Opportunity.
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
The leader of the Kumogakure ninja contingent couldn't suppress his excitement.
He hadn't forgotten the top-secret directive from the village leadership:
During peace negotiations with Konohagakure, they were to find the right moment to replicate what Kirigakure had once done—seize the Hyūga clan's Kekkei Genkai, the Byakugan, from the Hyūga main family.
And now, at this critical juncture, Hinata Hyūga of the main family had been kidnapped by an outsider? Wasn't this the perfect chance to claim the Byakugan?
The Kumo leader immediately ordered his men to track Hinata's whereabouts and commanded them to find her before the Hyūga clan does. Their mission: extract Hinata's Byakugan—no matter what it took.
"Yes, sir."
The Kumogakure shinobi sprang into action, using transformation jutsu to disguise themselves as they fanned out through Konoha in search of Hinata.
However, this sudden activity didn't go unnoticed by Konoha's ANBU. After a brief period of observation, the ANBU quickly realized what was going on—Kumogakure had set their sights on the Byakugan.
And because of that, the ANBU couldn't help but laugh.
The reason was simple: according to their intelligence, the missing Hinata Hyūga had already been found the day after she went missing.
In other words, Kumo's intel was outdated.
Those Kumo shinobi really were a bunch of fools.
Swoosh. Swoosh.
Among the observers, Kakashi—wearing his signature mask—did not join in the laughter. Instead, he dutifully jotted down the incident in a mission report:
"Kumogakure appears to have come for peace negotiations on the surface…But in truth, they've targeted the Hyūga clan's Byakugan.They're now combing the village for Hinata Hyūga, intending to extract her Byakugan.However, according to intel, Hinata has already—"
Just as Kakashi reached that point, his pen paused mid-sentence. His eyes had caught sight of a small figure on the street—Hinata Hyūga—and beside her, a civilian from Konoha named Lint.
Kakashi's brows knit together in concern.
Hinata left the Hyūga estate without any effort to hide her trail. This is bound to be noticed by the Kumo shinobi. Things are about to get complicated…
If the ANBU intervened to stop Kumogakure, it could spark a confrontation and derail tomorrow's peace talks.
This was delicate.
Kakashi decided: the situation had to be reported to the Third Hokage immediately.
He flashed a hand signal to his ANBU partner Yugao Uzuki—"You continue surveillance. I'm reporting to the Hokage"—then vanished in an instant using the Body Flicker Technique.Yugao and the other ANBU members immediately grew serious.
Hinata had left the estate.
Kumo was actively searching for her.
If they crossed paths, an abduction attempt would be inevitable.
But if the ANBU stepped in, it could be seen as an act of aggression and jeopardize diplomatic relations.
Either way, it was a disaster waiting to happen.
Only the Third Hokage could make the call.
Kakashi's judgment had been spot on.
More than ten minutes later – Hokage's Office.
Kakashi gave his full report of the events he had observed.
The Third Hokage's kindly face darkened at once. He set his pipe on the desk and asked sternly, "Kakashi, where is Hinata now?"
"Near the street by the Forest of Death."
The Third immediately activated the Crystal Ball Jutsu to observe the area, soon locating both Hinata and Lint near the forest's edge.
They were already inside.
But more importantly—far more alarmingly—he saw the telltale shadows with tails trailing them… Kumogakure shinobi.
"Hmph. So that's their idea of a peace negotiation—coveting our village's Kekkei Genkai?" The Third Hokage snorted coldly, then turned to Kakashi.
"Are the other ANBU still monitoring the situation?"
Kakashi nodded.
The Third adjusted the crystal ball's viewpoint and saw another squad of ANBU silently tailing the Kumo nin. He breathed a slight sigh of relief before falling into deep thought.
After several seconds, he gave his order:
"The ANBU cannot risk direct conflict with Kumo—that would destroy the talks. Let the Hyūga clan handle this themselves. Kakashi, your Body Flicker proficiency isn't enough for this. Mitokado Shisō, ANBU Commander—you will notify Hiashi Hyūga. Tell him to mobilize at once!"
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
A voice responded from elsewhere in the building, followed by the sound of someone vanishing in a blur of shadows.
The ANBU commander, Kumogakure's agents, and Konoha's ANBU—all began moving in tandem.Three forces, all converging on one target: Hinata.
By now, both Hinata and Lint had entered the Forest of Death.
Hinata had already activated her Byakugan, and through its 360-degree field of vision, detected the shadows tailing them.
Two groups.
Both groups had also detected each other and were on high alert, several hundred meters away from one another.
Hinata and Lint quickly realized what this meant.
Their little excursion into the Forest of Death…
had really baited out the ones targeting the Hyūga clan's Byakugan.
And among the two factions, one was clearly Kumogakure.
The other… was it ANBU? Or Root?
Whoever they were, trouble had arrived.
Lint swiftly formulated a plan and turned to Hinata.
"Kumo's shinobi and those ANBU or Root agents are still facing off, not yet making their move."
"We can strike first—use a large-scale, high-powered jutsu in their direction. The chaos will scare them off… and they won't even know it was us."
Hinata's eyes lit up. "Like… Divine Void Strike?"
Lint gave a slight nod. He raised his palm, fingers curled inward, and aimed it behind them—toward the location of the two opposing forces.
With a push—
BOOM!!
The air ruptured.
The forest exploded in a violent shockwave.
\Trees and roots were torn from the ground.
Damp earth was hurled skyward.
Divine.
Void.
Strike.