From a bird's-eye view, Hyuga Yu had made the same mistake as the Hidden Mist: he had failed to rigorously screen his intelligence.
It was a form of arrogance—a certainty rooted in established facts. Armed with his knowledge of the future plot, Yu had attempted to apply past experiences to a world that was constantly shifting and evolving.
Relying solely on his memory that there were no major events involving "Explosive Tags" during the Third Shinobi World War, his understanding of the war's general trajectory, and the intelligence gathered from Root, he had blindly believed the "false" information that Konoha did not currently possess a large stockpile of tags.
Root had no reason to lie to him, which meant that this time, even Root had been kept in the dark.
Yu didn't intend to make excuses. On the contrary, this reckless experience served as a harsh wake-up call. While his heart raced with a mix of shame and embarrassment, he keenly realized something:
His mindset had become "flighty."
When did it start?
As he maneuvered quickly through the nameless forest, Yu rapidly flipped through his memories. Finally, the mental images settled on the moment he had gouged out Hyuga Genko's eyes and implanted them into his own sockets.
From that moment on, it seemed Yu's "perception" had suffered a certain displacement.
In truth, he hadn't actually solved the Caged Bird Seal. That cursed seal, rooted in the very soul, wouldn't disappear even through the Reanimation Jutsu. His subconscious had simply turned a blind eye to the danger, and in reality, he had reflexively used minor tricks to avoid discussing it. But the truth remained right there, immutable.
After obtaining his new Byakugan, Yu had immediately placed himself in the position of someone who had "successfully bypassed the Caged Bird Seal." He unconsciously began to view himself as a "unique" Hyuga. Consequently, he had lost his rightful reverence for the thousand-year traditions of the Hyuga clan, the dehumanizing methods of Root, and the constant "changes" occurring within the Naruto world.
He should have been cautious and prudent while moving between the Medical Squad and Root. He should have hidden his abilities as much as possible, humbly sought guidance on Medical Ninjutsu from Furofuki, secretly gathered more intelligence on Root, and used more subtle means to obtain what he wanted from them.
But instead, what he had actually done was show off his supposedly superior surgical skills in front of Furofuki and the other medical ninja.
He had flaunted his medical expertise and the meager knowledge from his previous life in front of Tanuki Shigaraku.
Even while knowing that Aburame Ryōma was spying on him twenty-four hours a day, and that Ryōma and Shigaraku were "political enemies," he had still maintained close contact with Shigaraku and studied his research papers. In essence, such behavior was an egregious "overstepping" of bounds.
There were even more details. Reflecting on it now, even before the eye transplant, his actions had been more or less marred by subtle deviations and various inadequacies.
Yet, Yu still let his mind fixate on the moment the transplant was completed—whenever he recalled that moment, he felt that same rush of pleasure and "satisfaction" surging from the crown of his head to the tips of his toes!
It felt as though all his efforts, everything he had done for that goal, had reached fulfillment in that single instant.
Furthermore, a massive void had unconsciously opened in his heart. This void constantly reminded him: You need more, more, more!
Desires are hard to fill; greed makes one increasingly foolish without realizing it.
Until the moment he had to pay the price. Theoretically, Yu's plan was sound, yet there had been a deviation in its execution. His only goal was to let the enemy know that "the Explosive Tag transport wagons are decoys." He could have achieved this without verifying the authenticity of the tags himself. However, he had chosen a more aggressive, blunt, and shortcut-oriented method.
When he saw the obvious misalignment of personnel and draft animals within the convoy, Yu should have reacted immediately to scout the situation and reformulate his plan. But as if possessed, he had "impatiently" fired that arrow.
If Yu hadn't known how to use a bow and arrow, but had instead maintained that "arrogant" mindset and tried to stab the wagon with a kunai, what would the result be now?
Thinking of the various possibilities stemming from this cognitive dissonance, Yu's pupils trembled slightly. Then, his entire aura began to shift as he realized the "abnormality" within himself—the outward sharp edge vanished silently, and the "pride" that had unconsciously surfaced on his face quickly retracted until his gaze became as calm as a lake and as sincere as a child's.
Like a newborn infant, he maintained curiosity and a drive to explore the outside world, while remaining twelve-tenths vigilant.
The arrogant animalistic nature was suppressed at this moment, and human rationality reclaimed its throne.
At 7:33 AM on November 13, in the 49th year of Konoha, in a place unnoticed by anyone in the shinobi world, Hyuga Yu completed his metamorphosis from a "Lion" into an "Infant."
On the other side, thousands of kilometers away at the Konoha Hospital.
"Huh? You want me to save someone?"
Having just finished a consultation for Jiraiya's student, Minato Namikaze, and Dekai, Tsunade was walking down the hospital corridor side-by-side with Jiraiya when she was blocked by a quite beautiful girl with the Byakugan wearing a patient's gown.
Normally, Tsunade wouldn't have the patience to listen to this girl's babbling. She'd rather spend that time rolling some dice, losing the consultation fee she had just earned, and then heading to a tavern for a couple of drinks.
But very quickly, a name came out of the girl's mouth that caught Tsunade completely off guard.
"Hyuga Yu?"
"Wait, isn't that Byakugan brat just doing odd jobs around the hospital?"
"What? He went to the Eastern Front??? Are those old geezers really willing to let him go to a place like that?"
"He's a branch house member who gouged out a main house Byakugan, completed the transplant surgery, and solved his chakra problem?"
"Alright, alright, stop talking. What does this have to do with me? I'm not close with that kid; he can die wherever he likes for all I care."
"Wait... he said all of that was taught by me?"
A short while later, the Hyuga girl bowed respectfully to the two of them and took her leave.
Beside her, Jiraiya, having heard such shocking news, felt the smile on his face freeze. He cautiously glanced at Tsunade, whose expression was growing increasingly dark—looking like a powder keg about to blow. "Hahahaha~ Tsunade, uh, I just remembered, I forgot to tuck Minato in when we left. I'll just go do that real quick, okay?"
"Stay right there!"
Tsunade grabbed the fleeing Jiraiya. Her face sank, and she smiled through gritted teeth. "You heard all that, and you're still trying to run?"
Jiraiya blinked his somewhat innocent eyes. Finally, he sighed, turned around, and looked at Tsunade with a grave expression. "I'm telling you... it's best if you don't get involved in this."
Tsunade knitted her thin brows and said helplessly, "Is it that I want to get involved? The trouble found its way to me! Besides, that brat's talent really is quite good. If he solved the chakra issue, maybe..."
"This has nothing to do with talent." Jiraiya shook his head and sighed. "We can't protect him."
"The Caged Bird Seal isn't that simple. If the Hyuga Main House wants his life, then even if you speak up for him—or even if you publicly announce him as your apprentice—he will eventually die silently and without a trace."
Tsunade fell silent. In the many years since Konoha's founding, it wasn't as if no Hyuga branch house shinobi had ever tried to defect to the Konoha higher-ups in hopes of trading for a relatively independent and free status. However, no matter how many such incidents occurred, in the end, the Hyuga clan remained the same Hyuga clan. It was as if they had been frozen in that state since their inception; though thousands of years had passed, they had never changed.
However, Tsunade was still somewhat unwilling. It wasn't for the sake of the kid; as she said, she really wasn't close to Hyuga Yu. It was more because of her current inner desire to cut ties with Konoha quickly—a wish to no longer have too many involvements with this village. In short, she hated trouble.
And Hyuga Yu was the definition of trouble within trouble. The group of old-timers at the top of the Medical Department behind him were a political force that had always stood by Tsunade and supported her unconditionally. When trouble became this troublesome, it wasn't so easy for Tsunade to cut it loose.
She furrowed her brow, looked at Jiraiya, and asked in a low voice:
"Then who can protect him?"
Jiraiya pinched his chin in thought. Before long, he spat out a very definite answer:
"Orochimaru."
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