Hyuga Natsuna left the house looking delighted.
There wasn't the slightest hint of reluctance.
She, Hyuga Natsuna, had endured humiliation just to stay here—using her tiny body to handle all the household chores. She even had to cook!!!
Even child labor laws wouldn't treat someone this harshly!!
She practically ran… walked away.
If her family hadn't arranged a fiancé for her, she wouldn't have stubbornly clung to this place in the first place.
Machi, on the other hand, felt a little reluctant. Now that Natsuna was gone, the household chores would obviously fall on her.
Lately, she had been in full slacker mode.
"While I was away, you didn't cause any trouble, right?" Hyuga Arin finally had time to ask Machi.
He hadn't forgotten her true nature.
Machi rolled her eyes. Did he really think she was that stupid?
"No. Actually, life here has been pretty nice."
She had gathered some intelligence about this place—the Land of Fire, the Land of Earth, and so on.
The naming conventions of this world were quite interesting. Could this be part of the Dark Continent?
Without having to bear the name of Meteor City, without living in constant danger, she was quite satisfied with her current life.
That was, of course, assuming no one provoked her.
And she was well aware that this place was essentially a military base. Causing trouble here meant no chance of escape.
By this world's standards, Machi's strength was roughly Special Jōnin level. Combined with the unique nature of Nen, she could even qualify as a Jōnin.
But against an entire ninja village?
Better to just sleep it off.
"That's good." Hyuga Arin let out a breath of relief.
Machi shot him a sideways glance. "I didn't cause any trouble. But you, on the other hand, seem to have plenty."
Hyuga Arin sighed helplessly. "Got a bit of fame recently. The number of people eyeing me naturally increased."
Bang!
The front door was blasted off its hinges.
A group of Hyuga clan ninjas burst in, instantly surrounding Machi and Hyuga Arin.
"There's an extra woman," one Hyuga member frowned at Machi.
"Take them all," another ordered coldly.
Nen threads appeared between Machi's fingers as she looked at Hyuga Arin. "Need help?"
"No."
Hyuga Arin's figure blurred.
…
[Experience: 64243]
"They really think highly of me—sending six Jōnin at once."
Hyuga Arin sat atop a small "mountain" made of six unconscious Hyuga Jōnin, a playful smile on his face.
Machi watched expressionlessly from the sofa, never having risen once.
He had grown stronger.
Even stronger than when he fought Hisoka.
Shaking him off was becoming harder and harder.
Six ninjas comparable to top-tier Enhancers had been defeated effortlessly.
And he hadn't used any special abilities the entire time.
A length of steel wire appeared in Hyuga Arin's hand.
"Since you wanted me to visit the Hyuga clan compound, I'll grant your wish."
He simply needed to tie them up and bring them along.
Dragging one end of the wire, he walked out the door, hauling six unconscious Hyuga clan members behind him.
As soon as he stepped outside, a few villagers were about to greet him.
A ninja's status in Konoha had reached unprecedented heights.
But when they saw the six people being dragged behind him—
Everyone shut their mouths and hurried away.
Hyuga Arin didn't care. Like dragging six dead dogs, he continued toward the Hyuga clan compound.
Soon, several ANBU emerged from hiding, eyeing him warily.
The villagers didn't know about Hyuga Arin's identity as the Flame Demon, but they did. They were well aware of his slaughter on the Cloud Ninja front.
Anyone who knew his record might doubt it—but they would certainly fear it.
"Chūnin Hyuga Arin, what is the meaning of this?" an ANBU member asked in a low voice from behind his mask.
"They suddenly developed narcolepsy and passed out in my house. I'm just returning them to the Hyuga clan," Hyuga Arin said with a smile.
You think we're idiots?!
No one believed such a ridiculous excuse.
But—
"Chūnin Hyuga Arin, please maintain proper street decorum," the ANBU member said stiffly.
This was an internal conflict of the Hyuga clan. They couldn't interfere without authorization.
"Don't worry. I'll return them quickly," Hyuga Arin shrugged.
The ANBU fell silent. It was obvious Hyuga Arin was determined to drag these men straight to the Hyuga compound.
This was going to be big.
"Withdraw!" The ANBU leader signaled.
They couldn't touch this matter.
In an instant, all the ANBU disappeared, leaving Hyuga Arin to drag six Hyuga Jōnin toward the clan grounds.
Everyone saw the six men being dragged like dead dogs.
Not a single person dared to stop him.
Two clan members, however, couldn't bear it.
"Hyuga Arin, release them!!" they shouted, charging at him.
They crossed paths.
Bang!
Bang!
Two more were bound with wire.
Hyuga Arin continued dragging the growing bundle toward the Hyuga compound.
At this point, the Hyuga clan had truly become famous throughout Konoha.
Being dragged through the village like dead dogs—no other clan could claim that distinction.
Compete with the Uchiha for the title of Konoha's number one clan?
Maybe in your next life.
Hyuga Arin's actions stirred every major ninja clan.
The current head of the Aburame clan watched and said with slight envy, "Well, everyone definitely knows who they are now."
"Clan Head, we don't want to become famous like that!!" a clan member quickly protested.
They might be easy to overlook—but not to the point of seeking fame this way.
The Uchiha clan members watched with open schadenfreude.
The Uchiha and Hyuga had always been rivals.
A member of the Nara clan sighed helplessly. "When the Hokage returns, he's going to have a headache."
The Yamanaka and Akimichi members beside him nodded in agreement.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was still in the Land of Grass and had not yet returned.
In the shadows—
Danzō frowned at the scene. "Too reckless."
Root couldn't afford to attract attention like that.
Meanwhile, the Hyuga clan itself showed no reaction, as if they were completely unaware.
But everyone knew the Hyuga would not let this go easily.
Hyuga Arin's actions were nothing less than trampling the Hyuga clan's name underfoot.
He arrived at the Hyuga compound—a residential area enclosed by high walls, accessible only through the main gate.
The Uchiha compound, by contrast, was open.
If one were to speak of a clan that truly didn't want to integrate into Konoha, it wasn't the Uchiha. Though they wore cold expressions, they at least wanted to be understood.
The clan that truly had no intention of integrating was the Hyuga.
The two gate guards glared at Hyuga Arin, gripping their weapons as if ready to charge at any moment.
In the end, however, they obediently opened the gates and allowed him to drag the bound Hyuga members inside.
Then the gates closed tightly behind him—
Sealing off all prying eyes.
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