Chapter 256: The Unchanged World
How could Kenichi not recognize him?
Kenichi stared at Hizashi, his expression turning a shade more complicated. In his memory, Hizashi's death had been one of the more unforgettable moments in Konoha's recent history. It drew a clean, ugly line between the Main House and the Branch House, and it laid down foreshadowing that never truly went away.
Kenichi had once assumed Naruto would eventually solve that problem.
Later, he realized Naruto could not.
At best, Naruto could ensure that his wife, Hinata, would never be branded as Branch House. But even after the Fourth Great Ninja War, the structure of the ninja world still had not fundamentally changed. Naruto only suppressed his era with overwhelming strength. Unless Naruto died, or some new variable emerged, like the Ōtsutsuki Clan, the entire world would remain "stable" on the surface, at least for a time.
And after that?
No one could say what the ninja world would become once a powerhouse who dominated an era disappeared.
Strictly speaking, even a protagonist like Naruto never truly cured the rot that ran through the system. That was not surprising. In his previous life, problems like these were not things you could casually fix, and Kishimoto could not transcend that either.
Kenichi's gaze returned to Hizashi.
"Of course I know you," Kenichi said with a soft chuckle. "A Branch House member. A slave for life."
He understood Hizashi's situation, but he had no interest in discussing it with him.
If Hizashi was still alive, it likely meant Kenichi's presence had changed certain outcomes. Maybe the envoy team from Kumogakure had been forced to behave more formally. Maybe they never tried to steal a Byakugan. If the kidnapping attempt on Hinata never happened, then Hizashi would not have needed to take the blame, and his death would not have been necessary.
Hearing Kenichi's words, Hizashi's face darkened. The Hyuga behind him erupted, anger flashing across their features.
That reaction was exactly what Kenichi wanted.
"No…" Hizashi frowned sharply, studying the masked intruder. "You're a Shadow Clone?!"
He sensed something off, but he could not fully confirm it. He had never seen a Shadow Clone carrying this much chakra. Most clones were thin, fragile things.
But the clone in front of him held more chakra than an average jōnin.
If this was truly a Shadow Clone…
"Wouldn't you find out if we fought?" Kenichi replied.
At the same time, his left hand reached for something, and a surge of flame burst from his mouth, blasting straight toward the Hyuga line.
As their attention snapped to the fire, Kenichi pulled out something he had prepared back in the Land of Snow and tossed it high over the compound.
It detonated in the air.
Countless sparks rained down like a cruel, glittering storm.
"What kind of fire is this? It hurts!" a Hyuga shinobi shouted as a few burning flecks caught his arm.
In an instant, the flames flared violently across his skin. He tried Water Release.
It did nothing.
The fire ate into his flesh with terrifying speed. Muscle burned away, and white bone bared itself beneath. Worse still, even when only bone remained, the eerie flames continued to cling and burn, as if they would not stop until everything was reduced to ash.
Hizashi saw it.
His eyes widened, then he snapped into command, barking at his clansmen to use Earth Release, to block the falling embers from above. If it could not be extinguished with Water Release, then they would have to deny it contact altogether.
What kind of technique was this?
"This isn't ninjutsu," Kenichi said lazily, yawning as he picked up a shuriken and toyed with it. He watched the Hyuga scramble, dodging as awkwardly as they could through the white phosphorus rain. "This is science."
Beyond the compound, all of Konoha was still burning.
Shouts echoed through the night. Shinobi clashed in the streets. Fires kept rising into the sky, and Kenichi could even make out panicked cries of, "The Uchiha Clan is rebelling!"
By comparison, the Hyuga compound sat in a relatively quiet part of the village. To show respect and win them over, the Third Hokage had given the Hyuga a peaceful plot of land away from the most crowded areas, with no other major clans nearby.
That distance gave Kenichi room to move.
And room to focus on Hizashi, if only briefly.
"So," Kenichi murmured, eyes narrowing as he weighed the shuriken in his hand, "should I test that railgun idea the main body mentioned? Can Lightning Release mimic the effect?"
A bolt of lightning slid from his palm into the metal. The shuriken trembled violently, vibrating as if it might snap free and launch.
Hizashi had been right.
What stood here was only a Shadow Clone.
"Hinata, where are you?" Kenichi asked under his breath, already searching through the compound.
After the earlier strike, the Hyuga grounds were chaos. Injured shinobi lay scattered. Medics moved urgently between them. Kenichi jumped past the scene, threading through the disorder while carefully avoiding clusters of active Byakugan.
Right after combining Hidden Mist with Lightning Release, he had left behind a clone to draw attention, then slipped inside himself.
He had not forgotten his real objective.
He had not come to Konoha to get involved in the Uchiha problem. He only needed a drop of Hinata's blood, and a small piece of eye tissue, to complete the research he wanted.
Only an idiot would fight loudly at the entrance, draw Konoha's forces, and then struggle to leave. Someone like Kenichi would infiltrate, take what he needed, and vanish.
But when Kenichi finally found Hinata, he regretted it immediately.
Hiashi was there.
Not alone, either.
Three full teams stood with him, their presence disciplined and heavy. The chakra pressure was sharp, controlled. These were not chūnin fillers.
They were likely all jōnin.
Three teams of jōnin, plus Hiashi.
Kenichi's lips twitched. He almost wanted to applaud.
That lineup was luxurious.
As expected of the Hyuga, one of Konoha's top clans.
Hiashi's Byakugan locked onto Kenichi without wavering. His tone remained calm, almost formal, as if the village were not currently tearing itself apart.
"Esteemed guest," Hiashi said evenly, "what brings you to the Hyuga Clan?"
He had clearly begun arranging this response the moment the fog covered the compound.
As a clan head, Hiashi was competent. That was also a product of how he had been raised. He was not some spoiled heir who squandered a name and hid behind privilege.
Hiashi's strength and composure were real.
Kenichi stared back at him for a moment.
Then, with no hesitation, he stated his purpose plainly.
"…I want a drop of Hinata's blood, and some Byakugan fragments. Eye tissue will do."
Kenichi's gaze stayed steady.
True peace really did feel impossible to achieve.
.....
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