Malphegor
patreon
HGBW: Ch. 18
🕑 Added 2025-03-02 00:21:23 +0000 UTC"It's okay."
"You have to eat your meal one bite at a time."
"When I fully develop the Op-Op Fruit, it won't just increase in power—the range of ROOM will also expand. As long as its coverage reaches a diameter of 1,000 meters, or even 10,000 meters, even if the ROOM of a shadow clone is only one-tenth the size of the original, that would still be more than enough."
Tanaka thought about post-time-skip Law, when he unleashed ROOM at full power—one slash not only cut through Vergo but also sliced an entire research facility in the forbidden zone of Punk Hazard.
The sheer range was utterly terrifying.
And that was before he had even awakened the Op-Op Fruit.
"When I first ate the Op-Op Fruit, ROOM's range was only 10 meters. After repeated battles and extensive use of the fruit's abilities, its range has now increased to 15 meters. And it's only been a few hours."
"In the future, it will keep expanding."
The more Tanaka thought about it, the more excited he became, filled with hopeful anticipation for what lay ahead.
"But the most urgent task right now is to remove the Caged Bird and then take care of the main house."
After a brief moment of envisioning the future, he exhaled slowly, setting aside his distractions.
Just as he had thought earlier—You have to eat your meal one bite at a time.
The two most immediate tasks were removing the Caged Bird and then, utterly crushing the entire main house.
He would never forget—not for a single second—the despair of being branded with the Caged Bird by Hiashi, nor the agony of suffering under its effects.
"Since even you can use the Op-Op Fruit, that makes things much easier. When I perform the removal of the Caged Bird, if anything unexpected happens, you'll be there to back me up," Tanaka instructed his shadow clone.
Although he had already performed the procedure on both his clone and the rabbit, operating on himself was an entirely different matter.
Not only was the psychological pressure immense, but in the event of any unforeseen complications, he needed someone to provide backup.
The best candidate was none other than his shadow clone. After all, he couldn't trust anyone else, but he could absolutely trust himself.
"No problem."
The shadow clone calculated its chakra consumption.
It possessed half of the original's chakra. If it avoided combat, it could last for more than half a day.
If it activated the Byakugan, the chakra drain would limit it to ten minutes. On top of that, using the Op-Op Fruit would allow it to last another three to five minutes.
But that was fine.
The shadow clone wasn't using the fruit's powers for battle—only to provide support for the original.
Besides, when Tanaka had performed the removal of the Caged Bird earlier, the entire procedure had taken less than three minutes.
In other words, there was more than enough time to complete the operation.
"Let's do it!"
After making all necessary preparations to ensure everything was foolproof, Tanaka sat cross-legged on the ground, activating both the Byakugan and ROOM.
With two different perspectives, he observed the Caged Bird on his own body.
Taking a few deep breaths, he focused his gaze and swung his kunai forward.
Alright. He murmured in his heart as the kunai slashed downward.
Snap.
The connection between his Byakugan, brain, and chakra—formed by the Caged Bird—was severed.
He only felt a brief, mild pain in his eyes and brain, but then, an overwhelming sense of relief washed over him, as if a massive weight had been lifted.
Not only had the missing part of his vision been restored—returning to a complete 360-degree view—but he could also perceive an immediate enhancement in the power of his Byakugan.
This did not surprise him.
The Caged Bird did more than just restrict his field of vision—it also sealed away a portion of the Byakugan's power.
This was precisely why, under equal conditions, the branch house could never match the main house.
Take, for instance, the twin brothers Hiashi and Hizashi.
Without the Caged Bird, setting aside the main house's exclusive secret techniques, the two of them would have been evenly matched.
In fact, with his extensive battlefield experience, Hizashi might have even been the stronger of the two.
But with the Caged Bird in place, along with the difference in eye power and the main house's secret techniques, he stood almost no chance of defeating Hiashi.
"The surgery was a success."
The shadow clone, who had been standing by on high alert, stared intently at Tanaka's forehead.
Through the Byakugan's vision, the Caged Bird on the original's forehead had completely vanished.
Not only that, but the seal's connection between his eyes, brain, and chakra had also disappeared.
As if the seal had sprouted wings and flown away on its own.
"Phew!" Tanaka let out a long breath, as if expelling all the pain and resentment he had endured since the Caged Bird had been branded onto him.
He placed his hand on the rabbit that the shadow clone had brought along and transferred the removed Caged Bird onto its body.
After finishing this, he activated ROOM to block any sound. Then, unable to suppress his excitement any longer, he tilted his head back and let out a long howl—thunderous and rolling, yet contained entirely within ROOM's boundaries, ensuring that no sound escaped.
Only after a long while did he finally stop, his expression gradually shifting from exhilaration back to calmness.
"What's your next move?" the shadow clone asked. "Now that you've removed the Caged Bird, the moment you return to the Hyūga clan, any clan member—whether from the branch house or the main house—who activates the Byakugan will immediately see that you're no longer bound by the seal."
"And you know how the main house operates. The moment they find out someone has broken free from the Caged Bird, simply killing you would already be considered merciful."
The shadow clone spoke only after confirming that Tanaka had calmed down.
Having inherited the original's memories, it was well aware of the main house's cruelty, corruption, arrogance, and stubbornness.
The Caged Bird had been in use for centuries, reinforcing their rule over the branch house. How could any member of the main house tolerate the idea of a branch house member breaking free?
It was no different from how the Celestial Dragons could never accept the possibility of former slaves rising up to overthrow them and taking their place as the new ruling class.
"It's fine, because before the main house even gets the chance to find out… I will have already sent them all to meet the Sage of Six Paths."
A gentleman took revenge even after ten years.
But that was far too late.
A petty man took revenge within days.
Still too late.
When there was a grudge, it had to be settled immediately.
This morning, Hiashi branded him with the Caged Bird. Tonight, Tanaka would wipe out the entire main house.
"This won't be easy. The main house may not be as battle-hardened as the branch house, but their numbers and strength are still considerable—there are 35 of them."
"Among those 35, quite a few possess jonin-level strength."
"True, since they rarely go on missions, their combat experience is lacking compared to battle-seasoned jonin, but they are still jonin."
"And while the Op-Op Fruit's surprise attacks make them easy prey, how many can you take down alone?"
"The Op-Op Fruit is incredibly taxing on stamina, and you've only just eaten it. You're also only eight years old."
"Most importantly, now that you've removed the Caged Bird, if any Hyūga clan member with an active Byakugan spots you—especially someone from the main house—you'll be exposed immediately."
The shadow clone frowned.
Having inherited the original's memories, it completely understood Tanaka's feelings. In fact, even as a clone, it too was thinking of the fastest way to exterminate the entire main house.
But no matter how much they wanted immediate revenge, wiping out the entire main house in a single night was simply beyond the original's current abilities.
