The diplomatic envoy arrived at their campsite just after dusk.
Sasuke watched from two kilometers away, his Sharingan tracking their movements. Five civilians—the nobles and their attendants. Four Hyuga guards. Standard defensive formation.
"They're setting up camp," he reported quietly through the communication earpiece. "Hoheto is establishing a perimeter. His Byakugan is active—I can see the chakra flare from here."
"He's good," Karin's voice came through. She was positioned west of the camp. "His sensory range is massive. Definitely over ten kilometers."
"Which means he already knows we're here," Sasuke confirmed. "He's probably been tracking us since we entered the forest."
"So why hasn't he attacked?" Suigetsu asked from his northern position.
"Because he's smart. He knows he's being watched. He's trying to assess our numbers and capabilities before committing to action." Sasuke's Sharingan tracked Hoheto's movements. "He's fortifying the camp. Establishing fallback positions. Preparing for siege defense rather than aggressive engagement."
"What's our move?"
"We wait. Let them settle in. Let them think they have time to prepare." Sasuke checked the time—just after eight PM. "At three AM, exhaustion will set in. Even Hoheto can't maintain perfect vigilance indefinitely. That's when we strike."
Seven hours passed slowly.
Sasuke maintained watch through his Sharingan, tracking the camp's activity. The civilians settled into their tents around nine PM. The chunin escorts took first watch while the Hyuga rested—smart rotation, keeping the strongest fighters fresh.
At midnight, the Hyuga took over watch duty. Hoheto and Ko both activated their Byakugan, scanning the perimeter constantly.
"They're paranoid," Karin reported. "Both Byakugan users are active. The chunin are asleep but in light rest—ready to wake at a moment's notice."
"Expected." Sasuke continued watching. "But they can't maintain this level of alertness forever. By three AM, they'll have been on high alert for six hours. Exhaustion will create openings."
Two AM came and went. The camp remained on high alert.
At two-thirty, Sasuke noticed the shift. Hoheto's Byakugan flickered—brief moment of chakra conservation. Ko's scanning became less frequent, more predictable.
They were tiring.
"Prepare to move," Sasuke commanded quietly. "On my mark, we execute simultaneously. Suigetsu—north entrance, eliminate the chunin on that side. Jugo—south entrance, take the other chunin. Karin—maintain sensory overwatch and call out Hoheto's movements. I'll engage both Hyuga directly."
"The civilians?" Karin's voice was tight.
"After we secure the shinobi. No survivors." Sasuke's tone left no room for argument.
Two-forty-five AM. The camp was at its lowest point of alertness.
"Mark," Sasuke said.
He moved.
So fast the world blurred. Trees disappeared beneath his feet. His Sharingan tracked every detail—Hoheto's Byakugan flaring in alarm, Ko spinning to face the threat, the chunin jerking awake.
But Sasuke was already inside the perimeter.
Chidori blazed in his hand. Lightning screamed as he targeted Ko first—the weaker of the two Hyuga.
Ko's Byakugan tracked the attack. His hands moved into Palm Rotation stance—
Sasuke's Ame-no-Sakahoko activated. Black-red crystalline chakra coated his free hand. He thrust it forward while maintaining Chidori in the other hand.
The crystalline chakra shattered through Ko's defensive stance. His Palm Rotation fractured before it could fully form.
Chidori pierced his shoulder. Ko screamed as his chakra network disrupted.
"Ko!" Hoheto was moving, his own Byakugan blazing. "Formation collapse! All units engage!"
But the chunin were already under attack.
Suigetsu exploded from the north, his blade carving through the northern chunin's hastily raised guard. Blood sprayed. The chunin collapsed, gurgling.
Jugo dropped from above, curse mark fully activated. His transformed fist crashed into the southern chunin's skull. Bone crunched. The target died instantly.
Both escorts eliminated within seconds.
Hoheto's hands blurred through seals. "Gentle Fist: Vacuum Palm!"
A massive chakra palm struck toward Sasuke. The force would have pulverized bones if it connected.
Sasuke released Ko—the branch family Hyuga collapsed, temporarily disabled. He leaped back, the Vacuum Palm missing by inches.
"You," Hoheto said, his Byakugan focused entirely on Sasuke. "I've read the reports. Uchiha. The one hunting our clan."
"Observant." Sasuke's Mangekyo activated. Both eyes blazed with hybrid patterns.
Hoheto froze. His Byakugan widened.
"Impossible," he whispered. "Your eyes... those are Byakugan patterns... you're..."
"Collecting them. Yes." Sasuke moved forward. "Nine absorbed so far. Yours will make ten."
"Monster!" Hoheto's rage overrode his tactical thinking. He charged.
"Eight Trigrams: One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms!"
One hundred twenty-eight precise strikes targeting every chakra point in rapid succession. Masterful technique. Potentially lethal if even half connected.
But Sasuke's Mangekyo saw everything.
Every strike predicted. Every angle calculated. His body moved on instinct, enhanced by Hashirama cells and guided by hybrid Sharingan-Byakugan vision.
He dodged. Weaved. Let the strikes pass within centimeters of his body.
Hoheto's final strike overextended. Sasuke caught his wrist.
"You fight well," Sasuke said. "But you're not fast enough."
Lightning blade formed in his free hand. Thrust forward toward Hoheto's heart—
The main family Hyuga twisted desperately. The lightning blade carved through his side instead, missing vital organs but tearing through muscle and flesh.
Hoheto gasped, blood pouring from the wound.
"Lord Hoheto!" Ko was struggling to rise, his chakra network still disrupted but recovering.
Jugo was there instantly. His transformed hand grabbed Ko's throat, lifted him off the ground.
"Don't interfere," Jugo growled.
Sasuke's grip on Hoheto's wrist tightened. He pulled the wounded Hyuga closer.
"This is where it ends," Sasuke said. His Mangekyo blazed. "Thank you for your contribution."
Both hands pressed against Hoheto's face.
Takama-ga-hara activated.
The absorption was immediate and intense. Main family genetics—incredibly potent. Hoheto's Byakugan resisted with everything it had, the pure bloodline fighting the technique desperately.
Hoheto screamed. His Byakugan flared with massive chakra, trying to reject the absorption.
But Sasuke's technique had been refined through nine previous absorptions. His Mangekyo knew how to process Hyuga genetics now. The resistance was expected. Manageable.
Ten seconds. Eleven. Twelve.
Hoheto's Byakugan began to fade. The pure white transferring to Sasuke's eyes—both of them absorbing simultaneously. The ocular chakra structure distributed evenly.
Fifteen seconds.
The main family genetics merged with Sasuke's Mangekyo pattern. His eyes burned as they processed the incredibly potent bloodline.
Twenty seconds.
Complete.
Hoheto's eyes returned to normal black. Empty. Powerless. His Byakugan was gone.
Sasuke released him. The Hyuga collapsed, gasping and broken.
"My eyes..." Hoheto's hands trembled near his face. "You took... everything..."
"Yes." Lightning blade formed. "And now you die."
The strike was precise. Through the heart. Hoheto died with shock still frozen on his face.
Sasuke turned to where Jugo held Ko. "Bring him."
Jugo threw the struggling branch family Hyuga toward Sasuke. Ko tried to activate his Byakugan—but his chakra was still disrupted, the technique failing.
"Please," Ko begged. "I have a family. Children. Please don't—"
Sasuke's hand caught his face. Mangekyo blazed.
Eight seconds. The branch family absorption was almost trivial after processing two main family bloodlines.
Execution. Lightning through the heart.
Sasuke stood over the two corpses. Both of his eyes throbbed violently—ten Byakugan absorbed total. The lavender patterns in his Mangekyo were now dominant, almost overwhelming the red Uchiha coloring.
"The civilians," Suigetsu called out. He was standing near the tents where terrified screams were coming from. "What do we do with them?"
Sasuke walked over slowly. His Mangekyo remained active, the hybrid pattern burning.
Five civilians huddled in the tent entrance. Nobles and attendants. Terrified. Unarmed.
They'd seen everything.
"Please," one of the nobles begged. "We won't tell anyone. We'll say bandits attacked. We'll—"
"You'll say nothing." Sasuke's voice was empty. "Because dead men don't talk."
His hand moved. Lightning Release. Five precise strikes.
Five bodies collapsed. No screams. Death was instant for all of them.
Silence fell over the camp.
Karin's voice came through the earpiece, shaking. "Sasuke-kun... those were civilians..."
"Those were witnesses." Sasuke deactivated his Mangekyo. Both eyes throbbed with intense pain—the tenth Byakugan absorption had pushed them to their limit. "Burn everything. We're leaving."
"But—"
"That's an order." Sasuke's tone was flat. Final.
Team Taka spread out. Multiple Fire Release techniques. The entire camp erupted into flames. Bodies, tents, supplies—everything consumed.
Sasuke watched the flames without expression. His eyes burned. His vision wavered. But it was done.
Ten Byakugan absorbed. Byakugan collection complete.
"Move out," he commanded.
They disappeared into the forest as the camp burned behind them.