Elsewhere, in the nameless forest.
"Bang!"
A signal flare was launched into the sky, exploding in a burst of color. A long ribbon of green smoke trailed across the canopy.
Red signified an attack; green signified a retreat.
The firing of this signal meant that the Hidden Mist's operation to capture the Hyuga Head Family had officially ended in failure. Every Mist shinobi involved in the mission was now required to evacuate the Land of Fire at maximum speed.
Within the forest:
"Why the sudden retreat?" Munashi Jinpachi asked, his brow furrowed in confusion. He looked toward Ao, who was currently being carried on Kensuke's back. "We only encountered a few Leaf ANBU at the rear of the formation. Is it really necessary to make such a fuss?"
"Haven't you realized it yet? That brat's escape route was incredibly suspicious!" Ao pressed his hand onto Kensuke's shoulder, signaling him to stop.
Ao looked back toward the desolate Karasu Forest on the other side of the woods, his expression darkening. "He seemed to know our entire plan. He chose to cut directly through our encirclement and, more importantly, he deliberately chose a dead end where we were guaranteed to catch up to him."
"And at that exact moment, the Leaf ANBU just happened to appear behind us."
"What does that tell you?"
Munashi Jinpachi's eyes widened. "Are you saying... our actions were already known to the Leaf!? The intel leaked!?"
"No."
Ao shook his head, his sharp gaze sweeping toward the rear of the group. "If the Leaf truly knew our movements, we would already be surrounded. Aside from the two of you who might stand a chance at escaping, no one else would walk away from this."
"It's more likely that the commotion from our pursuit attracted nearby Leaf shinobi."
"The brat was actually just 'borrowing the tiger's prestige'—using their presence to bluff. He wanted us to believe our actions were being monitored by the Leaf to scare us into retreating."
Jinpachi was beginning to lose the thread of the conversation. Looking somewhat bewildered, he asked, "Then why...?"
Ao shook his head and explained, "The Byakugan from the Head Family has already been transplanted into a member of the Branch Family. Regardless of what that kid is planning, those eyes are now protected by the 'Caged Bird' seal."
"Even if we capture him, we won't be able to extract the Byakugan from his sockets."
"In other words, the mission to capture the Head Family has already failed."
Jinpachi immediately argued, "But... capturing the kid is clearly the better option now. Didn't you say that if we catch him, we could obtain even more Byakugan...?"
At that moment, Ao finally understood the full scope of the situation. He sighed helplessly and gestured with his hands.
"That would be a separate mission entirely."
Hearing this, Jinpachi understood instantly.
It wasn't just because their actions had been discovered by the Leaf, or that continuing to hunt Hyuga Yu might lead to unforeseen complications.
The bigger reason was—the Third Mizukage.
Currently, the "Village of the Bloody Mist" was governed by extreme high-pressure policies. Failure to complete a mission resulted in severe punishment.
However, performing tasks outside the scope of one's assigned mission provided no benefits. In fact, such unauthorized actions were viewed as a challenge to the Third Mizukage's authority—especially when their team included a member of the Elder Genji's faction.
Thinking of this, Jinpachi couldn't help but grit his teeth. "This village is truly..."
Beside them, Kuriarare Kushimaru, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly interrupted coldly, "Silence!"
Ao straightened his posture and addressed the group. "In any case, the top priority now is to get this intelligence back to the village and let the Elders and the Third Mizukage decide our next move."
"As for how to capture that Hyuga Branch Family brat later... we will need to formulate a new strategy based on the shifting situation and specific intel."
"That is all."
"Retreat!"
Having left Karasu Forest and retrieved his bow, Hyuga Yu gradually began to piece together the logic behind the recent events.
He had initially thought that Aburame Ryoma would choose to "close the net" early because of the "value" Yu had demonstrated, wiping out this detachment of Mist forces within the Land of Fire.
Two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Ao, the red-eyed Kekkei Genkai user, several Mist Jonin, and over twenty other shinobi—eliminating them would have dealt a massive blow to the Mist's offensive.
But clearly, Yu had underestimated the true goals of Root.
Compared to their current mission, the potential loss of the Hyuga Byakugan or the opportunity to eliminate these enemies was secondary.
And at this time, nothing was more urgent or severe than—the Third Shinobi World War.
The mission Root was executing had to be a core operation concerning the entire direction of the Mist front. Using the Head Family's Byakugan as bait to lure the Mist into a capture operation was likely only the first phase of a larger scheme.
Yu couldn't help but reflect on the events of the future.
Using the year Leaf 49 as a benchmark, the war between the Leaf and the Mist would likely continue for over a year, ending before Minato Namikaze succeeded as Hokage in Leaf 50.
There were two key turning points in the Leaf's campaign against the Mist:
First, the "Eternal Genin" Might Duy single-handedly decimated the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, rendering the special unit directly under the Third Mizukage practically non-existent.
Second, Kakashi Hatake thwarted the Mist's core plan to use Rin Nohara as a Jinchuriki bomb to destroy the heart of the Leaf.
Beyond that, one of the most bizarre occurrences in the hidden history of the shinobi world during the Third War was this:
The Third Mizukage—who never even appeared in the memories of any Leaf shinobi—suddenly stepped down without any prior warning. Immediately afterward, Yagura Karatachi, the Jinchuriki of the Three-Tails, rose to power as the Fourth Mizukage.
So, what role did Root play in this series of events?
As he was deep in thought, Shigaraki Tanuki, who was walking ahead of Yu, suddenly came to a halt.
Yu looked around and realized they had returned to the nameless forest, and their current location was very close to the Kusunami Coast.
Standing before them was a dilapidated, abandoned laboratory door, hidden within a small hillside.
"This is as far as we go," Shigaraki Tanuki said flatly. "This will be your workplace from now on. After finishing your daily duties with the Medical Class, you need to come here and use your Medical Jutsu to help me process some 'living materials.'"
"Living... materials?" Yu frowned slightly, looking at Shigaraki Tanuki.
Tanuki didn't explain. Instead, he asked abruptly, "Kid, do you know about the 'Zero-Tails'?"
Yu's heart skipped a beat, but he immediately shook his head.
Tanuki gave a brief explanation. "It was a project researched by the Second Hokage during his lifetime. The goal was to artificially create a 'controllable Tailed Beast' and master its power."
"To put it simply, it is currently a failed project that the village has ordered to be shut down. However, Elder Danzo is still personally funding this research."
"You need to remember—"
"As of now, my identity is the Vice Captain of the Medical Class at the Kusunami Coast camp. Your identity is a Medical Ninja apprentice sent by the Hyuga Head Family to study. We didn't know each other before, and there's no need for us to be seen together afterward."
"But what you are really here to do is..."
"Hide your status as a Root shinobi, secretly complete every mission Root assigns to you, and assist me in advancing this research."
Hearing this, Yu felt a chill in his heart as he caught the key phrase: "Status as a Root shinobi?"
Shigaraki Tanuki let out a short laugh. "You're not officially on the rolls yet; you're far from reaching the true core of this department."
"However, you should be able to get your hands on some... interesting things."
At that moment, Tanuki suddenly looked up as if sensing something. He turned his head toward a nearby grove of coconut trees.
"That guy is here. Go on."
Yu followed Tanuki's gaze.
In the nearby grove, a figure shrouded in a hooded trench coat had suddenly appeared, watching Yu with a cold, indifferent gaze.
It was Aburame Ryoma, the high-ranking Root official responsible for this induction exam.
Yu immediately realized what was happening.
At this moment, he had finally been accepted by Root.
And before he fulfilled his duties as a Root shinobi and officially stepped into the dark side of the shinobi world, the benefits he was entitled to as a member...
Had arrived!
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