Chapter 8: Lockdown*

The Gates of Kirigakure

A chaotic crowd pressed against the village gates—merchants, traders, and travelers, all shouting in protest. Horses and wagons loaded with goods stood idle as a group of Anbu barred the exit.

"What do you mean we can’t leave?!" A well-dressed merchant, clearly the ringleader, jabbed a finger at the masked shinobi. "We’re not even from Kirigakure! You can’t just lock us in!"

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd, voices thick with accents from the Land of Fire and Land of Lightning.

Kirigakure, isolated on its island nation, relied heavily on imports. Most of its trade came from these two nations—and now, with the village suddenly sealed, merchants were furious.

"Please remain calm—"

A raven-masked Anbu raised his hands, trying to placate the mob.

"Give us an explanation!" The merchant’s voice grew louder, emboldened by the Anbu’s conciliatory tone.

The crowd surged forward, some even shoving against the shinobi.

Then—

A hound-masked Anbu stepped forward, his massive frame parting the crowd like a blade. In one motion, he grabbed the merchant by the throat and lifted him off the ground.

A suffocating killing intent flooded the air.

Crimson mist coiled around the Anbu, thick with the stench of blood. The sunlight dimmed, as if choked by the haze.

The crowd froze.

Some pissed themselves. Others stumbled back, gagging on the metallic stench.

THUD.

The merchant hit the ground, gasping.

"Kirigakure is under lockdown," the hound-masked Anbu growled, his voice like a ship’s engine. "No one leaves. Violators will be executed on sight."

Silence.

The raven-masked Anbu relaxed his hidden hand seals, smiling placidly. "Now, now—no need for hostility. Let’s all just… cooperate."

The crowd didn’t dare argue.

At the back of the mob, a silver-haired girl in a white cloak turned away, her blindfold hiding the pale glow of her Byakugan.

The blood mist?

An illusion.

And her eyes saw right through it.

*"Immunity to genjutsu"*—one of the Byakugan’s lesser-known traits.

All ninjutsu relied on chakra, and the Byakugan could see chakra itself. Most illusions were useless against it.

(Of course, there were exceptions—Tsukuyomi, Kotoamatsukami, and other hax-level genjutsu could still bypass it.)

Today was Hikari’s second day pretending to be blind.

And her third day in this world.

Yesterday, while waiting for her mission assignment, she’d tested her newfound abilities.

Turns out, the Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse) and Byakugan were two halves of one system.

• Shikotsumyaku’s "Bone" half was obvious—bone manipulation.

• The "Corpse" half, however, granted her flesh a death-like plasticity, allowing her body to adapt to the strain of bone restructuring.

Her body was no longer a single, fragile system—it was now modular.

Skin, muscle, bone, blood, organs—all could be rearranged at will.

Even her Byakugan had evolved.

No more hand seals. Activation was instant.

Her vision could now selectively penetrate objects—like seeing through her blindfold without x-raying the entire street.

Chakra cost? Negligible.

She could sustain it indefinitely.

And its applications went beyond sight.

"Body Domination."

A crude name for an insanely versatile ability.

• Muscle control: She could focus all her strength into a single finger, delivering punches with the force of a full-body strike.

• Drawbacks? A 3-6 second cooldown between bursts, and extreme fatigue.

• But that was just the start. Hair, sweat glands, nerve signals, even chakra synthesis—all could be fine-tuned.

Her body was like clay, moldable at will.

She suspected the Byakugan was always meant to control flesh, but without the Shikotsumyaku’s "death" attribute, Hyūga bodies were too fragile to handle it.

Hence why they specialized in chakra manipulation instead.

Despite her progress, Hikari hadn’t gotten a mission assignment.

When she inquired this morning, she learned the truth:

Kirigakure was on full lockdown.

No one in. No one out.

"A few dead Anbu wouldn’t justify this…"

Her instincts screamed danger.

Locking down an entire village—cutting off trade, halting missions—meant something far worse was happening.

Was it the Byakugan?

No.

Only the deceased Kaguya elders knew about her eyes.

This was something bigger.

And whatever it was—

She needed to escape. FAST.