Chapter 277

"Where is the Caged Bird Seal?!"

Upon seeing Rumi's smooth, unmarked forehead, Hiashi couldn't contain himself. He half-rose from his seat, shouting in disbelief. His expression darkened as a realization hit him. "Was it the Fifth Hokage-sama who helped you remove the Caged Bird Seal?"

"Why is Hiashi-sama so agitated?" Rumi replied defiantly. "The Caged Bird Seal was meant to protect the Byakugan, ensuring that its bloodline wouldn't fall into the wrong hands. Now that Yoichi-sensei is willing to step in for the Hyūga clan, what concerns could Hiashi-sama possibly have?"

Hiashi's face twisted in frustration. "Rumi, do you really think the main family wouldn't dare enforce clan law against you?"

In the past, Rumi's reluctance to marry and her secret research into forbidden techniques like the Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation had been overlooked because of her connection to the Fifth Hokage-sama.

Those were minor issues. But removing the Caged Bird Seal struck at the very core of the Hyūga clan's existence, something Hiashi could not tolerate.

"Clan law?" Rumi sneered. "Hiashi-sama, you can try. Bring along the elders if you must!"

Rumi stood up abruptly, her sudden movement causing a sharp pain in her eyes. But she endured it. The pain in her eyes was insignificant compared to the fact that she was now free of the Caged Bird Seal.

Even on her own, her strength, enhanced by the Sage Mark, made her a formidable opponent for the main family. Moreover, she carried within her the chakra of Yoichi-sensei, which bolstered her confidence even further.

"Without the Caged Bird Seal, how does Hiashi-sama intend to control me, a branch family member? Why don't you give it a try?" Rumi's voice dripped with mockery as she turned to leave.

Just as she opened the door to the guest room, she came face to face with her sister, Hiwari, who was carrying her two daughters.

Rumi cast a glance at her elder sister. Hiwari was a gentle and traditional woman who had always been kind to her. But if she spoke to Hiwari now, it would likely make things difficult for her in the family. So instead, Rumi smiled and gently patted Hanabi on the head.

"So cute. Too bad she's destined to become a branch family member," Rumi said with a smile, then turned and walked away.

After hearing the door close behind her, Hiwari set Hanabi and Hinata down before entering the room and quietly shutting the door. "Hiashi-sama, what happened?"

"This doesn't concern you. Just take care of Hanabi and Hinata, and make sure Hinata isn't slacking off in her training," Hiashi replied, his anger barely contained. After saying that, he got up and walked out.

He needed to consult with the other elders about the removal of the Caged Bird Seal, the existence of the ancestral Ōtsutsuki clan on the moon, and the inherited secret techniques. This was no longer something he could handle alone.

Yoichi was unaware of Rumi's actions, but even if he knew, he wouldn't have objected. There wasn't much the Hyūga clan could do, and the branch family members had long yearned to be free of the Caged Bird Seal.

Even Hiashi's own brother had resented the fact that his genius son had inherited a flawed Byakugan. The rest of the branch family felt the same.

In the past, techniques like the Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation and the Air Palm had been kept from the branch family under the pretense of protecting the Byakugan.

The branch family endured it because the Byakugan, unlike the Sharingan, couldn't be used after transplantation. But now that the village had promised to protect the Byakugan, and with Yoichi-sensei assuring that the village would handle any incidents of Byakugan theft, the Caged Bird Seal's justification had lost its meaning.

Unless the main family no longer trusted the village, which would have far worse consequences.

Yoichi had told Hiashi this privately. Had he said it publicly, the branch family would have already risen in rebellion. Even if they weren't acting for themselves, they wouldn't want their children to be burdened with flawed Byakugan and denied access to secret Gentle Fist techniques.

After returning to Konoha, Yoichi handed Toneri over to the police force for temporary placement and then went to meet with the head of the village's urban planning department.

Initially, there were plans to build a park above Hokage Rock, but now Yoichi had decided to replace it with a Tenseigan platform.

A twenty-meter platform would be built there, allowing the Tenseigan's energy to radiate throughout the entire village, even beyond its borders.

Yoichi had also studied the Ōtsutsuki clan's energy utilization on the moon, and he had to admit that it far surpassed anything in the ninja world. While the ninja world was still reliant on electricity and oil, the moon was already using the Tenseigan to power planetary movement.

Although the moon was an artificial creation, its size was no small feat.

"Yoichi-kun, you're back. Why did you call me here?" asked Sakumo, who had been summoned by the Anbu. He looked at the giant stone orb Yoichi had set down and asked, "What is this?"

"It's a powerful tool for the village. Not only can it supply energy to an entire nation, but its power surpasses that of a tailed beast," Yoichi explained.

Sakumo's eyes widened in shock at Yoichi's words. He quickly recovered and said, "If that's the case, we should have the Anbu and the police force guard it until construction is complete. We can't afford any mistakes."

"Exactly. That's what I had in mind," Yoichi agreed. "We already have the manufacturing process, so all we need to do is follow the instructions."

Yoichi then shared more details about the moon's technology with Sakumo. Although the moon's Tenseigan had been depleted of energy, the equipment used to transmit it was still intact and could be redeveloped.

Sakumo was still reeling from the information. He had assumed Yoichi had been resting all this time, but instead, he had been involved in something monumental.

"I'll be heading back to the moon for a while, so I'll leave the village matters to you, Sakumo-senpai," Yoichi said.

"Alright, the moon project sounds more important. Oh, by the way…"

Sakumo suddenly remembered something. "The Anbu have received intel that Iwa and Kumo might be planning to form an alliance. Shikaku also sent word that Rain Village seems to be getting involved."

"How's the Oasis Project going in the Satō region of the Rain Village?" Yoichi asked. He had considered sending Tobirama to the Rain Village.

With Tobirama and Shikaku managing Rain Village, Konan and her reformed Akatsuki could focus on winning over the people's hearts. The remaining nobles of the Land of Rain would be powerless.

Unfortunately, Urashiki was still in hiding. Though not at the level of the Six Paths, Urashiki's space-time abilities were extremely troublesome.

Moreover, he had set his sights on the First Hokage. With his space-time abilities, there was a real chance he could succeed if left unchecked. Tobirama, for his brother's sake, had chosen to stay in the Satō region.

Had the hardliners from the Sand Village been brought back sooner, the rebellion there would have been quelled long ago. All that would remain would be removing the nobles of the Land of Wind.

Sakumo thought for a moment before replying, "The Oasis Project is about 60 to 70 percent complete. At this point, it's mostly about maintenance, so it can be postponed if needed."

With Hashirama's Wood Release and vast chakra reserves, he could create entire forests with a single jutsu. Despite the vast deserts of the Land of Wind, he had already created a significant number of oases.

Just yesterday, a report had come in from the Satō region, indicating that the Oasis Project was nearing completion. Afterward, they would be focusing on reorganizing the ninja forces and moving to conquer the remaining parts of the Land of Wind.

Currently, Konoha occupied about half of the Land of Wind's territory, but most of it was desert. Fortunately, with Hashirama's help, more than half of the desert had been turned into oases. Once they took over the Land of Rain, the goal was to change the Land of Wind's climate.

"Send the First and Second Hokage to the Land of Rain. Have the Anbu give this shuriken to Tobirama. If he encounters that Ōtsutsuki, he can activate the sealing jutsu on it."

"The Flying Thunder God Technique? But over such a long distance…"

"Don't worry, I'll be able to sense it."

Crossing an entire country wasn't an issue. Once Yoichi sensed his own chakra, he would instantly use the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport there.

After giving a few more instructions, Sakumo left, but not before assembling an Anbu squad leader and a police squad leader.

Yoichi had them select three teams, a total of twenty-four ninjas, to handle the Tenseigan Energy Tower project. No one in the village would be allowed to interfere with this plan.

Upon receiving their orders, the Anbu and police squad leaders promptly responded.

...

"At last, Tsuchikage-sama, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Victor chuckled as he introduced himself. "Allow me to introduce myself: I'm the president of the Tanikawa Medical Company from the Land of Valleys. I've always hoped to collaborate with Tsuchikage-sama, and if it weren't for the recommendation of the Daimyō, I doubt I would have had the chance to meet you."

Akatsuchi, who stood beside Ōnoki, couldn't help but feel a strange unease when he looked at Victor. He thought the man's height was rather similar to his father's, but beyond that, Victor didn't seem remarkable. The Land of Valleys wasn't exactly known for having any famous medical companies either.

"Let's skip the pleasantries," Ōnoki said bluntly, "If it's about medical supplies, I don't think you needed to go through the Daimyō. Still, since the Daimyō recommended you, we'll include you in Iwagakure's procurement."

Ōnoki's schedule was packed, and he had little time to entertain a businessman, even if the man had the Daimyō's backing.

"Thank you, Tsuchikage-sama. I assure you, our medical products will not disappoint. However, I'm not here for that," Victor said, glancing around before lowering his voice. "This place isn't suitable for the matter I wish to discuss. Could we step outside?"

"Let's go. If it's not important, I'll have to get back to work," Ōnoki replied, clasping his hands behind his back as he led the way outside, with Akatsuchi trailing behind.

When they reached a secluded area, Victor revealed the purpose of his visit: an autonomous mechanical puppet.

This creation had been funded by a benefactor of Victor's, though Victor had no idea who the man truly was. The man's elegant demeanor and advanced technology had immediately swayed Victor to follow him. With this mysterious benefactor's support, Victor had transformed his medical company into the leading one in the Land of Valleys and secured connections with the Daimyō of the Land of Earth.

Victor's visit to Iwagakure was part of his ambition to acquire the secrets of Iwagakure's kekkei tōta, allowing him to develop even more powerful puppets. He had consulted his benefactor before coming, and though the benefactor hadn't objected or endorsed the idea, Victor interpreted the response as tacit approval.

After displaying the capabilities of his mechanical puppet, which boasted more strength than an average Chūnin but lacked their speed and flexibility, Victor confidently turned to Ōnoki.

"Well, Tsuchikage-sama, what do you think of my creation?"

As Victor spoke, a figure appeared in the sky above them—Ōtsutsuki Urashiki.

Using his Byakugan to observe the scene below, Urashiki's interest was piqued. "That's Ōtsutsuki technology! How did it fall into the hands of this weakling? If Kaguya didn't leave it behind, it must be Isshiki's doing."

Urashiki had been suffering defeat after defeat in this timeline and had yet to approach Konoha for the Nine-Tails. Instead, he was busy gathering intelligence.

When he arrived in Iwagakure, however, he was pleasantly surprised. How could a lowly native possess Ōtsutsuki technology?

Intrigued, Urashiki decided to observe Victor. His abilities allowed him to easily conceal his presence from Victor, who, at this point, hadn't undergone any modifications himself.

Urashiki spent three days tailing Victor, waiting for the right moment to strike.

On the third day, Urashiki's patience paid off. With his Byakugan, he observed Victor enter a basement, where he activated a computer. Soon, the image of another person appeared on the screen, and Victor began speaking with them.

"That man… could it be Isshiki?" Urashiki mused. He knew that Kaguya had been sealed away, stripped of her chakra, and that in this timeline, neither Momoshiki nor Kinshiki had arrived yet. The only remaining high-ranking Ōtsutsuki was Isshiki.

Growing impatient, Urashiki decided it was time to act. The distance of their communications was beyond the range of his Byakugan, and he had no way of determining where the other person was located through the screen.

Yomotsu Hirasaka!

A space-time portal opened behind Victor, and Urashiki stepped out, just as the man on the screen expressed his shock.

With a grin, Urashiki grabbed Victor by the throat and turned to the screen. "Ah, it seems you recognize me. Could you be Isshiki-senpai?"

(End of Chapter)

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