Inside the Hyuga compound…
“Hizashi!”
When Hiashi and several Main House elders saw Hizashi return in such a miserable state, they were stunned.
“What happened to you?
Did that Arashi bully you?”
Hizashi had left home looking like an elegant nobleman, yet returned bruised and battered.
Anyone would have been furious.
“This is outrageous!”
Several elders struck the floor with their canes.
“The Hyuga are one of Konoha’s most prestigious clans!”
“If Hiruzen-sama hadn’t spoken, what right would Arashi have to command us?”
“Even if Hizashi belongs to the Branch House, beating him like this is an insult to the entire Hyuga clan!”
“We must demand an explanation!”
“Exactly!
He dares humiliate the Hyuga?”
“We cannot accept this!”
“Let us ask the Fourth Hokage what this is supposed to mean!”
Hizashi smiled bitterly as he watched the enraged elders.
It was the first time since his birth that they had ever shown him such concern.
Unfortunately, they were not concerned about him.
They cared only about the Hyuga clan’s reputation.
“That isn’t what happened.”
Hizashi hurriedly explained.
“Kaeda-san wanted to evaluate my abilities, so he arranged a sparring match.”
“My opponent defeated me openly and fairly.
There was no personal grudge or deliberate suppression involved.”
“Hmm?”
The elders frowned.
“Explain everything in detail.”
Hizashi carefully recounted the entire incident.
He repeatedly emphasized Duy’s strength, accurately described the Morning Peacock’s destructive power, and even pointed out that the damaged training ground could serve as proof.
Yet the elders still looked at him with contempt.
“You may be from the Branch House, but I never imagined you would lose to that eternal genin.”
“That’s not true.
Duy-san is—”
“Silence!”
The elders snorted.
“You have disgraced the Hyuga clan!”
They departed one after another.
Only the Grand Elder remained, looking down at Hizashi with bitter disappointment.
He was also the father of Hiashi and Hizashi.
“Hizashi.”
Hiashi still cared deeply for his younger brother.
“If Arashi is too difficult to handle, you don’t need to return.”
“I’ll assign someone else to him.”
“No, Brother.”
Hizashi’s expression became serious.
“I want to continue serving Kaeda-san.”
“I also want to learn the Eight Gates from Duy-san!”
“He truly is incredibly powerful.”
“Even with the Byakugan, I couldn’t completely follow his movements.”
“After opening the Gate of View, his techniques were entirely different from our Gentle Fist.”
“They relied upon pure speed and strength!”
Hizashi became increasingly excited.
“If I can learn the Eight Gates, I can combine the strengths of Duy-san’s taijutsu with the precision of our techniques.”
“By uniting hardness and softness, the Hyuga clan could become even stronger!”
Before he could finish, a heavy slap struck his face.
Hizashi’s head snapped aside.
“You lost to that eternal genin, yet now you want to study under him?”
The Grand Elder’s expression was cold and sinister.
“Where is your pride as a member of the Hyuga clan?”
“Your own incompetence is bad enough.”
“Now you want to contaminate our noble Gentle Fist with such crude taijutsu and call it a union of hardness and softness?”
“What exactly are you trying to accomplish?”
“Do you intend to pollute the Hyuga clan’s sacred traditions?”
“Do not forget your status!”
Although he was the biological father of both men, his treatment of Hizashi could not have been more different from his treatment of Hiashi.
“A mere Branch House member dares speak about making the Hyuga stronger?”
“You are nothing more than a dog belonging to the Main House.”
“Carve that fact into your heart!”
Hizashi was humiliatingly forced beneath his father’s foot.
All he could do was answer numbly.
“I understand, Grand Elder.”
“Tomorrow, return to Arashi and explain everything clearly.”
“You may obey his orders, but the proud Hyuga clan will never study that vulgar taijutsu under an eternal genin.”
“Do you understand?”
“Yes…”
Only after the Grand Elder left did Hiashi hurriedly step forward to help his brother.
However, Hizashi avoided his hand and silently walked back toward his room.
…
Everyone gathered at the training ground the following morning.
The Might father and son were bursting with excitement.
The Uchiha were gradually becoming infected by their youthful energy, while Arashi wore his usual smile.
In contrast, Hizashi’s troubled thoughts were written plainly across his face.
“What’s wrong, Hizashi-san?”
Arashi naturally noticed.
“Has your body not recovered yet?”
“Kaeda-san, I…”
Hizashi forced out a smile.
He wanted to repeat the Grand Elder’s refusal, yet his upper and lower teeth seemed glued together.
No matter how hard he tried, he could not speak.
During his hesitation, the others turned toward him with concern or curiosity.
Duy’s pure and sincere gaze made Hizashi unable to even raise his head.
His thoughts were in chaos.
The elders’ cruel words, which treated Branch House members as less than human, repeatedly echoed in his mind.
Yet Hiashi’s warm and concerned voice remained there as well.
The conflicting emotions left Hizashi completely lost.
At that moment, Arashi suddenly said something seemingly unrelated that struck directly into his heart.
“Hizashi-san, your eyes are shining brightly again today.”
Those words instantly reminded Hizashi of their first conversation.
“I’ve dealt with both the Uchiha and your brother, Hiashi.”
“Judging purely by ocular power, Hizashi-san appears far superior to either of them.”
‘That’s right…’
‘My eyes are clearly stronger.’
‘Why should those old men have the right to control and humiliate me?’
‘If my ocular power is superior, why can’t I decide my own fate?’
Hizashi had never heard the famous phrase, “My fate is mine, not heaven’s.”
However, his feelings at that moment carried precisely the same meaning.
“It’s nothing.”
The enormous burden pressing upon Hizashi’s heart suddenly seemed to disappear.
His sealed lips finally moved freely.
“I only felt embarrassed because I arrived late and didn’t know how to greet everyone.”
“Not at all!”
Duy laughed heartily.
“We only just started warming up!”
“Hizashi-san, I also learned a great deal from our battle yesterday.”
“I never realized soft force could be used in such a way.”
“When we have time, I hope you’ll teach me more!”
The elders would never permit Hizashi to reveal anything related to the Gentle Fist.
However, after making his decision, Hizashi seemed to have broken free from an invisible shackle.
He smiled without hesitation.
“Of course.”
“After today’s training, we can exchange a few simple techniques.”
“Hahaha!
Excellent!”
Seeing the sincere smiles on both men’s faces, Arashi smiled as well.
‘The caged bird has finally become dissatisfied with its prison and taken its first step toward rebellion.’
‘I’ll wait for the day you truly spread your wings and fly.’
…
News that the Hyuga clan had begun showing goodwill toward Arashi quickly spread throughout Konoha.
Even that deeply rooted ancient clan appeared to be lowering its head.
The clans that had continued watching from the sidelines finally lost their composure.
It was as though a critical barrier had shattered.
One after another, they hurried to use their connections and seek Arashi’s favor.
Arashi knew his struggle with Hiruzen had only just begun.
Such a large group suddenly approaching him brought countless dangers.
Whom could he control?
Whom would he fail to handle?
Whose benefits could he accept?
Every decision could become a hidden threat.
Although Hizashi, who had been sent to monitor him, was now training with Duy, Hiruzen could still learn about Arashi’s circumstances whenever he wished.
Therefore, Arashi became even more cautious and refused to expose a single weakness.
He rejected every gift.
It did not matter whether they offered money or ninja tools.
He refused even to glance twice at tempting secret techniques.
Looking once more might truly cause an explosion…
No, it would leave evidence that could later be used against him.
As Arashi gradually gained control of the situation, he even stopped visiting izakaya and barbecue restaurants.
His dinners consisted of alternating bites of noodles and raw garlic.
He almost resembled someone who insisted they had never spent a single cent.
Faced with Arashi’s refusal to accept either threats or favors, some clans eventually surrendered.
Whenever they sent personnel to him, Arashi assigned every one of them to run laps under Duy.
He no longer bothered hiding his intentions.
He openly informed them that they would become the founding members of Konoha’s standing army.
Even if the word “founder” offered nothing else, it still represented status and prestige.
Regardless of their original motives, the young shinobi sent to him felt at least somewhat excited.
After undergoing Duy’s demonic training every day, they were also far too exhausted to create any major disturbances.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Tomorrow was the day Obito would leave the cultivation tank.
Through various channels, Orochimaru had also learned that the secret of [A] had finally been exposed.
The child was now under Hiruzen’s authority.
While cursing Danzo for dragging him down, Orochimaru accelerated the relocation of his assets.
He intended to flee that very night.
‘Unfortunately, I won’t have an opportunity to take this precious specimen with me.’
Orochimaru felt deeply regretful.
Shizune possessed an ordinary person’s stamina and had eventually needed to return home to rest.
Shisui, however, had remained beside the cultivation tank without moving even a single step.
Kakashi and Rin had alternated between eating and resting countless times.
Shisui remained like a wooden statue, barely even blinking.
‘Even if he is the Uchiha’s strongest shinobi, so what?’
‘If I launch a sudden attack, I may not defeat him, but taking the cultivation tank and escaping should be possible.’
Orochimaru continued considering his options.
No matter what, he was unwilling to abandon Obito.
In Orochimaru’s judgment, the boy had already fused perfectly with Hashirama’s cells.
He merely needed time to awaken.
Such exceptional experimental material was unlike anything Orochimaru had encountered throughout his entire life.
Had his reincarnation technique already been completed, he would have immediately desired Obito’s body for himself.
Only an Uchiha could unleash the Sharingan’s full potential.
Obito was not merely an Uchiha.
His body could also perfectly accept Hashirama’s cells.
Possessing that body would mean simultaneously gaining the powers of both the Uchiha and Senju clans.
“You can try.”
As Orochimaru continued hesitating, Shisui suddenly spoke coldly.
“What?”
Orochimaru’s gaze sharpened.
“I know you’ve been searching for an opportunity to act.”
Shisui stood with his arms folded.
His body still faced the cultivation tank, but he turned his head toward Orochimaru.
His scarlet Sharingan stared directly into those snake-like eyes.
“You may attempt an ambush or attack me openly.”
“Use secret techniques or forbidden jutsu if you wish.”
“Before these eyes, everything you possess…”
Shisui’s voice turned icy.
“Is useless.”
…