CHAPTER 96
Might Guy's expression gradually became serious.
According to the information in his memory, during the Third Shinobi World War, Ao should have already obtained a Byakugan from a member of the Hyuga Clan on the battlefield.
Because of that, he should have been covering one eye with an eyepatch all year round.
But just now, Guy had clearly seen it.
Hyuga Yukian's Byakugan had remained active the entire time, yet it had not detected any abnormalities.
The Ao he saw with his own eyes also had both eyes completely exposed, with no eyepatch or covering whatsoever.
Even the intelligence records concerning Hyuga Yukian contained no mention of Ao possessing a Byakugan or having any ocular abnormalities.
Combining this with the current timeline, the Third Shinobi World War had already progressed into its middle stages.
If the current Ao had not yet obtained a Byakugan...
Then where exactly would the Byakugan he possessed in the future come from?
Might Guy's heart gradually sank.
The Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan was a Kekkei Genkai.
Members of the Main House were born with pure Byakugan.
Members of the Branch House also possessed the Byakugan, but they were bound by the Caged Bird Seal.
Once they died, or if someone attempted to seize their eyes, the Byakugan would automatically be destroyed.
Therefore, the Byakugan that Ao obtained could only have come from a member of the Main House.
"And on the entire Land of Waves battlefield..."
Might Guy's gaze unconsciously shifted toward Hyuga Yukian, who was walking ahead of them.
This was the only confirmed member of the Hyuga Main House serving on the Land of Waves frontline.
The answer was practically self-evident.
Ebisu noticed that Guy's expression seemed strange and reached out to pat his shoulder.
"Guy, what's wrong? Why are you zoning out?"
Might Guy immediately gathered his thoughts and suppressed the shock in his heart.
He glanced at Hyuga Yukian's straight back a few steps ahead and shook his head.
"It's nothing. I just got distracted for a moment."
He didn't make a fuss about it.
How could he possibly explain this?
Should he walk over right now and tell the captain:
"The Kirigakure Jonin named Ao that we just encountered will covet your Byakugan and may even attempt to seize it in the future?"
Without any evidence, what basis would he have for making such a claim?
Furthermore, as a member of the Main House, Hyuga Yukian undoubtedly valued his Byakugan more than anyone else.
His vigilance and precautions regarding it would certainly exceed Guy's own.
A rash warning would not only sound bizarre but would likely be misunderstood.
The other party might think Guy was looking down on the Hyuga Clan's security measures.
Or questioning his abilities as a captain.
The chances of the warning backfiring were simply too high.
For now, he could only keep this matter buried in his heart.
Might Guy secretly heightened his vigilance.
Fortunately, Ebisu and Genma's attention was quickly drawn elsewhere.
Genma rotated the senbon in his fingers, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"That replica Hiramekarei..."
"Even if it's only an imitation, judging from the Chakra fluctuations around it, it's definitely not an ordinary weapon."
"I wonder what kind of material it was forged from. Maybe it possesses special abilities similar to the real one mentioned in the rumors."
Ebisu pushed up his sunglasses, instantly returning to his usual energetic self.
"Hmph! Real or fake, anyone who runs into this genius will still end up crawling away!"
Then he suddenly changed the topic.
"It's that little girl who caught my attention."
He curled the corners of his mouth upward.
"A shinobi around our age, and she's even a girl."
"If we meet on the battlefield, just watch me make her cry with my magnificent Fire Release!"
"I'll show her the power of a Konoha elite!"
Might Guy listened quietly to their conversation without joining in.
He knew very well what kind of terrifying existence that "little girl" would become in the future.
"Dual Kekkei Genkai..."
The thought of one day facing both Lava Release and Boil Release made him feel a considerable amount of pressure.
But at the moment, those concerns were not the most urgent.
The captured ship steadily sailed back toward Konoha's offshore base.
Hyuga Yukian led the team while escorting both the prisoners and the seized supply vessel.
Together, they headed directly to the command tent to report to Homura Mitokado.
Inside the command tent, Homura Mitokado listened carefully to Hyuga Yukian's mission report.
His gaze swept across Might Guy, Ebisu, and Genma.
Especially when he saw the intact supply vessel loaded with captured resources, a trace of approval flashed through his eyes.
"The mission was executed well."
Homura Mitokado's voice remained steady, though it carried noticeably more warmth than during their first meeting.
"You eliminated the enemy escort force, captured an entire supply ship, and suffered no serious injuries."
"Team 9, your performance in this first mission was excellent."
"Hyuga Yukian, your command was commendable."
"It was my responsibility."
Hyuga Yukian bowed slightly.
His expression remained calm, showing neither excitement nor pride.
Homura Mitokado nodded.
"Immediately conduct a full inventory of the captured supplies and transfer them into storage."
"Hand the prisoners over to the Interrogation Division."
He then continued issuing orders.
"Your team will rest today."
"There will be a new mission briefing tomorrow morning."
"Understood!"
After leaving the command tent and completing the transfer of both supplies and prisoners, Team 9 finally obtained a brief period of rest.
Returning to their assigned tent area, Ebisu stretched his body dramatically.
"Finally, we can relax a little."
"Our first mission ended perfectly."
"Not bad, right?"
Genma leaned against his cot with a senbon in his mouth.
He remained silent as usual.
But there was a faint trace of relief in his eyes after successfully completing the mission.
Might Guy sat on his own bed.
Yet his heart remained anything but relaxed.
The Land of Waves was effectively one of Kirigakure's primary battlefields on the maritime front.
It was the center of the struggle between both sides.
On a battlefield like this, no mission could ever truly be easy.
A single mistake could result in complete annihilation.
And now, the situation had become even more complicated.
A dangerous enemy destined to obtain a Byakugan in the future, Ao, had already appeared on this battlefield.
And the person most likely to become his target...
Was their current captain.
Hyuga Yukian.
Although Guy did not know the exact timeline of future events, he had a strong premonition.
On a battlefield this dangerous, any accident could happen.
Perhaps the next encounter would already be a carefully prepared trap laid by Kirigakure.
The waters surrounding the Land of Waves were far deeper and murkier than he had originally imagined.
The days ahead would certainly not be peaceful.
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