Evening.
Anko and Oda came to Hyuga Kagami’s room to visit him.
As former subordinates of Orochimaru, Hyuga Kagami, Anko, and Oda were all in the same unfortunate situation.
On top of that, they were close in age and belonged to the same squad, so the three of them got along fairly well.
After chatting for a while, Oda suddenly laughed and said, “Kagami, you really picked a bad time to get sick.”
Hyuga Kagami looked puzzled.
“Why?”
Oda explained, “The captain just assigned Anko and me a special mission.
If we can complete it successfully, we might be transferred back to the village.
Then we won’t have to put up with all the wind and sand out here anymore!”
“A special mission!?”
Hyuga Kagami froze for a moment before saying, “Then I wish you both a successful mission.”
For some reason, Hyuga Kagami was suddenly struck by an ominous feeling.
However, it was an unwritten rule among shinobi not to pry into one another’s missions.
So despite his suspicions, he didn’t say anything more.
Oda patted Hyuga Kagami on the shoulder and laughed heartily.
“Don’t worry.
The village won’t forget outstanding shinobi like us who’ve been through the war.
It won’t be long before you’re transferred back to the village too.
For now, just focus on getting better.”
Hyuga Kagami reminded them, “Be careful out there!”
After chatting for a little while longer, Oda and Anko left Hyuga Kagami’s room.
In the blink of an eye, three days passed.
Still in the adaptation period, Hyuga Kagami continued to suffer occasional bouts of dizziness and stabbing pain.
Yet the suffering wasn’t entirely bitter, because every time the pain struck, it was accompanied by an increase in his strength.
Although he hadn’t conducted any precise tests, Hyuga Kagami privately estimated that the amount of chakra in his body was now more than ten times what it had been before he injected the gene serum.
There was no clear-cut standard for classifying a shinobi’s rank.
The criteria for evaluating Genin, Chunin, Jonin, and even Kage-level shinobi varied depending on the circumstances and the era.
Take Hyuga Kagami, for example.
Before injecting the gene serum, he was actually only a veteran Genin.
Aside from the most basic Three Basic Techniques, the Gentle Fist, and a superficial understanding of Summoning Technique and Sealing Technique, he knew almost no other ninjutsu.
But regardless, there was still a rough standard of evaluation that everyone generally acknowledged.
For example:
A shinobi capable of performing E-rank ninjutsu, or using their own kekkei genkai, could be considered to have reached the standard of a Genin.
A shinobi capable of performing C-rank ninjutsu multiple times could be considered a Chunin.
A shinobi capable of performing B-rank ninjutsu multiple times, while also being proficient in one of the three disciplines—ninjutsu, genjutsu, or taijutsu—or possessing a powerful kekkei genkai, could be considered a Jonin.
As for Kage-level, it essentially meant being one of the very strongest shinobi in a village.
Because of that, what qualified as Kage-level differed from era to era.
For precisely this reason, the amount of chakra a shinobi possessed was also one of the key measures used to judge their strength.
If Hyuga Kagami’s strength before could only be considered Genin-level, then his current chakra reserves had already clearly surpassed those of an ordinary Chunin and were rapidly soaring toward the level of an ordinary Jonin.
Three days of adaptation had also allowed Hyuga Kagami to barely use his eyes again.
After carefully examining them, he discovered that his eyes had become like a pair of crystal-clear, sky-blue gemstones, shimmering with a mesmerizing radiance that made anyone who looked into them instinctively want to lose themselves within their depths.
At the same time, he discovered that the Caged Bird seal on his forehead was still there, though it seemed to have lost its effect.
This was only natural.
The Caged Bird seal targeted the Byakugan, as well as all the nerves in the brain connected to it.
But the eyes in Hyuga Kagami’s sockets were no longer the Byakugan—they were the Tenseigan.
Thus, although the Caged Bird’s sealing formula itself had not been destroyed, it had effectively unraveled on its own.
Just as Hyuga Kagami was estimating how much longer the Tenseigan’s adaptation period would last, he suddenly sensed a familiar chakra rapidly approaching the outpost.
Without wasting any time, Hyuga Kagami supported himself against the wall and made his way out of his room.
Before long, a petite figure rushed into the outpost.
It was none other than Mitarashi Anko, who had left with Oda several days earlier to carry out the special mission!
Anko was in terrible condition.
Her face was almost completely drained of color, her entire body was covered in wounds, and her breathing was ragged and unsteady.
It looked as though she had fought through one life-or-death battle after another.
Thanks to the vigilance he had honed during the war, the moment Hyuga Kagami recognized the approaching figure as Anko, his hand was already reaching into the ninja tool pouch at his waist and drawing a kunai.
At the same time, beneath his goggles, his Tenseigan gleamed with a magnificent light as he searched for any pursuers who might have followed Anko back to the outpost.
With just a brief sweep, however, Hyuga Kagami confirmed that there were no pursuers behind Anko, allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief.
By then, the other shinobi at the outpost had also gathered around.
Some began tending to Anko’s wounds, while others questioned her about the details of the attack.
Standing off to the side on full alert, Hyuga Kagami relied on the Tenseigan’s unparalleled powers of observation and noticed something peculiar.
When the squad captain, Mitsui Chuichi, saw Anko, a strange expression briefly flashed across his face. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
It seemed to be a complicated mixture of surprise and anxiety.
In that instant, an ominous suspicion arose in Hyuga Kagami’s mind.
In truth, he had considered this possibility long ago.
He simply hadn’t dared to confirm it—or rather, he had never wanted to believe it was true.
Almost instinctively, Hyuga Kagami put a little more distance between himself and Mitsui Chuichi.
Mitsui Chuichi’s attention was entirely focused on Anko, so he failed to notice Hyuga Kagami’s subtle movement.
With a grim expression, he asked Anko, “Did you complete the mission?”
Anko stared coldly at Mitsui Chuichi.
“We were ambushed the moment we reached the designated location.
The whole thing was a trap!
Oda was killed on the spot.
I spent two days hiding in the desert before I barely managed to make it back!”
Mitsui Chuichi’s expression became slightly unnatural upon hearing this.
“Perhaps the informant we planted among the Sand shinobi was exposed, which led to the ambush.
I’ll report this to the village.”
After saying that, Mitsui Chuichi hurriedly left.
Hyuga Kagami said nothing either and silently helped Anko to her feet.
Once they returned to Anko’s room, she suddenly asked him, “Have we been abandoned by the village?”
Anko had been accepted as Orochimaru’s student, so she was obviously no fool.
There had been something suspicious about this so-called special mission from the very beginning, and with her sharp instincts, she had naturally noticed it as well.
As Hyuga Kagami bandaged her wounds, he said, “Don’t overthink it.
Missions going wrong is nothing unusual.
You just haven’t been through enough of them yet.”
Seemingly convinced by Hyuga Kagami’s words, Anko said nothing more, and her expression returned to its usual numbness.
After treating Anko’s injuries and confirming that no enemies were approaching the outpost, Hyuga Kagami returned to his own room.
The moment he lay down on his bed, his expression darkened uncontrollably.
Gritting his teeth, he cursed inwardly,
“How could they do this!?
How dare they!?”