow within the enemy's brain nerves to achieve hypnotic control.
Based on the caster's chakra control techniques and how the 'jutsu' is structured within the target's brain nerves, the types of genjutsu are diverse.
However, there is one point that must be noted.
That is, no matter what kind of genjutsu it is, it has a time limit.
The chakra transmitted is not infinite. No matter how much effort is put into maintaining it, the released chakra will eventually disappear.
This means that as time continues to extend, the genjutsu user will have their genjutsu broken due to insufficient chakra.
Chakra cannot sustain the concept of genjutsu.
Ninjutsu and curse mark techniques also follow this template.
Timeliness is very important.
The flames released by Fire Release exist for a very short time, unless there are combustible materials after release that can sustain the flames for a long time.
Because these flames are not real flames; they are essentially a mass of chakra that has formed the concept of a 'jutsu.'
The maintenance of a curse mark technique cannot last forever either; it must have a 'time limit' mechanism.
But how to make the Caged Bird curse mark meet the condition of having a time limit? After the observation just now, it was found that at the moment the Caged Bird curse mark technique was activated, there was a relatively obvious flaw.
Shiraishi used the perception generated by the Spirit Transformation Technique and discovered that the special chakra produced when the Caged Bird curse mark was activated earlier was still lingering within Hyuga Shingo's brain nerves.
This chakra did not remain in Hyuga Shingo's brain nerves for very long; it had already mostly disappeared on its own.
A slight smile appeared on Shiraishi's face.
The experiment was a bit dangerous, but the results didn't seem too bad.
At the moment the curse mark technique was activated, solidified chakra would be generated within the system formed by the curse mark technique.
That portion of chakra was not reabsorbed by the Caged Bird curse mark; it was effectively consumed completely.
If this process is repeated, the Caged Bird Seal will eventually lose the chakra that sustains the 'jutsu' concept and will decompose from within.
"The Caged Bird Seal wasn't fully triggered. It seems that death by chakra depletion is also one of the ways the Caged Bird Seal can be triggered."
Once he thought of it this way, things became much simpler.
Both the conditions and assumptions were met.
He also had a complete method of life energy to replace chakra, which could ensure the human body's survival intact even after abandoning chakra.
Shiraishi placed his palm on Hyuga Shingo's forehead to examine his brain.
Only this situation was a bit troublesome, and it was the most crucial part of the experimental procedure.
Although the chakra extraction was stopped in time, preventing the Caged Bird Seal from fully erupting, that special chakra had still surged directly into Hyuga Shingo's brain nerves, causing damage.
The tricky part lay here.
If he could repeat the experiment, decomposing the Caged Bird Seal by continuously draining chakra would not be difficult. Now, the challenge was how to ensure the experimental subject's brain nerves remained safe when the Caged Bird Seal was triggered.
Shiraishi pondered for a moment, then squatted down and picked up a piece of broken glass from the floor.
The tool used to absorb chakra had shattered, and on the glass shards, besides Hyuga Shingo's own chakra signature, there was another residual chakra signature.
It was the collision of two different chakras that caused the glass bottle to shatter.
"A portion was attracted, but the absorption power doesn't seem strong enough… It looks like I need to choose a tool with stronger absorption."
Shiraishi walked over to a nearby shelf, picked up two chakra bottles, then grabbed a syringe from a medicine tray, and began injecting a solution into Hyuga Shingo's body.
This was a solution to maintain bodily activity.
Because the upcoming experiment was even more dangerous than the previous one, Hyuga Shingo's self-recovery ability had to be enhanced.
Otherwise, if things continued like this, the experimental subject would die during the experiment before it even finished.
While Hyuga Shingo was unconscious, Shiraishi began the second experiment.
This time, Shiraishi prepared to use two chakra bottles: one with regular absorption power, placed on Hyuga Shingo's chest according to the previous rhythm, and another with stronger absorption power, placed on his forehead.
The idea was to see if it would work to absorb the special chakra that would be generated if the Caged Bird Seal was triggered again.
And so, the operating table was soon filled with Hyuga Shingo's agonizing screams, echoing endlessly.
"…"
Approximately two hours later, Shiraishi stopped the experiment, looking at the barely conscious Hyuga Shingo.
If he continued, he felt Hyuga Shingo would die from the pain.
Shiraishi couldn't help but frown in thought.
During the continuous experiments, he discovered that the special chakra generated when the Caged Bird Seal was activated had a very strong adherence to Hyuga Shingo's body.
Even constantly switching to chakra bottles with stronger absorption had little effect.
At this rate, even better absorption tools would be useless.
And Shiraishi couldn't guarantee how many more experiments Hyuga Shingo could endure.
The pain and lethality inflicted on the human body at the moment the Caged Bird Seal was triggered far exceeded Shiraishi's imagination.
"A cursed seal jutsu developed specifically for the Byakugan?"
If that was the case, it wasn't hard to imagine the close connection between the Caged Bird Seal and the Byakugan.
Through the previous experiments, Shiraishi had gained a certain understanding of how the Caged Bird Seal destroyed Hyuga branch family ninjas, and how to control the risks.
"This is taking too much time…"
Shiraishi dared not try to directly kill Hyuga Shingo for a more thorough observation.
This meant Shiraishi would have to continuously capture Hyuga branch family ninjas. Once or twice might be overlooked, but after three times or more, even the dullest members of the Hyuga main family would realize someone was targeting them.
At that point, Hyuga branch family ninjas might no longer leave the village for missions.
Then, obtaining experimental subjects would become extremely difficult.
Moreover, having analyzed to this extent, there was no longer any need to study the bodies of Hyuga branch family ninjas.
The connection between the Caged Bird Seal and the incomplete Byakugan, including its generation and countermeasures, had all been learned by Shiraishi.
Now, only a finished sample was needed for observation.
—Hunting a Hyuga main family ninja.
Understanding the distinction between the two Byakugan types, and even being able to possess their spiritual world through the Spirit Transformation Jutsu to find hidden information about the Caged Bird and reverse-engineer its jutsu formula.
Only then could the experiment to decipher the Caged Bird Seal be truly foolproof.
This was something he couldn't trouble Ayane with; he had to plan the action himself.
Compared to branch family ninjas, Hyuga main family ninjas rarely went out on missions, and even if they did, they were likely protected by powerful branch family guards in secret.
"Bug Man and the other five won't be able to deal with so many powerful ninjas; the target might escape. It seems I need to find an opportunity to leave the village."
Shiraishi concluded his experiment on Hyuga Shingo, pondering how to hunt a Hyuga main family ninja next.
◎
Three days later, in the afternoon.
When the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, saw the intelligence report from the Anbu about the disappearance of the Leaf Jonin Hyuga Shingo, he couldn't help but frown.
According to the mission he had assigned to Hyuga Shingo's squad, they should have returned to Konoha yesterday morning to report the mission's progress at the Hokage's office.
However, more than a day had passed since yesterday morning.
According to the Anbu operating in the Land of Fire, there was no trace of Hyuga Shingo's squad.
Currently, four Anbu ninjas were heading towards the Land of Waves to investigate the disappearance of the Jonin Hyuga Shingo.
The inexplicable disappearance of a Jonin was not a minor matter for Konoha.
Coincidentally, the domestic and international environment had been relatively peaceful in recent years, significantly reducing the Anbu's workload; they didn't have to constantly monitor the Land of Fire for dangers.
However, the Anbu's investigation in the Land of Waves would likely take four or five days before they could return to report the situation.
Thinking of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped on his desk, and an Anbu ninja leaped out from the shadows, awaiting orders.
"Deliver this to the Hyuga clan head."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
The Anbu ninja took the scroll from Hiruzen and vanished from the office.
After the Anbu ninja disappeared, Hiruzen breathed a sigh of relief.
Although it wasn't a major village matter, a Jonin losing contact without cause, and a Hyuga clan ninja at that, required timely communication with the Hyuga clan, both out of courtesy and reason.
After all, this clan's ninjas were somewhat special.
Let the branch family ninjas, restricted by the main family's Caged Bird Seal, judge whether there was anything amiss.
As Hokage, he indeed found it difficult to handle such sensitive domestic affairs.
Thus, time passed little by little. Hiruzen looked at the sky outside, which had imperceptibly turned completely dark, then tidied up the documents on his desk and left, heading home to rest.
Less than half an hour after Hiruzen left, the office was dim, with only a faint moonlight providing some illumination.
Without a sound, a bulge rose from the office floor, and eyes with a dull golden, unblinking glow surveyed the office.
A soft, sticky, twisted humanoid figure slowly emerged from the floor, and began silently searching the desk for recent mission documents issued by Konoha.
After an unknown period, a dark shadow suddenly approached rapidly. With a whoosh, a gleaming silver ninja blade sliced through the air.
It mercilessly cut the twisted humanoid figure in half.
The upper half flew off and splattered onto the wall with a squelch.
It stared intently at the suddenly appearing Konoha Anbu with a pair of dull golden, inorganic eyes.
There was no fear in its eyes, only incomprehensible gibberish emanating from its mouth.
Then, under the astonished gaze of the Konoha Anbu, the lower half, which had remained by the desk, treated the floor like quicksand, sinking into it and disappearing.
Seeing this, the Konoha Anbu quickly swung his blade again, striking at the upper half of the humanoid figure stuck to the wall.
That upper half, like the lower half before it, treated the wall as quicksand, sinking completely into it and beginning to retreat.
After the blade sliced through the air, it only struck the hard wall, leaving a crack.