Chp-63: To Hell with the Caged Bird Seal

In the main family courtyard, a servant was kneeling and scrubbing the floor with a cloth. Years of servitude had numbed their spirit, leaving them focused only on meticulously completing their tasks.

A small silver mosquito flew past from the shadows behind him without attracting any attention. 

The mosquito had a clear target, manoeuvring around obstacles as it headed toward a refined-looking room in the centre.

The door to the room was tightly shut.

The mosquito landed steadily on the door latch, its body melting into a silver fluid that seeped through the crack.

The view changed as the silver fluid reformed into a metal mosquito on the other side.

The interior of the room was quite simple. Besides a low table with a teapot and a high-quality cushion, there was only a bed on the right side. 

On the bed lay a young man, his back to the door, with black hair spread out over the mattress.

The mosquito seemed to have found its target, flying towards the sleeping young man.

Outside the wall, Hyuga Satoru struggled to control his accelerating heartbeat. A drop of sweat rolled down his forehead.

There could be no mistakes. If Hyuga Hiashi noticed anything unusual, the branch family guards outside would become alert and use their Byakugan to search. Then, he would have to come up with a good explanation for why he was near the main family's residence.

The mosquito had already reached the edge of the bed. It hovered for a moment before landing near Hiashi's back. With his black hair as a cover, it was difficult for him to notice anything, even if he woke up.

The metal mosquito seemed almost alive, quietly moving closer to Hiashi's side. Its mouthparts began to wriggle, extending into a fine needle.

Simultaneously, the mosquito's abdomen began to swell, leaving some empty space to store blood.

Outside, Hyuga Satoru's face was pale. Such precise electromagnetic control was extremely taxing, especially from this distance.

But the real challenge was just beginning.

Taking a deep breath, he controlled the metal mosquito to slowly pierce Hiashi's back. The movements were extremely slow, entering bit by bit.

The main difference between a real mosquito and this magnetic fluid mimic is that a real mosquito secretes a lot of saliva as an anaesthetic when it bites, so the victim often doesn't notice until the mosquito is almost full.

However, the magnetic fluid mosquito didn't have this capability.

If he used actual anaesthetics, even if he succeeded, Hiashi would notice something wrong later on. A thorough investigation would be detrimental to Hyuga Satoru.

So, he could only make the magnetic fluid mosquito's mouthparts finer. The thinner they were, the less likely Hiashi would notice.

Similarly, this meant it would take longer to extract the blood.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly. As the needle entered deep enough, Hiashi showed no signs of waking up.

Due to the pressure difference, Hiashi's high-pressure blood naturally flowed into the low-pressure mosquito's abdomen. Hyuga Satoru carefully controlled the flow rate, minimizing the risk of detection.

The mosquito's abdomen began to show a deep red colour, which gradually increased until it filled most of the abdomen.

"Almost there! This amount should be enough…"

Sweat continuously dripped from Hyuga Satoru's forehead. He clenched his teeth, and the veins on his face from the activated Byakugan made him look rather fierce.

Suddenly, an unexpected change occurred.

Hiashi, sensing something, turned over, pressing his back completely onto the mosquito.

"Why does my back feel itchy all of a sudden?" he wondered.

He sat up on the bed, lifting the thin quilt covering his stomach, and scanned the bed with a frown.

There was nothing there.

"Was it just my imagination?" Hiashi shook his head and lay back down, changing his sleeping position.

Below the bed, silver fluid seeped out from between the wooden planks, with a streak of deep red in the middle.

"That was close! That was close!" Hyuga Satoru panted heavily.

If he hadn't quickly moved the magnetic fluid under the bed, he would have been discovered!

The magnetic fluid particles were between 1 and 10 nanometers in size, retaining both magnetic and fluid properties.

Blood cells, primarily red blood cells, ranged from 6 to 9 micrometres in diameter, white blood cells from 7 to 20 micrometres, and platelets from 1 to 4 micrometres. Along with plasma and various trace elements, even though water molecules were smaller than 1 nanometer, the blood mixture couldn't pass through the magnetic fluid particles.

This was why the metal mosquito could transfer blood even when it seeped under the bed.

The most difficult step was complete. Now, he just had to transport the blood out without drawing attention.

The silver fluid transformed back into a metal mosquito, flying towards the door.

This time, its abdomen carried a rich, deep red.

…

In the lab, Hyuga Satoru surveyed the samples before him.

Hizashi Hyuga had acted quickly, providing the branch family DNA samples he needed.

Among the various tissue samples, two test tubes of blood stood out.

One was Hizashi's, the other Hiashi's.

The two were brothers with closely related DNA. One had the Caged Bird Seal, and the other did not have it. They were perfect control samples.

This would greatly aid Hyuga Satoru's research.

With enough samples, he could begin testing the mechanisms and functions of the Caged Bird Seal and, with sufficient data, attempt to break it.

Multiple comparative experiments, especially between Hizashi and Hiashi's samples, gave him the insights he needed.

The Caged Bird Seal's operation wasn't flawless. Under certain stringent conditions, it showed vulnerabilities.

Once exposed, Hyuga Satoru could attempt to break it.

"Based on current estimates, there's a 53% chance of successfully removing the physical Caged Bird Seal, a 32% chance of being killed by it, and a 15% chance of unknown consequences," Hyuga Satoru muttered, outlining the experimental results.

"The Caged Bird Seal is a Yin-Yang Release curse mark, with a physical Yang component and a spiritual Yin component."

"If the procedure goes smoothly, I should be able to remove the physical Yang component, eliminating the Caged Bird Seal's threat."

Hyuga Satoru contemplated.

Based on the experimental results and his deductions, the Hyuga main family could override the branch family's Byakugan by targeting the spiritual Yin component, which acted as a receiver and locator for commands.

The physical Yang component handled the output, directly destroying the Byakugan and the branch family member's brain.

If the output mechanism was destroyed, even if the seal could still receive commands, it couldn't harm his body.

And it would deceive the main family.

But the current success rate wasn't what he hoped for.

What should he do? Abandon this opportunity for now?

If he advanced his electromagnetic abilities, the chances of success would increase.

However…

Hyuga Satoru frowned.

Given the current state of the ninja world, war could break out at any time. If it did, he wouldn't have the chance for such a precise procedure.

The war was unpredictable, and carrying this shackle...

Taking a deep breath, his eyes gradually filled with resolve.

"Let's do it!"