Amidst the bustling crowd, Toneri's peculiar eyeless sockets faced Makoto. Though devoid of eyeballs, they seemed to burn with two clusters of icy flames.
His fury was almost tangible, rushing through the air towards Makoto's face, but he didn't strike directly.
Makoto stuck his neck out, his chin raised high enough to scrape the stars, his eyes blatantly screaming 'If you're not convinced, let's fight', the provocation practically overflowing.
Toneri's father didn't give his son a chance to act. Gripping Toneri's wrist tightly, his knuckles turned white.
Their white robes swept over the bluestone, stirring a gust of wind. In the blink of an eye, they shrank into two white dots and disappeared around the corner of the Hyuga Clan's compound.
Makoto watched their retreating backs with crossed eyes, pursed his lips, and grumbled inwardly.
'Didn't expect this father-son pair to have such good temperaments.'
If it were someone as petty as Makoto, he would have definitely elbowed back hard.
But it didn't matter. With his Flying Thunder God's mark etched onto Toneri, no matter where he fled in the future, Makoto could sense him.
He was just about to find a way to make Danzo target this father-son pair when Makoto suddenly felt the distance of the Flying Thunder God's mark on Toneri rapidly increasing, the sensation growing fainter, but he could still sense it.
He couldn't help but purse his lips, 'Why were this father-son pair running so fast? It made Konoha seem rather inhospitable, not having properly entertained them.'
It was a shame he couldn't get the Blame Kage to fight them. Whoever died, Makoto would have profited greatly.
Finally, Makoto looked up at the moon in the sky, embedded in the ink-black curtain like a silver plate, its clear light flowing down, stretching his shadow long.
It looked close, but in reality, it was separated by an incalculable distance.
With his current Chakra, even using Flying Thunder God, he couldn't teleport to the moon. But it wasn't a big issue.
He just needed his Chakra Reserves to increase in the future.
The night was half over.
The evening's excitement wasn't finished, as the main event was just beginning. The winter wind carried a chill, making Makoto's neck feel cold.
Makoto's stomach growled twice. He patted his belly, turned, and walked towards the main gate of the Hyuga Clan's compound.
Then he directly pushed open the Main Family courtyard's gate. The hinge let out a dull creak, like someone sighing.
Dozens of low tables were set up in the courtyard. Hyuga clansmen, dressed in uniform light gray kimonos, sat in small groups.
Among the guests were also the heads of several smaller clans and the Kumogakure's envoys. The conversation was like cotton soaked in water… soft, hushed, and full of seriousness.
Makoto swaggered in, his shoes making click-clacking sounds on the bluestone, particularly grating in this atmosphere.
Many Hyuga clansmen looked up at him. Their pure white pupils gleamed coldly under the moonlight, like jade immersed in water.
But no one dared to stop him.
The incident on the Hokage Rock over half a year ago had caused quite a stir at the time.
Any clan in Konoha knew this Uchiha Clan's second young master was one who feared neither god or devil.
He could be considered of great renown, and ordinary people simply didn't dare provoke him.
Makoto randomly found an empty table, sat down, and started eating.
His gaze swept over the pairs of white eyes around him, and a thought suddenly popped into his mind. He wondered what expression Fugaku would have when he, Makoto, obtained the Byakugan in the future.
Just thinking about it made him somewhat expectant.
The Byakugan had many abilities. As a goal-oriented player, Makoto naturally adhered to the 'I want it all' philosophy.
The basic telescopic vision and X-ray vision went without saying. Kaguya could even identify her grandchildren's Chakra reincarnations through her X-ray vision.
Then there was insight, 360 degrees without blind spots. Getting your heart ripped out from behind? Didn't exist. Only he, Uchiha Makoto, would be doing the heart-ripping to others.
There was also enhancing one's own abilities. Ordinary Shinobi, even Jonin, could only release Chakra from specific body parts like hands, feet, or mouth. But Byakugan users could release Chakra from any Tenketsu point all over their bodies.
And then there was Kaguya's Byakugan pressure. Her Byakugan could even see through others' thoughts.
That practically amounted to mind-reading. Thinking of all this, the desire in Makoto's heart grew stronger, and he was almost impatient to possess it.
While eating, he opened the pale golden virtual panel.
The pale golden light membrane spread open before Makoto's eyes, its edges flowing with fine, shimmering light, dazzlingly bright, yet only visible to Makoto alone.
[Naruto World Online], Makoto focused his will and clicked on [Player Shop].
He searched for Byakugan and found there were actually three versions with different price tags.
The visual effects changed with the price, and the more expensive, the brighter.
The cheapest one was priced at two million Ryo, its light effect dim, as if running out of battery.
Seeing this, Makoto raised an eyebrow. This was even five hundred thousand Ryo cheaper than the One Tomoe Sharingan he bought before.
One must know, although the ordinary Byakugan's combat enhancement for an individual was inferior to the Sharingan, ordinary Shinobi could use it without significant side effects, and it had extremely high cost-effectiveness in warfare, even capable of deciding the outcome of a small-scale battle.
If thrown on the black market, it would be worth at least one 'Asuma'… the Shinobi World's universally recognized monetary unit, valued at thirty-five million Ryo.
Makoto clicked for a closer look and couldn't help but purse his lips.
[Caged Bird Version Byakugan]
The notes were clearly written: After purchase, automatically engraved with the Caged Bird Seal. Field of vision has a 1° blind spot. The Hyuga Clan's Main Family can control nerves at any time, holding power over life and death.
[Note: Please purchase with caution!!!]
The note was even highlighted in red.
'Indeed, you get what you pay for.' Makoto wouldn't take this Caged Bird Version Byakugan even if it were free, 'No wonder it was cheaper than the One Tomoe Sharingan.'
Although his Sharingan was expensive to purchase, once bought, it was ready to use. Most importantly, it had no side effects, not even the increased physical burden from awakening at a young age.
Otherwise, unless his bloodline underwent atavism, awakening the Two Tomoe Sharingan at just over three years old would definitely lead to an early death.
In comparison, only a fool would spend money on this Caged Bird Version Byakugan.
This thing was like Sun Wukong's tight band, and once worn, you were held in the Main Family's palm, to be manipulated as they pleased.
Just like the Hyuga Clan before him, the status difference between the Main and Branch families was vast.
The Main Family's members all held their heads high, chins raised high enough to rest a teacup on, their eyes floating with the superiority of being born into the Hyuga Clan, all displaying smooth, unmarked foreheads.
The Branch Family's members, however, hunched their shoulders, their foreheads either wrapped in headbands or covered with forehead protectors, finding new ways to hide that exceptionally ugly curse mark of the Caged Bird.
They sat properly, their movements toasting more rigid than robots, their expressions dull, their speech as faint as a mosquito's hum, afraid that speaking louder would startle their Main Family 'masters'.
If given a choice, these Branch Family's members would probably all choose not to be born into the Hyuga Clan.
Being an ordinary civilian would likely be better than being a slave in the Hyuga Clan. If the Caged Bird's original intention was protection, it had completely changed now, becoming enslavement.
They say the Inuzuka Clan are the best at taming beasts in Konoha, but Makoto thought otherwise.
The Hyuga Clan were the true pinnacle of beast-taming in the Shinobi World. They genuinely treated their clan members like dogs to be trained.
Compared to this Caged Bird, the 'Tongue Eradication Seal' Danzo used in Root could be considered 'saint-hearted'.
After all, the Tongue Eradication Seal was only to prevent Root's members from disclosing classified information they shouldn't. It didn't control anything else. Even if you talked, it would only paralyze you, preventing speech and movement.
But when the Caged Bird was activated, it could directly crush the brain nerves of Branch Family's members, making them die in excruciating, heart-rending pain… this wasn't a curse mark, it was clearly a death warrant kept in one's pocket.
Makoto focused his will to check the second Byakugan option.
[Ordinary Main Family's Byakugan]. The effects were middling, the price not excessively high. The note read: 'No curse mark, 360° field of vision without blind spots.'
Then, Makoto focused his will to check the third Byakugan option. The moment he saw the description, his pupils constricted sharply, the food in his hand nearly falling to the ground.
[Perfect Version Byakugan: After use, no marks on the face. Pupil color customizable. Perfectly compatible and can be used with other pupil-based Kekkei Genkai. Zero rejection.]
Looking at the price, a string of zeros made his eyes dizzy.
Makoto sucked in a sharp breath but quickly calmed down.
'Indeed, you get what you pay for. This thing's practicality and upper limits were maxed out. No player could refuse this item.'
'Stacking it would result in at least a 'Tensei Rinne Sharingan'...'
'A perfect combination of stats and mechanics. I could even stack other pupil-based Kekkei Genkai later, directly maxing out the upper limits.'
The desire in Makoto's eyes was practically overflowing, 'I had to leave Konoha as soon as possible and make money!'
Makoto forcibly suppressed the restlessness in his heart and looked towards the head table.
The Kumogakure's envoys were still toasting with the Hyuga Main Family's members, flashes of shrewd light occasionally appearing in their eyes.
Even without him, Uchiha Makoto, Konoha would be thrown into chaos tonight.
But this level of chaos wasn't enough. He needed to find a way to add more fuel, give the Konoha's leadership more to handle, to make it easier for him to slip out of the village.
Makoto stuffed another piece of rice cake into his mouth. The sweet taste couldn't suppress the schemes in his heart.
The night deepened, and the banquet's noise slowly receded like a tide.
Several Hyuga Clan's Main Family's elders, faces full of smiles, saw the Kumogakure's envoys out of the compound.
Makoto blended into the dispersing crowd.
Passing by a corner, he saw a Branch Family youth staring blankly at the moon, quietly lifting the headband on his forehead, revealing that ugly Caged Bird curse mark.
His steps didn't pause. He walked out of the Hyuga Clan's compound. The evening wind, carrying a chill, blew against his face.
Makoto looked up at the moon, half-hidden by clouds.
Nearby, the Kumogakure's envoys left at a leisurely pace, their steps light, clearly having already set their plans in motion.
The corner of Makoto's mouth curled into a playful smile.
'The night was thick. The main show was just beginning!'