Night fell again over Konohagakure.
Rain streaked across rooftops. ANBU figures leapt like owls through the dark, gray tactical vests soaked, blades strapped to their backs. Many still carried the metallic scent of fresh blood.
They gathered before the headquarters of the ANBU, the building marked with the character "X".
Among them stood Kakashi Hatake, forehead bandaged, one dull eye narrowed in confusion.
Those explosive tags…
They hadn't been there earlier.
And the Third hadn't set them.
The doors creaked open.
Out stepped Hiruzen Sarutobi, robes heavy with rain—and beside him, wrapped in darkness, Danzo Shimura.
"We are to capture Orochimaru immediately," Hiruzen announced calmly. "He is gravely injured. He cannot leave the Land of Fire easily."
"Bring him back alive if possible."
A pause.
"If he escapes the border… Konoha will suffer greatly."
"Dismiss."
The ANBU vanished like scattered crows.
As Hiruzen passed Danzo, a dry voice followed him.
"You still cherish your beloved student."
Hiruzen stopped.
"You even 'missed,'" Danzo added coolly. "I hear you rescued a Hyuga branch child."
"He is only a pitiful boy," Hiruzen replied. "A branch family member."
Meaning:
Useless to you.
The Caged Bird Seal ensured no branch Hyuga could ever be fully controlled by Root. One activation from the main family could destroy their brain instantly.
Danzo's eyes narrowed.
Regardless, he would assist.
For Konoha.
Always for Konoha.
But once alone, Danzo read the Root report.
The entire underground base had been rigged with explosive tags—far beyond what even Orochimaru would destroy in spite.
And Orochimaru himself had lost an arm.
This was not Hiruzen.
And it made no sense for Orochimaru.
So who?
His mind briefly flickered to the surviving boy—
Then dismissed it.
Impossible.
No fifteen-year-old branch "waste" could orchestrate something so precise, so ruthless—manipulating both Orochimaru and Hiruzen simultaneously.
Yet the unease remained.
Some unseen hand had moved the pieces.
Danzo crushed the scroll.
If such a threat existed—
It must be erased.
Even if it meant the quiet death of a branch child.
Far away, within the forests of the Land of Fire—
Orochimaru staggered forward.
His left forearm was gone, torn flesh exposing bone. Blood soaked half his robes.
Even with his modified body, this was catastrophic.
He had intended to reach the Iburi clan—holders of Smoke Release—to use their blood to recover.
But the explosion…
That damn boy.
He touched the ancient scroll at his chest.
The Ōtsutsuki secrets were still his.
He even carried a fragment of the Ōtsutsuki flesh.
As long as he lived—
He could still reach truth.
He formed a seal.
He would use Reverse Summoning to escape.
But before he could—
Bang.
White smoke erupted.
He vanished.
Moments later, Jiraiya arrived at the scene.
"Reverse Summoning?" he muttered grimly. "Orochimaru… what have you done…"
Elsewhere—
A vast cavern.
Blue-purple minerals glowed faintly. Serpent carvings lined the stone floor.
This was Ryūchi Cave.
Orochimaru opened his eyes weakly.
"I didn't summon…"
A colossal white serpent coiled atop a stone throne.
The White Snake Sage.
Not in elderly human guise.
But in her true, ancient form.
Amber serpent eyes locked onto him.
A rare expression flickered across her face.
"Impossible…"
She hissed softly.
"Your fate… has been rewritten?"
Back in Konoha—
At the edge of the Hyuga compound, in a worn-down branch house—
"Meow."
A black cat slipped in through the window.
On the bed, Hyuga Yunchuan opened his eyes.
"They've finally left."
He sat up, touching the bandaged wound at his neck.
A smile formed.
Such a fatal injury—
Yet in one day, more than half healed.
Not Hashirama-level regeneration…
But enough to eliminate the "glass cannon" weakness of shinobi.
And that was only the beginning.
Before his eyes, a translucent panel appeared:
Name: Hyuga Yunchuan
Age: 15
Bloodline: Hyuga → Ōtsutsuki (5%)
Chakra Capacity: D-rank → S-rank
Chakra Nature: Wind → Wind, Fire, Water, Earth, Lightning, Yin, Yang
Ninjutsu: …
Five percent.
Just five percent—
And already the ceiling had shattered.
Yunchuan's fingers tapped lightly against the bedside.
Orochimaru had fled.
Danzo was suspicious.
Hiruzen was protective.
The board was set.
The Tenseigan would be next.
The Caged Bird would be broken.
The weak feign weakness.
The strong feign innocence.
From this night onward—
Fate itself had changed tracks.
And somewhere deep within Ryūchi Cave—
Even a thousand-year-old sage had noticed.