Four days later, Kabuto cleared Sasuke for full combat operations.
"Your eyes are stable," Kabuto confirmed after final examination. "Mangekyo can be activated without risk. But be aware—the more you use it, the faster you'll approach blindness. Even with Hashirama cells delaying the process."
"I know the risks." Sasuke stood from the examination table. "How long until I need Eternal Mangekyo?"
"Difficult to estimate. Normal Mangekyo users go blind within a few years of regular use. With Hashirama cells, you might have five to ten years. But heavy usage accelerates degradation." Kabuto made notes. "Every absorption you perform also stresses the eyes. You're trading immediate power for long-term vision."
"Long-term doesn't matter if I'm not strong enough to survive the short-term." Sasuke activated his Mangekyo briefly—the patterns blazed, stable and powerful. "Besides, once I take Itachi's eyes, blindness becomes irrelevant."
"Assuming you can defeat him."
"I will." Sasuke deactivated his Mangekyo. "But first, I need to complete Byakugan collection. Where's Team Taka?"
"Training grounds. They've been waiting."
Sasuke found them sparring—Suigetsu versus Jugo while Karin observed and called out tactical advice. They stopped when they sensed his approach.
"About time," Suigetsu said, grinning. "Two weeks of sitting around was boring as hell."
"You're cleared?" Jugo asked.
"Fully." Sasuke activated his Sharingan—three tomoe spinning. "Ready for the next mission."
Karin's expression was guarded. She hadn't forgotten their last conversation. "Another Hyuga target?"
"Yes. Main family again. This will be the final Byakugan absorption—it should push me to complete effectiveness." Sasuke pulled out mission documents. "The target is Hyuga Hoheto. Main family. Elite jonin. Currently leading a four-person security team guarding a diplomatic envoy traveling through the Land of Fire."
"Four-person team," Suigetsu observed. "That's more than last time."
"The Hyuga have increased security protocols after Tokuma's death. They're not taking chances anymore." Sasuke spread out tactical maps. "The envoy is traveling from Konoha to the Land of Lightning for trade negotiations. Five-day journey through mostly wilderness. Our window of opportunity is during the third night—they'll be camping in the Forest of Silence."
"Forest of Silence?" Karin frowned. "That's deep in Fire Country territory. Close to Konoha."
"Which is why they'll feel safe. Why their guard will be slightly lowered." Sasuke pointed to the planned ambush site. "We hit them at three AM. Everyone's exhausted. Their Byakugan user will be on watch, but the others will be sleeping. We eliminate the sleeping members first, then focus on Hoheto."
"The diplomatic envoy," Jugo said quietly. "Civilians?"
"Probably. Low-level nobles and their attendants." Sasuke's tone was flat. "They're acceptable casualties."
"Acceptable casualties?" Karin's voice rose. "Sasuke-kun, they're not combatants. They're just—"
"Witnesses." Sasuke met her gaze. "No survivors. That's been the rule from the beginning. You knew this when you joined."
"Killing enemy shinobi is one thing. Murdering civilians is—"
"Necessary." Sasuke's voice was cold. "One survivor reports what they saw. Word spreads. Every bloodline clan in the world unites against us. The entire operation collapses. So no—we don't leave witnesses. Civilian or otherwise."
Silence fell over the training ground.
Suigetsu shrugged. "Makes sense to me. Dead men tell no tales."
"That's monstrous," Karin said quietly.
"Yes. It is." Sasuke didn't flinch from her accusation. "And if you can't handle it, leave now. I won't stop you. But if you stay, you follow orders. No hesitation. No mercy. Complete mission success requires complete elimination of all targets."
Karin looked at him for a long moment. Then at Jugo, who looked conflicted. Then back to Sasuke.
"I stay," she said finally. "But Sasuke-kun... don't lose yourself completely in this. There has to be something left of the person I agreed to follow."
"That person never existed." Sasuke's eyes were empty. "You followed a ghost. An idea. What I really am is standing in front of you right now. A collector. A hunter. Someone who will do anything—kill anyone—to achieve ultimate power."
He turned to Suigetsu and Jugo. "Are you both in?"
"Always," Suigetsu said without hesitation.
Jugo nodded slowly. "You give my curse mark purpose. That's... enough."
"Good. We leave in six hours. Pack for a four-day mission. High-intensity combat expected. Possibility of Konoha reinforcements if things go wrong." Sasuke began rolling up the maps. "This is the most dangerous operation we've attempted. Failure means death or capture. Success means I complete Byakugan collection and we move to the next phase."
"Next phase?" Suigetsu asked.
"Sharingan hunting." Sasuke's Mangekyo activated briefly—the hybrid pattern blazing. "After this mission, we start targeting Uchiha survivors. Building toward my confrontation with Itachi."
"You really are collecting everything, aren't you?" Suigetsu's grin was admiring. "Every dojutsu in existence."
"That's the goal." Sasuke deactivated his Mangekyo. "Byakugan. Sharingan. Eventually Rinnegan. Tenseigan. Every divine eye this world has produced. All of them merged into one ultimate power."
"That's insane."
"That's necessary." Sasuke started walking toward the compound. "Six hours. Don't be late."
They departed Sound Village under cover of darkness.
The journey to the Forest of Silence took three days of hard travel. They moved quickly, avoiding populated areas and main roads. Sasuke pushed them hard—twelve hours of travel per day with minimal rest.
By the third day, they reached the forest's edge.
"The diplomatic envoy will pass through here tomorrow," Sasuke said, studying the terrain. "They'll camp approximately five kilometers into the forest. We'll position ourselves tonight, wait for them to arrive and settle, then strike at three AM."
"What's the team composition again?" Karin asked, her sensory abilities scanning the forest.
"Hyuga Hoheto, main family, mission leader. Hyuga Ko, branch family, second-in-command. Two chunin escorts—combat specialists but not Hyuga." Sasuke pointed to positions on his map. "Plus the diplomatic envoy. Three to five civilians. Non-combatants."
"Total targets: seven to nine," Suigetsu calculated. "We've handled worse odds."
"Don't underestimate them. Hoheto is elite jonin level. His Byakugan range exceeds ten kilometers. He'll detect us the moment we enter his sensory radius." Sasuke's Sharingan activated. "That's why we don't hide. We use the same tactic as last time—announce our presence, let them think they know where we are, then attack from unexpected angles."
"So I'm bait again?" Suigetsu grinned.
"We're all bait. And we're all attackers. Hoheto's Byakugan will see through standard ambush tactics." Sasuke's Mangekyo blazed briefly. "But seeing and countering are different things. Even perfect sensory abilities can be overwhelmed by simultaneous multi-directional attacks."
They spent the day preparing. Checking equipment. Reviewing tactical plans. Meditating to conserve chakra.
As the sun set, Sasuke gathered them.
"This is it. The final Byakugan absorption. After tonight, I'll have complete Hyuga visual capabilities merged with my Mangekyo." His eyes—those hybrid Uchiha-Hyuga eyes—gleamed in the fading light. "Everything we've worked toward for months culminates in this mission."
"And if it goes wrong?" Karin asked.
"Then we fight our way out. Kill anyone who tries to stop us. And keep running until we're clear." Sasuke's tone was matter-of-fact. "But it won't go wrong. We've done this nine times successfully. Tonight is just one more."
"One more," Jugo repeated quietly.
They moved into position as darkness fell completely.