For the major ninja clans of Konoha, what is more important: the powerful shinobi born each generation, or the prosperity of the clan?
Neither.
What truly matters is the foundation: their Kekkei Genkai or unique clan techniques. These are what the village values most. Take Kawaki Qingyu as an example. After developing his unique, signless ninjutsu White Lightning, he himself proposed submitting it to the village archives.
According to village law, any original technique developed by a shinobi is registered in their name. Unauthorized use or theft of such a jutsu is considered a serious offense. In minor cases, offenders may pay a hefty price to obtain forgiveness. In severe cases, they face harsh punishment.
Even Kawaki Qingyu—a mere genin—is protected this way. Let alone the core techniques of the great clans.
And for the Hyuga Clan, the Gentle Fist style, paired with the Byakugan, is unquestionably their most valued asset.
Now that they've become enemies, Kawaki Qingyu no longer gives them the benefit of the doubt. He scans their territory with his max-level Observation Haki, his senses expanding until he encompasses the entire Hyuga compound.
---
Inside the Hyuga Clan Compound
Earlier, the two Hyuga shinobi who were sent to stage a "hero saves the damsel" scenario involving Kawaki Qingyu had returned.
Now, they knelt respectfully before four seated elders: Hyuga Kazuki, Hyuga Hizashi, Hyuga Kyoumura, and the frail yet sharp-tongued Second Elder from a lesser branch family.
---
Miyamura Ayano's Fate
Upon learning the plan had failed, the Second Elder flew into a rage. He hurled his teacup at the two kneeling branch members.
> "Useless fools! You can't even manage a simple task! How are you expected to protect the main family? A trained ninken would be more reliable!"
Hyuga Hizashi frowned. Despite his future as clan head, he could barely hide his contempt for the Second Elder. The two kneeling shinobi belonged to the branch family under Hizashi's care, making the insult feel personal.
Just as he was about to speak, Hyuga Kyoumura, his father, placed a firm hand on his arm.
"Calm down," Kyoumura whispered.
He then addressed the room:
> "It's only a minor failure. As long as that boy remains in the village, we'll have many more chances. If once isn't enough, we'll try ten times—or a hundred. The crucial item is already beneath his bed. Now, we just need one of the selected children from the foreign branch to get close to him.
> "We can afford to fail a hundred times. But he only needs to make one mistake."
Kyoumura paused, then continued with a smile.
> "If Second Elder still has concerns, he's welcome to personally create a little trouble for the boy. He no longer possesses the Byakugan, after all."
---
The Foreign Branch Plot
The foreign branch family referred to children of mixed Hyuga blood who lack the Byakugan. Some have not been branded with the Caged Bird Seal, making them ideal tools for manipulation. The Hyuga's plan was simple:
1. Let one such child befriend Kawaki Qingyu.
2. Plant a Gentle Fist scroll beneath his bed.
3. Frame him for theft of clan secrets.
With such justification, the clan could eliminate Kawaki without resistance—even if Yuhi Kurenai supported him.
It was not a clever plan—but a deadly one. A naive ten-year-old could easily fall for it. But Kawaki Qingyu, now aware of their conspiracy, was no ordinary child.
With his max-level Observation Haki, no scheme around him would go unnoticed. What he needed to watch for now was the Second Elder, who might still act independently.
Not that Kawaki feared him. His own strength was his greatest trump card.
---
A Name That Shocked Him
Just as Kawaki expected the meeting to end, one name caught his attention.
> "Kazuki," asked Hyuga Kyoumura, "what became of that girl—Miyamura Ayano?"
> "She's been dealt with," Kazuki replied coldly. "She defected to us, then betrayed us for Sarutobi Hiruzen—probably to earn a promotion. She paid the price."
Kawaki's heart sank. Ayano was dead.
He had suspected it the moment she betrayed the Hyuga—but he hadn't expected them to act so swiftly.
For the first time, Kawaki Qingyu found himself understanding Sarutobi Hiruzen. The power held by clans like the Hyuga was dangerous—especially to civilian-born shinobi without backing.
Perhaps they did need to be weakened.
---
Konoha Under Watch
Though the Hyuga meeting concluded, Kawaki didn't withdraw his Observation Haki. For the first time since mastering it, he decided to scan all of Konoha.
His senses swept through key locations and figures:
The Hokage's Office, where elders debated stockpiling war supplies.
Nara Shikaku, waiting patiently outside Hiruzen's door.
Two eccentric shinobi doing handstands while running laps—clearly Might Guy and his father Dai.
A mansion where a woman with terrifying chakra reserves lay resting—undoubtedly Tsunade.
Fugaku Uchiha, deep in paperwork at the Police HQ.
Yuhi Kurenai, at home, experimenting with chakra-based cloaking.
At Training Ground 3, a young man laughed while twisting a ball of chakra—clearly Minato Namikaze, in the early stages of developing the Rasengan.
> So, he saw a Tailed Beast Bomb before the war? Looks like he's just getting started. Still a step behind me…
---
Days Later
Time passed quickly.
Kawaki Aoba's life was uneventful. He studied the Dark March Technique under a genjutsu expert sent by Hiruzen. In his free time, he observed the village.
Through this, Kawaki discovered an unexpected perk of Observation Haki—detecting enemy spies.
With effort, he could filter through the entire village, identifying nearly all hidden threats. While he wouldn't waste his time exposing everything, he now possessed one of the most dangerous powers a ninja could have:
The truth.
Chakra Cloak
If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't explain how he knew the locations of so many spies, Kawaki Aoba would've already reported them.
But even as things stood, simply spending a bit of time now and then identifying infiltrators had already allowed him to uncover seven enemy village spies. Unfortunately, from their conversations, it became clear they were all insignificant pawns, offering little in the way of useful intelligence.
If only he could catch a bigger fish—then Kawaki Aoba wouldn't hesitate to stage a "chance" encounter and give them a real surprise.
Aside from that, it was worth noting that in recent days, Kawaki Aoba had begun encountering seemingly random but strangely frequent events. He often ran into outwardly kind people whose auras, perceived through his Observation Haki, radiated malicious intent.
The most outrageous incident involved someone trying to marry off their younger sister to him right in the middle of the street.
Although Kawaki knew these incidents were orchestrated by the Hyuga Clan in an attempt to manipulate him, the sheer enthusiasm was beginning to wear him down.
Because of these persistent encounters, Kawaki had developed the prudent habit of staying indoors unless absolutely necessary. He believed that, in time, the likelihood of such people appearing in his life would decrease.
"Huh."
Suddenly, Kawaki let out a small exclamation of surprise. Through his Observation Haki, he had sensed something unexpected—something joyful.
At the Yuhi clan compound, Kurenai Yuhi stood in the courtyard, enveloped in a shimmering pink chakra cloak, an excited expression lighting up her face.
That's right—she had done it. She had successfully developed a chakra cloak, similar in appearance and function to the Tailed Beast Cloak used by Jinchūriki.
More impressively, the cloak offered her a level of power amplification far beyond her expectations.
Kurenai threw a few experimental punches and kicks, each movement unleashing bursts of concentrated wind pressure. In the past, such an effect would have required intense taijutsu effort during serious combat, but now she could do it effortlessly. How could she not be thrilled?
She then tested several low-level ninjutsu techniques—basic ones that wouldn't damage the surrounding environment. To her amazement, each one displayed significantly enhanced power.
Next, she tried genjutsu. As expected, the chakra cloak didn't assist with casting illusion techniques.
Although that was a slight disappointment, it wasn't unexpected. However, one surprise did emerge—wearing the chakra cloak granted significant resistance to genjutsu.
At the very least, the shadow clones she created were now able to resist genjutsu cast by her main body. Some of the illusions she once considered trump cards were now noticeably weakened against targets cloaked in chakra.
After testing repeatedly, Kurenai fell deep into thought. It seemed she had inadvertently created a technique that countered her own specialty. In terms of restricting genjutsu, the chakra cloak's interference was even more severe than the Uchiha clan's infamous Sharingan.
Moreover, as more chakra leaked from her body over time, the cloak only grew stronger.
Kurenai glanced at the last three medium-sized blue potions resting on a nearby table and let out a breath of relief.
Thankfully, the chakra cloak could only be maintained with the aid of these special chakra-enhancing potions. Otherwise, she feared she might've unleashed a catastrophe for genjutsu users across the shinobi world.
Just then, the stream of chakra flowing from her body abruptly ceased.
Kurenai froze. That meant the potion's primary effect had ended.
However, the chakra cloak remained intact.
Sensing the cloak no longer strengthening but instead beginning to leak energy outward, Kurenai didn't dare relax. She continued her tests to determine how long the chakra cloak could be sustained after the potion's effect had worn off.
After another round of high-output chakra use, the cloak's glow began to fade. Its power dwindled until it dropped to the chakra equivalent of about a dozen jōnin. At that point, it completely collapsed.
From this experience, Kurenai had come to fully understand the mechanics of her creation.
To form a chakra cloak, the body needed to leak at least 30 chakra units to begin shaping it. To stabilize it, 60 units were required.
This could only be achieved within the one-minute window following consumption of a large blue potion.
Secondly, as long as large-scale chakra-consuming jutsu weren't used, the cloak would continue to strengthen on its own until the potion's effect faded.
At minimum, the cloak allowed a genin to fight on par with a typical chūnin, a chūnin to rival a special jōnin, and a standard jōnin like Kurenai to gain the power of an elite jōnin.
Additionally, if the battle continued after the potion wore off, a medium blue potion could be used to sustain the cloak for a bit longer.
Finally, once the total chakra level of the cloak dropped below ten units, the technique would automatically disperse.
In short, the chakra cloak Kurenai Yuhi developed came with strict conditions and a required minute of preparation time. But once active, the power it granted was extraordinary.
And just like Kurenai, Kawaki Aoba—still observing quietly from afar with his Observation Haki—now fully grasped the extent of this remarkable new technique.
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