Rewind ten minutes.
The group from the Hyūga Main House, traveling at the standard overland speed for shinobi, arrived at an unnamed forest nestled between the Forest of Death and the Kusanagi Coast. At this moment, they were entirely unaware that they had already stepped into a Kirigakure ambush.
From an omniscient perspective, the positions from front to back were: The Hyūga Main House group — The entrance of the Kirigakure ambush — The location of Ao and Hyūga Yu — The Kirigakure squad performing the bait mission.
This twelve-man unit was divided into three sections: front, middle, and rear.
Currently, in the front section where Hyūga Tetsu was stationed:
"Woo... Awooo!"
Kuromaru—the ninken of Tsume Inuzuka, a North Inuit dog resembling a wolf—suddenly let out an uneasy howl. It crouched low to the ground, hackles raised and tail stiff, baring its teeth as it came to a dead stop.
The front section immediately halted due to this abnormality.
"What's wrong with Kuromaru, Tsume?" Hyūga Tetsu, who had been constantly on guard, turned back to ask Tsume Inuzuka.
Tsume immediately knelt, stroking Kuromaru's mane and whispering low growls and whines to communicate with her partner. After a moment, she looked up, her brow furrowed.
"Kuromaru says he feels a sense of unease. There's an abnormal, damp scent in the air."
An adult dog's sense of smell can detect a human scent from 400 to 500 meters away, but a specially bred ninken like Kuromaru can smell specific items from five to eight kilometers away. Tools commonly used by shinobi, such as kunai, shuriken, and paper bombs, are a primary focus of their training.
Hyūga Tetsu immediately asked, "Does he smell shinobi or an ambush?"
"No," Tsume frowned. "It's possible Kuromaru is just being over-cautious."
Hearing this, the Jonin leader of the front section, Hyūga Hiro, nodded.
"Better safe than sorry. Let's scout ahead first." He turned to Hyūga Tetsu and commanded, "Tetsu, go relay the message to Young Master Hikari in the middle section. I'll activate the Byakugan to scout from here."
"Yes, sir!" Tetsu replied immediately.
Soon, the Main House young master, Hyūga Mitsuhikari, heard the report. He turned instantly to the Guardian Jonin who stood perpetually by his side, Hyūga Hideki.
Hyūga Hideki nodded understandingly. Veins bulged around his eyes as he activated his Byakugan, his body spinning rapidly for several rotations.
He was using the exact same technique as Hyūga Yu.
This was a visual manipulation skill that few even within the Hyūga Clan possessed. It allowed the user to contract their field of vision to see significantly further. This ability relied purely on innate talent; in the original series, only Hinata Hyūga ever demonstrated it. As a veteran Jonin of the clan, Hyūga Hideki could perceive targets over eight kilometers away.
After spinning in place, Hideki deactivated his Byakugan and reported to Mitsuhikari:
"The front section's intuition was correct. Roughly seven kilometers to our east, there is indeed a squad of Hidden Mist Chunin."
"The team consists of three Chunin. Their mission scrolls bear the markings for 'Tanzaku Quarters.' It doesn't appear they are here specifically to intercept us; they seem to be on a deep-penetration mission into the heart of the Land of Fire."
"Are you certain?" Mitsuhikari frowned slightly. Encountering such a situation so soon after leaving the village made him feel uneasy.
Hyūga Hideki gave a wry, slightly amused smile before explaining seriously, "Young Master Mitsuhikari, this is a common occurrence. Shinobi combat isn't always what you imagine; it's rare to have massive armies clashing or sieging cities. Besides, they only have three Chunin. They wouldn't be stupid enough to try and assassinate a full twelve-man squad like ours."
"If you are still uneasy, we can stall for a moment, eliminate those three, and then continue our journey."
"No." Mitsuhikari's brow tightened, his gaze darkening. "We take a detour."
"A detour?"
Hearing this, not only Hideki, but also the reporting Tetsu and the guard Hyūga Natsu looked over in surprise.
"I cannot rule out the possibility that they are bait," Mitsuhikari said, his cold gaze sweeping over the members of his team. "Therefore, even if there is only a shred of risk, it must be completely eliminated!"
This sudden anomaly reminded Mitsuhikari of the heavy fog that had erupted around the Hyūga Clan compound the night before their departure.
Members of the Hyūga Main House were not all sheltered fools. On the contrary, the Main House was composed of several branches, all vying for the seat of the Head Family. Many Main House members realized that their status wasn't actually that different from the Branch House; as long as they didn't have the Caged Bird seal, they still had to work like dogs for Hiashi Hyūga's direct lineage.
(Translator's Note: Like Ko Hyūga, Hinata's guardian, who was also Main House but referred to himself as a servant to the heir.)
Growing up in an environment of constant political intrigue, Mitsuhikari lacked experience as a shinobi, but he was far from stupid. He understood very well just how filthy human beings could be.
Thinking of this, Mitsuhikari suddenly turned his head coldly toward the messenger, Hyūga Tetsu.
"Hyūga Tetsu."
Tetsu instinctively dropped to one knee. "Here!"
Mitsuhikari gave a cold command. "Use the Transformation Jutsu and disguise yourself as me."
He then looked at his Guardian Jonin. "Hideki, leave a Shadow Clone in the middle section. Your true self will stay by my side at all times."
Hyūga Tetsu froze in place. After a moment of hesitation, he looked up and asked, "Then... what about you, Young Master? Where... where are you going?"
Mitsuhikari flashed him a kind smile—a smile like a fox wearing human skin.
"Tetsu, don't be nervous. You know this is just a precaution. Once the mission is over, I will personally guide your training." He paused, as if realizing that wasn't enough insurance, and added an even more hypocritical grin. "I recall now... didn't you go looking for that Hyūga Yu yesterday?"
"Was it because he received an appointment letter from Elder Takahiro? When this mission is over, I will..." He turned to look at the silent Hyūga Natsu. "And you, Natsu. You are both reliable children. I believe you are fully qualified to work within the Main House—to enter the very core of our clan!"
"So," Mitsuhikari smiled as usual, though the expression was now chillingly false, "you should know what to do, right? Of course, if you're still unwilling after I've said all this, I can find another way to 'persuade' you."
For a moment, Tetsu's throat felt bone-dry. He looked up and saw the Young Master of the Main House raising his hand. Right before his eyes, Mitsuhikari formed a specific hand seal.
It was the seal to activate the Caged Bird.
Watching this, Tetsu's body trembled slightly. His heart, once pumping with hot-blooded loyalty, felt as though it had been plunged into an ice cellar. He realized instantly that the Main House was using him as a body double.
Even though they were facing a squad of Mist Chunin that supposedly posed no risk, the high-and-mighty Main House member wasn't just using the Caged Bird to force him into obedience—he was offering "generous rewards" as well.
Tetsu didn't know how to refuse, nor did he have the right to.
But for the first time in his life, he felt a crushing sensation known as "humiliation." It was an invisible boot stomping on his face, treating him like an object, all while hiding behind the hypocritical mask of a fox.
In that moment of daze, Hyūga Tetsu finally began to understand why Hyūga Yu had rejected the Elder's appointment letter.
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