Chapter 52: The Forest of Death  

4:00 PM 

The sky was choked with leaden clouds, a fine drizzle casting shadows over the stone visage of Hashirama Senju's monument. 

A kilometer away from the Ninja Academy, a plain-looking middle-aged man stood alone on the street, holding a blue umbrella. Raindrops pattered against the fabric as he waited—patient, unmoving. 

Beneath the disguise of a Transformation Jutsu, Hikari watched the academy gates with cold focus, her Byakugan tracing every movement from a distance. 

For days, she'd been searching for the right moment to approach Neji Hyūga. 

But the academy was too crowded, too exposed. 

After school, Neji always headed straight for the Hyūga Compound without lingering. Hikari had kept herself just outside the Byakugan's maximum range, avoiding detection—but it also meant she'd found no chance to corner him alone. 

The Hyūga Puzzle 

Neji and Hinata were the only Hyūga in the academy. 

Hinata, under the "Academy Hikari" (her shadow clone)'s "guidance," had become increasingly obedient, supplying pages of the Eight Trigrams Palms diagrams daily. 

So far, 63 pages had been collected—nearly half of the full 128. 

Memorizing them wasn't the hard part. The real challenge was applying them—calculating chakra flow, adjusting body mechanics, merging energy and motion into seamless strikes. 

Compared to the brute-force Strong Fist style of Konoha, the Gentle Fist was surgical precision disguised as taijutsu. Its difficulty rivaled even high-level ninjutsu. 

Hikari's progress was… acceptable. Not fast, but steady. 

With Hinata already under control, securing Neji would mean both future leaders of the Hyūga Clan—Main and Branch Families—would be hers to manipulate. 

No more risks of exposure. No more loose ends. 

And most importantly—access to every Hyūga secret. 

She hadn't forgotten the Hyūga's threat. As long as the Byakugan existed, they would always be a problem. 

But for now, she needed to bide her time. 

By the time she graduated, reaching Elite Jōnin-level strength would be trivial. 

And once she mastered the Eight Gates? 

The Hyūga would be wiped out in minutes. 

The School Gates Open 

At the academy entrance, students trickled out in small groups. 

Konoha's ninja program was exclusive—chakra wasn't something just anyone could wield. The entire student body was smaller than a single grade in her past life's schools. 

Hikari's Byakugan locked onto her shadow clone, laughing and chatting with friends. 

The clone had done well maintaining her social ties. 

Secret techniques? Impossible to obtain through friendship alone. 

But she had extracted some useful intel: 

From Chōji Akimichi: "Yang Release isn't just about strength—it's life itself." It encompassed absorption, release, healing, enhancement, motion, balance… every trait of living beings. The Akimichi specialized in absorption, release, and enhancement—but their training was tailored for their clan's secret techniques. Useless without them. From Shikamaru Nara: 

"Yin Release turns imagination into reality. If your mind's strong enough, you could erase someone from existence." 

He'd rambled about myths—like a Nara ancestor who vanished after being swallowed by his own shadow. 

But Shikamaru was vague, unlike Chōji. Probably still distrustful. 

"See you tomorrow!" 

Her clone waved cheerfully at her friends—Ino, Shikamaru, Chōji, and a lovestruck Naruto. 

Hikari smirked. 

Naruto's puppy crush was amusing, but irrelevant. 

Her goal wasn't romance—it was godhood. 

Becoming the Sixth Paths Sage was all that mattered. 

Even if it meant shedding her humanity, she'd do it. 

Let Naruto marry Hinata. Let Boruto be born. 

She'd see what this so-called "Jōgan" and Kāma were all about. 

As her clone headed home, Hikari's gaze shifted to Neji. 

And then—her eyes narrowed. 

Instead of turning southwest toward the Hyūga Compound, Neji was walking northeast. 

Where was he going? 

Channeling chakra, Hikari sharpened her Byakugan's focus, compressing its 360° vision into a telescopic line of sight. 

A unique ability born from her Byakugan-Kaguya hybrid physiology. 

Neji moved fast, his path growing more desolate. 

And then— 

The Forest of Death. 

"Why is he going there?" 

A chilling realization struck her. 

"Is he… already stealing the Main Family's techniques?" 

If Neji was training secret Hyūga jutsu in secrecy, this was perfect. 

A remote location. No witnesses. 

And if he refused to cooperate? 

Well… accidents happened in the Forest of Death all the time. 

Smiling behind the umbrella, Hikari followed silently. 

The hunt had begun.