Konoha — Central Training Ground
Hiroki stood alone in the middle of the open field, hands relaxed at his sides, quietly waiting.
He had already received notice from the Third Hokage. Someone wished to "exchange pointers" with him.
The wording itself was polite—almost harmless—but the Hokage's follow-up instruction had been… subtle.
"One thing only," the message had said."Don't kill them."
At face value, it sounded like nothing more than a reminder to hold back.But Hiroki knew better than to take the Third Hokage's words at face value.
Because the people on their way weren't ordinary shinobi.
They were Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado—former teammates of the Third Hokage, veterans of the old era, and Konoha's two sitting Council Elders.
According to the official sourcebooks, the two possessed wisdom and strength rivaling the Third himself.
But sourcebooks were sourcebooks.
Reality was reality.
If they truly had power on that level, they would have appeared somewhere—anywhere—between the Konoha Crush and the Fourth Great Ninja War. Even Ōnoki, ancient as he was, still fought. The Third Hokage himself had been reanimated.
Yet these two?
No one even bothered to ask whether they were alive or dead.
At best, they were elite jōnin—experienced, yes, but forever standing before the threshold of true Kage-level strength.
Which brought Hiroki back to the question.
Why had the Third Hokage chosen such an ambiguous instruction?
If he truly wanted to protect his old comrades, he could have ordered Hiroki to give them face and avoid conflict altogether. He could have mediated personally. As Hokage, his authority alone would have been enough.
But he did none of that.
Instead, he said only: don't kill them.
Which implied that everything short of death was… permissible.
Perhaps the Third, constrained by his position, couldn't—or wouldn't—personally reprimand his old teammates.
So he borrowed Hiroki's hand.
While Hiroki was still mulling it over, the chibi Nine-Tails icon in his mental space yawned and popped up a dialogue window.
Kurama: [Oi, brat. Two old geezers just arrived at the perimeter. Chakra's decent. Malice is clear—they're here to make trouble.]
A beat later, another message appeared.
Kurama: [Need help? I can take over for just a teensy moment, yeah~~?]
Hiroki ignored him and lifted his gaze.
Almost simultaneously, two figures flickered into existence at opposite ends of the training ground, subtly sealing off all escape routes.
Homura Mitokado.Utatane Koharu.
Their expressions were so dark they looked ready to drip water. Their eyes locked onto the ten-year-old boy at the center of the field, sharp and hostile.
"Sawada Hiroki," Koharu said coldly, her voice shrill with anger. "You've got some nerve. Who gave you the right to interfere in the Hyuga Clan's internal affairs and abolish a rule that has existed for over a century?"
Hiroki finally raised his eyes.
"Rule?" he asked calmly. "Councilor Koharu, answer me this first. Is the Hyuga Clan part of Konoha?"
Koharu hesitated for a split second, then replied reflexively, "Of course it is."
"Then tell me," Hiroki continued evenly, "why the Hokage—the supreme authority of this village—would permit a portion of Konoha's people to control the life and death of others with a cursed seal. A seal that condemns them to permanent servitude, denying them any future."
His gaze swept across both elders.
"Who decided that this was acceptable?"
The answer was obvious.
No one decided.
Habit had become law.
The Bird in a Cage still existed for one simple reason: it always had. No Hokage before had ever chosen to confront the Hyuga's internal system.
Generation after generation, the seal was passed down.
And now, no one could openly admit that it was wrong—because doing so would mean admitting that every capable Hokage before had chosen to ignore it.
Sure enough, Homura let out a sharp, disdainful snort.
"A clueless brat like you dares speak of Konoha's foundation?"
"The Bird in a Cage exists to protect the Hyuga bloodline and preserve the balance of the great clans! It concerns the stability of the entire village!"
Hiroki answered without hesitation. "The Hyuga can serve as scouts, medics, or support. Shinobi who fight on the front lines have countless methods to prevent enemies from stealing their eyes."
"Silence!" Homura barked, cutting him off. "Everything you said is wrong!"
"What does a ten-year-old know about governance!?" Koharu snapped. "It seems unless you're taught a lesson, you'll never understand the importance of order!"
"Surrender now," she continued coldly. "Come back with us for trial. It's your only option."
The moment her words ended, chakra erupted from both elders simultaneously.
They were done talking.
Hiroki sighed softly.
As expected—there was no reasoning with people whose minds were buried in "tradition" and "the greater good."
Then there was only one language left.
"In that case—"
[Ding-dong~]
[Detected computer: "Utatane Koharu." Temporary link established via Chakra Communication Protocol.]
[Ding-dong~]
[Detected computer: "Homura Mitokado." Temporary link established via Chakra Communication Protocol.]
[Brain Overload initiating…]
[Error: 0x80070005 — ACCESS DENIED]
[Administrator privileges required.]
Koharu sneered. "Naive child. Do you really think we'd come unprepared? We already know your trick."
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
From every direction, raging water surged into existence, crashing toward Hiroki in a wide-area assault meant not to kill—but to overwhelm and restrain.
"Tool Manipulation: Hidden Weapon Strike!"
Homura followed instantly. Two scrolls snapped open, and dozens of kunai and shuriken—threaded with chakra lines—screamed through the air, sealing off every possible escape path.
A coordinated suppression.
Facing the combined assault of two long-renowned elite jōnin, Hiroki's expression didn't change.
He calmly drew his weapon.
Jet-black tendrils burst forth, weaving instantly into a massive umbrella-like structure.
Earth Grudge Fear: Umbrella.
Other tendrils stabbed deep into the ground, anchoring his body immovably.
The torrent of water split violently around him. The storm of weapons clanged uselessly against the tendrils, knocked aside with metallic shrieks.
Not a single scratch appeared.
"Still resisting?" Homura scoffed. "Apart from that strange weapon, what else do you have? Surrender. There's no point."
"We've already planned for every jutsu you've shown," Koharu added coldly. "That Scorch Style you copied—we're ready."
Hiroki didn't respond.
Truthfully, he had never once used Hanzo's jutsu after copying it. He had water-nature chakra but had never used Water Release in real combat.
And today—
By sheer coincidence—
There were two opponents who couldn't be knocked out in a single instant.
So why not test it?
Without forming a single hand seal, Hiroki's body suddenly collapsed—splintering apart like water.
"What—?!"
Neither elder had time to process the shock.
A black tendril flashed out and hooked Koharu's ankle, yanking her off balance mid-step.
Homura's pupils shrank.
"Koharu—stop the Water Release!"
Too late.
Realization struck her like lightning.
This was—
Hanzo's battle art.
Water Clone combined with instantaneous assassination.
He hadn't merely copied Hanzo's techniques—he'd mastered them.
And he'd hidden them the entire time.
Why?
Before the thought could finish forming, Koharu's eyes dulled.
She had already been caught.