Makoto naturally did not know the Yamanaka clan's mind-related secret techniques.
But in fact, if he wanted to, spending a bit more time would truly allow him to develop them. The same applied to the Nara clan's shadow techniques—when he was on the eastern front, he had seen Nara Suzaku and members of the Yamanaka clan use them.
At the time, he had quietly observed and sensed the entire process of chakra flow from the sidelines.
Put plainly, it was a method of using Yin-attribute chakra—classified as a relatively simple form of Yin Release.
Unfortunately for them, his chakra's Yin and Yang attributes had already been mastered long ago, and to a level more profound than either clan's. As long as one's chakra attribute training was deep enough, any ninjutsu could be understood at a glance.
The reason he did not develop them was that it would offend too many people. If he were an orphan, he would naturally have nothing to fear—at worst, he could defect and go hang around with Nagato.
The problem was that both his parents were alive; he did not want to screw over his own father.
The reason he wanted to try was that he planned to use genjutsu interrogation. As long as his Yin attribute was strong enough, even simple genjutsu was not something ordinary ninja could withstand—see the cases of the Great Filial Son and Shisui for details.
When they saw Makoto, the dark-skinned, powerfully built Kumo ninja roared in anger: "Brat, what did you do to me? Why don't you just kill me outright? Do it! What are you waiting for? Don't expect me to hand over any intelligence—we Kumo ninja aren't as soft as you Konoha bastards!"
That look in his eyes was as if he wanted to devour the entire group of Konoha ninja in front of him alive.
Unfortunately, if a glare could kill, then what would ninja be for—huh? No, wait. In the ninja world, a glare really does seem able to kill.
The Uchiha clan is particularly good at that; their Ōtsutsuki great-great-grandmother is even more of an expert in it.
Makoto couldn't be bothered to respond. He simply stared into the man's eyes, his hands forming seals rapidly.
Genjutsu: False Surroundings Technique
He formed the hand seals for real genjutsu—not like those who go around conning people everywhere with fake seals.
Although it was only a simple C-rank genjutsu, under the reinforcement of Makoto's formidable Yin-attribute chakra, the dark-skinned Kumo ninja—already seriously wounded—was powerless to resist. He fell instantly, and his memories were pulled back to the day he accepted the mission.
Within his consciousness, Makoto had already taken on the form of his superior. Using the pretext of emphasizing the mission's importance, he made him recount the details once again to avoid any omissions.
Because it was under circumstances the man believed were safe, and his brain was not being violently invaded, that seal formula—whether it even existed or not—would not be triggered at all.
Faced with "Superior" Makoto's examination-style questioning, he answered everything he was asked.
And then everyone learned what kind of trick those Kumo ninja brutes had been playing.
The good news was that the dark-skinned, powerfully built Kumo ninja really was an elite jōnin-level expert within his village, able to access a great deal of classified intelligence.
All along, the war pressure on the northern front here in the Land of Hot Water had not been particularly heavy. The Konoha ninja—led primarily by the Hyūga clan—only needed to hold the line here. The northern First Command's requirement was: don't let the Kumo ninja get through and dig in their own asses.
The Kumo side's main focus was not here either. In order to avenge his father, the Fourth Raikage was single-mindedly set on beating the shit out of Iwagakure.
But recently, with the fighting growing tense, and after having had enough of the Hyūga clan's Byakugan and its rogue-like tactics, they came up with a bold idea.
That was to learn from Kirigakure and pull off a big job.
If Kirigakure could snatch it, why couldn't we, Kumo, do the same?
Who wouldn't want something as good as the Byakugan? Wasn't there a Hyūga main-house member sitting there in plain sight on the Land of Hot Water front line? Why couldn't they go and grab it?
After all, this had always been Kumo's style—robbing other people was routine for them. On top of that, the intensity of the Land of Hot Water front had never been very high, which had served well to lull Konoha into a false sense of security.
With timing and terrain already in their favor, the moment to obtain the Byakugan had arrived.
So the operation was set just like that. They secretly dispatched several experts to lead forces southward, link up with the local Kumo ninja, and launch this Byakugan acquisition plan.
The mission of the dark-skinned Kumo ninja was to position themselves between the defensive line and the command headquarters, killing Konoha ninja by any means possible and cutting off their reinforcements.
It was just that their luck was bad—they ran into Makoto.
As for the assault—under the Byakugan, there was no such thing as a sneak attack. The ninja leading the frontal attack on the Second Command Headquarters was a renowned Kumo powerhouse, a Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai user: Troy.
Good grief. So that was what these brutes had been plotting here all along.
Unlike the Sharingan, the Byakugan in the ninja world was truly something everyone wanted to seize the moment they saw it—it was extremely sought after. From this perspective, the Caged Bird seal really did serve a significant purpose.
After extracting the intelligence, everyone fell into silence. What came next required a decision from Kumomi, the jōnin present.
Iga said anxiously, "Kumomi-senpai, we should hurry back to the command headquarters to provide support!"
Kumomi shook his head. "If the intelligence is true, then the fighting over at the headquarters may already be over. Our returning to support them would have no meaning."
"Then what should we do? Could it be that Hiashi-sama has already—"
"No need to worry. It wouldn't be that easy to succeed. The village and the Hyūga clan would never allow the same thing to happen a second time."
"Besides, if the situation were truly urgent, we should have already received an order to return for reinforcement. We haven't, which means the ones who won are our Konoha forces."
"Now, we'll split into two groups. Your squad will continue to watch the defensive line, and also take care of the bodies of our comrades who were killed in action. I'll take people back—that will be enough."
"Yes!"
The three members of Iga's squad accepted the order. They had been lucky to run into Makoto's squad and had even rendered great service, but some of their comrades at other defensive points had very likely already met with disaster.
For example, the squad that the Kumo ninja had previously impersonated using the Transformation Technique had been stationed at a neighboring outpost—its members were certainly already dead.
After confirming their respective tasks, the four members of Kumomi's team rushed back toward the command headquarters at top speed.
Here, everything was in chaos. Traces of battle were everywhere—black smoke rose in all directions, buildings were in ruins, and many places still bore the remnants of Lightning Release ninjutsu bombardment.
The fighting had indeed already ended, and Konoha's ninja were busy carrying out cleanup operations.
Kumomi said, "I'll go to the command post to report. You all help out here."
After he left, Makoto said, "I'll go take a look at the Medical Department."
Hayate did not object. "Go ahead. Uzuki Yūgao and I will handle things here."
After arriving at the Medical Department, Makoto passed by the morgue and turned to go inside to learn about the situation.
On rows of wooden boards lay bodies of varying ages. They had perhaps been lively people, laughing and talking not long ago—now, all of them were dead.
It seemed that Konoha's losses in this battle were not small.
These were only ordinary Konoha ninja. Those with special bloodlines or unique secret techniques had had their bodies taken away immediately and handed over to their respective clans, to prevent them from being stolen.
In the ninja world, such corpses could fetch extremely high prices on the black market—there was no shortage of buyers.
After identifying himself to the medical ninja on guard and receiving permission, Makoto carefully examined the bodies. Finding no familiar faces among them lifted his gloomy mood somewhat.
At the same time, he noticed that many of the dead bore especially massive wounds, as if they had been cleaved open by some kind of gigantic weapon.
Presumably, this was the handiwork of that Magnet Release ninja—Troy.
As a well-known powerhouse in the ninja world, Konoha naturally had his information on file—including records of the massive square-bladed shuriken he used.
Ordinary ninja might not know this, but Kumomi had previously served in ANBU and was naturally aware of it. Before coming to the northern front, he had already briefed them on these details.
After arriving at the medical ward, the place was packed with people. There were many wounded, and doctors moved back and forth among them, treating the injured.
After obtaining permission, Makoto switched roles on the spot and took up duties as a medical ninja.
The one in charge of this temporary medical unit was a female medical jōnin in her forties, from Konoha Hospital. She knew Makoto and was well aware of his capabilities.
Well—basically, everyone at Konoha Hospital knew him. After all, his mother worked there.
As for why Megumi hadn't come to the front line—
In the Higashino family of three, two were already at the front. Wasn't that enough?
If Konoha's upper echelon really threw the entire family onto the battlefield, that would be going too far.
If they dared to do that, Makoto would take his parents and disappear without a trace—then come back a few years later ahead of Nagato to show everyone how a real villain makes an entrance.
After dealing with the backlog of wounded in the large medical ward, Makoto headed toward the private rooms and saw two familiar faces.
"Muta, Meko? Why are you here?"
"Visiting a patient," Aburame Muta replied succinctly.
"No way, no way—don't tell me Jōnin Hiyoma got taken down again? Seriously, why is it always Hiyoma? Next time, can't you pick someone else to suffer? Like this dog, for example."
"Why me? I'm already miserable enough, okay?" the husky Rocky said in protest. His fate was already tragic—now even when he went home, he had to keep his tail tucked.
Inuzuka Meko said, "Sensei is fine. It's Tokuma who came to visit a senpai from the clan."
"Oh, is that so? Then Hiyoma-senpai is really lucky. Alright then—since I'm here, as a medical ninja I'll go take a look at the patient as well!"
After entering the ward, he saw an unfamiliar face.
After Tokuma's introduction, Makoto learned that this man was none other than the famous Hyūga Hizashi, Hyūga Neji's father.
His injuries had already been treated, and he was currently recuperating. Judging by the situation, his wounds had been quite severe—he had likely gone all out earlier, perhaps to protect his beloved older brother.
"Hizashi-senpai, my name is Higashino Makoto. This is our first meeting—please take care of me."
Hizashi's smile was gentle. "So you're Makoto. I've heard Hoheto and Tokuma mention you. Everyone thinks you're an exceptionally outstanding genius."
"You flatter me, Hizashi-senpai."
"Not at all. Even if they hadn't said anything, I've heard plenty about your deeds from others. You're one of Konoha's little heroes, after all
"However, if I remember correctly, the task assigned to Kumomi's squad was mobile patrol. Did something happen that made you return early?"
"Yes, Hizashi-senpai—" Makoto briefly recounted what had happened earlier that day.
After listening, Hizashi said, "In fact, you've already rendered tremendous assistance. You blocked and eliminated at least thirty Kumo ninja. If they had managed to come around from the flank and link up with the infiltrators, the consequences would have been extremely serious."
"As long as it helped. I wonder whether Hiashi-sama is safe."
"Don't worry. My elder brother is perfectly fine. Kumo's scheme did not succeed. If they had succeeded, I probably wouldn't be able to see my precious son anymore—hahaha!"
"…Ah? Hizashi-senpai is already a father?"
"Yes. My son Neji has been born for almost two months now. I hope that when he grows up, he can become a ninja as talented—and as free—as you."
Good grief—my future brother-in-law has already been born.
But Hizashi… saying he should be as talented as me is fine, but why add free?
If one were to ask who in the Hyūga clan hated the Caged Bird Seal the most, it would probably be the man right in front of him.
With only a moment's difference, he had been relegated to the branch family—along with his son, who could not escape that fate either.
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