More than ten years had passed since his transmigration, and the memories of his previous life had long since faded into hazy fragments. Because of that, Hyuga Kagami genuinely couldn't recall whether Ōtsutsuki Toneri had needed hand seals to enter Tenseigan Chakra Mode.
If hand seals are required, then which ones?
And how exactly does chakra circulate through the body during activation?
As these questions piled up, Hyuga Kagami keenly felt the embarrassment of having no true legacy.
It was like standing before a mountain of treasure, yet having no way to step inside.
When he thought about figures such as Uchiha Obito, Nagato, Uchiha Itachi, the Fourth Hokage, and others—people who shaped the present and future of the shinobi world—Hyuga Kagami realized that every one of them had received careful guidance from Kage-level experts and inherited powerful legacies in one form or another.
And him?
He had nothing.
But Hyuga Kagami was not someone who wallowed in self-pity. Once he identified the problem, he would solve it.
The most suitable legacy for him was naturally that of Ōtsutsuki Hamura on the moon. Unfortunately, he currently had no idea how to travel there. Moreover, with Toneri's lineage still residing on the moon—protected by a massive Tenseigan formed from the fusion of countless Byakugan—this path could only be set aside for now.
The Hyuga Clan's Main Family might possess hidden legacies of its own. That was something worth investigating when the time was right.
As for Orochimaru, his research and development abilities ranked among the best in the shinobi world. If Hyuga Kagami wanted to continue growing stronger, cutting ties with Orochimaru entirely was not an option.
However, the way they cooperated had to change.
Remaining Orochimaru's spy—nothing more than a puppet without autonomy—had no future. He had to elevate himself from subordinate to partner if he wanted real benefits.
And once again, everything came back to strength.
In the shinobi world, the weak had no right to negotiate with the strong.
After fully adjusting his mindset, Hyuga Kagami began to evaluate his current combat power.
In terms of chakra reserves alone, he had undoubtedly reached Jonin level. Combined with the Tenseigan's terrifying perception, the Gentle Fist, and the strange, unpredictable Rinnegan technique, he believed he had a good chance of defeating a Special Jonin under normal circumstances.
But against a true Jonin?
Nine times out of ten, he would be the one to die.
Of course, that was only his current state.
With more combat experience and deeper development of the Tenseigan, he was confident that it wouldn't take long before he reached true Jonin level—or even Elite Jonin.
By then, he would finally have the qualifications to speak with Orochimaru as an equal.
Pulling his thoughts back from the future, Hyuga Kagami refocused on the present.
He was still caught in the Village's purge plan, and his strength was nowhere near enough to confront Konohagakure head-on. His top priority was surviving without exposing the Tenseigan.
Not long after returning to the outpost, Mitsui Chuichi summoned him and said coldly:
"Prepare yourself. There's a mission tomorrow."
Hyuga Kagami's expression tightened.
"What kind of mission?"
"I'll be leading the team personally," Mitsui replied. "We'll discuss the details on the way."
Hyuga Kagami initially wanted to refuse, but after a moment's thought, he nodded.
He understood very well that his earlier "illness" had already allowed him to avoid one round of the purge. Now that he had recovered, there was no way he would be spared again.
---
The next day.
Fully equipped, Hyuga Kagami set out with Mitsui Chuichi. Since Anko had not yet recovered from her injuries, only the two of them participated in the mission.
Along the way, Mitsui briefly explained their objective.
Just like Anko and Oda's previous mission, it was to rendezvous with a Konoha spy embedded in Sunagakure and retrieve the intelligence the spy had gathered.
After hearing this, Hyuga Kagami was absolutely certain.
This mission was a trap meant to eliminate him.
His expression, however, remained calm. Inside, his thoughts raced.
Who will make the first move?
Root? Anbu? Or Sunagakure's shinobi?
If it was Root, then Danzo Shimura was almost certainly in charge.
If it was Anbu, then the Third Hokage was likely behind it.
But if it was Sunagakure…
Then things became far more complicated.
That would mean Konoha and Sunagakure had reached some form of agreement. This would no longer be an internal purge—it would be a decision made at the level of inter-village politics. In that case, the mastermind wouldn't be a single person, but the entire Konoha high command.
As they moved at high speed, Hyuga Kagami rapidly analyzed the coming situation.
To deal with a Chunin like me—someone promoted during wartime—there's no need to dispatch a Jonin. A four-man Chunin squad would be enough.
Because I'm from the Hyuga Clan, they likely won't prepare a long-range ambush beforehand. That would expose them too early.
They'll either surround me from all sides once we reach the rendezvous… or disguise themselves as the contact and strike when I let my guard down.
And what about Mitsui Chuichi? Is he just leading me into the trap, or will he also take part in the attack?
After obtaining the Tenseigan, Hyuga Kagami's mindset had quietly shifted.
If the old him had only wanted to survive, the current him now harbored ambition.
It was precisely because of the Tenseigan that he had confidence. With fear and confusion stripped away, he analyzed his situation with cold clarity.
---
After a long journey, Mitsui Chuichi and Hyuga Kagami finally arrived at the rendezvous point.
It was a Gobi desert strewn with gravel, completely exposed in all directions—no matter how one looked at it, this was not a suitable meeting place.
In the distance, a lone figure stood, partially obscured by the swirling sand.
Hyuga Kagami focused his gaze.
Instantly, he sensed an enormous amount of chakra within that figure—far beyond Chunin level. At the same time, he noticed several bodies dressed in Sunagakure attire scattered near the figure's feet.
A sense of danger surged through him.
He immediately stopped and said in a low voice, "Captain, something's wrong."
Mitsui Chuichi frowned as well. The situation was clearly different from what he had anticipated.
However, lacking Hyuga Kagami's perception, he couldn't gauge the stranger's strength through the sandstorm, nor could he clearly see the corpses half-buried in the dunes.
After a brief hesitation, Mitsui ordered, "Let's go. We're moving in."
As captain, his command was absolute. Hyuga Kagami had no choice but to follow, advancing slowly toward the figure.
Moments later, the two stood before the stranger.
The person was wrapped head to toe in a grey-brown cloak, with a cloth mask covering their face, revealing only a pair of sharp, gleaming eyes. The gaze alone made one's skin crawl—like a predator staring down its prey.
Only then did Mitsui Chuichi clearly notice the Sunagakure corpses nearby. His expression instantly turned ugly.
"You… who are you?"
The stranger slowly pulled back the hood, tore off the mask, tilted his head slightly, and spoke with a playful tone:
"Yo. So it was you they were waiting for."
Mitsui Chuichi's pupils shrank violently.
"Sasori!?"