Living as a transmigrator for over ten years had made the memories of his previous life distant and blurry, so Hyuga Kagami really couldn't remember clearly whether Otsutsuki Toneri needed to perform hand seals to enter Tenseigan Chakra Mode.
"If hand seals are needed, then what seals should be performed? And what's the mode of Chakra circulation within the body?"
Amidst this confusion, Hyuga Kagami realized the awkwardness of lacking a proper inheritance.
This was simply like having a mountain of treasures but being unable to enter!
When he thought further about people like Obito, Nagato, Itachi, the Fourth Hokage, etc., these current or future powerhouses, Hyuga Kagami discovered that they had all more or less received careful guidance from Kage-level experts and accepted various kinds of inheritance.
But he himself had nothing at all!
Hyuga Kagami wasn't a person who indulged in self-pity. Since he had found the problem, then he would go solve it.
When it came to the most suitable inheritance, that would naturally be the inheritance of Ootsutsuki Hamura on the moon. But currently, Hyuga Kagami simply didn't know how to get to the moon. Furthermore, there was still the existence of Otsutsuki Toneri's branch on the moon, as well as the protection of the giant Tenseigan formed by the fusion of many Byakugan. Therefore, this inheritance could be temporarily disregarded.
The Hyuga Main Family might be hiding some secret inheritances; this point was worth Hyuga Kagami putting some thought into.
Orochimaru's research and development capabilities were among the best in the world, so if he wanted to improve his strength further, his connection with Orochimaru couldn't be broken.
But Hyuga Kagami felt that the method of cooperation must be changed.
Continuing to be Orochimaru's spy, acting as a puppet without independent will, had no future whatsoever. He must change his identity from a subordinate to a collaborator; only then could he profit from it.
This again involved a problem of strength; in the ninja world, the weak were not qualified to talk cooperation with the strong.
After thoroughly adjusting his mindset, Hyuga Kagami began to assess his current combat power.
In terms of Chakra volume, he undoubtedly reached the level of a Jonin. Coupled with the Tenseigan's unparalleled insight, as well as Gentle Fist and the eerie and unpredictable wishful rotation that required no hand seals, he felt it was very possible for him to defeat a Special Jonin without any surprises. But if he faced a true Jonin, he would be the one to die eight or nine times out of ten.
Of course, this was only his current state.
As his experience increased and with further development of the Tenseigan, he believed it wouldn't be long before his strength could reach the level of Jonin, or even Elite Jonin.
By then, he would have the qualifications to have a proper discussion with Orochimaru.
After looking ahead to the future, Hyuga Kagami pulled his thoughts back to the present.
Currently, he was still caught in the village's cleansing plan, and his strength was far from reaching the point where he could contend with the village. Therefore, without exposing the Tenseigan, how to protect himself was his current top priority.
As soon as he returned to the outpost, Mitsui Chuichi summoned Hyuga Kagami before him and commanded coldly, "Prepare yourself, you have a mission tomorrow."
Hyuga Kagami's expression stiffened: "What mission?"
Mitsui Chuichi said, "I will lead the team myself. The specific mission details will be discussed tomorrow on the way."
Hyuga Kagami originally wanted to refuse, but after pondering for a moment, he finally nodded.
Actually, he also knew that because of his 'illness', he had already avoided one round of the cleansing, so now that he was 'recovered', there was no way he could get out of it again.
The next day.
The fully armed Hyuga Kagami and Mitsui Chuichi set off. Because Hongudo's injuries hadn't healed, only the two of them participated in this action.
On the way, Mitsui Chuichi briefly explained the mission.
Just like Shiaotian and Hongudo's previous mission, it was also to rendezvous with a Leaf Village spy hidden in the Sand Village and retrieve the intelligence about the Sand Village collected by the spy.
After hearing the mission description, Hyuga Kagami was already 100% certain that this mission was a trap for his own purge.
But his expression remained unchanged; he only secretly pondered in his heart: 'Who will be the one to make the final move? Is it Root? Or the Anbu? Or is it someone from the Sand Village?'
If the ones making the move were from Root, then eight or nine times out of ten, the one orchestrating the purge would be Danzo. And if it were the Anbu, then there's an eighty percent chance it's the Third Hokage. But if it were Sand ninjas, the situation would be complicated.
If it were Sand ninjas, that would mean the village had reached some kind of consensus with the Sand Village.
In other words, this would no longer be an internal village matter but a matter between ninja villages, and the one orchestrating things behind the scenes would very likely not be a single person but the entire Konoha leadership.
As he sped along, Hyuga Kagami was rapidly analyzing in his mind the situation he was about to face.
'To deal with a Chunin like me, promoted during wartime, there's no need to deploy a Jonin. The opposing force should be a four-person squad made up of Chunin.'
'Because I'm from the Hyuga Clan, the opposing force shouldn't set up an ambush in advance; that would expose them prematurely.'
'The opposing force should attack from all directions after I arrive at the rendezvous point, launching a full-scale assault on me. Alternatively, they could disguise themselves as the contact and take the opportunity when I'm unprepared to suddenly strike and kill!'
'What role will this Mitsui Chuichi play? Is he just leading me into the ambush, or will he also participate in surrounding and attacking me?'
After acquiring the Tenseigan, Hyuga Kagami's mindset gradually changed. If before he was simply trying to survive, then now he had more desires and ambitions in his heart.
Precisely because of the Tenseigan, he felt completely confident. Therefore, after getting rid of fear, confusion, and other negative emotions, he accurately analyzed the situations he might face.
A long while later.
Mitsui Chuichi and Hyuga Kagami arrived at the rendezvous point. This was a rocky wasteland scattered with debris, where the surroundings were completely exposed. By no means did it look like a suitable rendezvous point.
In the distance, a solitary figure stood, somewhat blurry in the wind and sand.
Hyuga Kagami focused his gaze and looked, immediately discovering that the other party's body contained a large amount of Chakra. In terms of Chakra volume alone, it had already far exceeded the level of a Chunin.
Furthermore, he also discovered that beside that figure, several bodies of Sand ninjas were sprawled around.
This eerie scene made Hyuga Kagami feel danger. He immediately stopped walking and said in a deep voice, "Captain, something seems wrong."
Mitsui Chuichi also tightly furrowed his brow at this moment; clearly, the situation before them was somewhat different from what he had expected.
But he didn't have Hyuga Kagami's sharp insight, so separated by the swirling sandstorm, he could neither judge the stranger's strength nor observe the few bodies at the stranger's feet that were vaguely visible within the sand mounds.
After hesitating for a moment, Mitsui Chuichi commanded, "Let's go, we're going over!"
Mitsui Chuichi was the captain, he had given the order, and Hyuga Kagami could do nothing about it. He could only follow him slowly towards that stranger.
A moment later, the two of them arrived before the other party.
The stranger was wrapped head to toe in a grayish-brown cloak and even wore a cloth mask over his face, only revealing a pair of bright eyes. However, the look in those eyes made people feel extremely uneasy, as if a wild beast was staring at its prey.
At this moment, only then did Mitsui Chuichi notice the few bodies dressed in Sand Village attire lying beside the stranger. His face immediately fell: "You... who exactly are you?"
The stranger slowly lifted his hood, pulled off the cloth mask, tilted his head, and said with a playful expression, "Oh, so they were waiting for you guys here."
"Sasori of the Red Sand!?"
(End of this chapter)