Yuto patted Ranmaru's head, then lifted his gaze to the dazed Neji, tone edged with mockery.
"The so-called freedom of the branch family… is death?"
"If that's what you call freedom, it's laughable. Seeing death as freedom—how pitiful."
He paused, disdain flickering across his face. "And that scroll from your father? To me, it reads like the act of a coward."
Neji snapped his head up, eyes blazing at Yuto.
Off to the side, Hiashi's expression had already iced over. "You're not from Konoha, are you? What's your purpose here?"
"Purpose? I saw a promising genius and couldn't resist lending a hand."
Yuto shrugged, not bothering to dodge the question.
"Hmph. You underestimate Konoha—and the Hyuga clan," Hiashi said, voice cold.
"I take Konoha quite seriously. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here in person."
"But if you're waiting for your clan to notice what's happening and send Anbu… you'll be disappointed."
Yuto smiled lightly at Hiashi.
Hiashi stiffened. He hadn't acted yet precisely because he'd been waiting for Anbu. But now—
He lifted his head to that confident face and barked, "Byakugan (White Eye)!"
"This—how is this possible?!"
With his Byakugan open, Hiashi stared in disbelief.
No—!
It was the child's eyes!
Hiashi turned toward Ranmaru, killing intent no longer masked. That boy's eyes were similar to the Byakugan—and worse, they restrained it.
A kekkei genkai (bloodline limit) like that could not be allowed to exist.
"Whoever you are, whatever your aim—you're not leaving," Hiashi said, knees bending, voice threaded with menace.
Thump!
Jūken (Gentle Fist)!
Hiashi stamped forward, choosing to rush Ranmaru first. The child seemed the easier target—and through the Byakugan he'd seen a mist-like veil over Yuto and Ranmaru that blurred their tenketsu. Even without perfect sight of the points, a Hyuga master knew the human map well enough.
Hiashi's hand flicked out for a point on Ranmaru's neck—swift as a spark.
"Jūin Ichishiki (Cursed Seal Level One)."
Ranmaru blinked and whispered.
A muffled crack thudded from within him—and his frame swelled, visibly, rapidly.
In a blink, a figure over two meters tall loomed before Hiashi.
Boom!
Ranmaru's oversized fist rocketed forward. It met Hiashi's extended hand mid-motion.
Hiashi's face tightened—the sheer wind off that punch shoved at his chest. If their limbs collided cleanly, his hand would shatter.
Hakkeshō Kūshō (Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm)!
No time to retract, Hiashi shifted mid-strike, turning the point into a palm while force blasted from his hand.
A blunt detonation shook the room. Hiashi skidded back several steps before he held.
Yuto still wore that faint smile as he stepped toward Neji.
"I won't let you near Neji!"
Hiashi pivoted and lunged for Yuto—
—but a hulking shape slid between them.
Ranmaru said nothing. He reached into his cloak, drew out a scroll—
Poof!
Smoke cleared around a strangely built ninja blade now in his hands.
"People say you're the Hyuga clan head. If you're the head, you must be strong," Ranmaru said, earnest eyes fixed on Hiashi. "So… may Ranmaru cut you down?"
Yuto, halfway to Neji, paused. The corner of his mouth twitched.
Spending too much time with Zabuza and the others—was the kid picking up their habits?
"Good. Very good. Bakutō: Shibuki (Blastsword: Shibuki)… so you're from Kirigakure," Hiashi growled, anger flushing his cheeks.
He attacked without another word. Ranmaru's question had insulted him enough.
While their clash erupted, Yuto reached Neji.
"You intend to start a war between Kiri and Konoha?" Neji asked, voice unsteady. He'd heard Hiashi's words. Publicly stirring conflict between main and branch, then fighting the clan head inside Konoha—that was tantamount to war.
"Kids raised in peace can't grasp what war really is," Yuto said, glancing at Neji, his voice edged with killing intent.
Neji's body drew taut, ready to spring. The pressure pouring off Yuto was suffocating.
"I advise you not to move. If you do… you'll be free."
Neji understood exactly what "free" meant.
"I've got another scroll. Interested?"
Yuto produced one and tossed it into Neji's arms, not bothering to ask permission.
Neji steadied himself and opened it. If the man wanted him dead, his current state wouldn't stop it.
"This records what happened back then—not Konoha's version, but Kumogakure's (Hidden Cloud)," Yuto said. "Your father was a sacrifice between villages—and also a sacrifice of the Hyuga. That 'freedom in death' he spoke of is what I just called it: cowardice."
Whatever Hiashi had said, whatever Hizashi had written, one point remained: Hizashi had been offered up.
The Cloud's scroll detailed the shadow agreement between Konoha and Kumo.
Neji's hands trembled around the parchment—not only from anger over the past, but from the dawning fear of Yuto's aim. He was a genius, yes—but not clever enough to keep his rage hidden during the Chunin Exams.
If not for the lack of another prodigy in this Hyuga generation, Hiashi would already have smothered a branch-born genius who dared hate the main family.
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