"Don't meddle. Do what you're supposed to," Uchiha Yao said, turning to the now-humanoid shadow.
"Heh heh heh, I'm eager to see this kid's dark side," the shadow cackled, creeping toward the unconscious Uchiha Gin, pressing a pitch-black hand to his head.
Just then, two figures burst into the lab. Yao, spotting them from afar, frowned. "Thought I could stall longer. Tajima's no longer that indecisive boy."
Wangliang had warned him of Mio's return. To buy time, Yao had drafted a proposal on the two Mangekyo pairs overnight, knowing loyal Mio would seek Tajima's approval first.
It should've delayed them, but his once-hesitant disciple had grown decisive as clan leader.
"Wangliang, abort the plan. Attach to Gin and await my orders," Yao instructed. Exposing Wangliang was too risky, and his actions would likely get him removed from the project, with Gin placed under protection.
The shadow melted into black liquid, merging with Gin's body.
"Yao! Clan Leader's orders: halt the experiments!" Mio, with the rotund Yan, stormed in, brandishing Tajima's decree.
"What, my proposal didn't tempt the clan leader?" Yao turned, eyeing his clansmen coldly.
"This isn't the time for such plans. I'm appointed to take over. Tajima says you've overworked, Yao. Rest at home for now," Mio said.
Yan and Mio watched Yao warily, ready for sudden aggression. Yao wasn't just a researcher.
"No need for tension. It's the clan leader's command—I'll comply," Yao said, shaking his head. He shed his lab coat and left.
"That easy?" Mio and Yan exchanged glances, suspicious of Yao's compliance.
"Forget it. Let's get Gin back," Yan urged, eyeing the unconscious boy.
Unable to fathom Yao's motives, Mio shelved his thoughts, helping Yan carry Gin to his rest area.
Outside, Yao glanced back at the institute where he'd spent most of his life, a fleeting regret in his eyes.
"Pity, it'll all soon be ashes—along with this sinful clan," he muttered, his aged face twisting with madness. "Kin, a world without you has no reason to exist."
---
Night fell. On a hillside dozens of miles from the Uchiha clan grounds, a disguised figure stood under the moonlight, waiting.
Footsteps approached, and several men emerged from the woods. Muscular and bloodthirsty, their rugged faces sported oddly delicate Marumayu brows, clashing with their aura.
"You the one who sent us the intel?" the square-jawed leader demanded arrogantly.
"Yes. The Uchiha changed leaders recently. The new one's not warlike, focusing on recovery. They've stockpiled wealth and resources," the masked figure replied in a genderless voice, concealing age and identity.
"Cowardly. War's the only path to growth," the leader scoffed. "Why hand us their defense map?"
Across the sea in the Land of Water, the newly arrived, battle-hungry Kaguya clan had received detailed Uchiha intel, complete with a defense map.
The Kaguya, skeptical, saw a juicy target. Seizing it could boost their strength and secure a foothold back in the Land of Fire.
The Land of Water was resource-poor, its islands war-torn, with clans eyeing the Land of Fire, probing for a chance to return.
"Don't ask. Call me a vengeful soul," the figure said slowly.
"Shady bastard. Even if you won't talk, I'll verify your intel," the Kaguya leader sneered, waving forward a man without their signature brows.
"This kid's our clan's half-Hyuga, awakened with a kekkei genkai. He can scout miles away. He's here to check your info," the leader said, patting the man's shoulder. "Lie, and you'll die pierced by a thousand bones."
Like the Uzumaki and Senju intermarrying, the Kaguya had long tied with the Hyuga, forging bonds through marriage.
This unremarkable man was their Hyuga half-breed.
Lacking the Kaguya's Bone Pulse, he'd awakened a variant Byakugan. Unlike the Hyuga's white pupils, his eyes looked ordinary.
"Takuya, scout the Uchiha defenses. Match them to the intel," the leader, Kaguya Soisuke, ordered.
Kaguya Takuya nodded, slipping toward the Uchiha outskirts.
Byakugan, activate! Forming a hand seal, his black pupils turned white, without the Hyuga's bulging veins.
His Byakugan, impure due to mixed blood, only offered telescopic vision.
Still, it earned him favor in the clan. Scouts were rare, especially for taijutsu-heavy Kaguya, who needed enemy positions.
With his variant Byakugan, Takuya spotted an Uchiha outpost miles away, counting its occupants and circling to scout further.
On the hillside, the Kaguya and the stranger stood tense. Takuya's return froze the air.
"Takuya, report," Soisuke demanded.
"Captain Soisuke, the Uchiha's outer defenses match the intel," Takuya panted, drained from maintaining Byakugan.
"Hahaha, fortune favors us!" Soisuke roared, eyeing the silent stranger. "You must hate the Uchiha deeply. Don't worry—after tonight, the Uchiha will cease to exist."
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