Smack.
Akira slapped Hiashi's hand away.
"Teammates?" Akira looked at him with naked disdain. "Sorry. You're not qualified."
To be fair, it wasn't that Akira looked down on Hiashi specifically.
He looked down on everyone.
No one was fit to be his teammate.
What if they stole his kills?
Hiashi's face flushed red as he snapped, losing composure,
"You're not afraid my father will punish you again?!"
Akira rolled his Byakugan so hard it was practically a second activation.
"Take a guess."
The main house didn't dare kill him.
That was his confidence.
If he weren't already a ninja, he wouldn't dare act like this.
But he was a ninja now.
As long as Konoha stood, the Hyūga clan couldn't take his life—or cripple him.
So what was there to fear?
Akira bumped Hiashi aside with his shoulder and headed toward the dungeon stairs.
Hiashi clenched his teeth.
This guy was completely impervious to reason.
If Akira were an Uchiha, Hiashi felt like he'd have awakened his Sharingan out of sheer rage by now.
Akira stepped out of the dungeon and immediately spotted Tsunade waiting with her arms crossed.
"Let's go," she said.
She didn't even look at him before turning and walking toward the clan gates.
All around them, Hyūga members stared in shock.
Everyone knew Akira had been imprisoned.
Yet he was released after just one day.
Akira flashed a smug grin at the onlookers.
The main house hadn't been able to do anything to him after all.
In the crowd, he spotted Elder Hyūga Huo glaring at him with fury.
Akira stuck out his tongue.
"Bleh."
Huo's face turned crimson.
His eyes rolled back—
And he collapsed.
"Elder!!"
The elder being angered into fainting caused immediate chaos. Clan members rushed to help, panic spreading instantly.
No one had time to pay attention to Akira anymore.
Tsunade clicked her tongue irritably.
"Could you stop causing trouble for once?"
Akira put on an innocent expression.
"How was I supposed to know the old man was that fragile?"
He honestly hadn't expected that.
If he had known, he might've pushed harder.
Tsunade rubbed her temples.
This kid was a walking disaster.
The two of them left the Hyūga compound together.
Waiting outside was a boy with distinctive cheek markings—so natural-looking that Akira once suspected makeup, only to learn it was genetic.
The Senju bloodline was terrifying.
"Big bro!!"
The boy lit up the moment he saw Akira.
This was Nawaki.
The Senju clan had long since dissolved into the village. Nawaki and Tsunade no longer used the Senju name.
"Couldn't have done it without you," Akira said, patting Nawaki's shoulder.
From the very beginning, Hizashi's intuition had been right.
Tsunade had been on Akira's side.
The reason was standing right here.
Nawaki.
Their friendship had been simple.
After Akira crushed everyone in his year, he moved on to upper- and lower-year students.
Nawaki was the only one who put up a real fight.
After several intense (and completely fair) battles, Nawaki—one year younger—became Akira's loyal junior.
For the sake of her hopeless little brother, Tsunade had no choice but to help Akira.
She shot him a sharp glare.
"Don't teach my brother bad habits."
Akira waved it off.
"I'm an upright, honest person. How could I corrupt him?"
He gestured to Nawaki.
Nawaki immediately pumped his fist.
"Yeah! Big bro would never do that!"
Tsunade covered her forehead, exasperated.
Still… if Nawaki learned Akira's combat instincts, it might actually be a good thing.
"Fine," she sighed.
She then looked at Akira seriously.
"You have at most one year. The Hyūga clan won't touch you during that time.
You must learn medical ninjutsu to placate them. After that—you're on your own."
This was the only help she'd give him.
"More than enough," Akira replied, eyes gleaming.
Tsunade didn't understand why he looked excited.
She turned to Nawaki.
"You're graduating soon. Don't slack off."
Before Nawaki could respond, she vanished in a flash of Body Flicker.
Nawaki grumbled,
"She's always on my case."
Akira snorted.
"Enjoy it while you can."
He wouldn't mind having a future Sannin as a sister.
Thinking about the one-year window, Akira grinned, teeth white and cold.
The year was Konoha Year 36.
Tensions between the Five Great Nations were steadily rising—but still restrained.
Most believed it would take years for war to erupt.
Only Akira knew the truth.
The Second Shinobi World War would break out next year.
Three years of nonstop bloodshed.
And that—
Was exactly what Akira was waiting for.
War meant ninja.
Ninja meant experience.
Different villages meant rare drops.
And somewhere in that chaos—
A path to breaking the Caged Bird Seal.
"Big bro," Nawaki asked eagerly, seeing that familiar smile,
"Who are we going to mess with first?"
Akira smacked the back of his head.
"Find me a place to live first."
"And since when do I like causing trouble?"
He was a gentle, kind soul.
Nawaki rubbed his head and muttered,
"The entire Academy knows you're the biggest troublemaker."
Akira had zero self-awareness.
In the end, Akira rented a small house in a remote area.
His funds were only enough to last three months.
When they opened the door—
Dust exploded into the air.
Cough, cough.
Nawaki waved his hand.
"Can people actually live here?"
Akira's eye twitched as he stared at the single-room space.
If he stayed here long enough, he'd feel like his life was over.
"Definitely need to grind."
He wasn't staying.
Akira turned around and walked out.
"Come on. I'll take you to rob the rich and help the poor."
Nawaki crossed his arms.
"And you say you don't like causing trouble."
"But big bro," he asked curiously,
"how exactly are we doing that?"
Akira looked him over thoughtfully.
"You got money?"
Nawaki took two cautious steps back.
"Big bro… you're not robbing me to save yourself, right?"
Akira stared at him.
"Do I look like that kind of person?"
Nawaki shook his head solemnly.
"Not look like."
"You are that kind of person."