I Am Uzumaki Menma Chapter 110 - 110 Searching For The Red-Eyed Clan

The Hyuga Clan had entered a state of high alert, the entire compound shrouded in a suffocating aura of tension, as if war were imminent!

The cause of this unrest was a mysterious 'notice' that had suddenly appeared in Hiashi's study.

[When the pendulum kisses the twelfth mark,

Moonlight shall pity the door without a lock.

Amidst the sigh of the Caged Bird

I shall claim Hamura's gift.

-Shura]

"Hiashi-sama! We've reported this to the Hokage's office, but the Hokage is currently unavailable! The Anbu are already searching for him!" A Ninja from the Hyuga Clan's branch family knelt on one knee outside the council hall, his voice strained.

Inside the hall, the elders of the Hyuga Clan's main family and Hizashi, the head of the branch family, had already gathered.

Hiashi sat solemnly in the main seat, his white eyes sweeping coldly toward the door before he waved his hand to let the Ninja retreat.

The branch family's mber bowed deeply and hurried away, as if relieved to escape the oppressive atmosphere.

"That Shura is truly despicable!"

"Last ti, he killed the Kumogakure's envoy and tried to fra our Hyuga Clan. He even injured the head!"

"This is unforgivable! If he dares show his face again, we'll make sure he never leaves alive!"

The elders of the main family seethed with fury, their voices filled with humiliation and rage towards Shura.

The Hyuga Clan, the second largest Ninja Clan in Konoha Village and renowned even across the Ninja World, was actually being openly challenged by so unknown Rogue Ninja!

And the other party even bluntly said that he wanted to take away the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan!

This is a trampling on the dignity of the Hyuga Clan!

These elders, who were accustod to their lofty status, had never faced such brazen provocation before!

Sitting in the main seat, Hiashi coldly scanned the room, feeling sowhat disappointed.

Since the Hyuga clan was divided into the main and branch families centuries ago, the main family had grown quite large, now consisting of four houses.

Including the clan head's house, there were five houses in total within the main family. The heir of each house served as an elder of the Hyuga Clan, holding the highest authority in clan affairs.

Similarly, each of these main family's elders could only pass their position to one heir.

If a main family's elder had two children, then, according to tradition, the eldest would inherit the house and beco an elder, while the younger would be branded with the Caged Bird, relegated to the branch family.

At this thought, Hiashi glanced at his younger brother, Hizashi, who was beside him.

In the clan's eting hall, among the many high-ranking Hyuga Clan's mbers present, only Hizashi wore a forehead protector to conceal the Caged Bird, as he was the only mber of the branch family here.

"Hizashi, what do you think his goal is?" Hiashi's words snapped Hizashi out of his daze.

Kneeling formally on the tatami, Hizashi replied calmly, "Head, I suspect that Shura is a Ninja from Konoha Village."

"What?!"

"Preposterous!"

"Impossible!"

"Hizashi, don't speak nonsense!"

As soon as Hizashi finished speaking, the main family's elders erupted in protest, their aged brows furrowing as they refuted his speculation.

Hiashi raised a hand, silencing the commotion.

"I believe Hizashi isn't making baseless claims. During our last encounter with Shura, Hizashi was severely injured, which shows the enemy has a deep understanding of our Hyuga Clan."

After explaining to the elders, Hiashi pressed further, "Do you have any specific reasoning?"

"Yes," Hizashi continued slowly, "During our last battle, I was surprised to find that Shura was extrely familiar with the Gentle Fist techniques. I even sensed traces of Konoha-style Taijutsu and Gentle Fist in his movents."

"Moreover, he must have infiltrated Konoha Village more than just the two known tis. Therefore, either he has an in-depth understanding of the village's barrier, enough to exploit its weaknesses and slip in undetected, or-"

Having said this, Hizashi stopped talking.

But everyone in the eting hall understood his implication.

'If the first possibility were true, just how powerful would this person be?'

Then, the image of Uchiha Madara from decades ago flashed through their minds!

'If another Uchiha Madara were to appear, the current Konoha would stand no chance.'

Although Hiruzen is hailed as the strongest Hokage, there is actually still a big gap between him and the Second and First Hokage, not to ntion Madara, who had once rivaled the First Hokage himself.

Therefore, the second theory was far more plausible.

"Hiashi-sama!"

While everyone was discussing, another branch family's Ninja ca hurriedly, bringing new news.

"Hokage-sama has requested your presence at the Hokage Building for a discussion."

Hearing that the Hokage had summoned him, Hiashi picked up the 'notice letter' on the table.

"I'll go consult with Hokage-sama on how to handle this. For the next few days, it would be best if none of you wander around unnecessarily." Hiashi's white eyes swept over the elders as he spoke.

These elders felt sowhat insulted, their faces turning pale.

But when they considered the opponent's strength, of how he had easily injured both Hiashi and Hizashi before retreating unscathed from the pursuing Anbu, their confidence wavered. These elders were only at the level of Special Jonin or regular Jonin, so if they encountered Shura, survival would be unlikely.

Thus, the Hyuga Clan was now on high alert. All Ninja of Chunin rank and above had gathered around the main family's estate.

The Byakugan, which was normally restricted within the clan's compound, was now permitted for use. Three teams were assigned to maintain 24-hour surveillance in rotating shifts, ensuring no one could infiltrate unnoticed.

With such tight security, combined with the elite Ninjas dispatched by the Hokage, Hiashi was confident that no enemy would slip into the Hyuga Clan's compound undetected!

As he watched his brother leave, Hizashi lowered his eyes, lost in thought.

anwhile, the 'phantom thief' who had issued this notice was far away, in the northwest of the Land of Fire.

"Is this the place?" nma, wearing the three-eyed fox mask, stood on a mountain path.

His Mind's Eye of the Kagura detected an unusual Chakra fluctuation.

Ahead was a small village built on the mountainside, where villagers lived simple lives, working at sunrise and resting at sunset.

The village was constructed with piled stones forming foundations, supporting over twenty small wooden houses scattered across the slope.

The mont nma appeared at the village entrance, the farrs in the fields imdiately noticed him.

A mysterious figure clad in black robes, wearing a fox mask, exuding an eerie aura… he was clearly no ordinary traveler.

Panicked, the villagers rushed back to the village.

Soon, a dozen of them stood at the village gate, gripping pitchforks, hoes, and other makeshift weapons, their faces tense with fear.

Though they tried to appear intimidating, they were just ordinary civilians. As the cloaked figure drew closer, their resolve crumbled.

Tap.

nma stopped before them, his three-eyed white fox mask locking onto a thin, frail man among the crowd.

"If you don't want to die, hand over the Red-Eyed Clan."

With that, he casually threw a kunai with an explosive tag attached, hitting a nearby cowshed.

Boom!

The huge explosion reduced the structure to splinters.

The villagers, terrified by the blast, broke into frantic murmurs and argunts.

Before long, an elderly man was pushed forward as their representative. He trembled and begged, "M-My lord, we truly don't know anything about this 'Red-Eyed Clan' is!"

nma raised a hand and pointed at the thin man in the crowd.

The villagers exchanged glances, then abruptly shoved the man forward.

"You can't do this! My wife is pregnant!" Even though the man kept crying and begging, the villagers turned a deaf ear to it.

Even the old village chief spoke up, "My lord, should we bring his wife as well? We beg you to spare the rest of us."

Hearing the once-kindly village chief offering up his pregnant wife, the man could no longer contain himself. His eyes flooded with crimson Chakra, blurring his pupils.