He instinctively quickened his pace, rushing home.
On the way, he unexpectedly ran into an acquaintance, Hyuga Shibuki.
"Shibuki-senpai!" Neji hurried forward and asked, "Why haven't I seen any clan members along the way?"
Shibuki, his hand wrapped in bandages, replied with a confused look, "I don't know either. I was injured on duty this morning and just got back from the hospital. I've been walking for a while now and haven't seen anyone."
Neji guessed that something must have happened between this morning and now.
Shibuki's expression was grim. "There are no Anbu around either. Let's head back to the clan grounds and see what's going on."
Neji nodded, and the two of them quickly made their way toward the Hyuga compound. A sense of unease filled both of them, and they broke into a run.
A few minutes later, they neared the Hyuga clan's territory.
Just then, an Anbu operative leaped down from the side of the street. "What are you two doing? Have you received the notice? Get to Training Ground Six immediately!"
Neji and Shibuki were about to ask what was happening when purple curtains of light erupted from the east, south, west, and north. The lights connected, forming a massive rectangular barrier that completely sealed off the entire Hyuga clan grounds.
The Anbu's face changed drastically. He shouted to Neji and Shibuki, "It's too late! Whatever you do, don't enter the clan grounds!" Then, he hurriedly sped off toward the center of the compound.
Shibuki looked back at the violet barrier, a grave expression on his face. "The Four Violet Flames Formation!?"
Neji remained relatively calm, though he was worried about what might be happening to his family. But since the Anbu had warned them not to enter, he obediently stayed outside. After all, he was only a Genin; there wasn't much he could do to help.
Neji asked, "Shibuki-senpai, what is the Four Violet Flames Formation?"
Shibuki's face grew heavy. "It's a high-level sealing jutsu. To activate this barrier, you need at least one person stationed at each of the four corners. For a Four Violet Flames Formation of this scale, each corner would probably require an eight-person sealing team. That means it would take at least thirty-two people to activate this barrier. Once the formation is active, no one can get in or out."
Neji gazed toward his family's compound, a growing anxiety in his heart. He didn't know if his father was inside.
After using a secret technique to infiltrate the Hyuga compound, Danzo found Kaito at his home. Seeing that no one was around, Danzo immediately appeared and said, "There's a problem."
Kaito was surprised. He had only sensed the presence of White Zetsu and hadn't expected Danzo himself to arrive.
Kaito asked nonchalantly, "What happened?"
Danzo replied coldly, "The tracking jutsu you planted on Hayato has been activated. On top of that, Hayato took most of the Security Police Force with him today. Your identity is likely compromised. You need to get the route to the moon as soon as possible."
Under the guise of daily training, Kaito had implanted seed-like jutsu into others during his spars. It was safe to say that almost everyone in the Hyuga clan now carried one of these small markers. Before being triggered, these seeds were undetectable to anyone but him, the caster. Those who had sparred with him more frequently carried even more than one or two seeds. These individuals trained diligently and were powerful, which meant their chakra could be drained much faster.
A quick scan revealed to Kaito that the seeds within many of the branch family members had already been activated. His brow furrowed; he knew his cover was blown.
Although he wasn't sure what had gone wrong to expose him, the most pressing issue was that he still hadn't obtained the map to the moon. The important scroll detailing the path to the moon was currently being kept by the Head Elder. Now that he had alerted them, he would likely never get another chance to get near it.
No, I can't let Lord Black Zetsu down.
He immediately turned to Danzo and ordered, "Come with me. We're taking out the Head Elder."
A glint appeared in Danzo's eyes. "Alright, let's go."
Danzo then transformed, using a disguise technique to make himself look like an ordinary Hyuga clan member. He didn't need to impersonate anyone specific; the branch family was so large that the Head Elder couldn't possibly remember every face. Danzo's objective tonight was clear: eliminate the Head Elder, retrieve the information, and withdraw immediately. Although he was tempted to weaken the village's strength, the situation was too precarious. It was best to avoid further complications. He had been planning for the long term, but somehow, the thought of using this opportunity to weaken Konoha seemed like a good option too.
Kaito led Danzo out of the room, closing the door tightly behind them as if nothing had happened. They then hurried to the training ground.
Thirteen main family members and three branch family members were already waiting there. The three from the branch family happened to be off duty and had stayed in the compound. Hearing that Elder Kaito was going to lead a training session, they had come specifically to participate.
When Kaito walked into the training ground and saw sixteen people, his brow twitched. It wasn't a large number, but fewer would have been better.
A vicious smile spread across Kaito's face. Suddenly, a rectangular barrier of translucent, violet-blue flames appeared in the sky, enveloping the entire Hyuga clan.
Hiashi's voice echoed through the air. "Hyuga Kaito may have defected! All clan members, stay away from him immediately! Be aware of chakra-absorbing parasites on your bodies!"
The message was repeated three times.
When the clan members saw the barrier appear, they had already begun to panic. Hearing Hiashi's words sent them into a state of terror. Kaito was standing right in front of them. Everyone immediately scrambled backward, their faces filled with alarm as they watched him warily.
Kaito, of course, had also heard the warning from outside. He dropped his facade and immediately activated his Spore Technique.
Not only the people in the training ground but also the Hyuga members outside the barrier who had sparred with him before began to have white bulges erupt on their bodies.
Several Hyuga were on their way to Training Ground Six, having just been led there by Hayato. At that very moment, Kaito activated his ability. Their bodies swelled rapidly as their chakra was absorbed. A few Anbu members were with Hayato, and they moved swiftly to take down those who were affected.
However, there were still some Hyuga patrolling the outskirts of the village who hadn't received the warning. White Zetsu emerged to attack them. Some had their chakra completely drained and were killed, while others with quicker reflexes managed to fight back. The White Zetsu who completed their task immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to escape.
Back in the main family's courtyard, everyone who had gathered for the special training was now encased in a white substance that continuously drained their chakra.