A Hyūga's Gate Between Worlds

The shadow clone was ready.

Tanaka did not hesitate. With his Byakugan focused on the Caged Bird and his ROOM perceiving it from another layer, he observed both the clone and the seal's state.

Then, he raised his kunai and lightly slashed.

"ROOM · Amputate."

A sharp gleam flashed.

The shadow clone remained completely still, maintaining its crouched position on the ground.

There was no visible change in its appearance.

It did not show any signs of being severed.

Yet, under Tanaka's Byakugan and ROOM perception, the Caged Bird—seemingly affixed to the clone's forehead but in reality connected to its eyeballs, brain, and chakra—had been cut.

With a thought, he opened his left hand, and a green cross-like pattern floated above his palm.

If any member of the Hyūga clan saw this, they would undoubtedly be in utter shock, screaming in disbelief.

After removing the shadow clone's Caged Bird, he used ROOM to transfer the seal in front of him.

"How do you feel?"

Tanaka stared directly at the shadow clone.

At this moment, whether through his Byakugan or ROOM perception, there was no longer any trace of the Caged Bird on the clone.

Without hesitation, the shadow clone activated its Byakugan.

Originally, due to the Caged Bird, the Byakugan's field of vision had a one-degree blind spot.

Now, with the seal removed, the missing degree of vision had returned.

A 360-degree, unobstructed view.

This was the true Byakugan.

Most importantly, through its Byakugan's enhanced sight, the shadow clone confirmed it—The Caged Bird, once imprinted on his forehead, was gone.

His forehead was now unmarked.

"Try leaving ROOM," Tanaka instructed the shadow clone.

Inside ROOM, he was like a god.

Almost omnipotent.

Even if he disassembled the shadow clone, extracted all its organs, it would not disappear.

That also included severing and removing the Caged Bird.

However, the real test was outside ROOM.

If the shadow clone remained intact, and the Caged Bird did not return, the surgery would be a success.

"Got it."

The shadow clone immediately stood up, took a step forward, and walked out of ROOM.

The instant it left, its forehead remained unmarked.

It did not dissolve into white mist.

At the same time, its Byakugan still had 360-degree vision.

"The surgery was a success."

The shadow clone turned to look at Tanaka.

Though merely a clone, at this moment, it was overwhelmed with emotion.

Its eyes glistened with tears.

Because it was Tanaka's clone, it fully inherited his memories. It understood the despair and helplessness of being branded with the Caged Bird. It had experienced the pain and torment brought by the curse.

"There's still one more thing. Go catch an animal."

Tanaka clenched his left fist, waves of emotion surging within him.

His exhilaration was so intense that he had to take several deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down.

"Alright." The shadow clone nodded.

Using its Byakugan's vision, it spotted a rabbit in the forest. It swiftly struck its pressure points, rendering it immobile, then carried it to the original body.

"You're planning to reattach the Caged Bird onto the animal?"

The shadow clone caught onto the original's intention.

"Yes. No matter how techniques change, they all revolve around chakra. The Caged Bird, at its core, is constructed using yin chakra of the user."

"In other words, the seal on me was formed using Hiashi's yin chakra. If that portion of chakra disappears, it might alert him."

Tanaka recalled records and descriptions about the Caged Bird from the branch house's archives.

Once branded, no matter how far away one was, even to the ends of the earth, the user could kill the marked branch member with a mere thought through the Caged Bird.

In other words, if the seal suddenly vanished, Hiashi would likely notice.

Even if it was just a portion of the seal removed from a shadow clone.

"As long as the Caged Bird doesn't disappear, it doesn't matter whether it's on me or someone else—it won't alert him."

The shadow clone pondered briefly, agreeing with the original's analysis. Then, it casually tossed the immobilized rabbit into ROOM.

With a thought, the Caged Bird floating above Tanaka's palm vanished.

At the same moment, a cross-shaped mark appeared on the rabbit's forehead. It was the same Caged Bird that had originally belonged to the shadow clone.

Upon seeing this, the shadow clone immediately stepped forward into ROOM, picked up the rabbit, and carried it beyond ROOM's boundary.

The instant they stepped out—The rabbit, still immobilized due to the pressure point strike, remained motionless. However, under Tanaka's Byakugan, its body condition and vital signs were completely normal.

Except for one thing.

Its brain and eyeballs were now connected to the Caged Bird.

Since the rabbit lacked chakra, the seal had linked to its soul instead.

After all, chakra itself was formed from physical energy and spiritual energy.

Physical energy came from the body. Spiritual energy came from the soul.

"So this is the Caged Bird. It appears to target the Byakugan, but in reality, it binds the body, the spirit, and chakra itself."

Tanaka felt a chilling sensation crawl up from the soles of his feet to his forehead.

But it quickly faded—replaced by an unquenchable fury, one that could not be extinguished even if all the waters of the shinobi world were poured over it.

"Let's practice again with this." The shadow clone lifted the rabbit and stepped back into ROOM.

"Alright." Tanaka nodded slightly, then repeated the same technique.

He severed the Caged Bird from the rabbit, then reattached it to the shadow clone.

Afterward, the shadow clone carried the rabbit and stepped outside ROOM once again.

Neither he nor the rabbit showed any signs of injury.

"It works." Tanaka and his shadow clone exchanged a knowing smile.

Then, he dispelled the shadow clone.

As the white mist dissipated, the chakra returned to his body. And with it, the sensation of being freed from the Caged Bird.

The feeling of liberation was beyond words.

It wasn't just about the Byakugan growing stronger.

It was a release—from soul to body.

There was only one word to describe it:

Absolute Freedom.

"Hiashi, you never even dreamed of this, did you?"

"You branded me with the Caged Bird this morning, and by nightfall, I cut it off completely."

Tanaka turned his head.

His gaze, colder than the moonlight, pierced through the forest— Fixated on the Hyūga clan's main estate.