Chapter 290: Who is Darker
"Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. If the people are willing to lift me—Hyuga—upon their shoulders, then I, Hyuga, will never let them down. I will carry them in my heart!"
For the imperial family, such words were not mere blasphemy.
They were a hammer striking the very foundation of their thousand-year rule.
For centuries, the royal family had held control over this land—not because they were inherently worthy, but because they manipulated ideology. They severed the people's right to knowledge. Restricted their freedom of thought. Controlled their lives.
They shaped cultural consciousness with empty titles—"chosen by heaven," "royal bloodline"—and enforced it with imperial weapons and military might.
The emperor was sky incarnate. To be revered. Defended. Pleased.
And over time, this idea evolved.
Nobles were born superior. Commoners born low.
But now, someone had dared to say it aloud:
The people are the sky.
And once that idea rooted itself in the minds of the common folk, it would be impossible to kill.
"Am I... really that important?"
That question crept into their thoughts—quiet, invasive.
Even many civil and military officials found themselves questioning.
But thought alone changes nothing.
Those from the ministerial faction scoffed at the very notion. They were the villains the people despised—opportunistic cowards who would never accept such ideals.
Others—those with remnants of conscience—remained on the sidelines. Hesitating. Waiting. Struggling.
For in this rising tide, even they were part of the old order destined to fall.
---
"The Black Flame Tail Dragon is a pseudo-dragon species."
"Its heart is the source of its body-wide black flames. It's the core ingredient for a ninth-grade body-forging tonic..."
Beside the massive lizard's corpse, Ryosuke calmly removed its still-beating heart with one hand while flipping through a weathered tome with the other.
It was a rare imperial prescription, recorded deep within the royal treasury.
Near the outskirts of the imperial capital—
Once a royal hunting ground, the area had long since fallen into ruin due to a century of corruption and civil decay.
Untouched for generations, the hunting ground had become wild—larger than entire provinces in the ninja world. With no caretakers, the once-domesticated beasts evolved into something else.
Tens of millions of creatures, originally bred to test poisons and fight for sport, had mutated—some into dangerous species, some into super dangerous ones.
---
Power has two sides.
As the body grows stronger, it consumes more.
No one can train endlessly without replenishing what's lost.
Even Ryosuke—wielding chakra—once relied on medicinal baths in his youth, prepared by Hinata, to aid in training.
But compared to the vague records of physical cultivation in the Ninja World…
The Teigu World had a complete system.
Martial forms. Breathing methods. Medicinal compounds. Specialized forging techniques.
All of it aimed at one thing: developing the human body to its absolute peak.
---
"With this… the enhanced body-forging liquid is ready."
Ryosuke held the pulsing black heart in his hand, its surface flickering with dark flame.
Then, with a flicker of chakra and space-time, he vanished.
His temporary home—once a modest cottage near the capital—had since become a vast villa.
The original structure was far too small for his experiments and needs.
With his identity disguised, and his powers suppressed to an unremarkable level, it had been effortless to acquire land and quietly establish himself in town.
He casually dropped the blazing heart into a sealed container, turned, and stepped into the courtyard.
He could sense someone waiting.
"Ryosuke-sama."
As expected, a member of the Hyuga clan stood waiting, bowing respectfully.
"I already know."
With a single glance, Ryosuke's perception took in the full contents of the man's report—synchronization complete.
The battle updates Hinata Hizashi had meant to send were now unnecessary to voice aloud.
A year had passed since that day in the capital, but Ryosuke's declaration still echoed through the empire.
No matter how hard the regime tried to suppress it, they couldn't erase his words from history.
Short of locking down the entire capital—or executing every last citizen—the message had spread.
Hyuga's name had become myth and menace.
To the royal family and their government, Ryosuke was a villain of the highest order. They issued bounty proclamations across every province, commanding all citizens to capture or kill him.
Most people stayed silent, watching from the shadows, unwilling to draw ire.
But even so—countless others came.
Men and women who had nothing left. Those who had been crushed by corrupt officials, robbed by the nobles, left to starve by the empire.
In just the first year of Hyugaa's world-expansion project, thousands upon thousands flocked to the banner.
At first glance, this was a victory.
But quantity alone does not guarantee quality.
Ryosuke, rarely leaving the villa, spent most of his time immersed in training.
Still, Hizashi ensured he remained informed—sending regular updates through trusted agents.
Ryosuke read them all.
And with each new batch of recruits, the same question returned:
Were these truly heroes?
"Heroes" love swift vengeance.
They crave righteous revenge. They act decisively. Impulsively.
Some fight for justice.
Others… just for glory.
Many claim righteousness, but their actions are no better than the corrupt they oppose.
If conquest were the only goal, Ryosuke wouldn't care.
Power is power.
As long as they fought well, the rest could be overlooked. There is no pure justice in this world.
But Hyuga's ambitions… would not stop with conquest.
So the screening would continue. And it would become harsher.
"Transfer me to General Hizashi."
Back inside, Ryosuke dialed the line connected to Hinata's Southern Command.
In this world, "General" was a rank adapted from local military hierarchy—bestowed upon Hizashi as the supreme commander of the Hyuga campaign.
Looking forward, with the Hyuga population growing in this world, the clan had already decided to evolve beyond the three-man cell model.
After being inspired by the structure of this world, Hyuga's internal system had grown increasingly organized. Every member was now addressed by their rank or position.
Even so, Hyuga hadn't abandoned the elite-focused development of the original ninja system. Some internal teams still operated under the old model: three-man cells composed entirely of elite members, each capable of fulfilling multiple roles simultaneously.
"Ryosuke?"
Hinata Hizashi answered the call, clearly surprised. "This is the first time you've contacted us in a year. If it weren't for the clan members reporting you were safe, we'd have thought you'd disappeared again."
Again...
Ryosuke ignored the word. He had a habit of getting too deep into his training and losing all sense of time.
"I need to speak with you about something important, General Hizashi."
He got straight to the point.
"I've reviewed the recent report from the messenger who delivered your latest letter."
There was a brief pause.
"There are too many people."
On the other end of the line, Hizashi said nothing at first. Silence reigned.
"My suggestion," Ryosuke continued, "is to refine the recruitment process. We need to select personnel more strictly—based on character, ability, potential, even age."
"We can divide them into categories: selected candidates, reserve candidates, and official members. By creating tiers, we let them understand how difficult it is to become Hyuga—how great the honor is to hold a position under our banner."
"Only when something is hard to obtain will people truly value it."
Ryosuke's tone was calm but firm. He wasn't speaking from pride—but from experience.
Creating internal distinctions—establishing ranks, titles, trials—was as much about organization as it was about ideological control.
It was no different from how court officials were once appointed in ancient dynasties—layers of recommendation, scrutiny, and merit.
A post earned through sweat and merit was a badge of pride.
But if it could be bought like bread in the marketplace, it held no weight—only authority without dignity. No one respected a title paid for in gold. Only ridicule followed such hollow prestige.
Even if such a system was efficient or profitable, Ryosuke rejected it utterly.
As someone in power, his role wasn't to weigh profit or loss.
It was to instill a sense of loyalty, pride, and belonging to Hyuga.
After a long silence, Hizashi finally responded.
"You haven't heard this from the Patriarch yet, have you?"
There was a pause.
Then he chuckled.
"Of course you haven't. That's why you called to remind me."
Ryosuke blinked, confused by the abrupt shift in tone.
Hizashi clarified with a smile in his voice, "Truth is, we realized the same thing not long ago. The population of this world is enormous. Even if only a fraction of them want to serve, the number is still several times greater than all of Hyuga combined."
"Our clan's total population is around 30,000. And those volunteering to join us? Nearly half a million."
"How do you screen that?"
"So, last month, I submitted a formal report to the Patriarch. Just now, I received his reply. And guess what?"
"His solution is almost identical to the one you just suggested."
Hizashi chuckled again.
"I was going to send you another letter so you'd be up to speed. But looks like I don't need to anymore."
"Exactly the same?" Ryosuke asked, genuinely surprised.
Then he thought better of it.
No, it makes sense. Hinata had been trained personally by him. She'd already guided two major reforms within the clan under his mentorship. It wasn't surprising that she could intuit the best path forward.
"But there's something else," Hizashi added.
"The Patriarch told me to inform you before we take any action."
"There's been movement from within the Empire's rebel army. They're trying to reach out—to recruit us."
"You already know we Hyuga made a strong entrance when we first rebelled. But since then, we've avoided direct confrontation with imperial forces. We've been stockpiling men, arms, resources… preparing to devour the country whole in one strike."
Ryosuke remained silent, listening intently.
So, the rebels are getting nervous.
Unlike the Hyuga, who boldly challenged the empire from day one, those rebels had only ever operated from the shadows—building strength, avoiding notice.
Hyuga claimed their banner with purpose. Claimed to fight for the people. They made their stance known.
And because of that… all the rebel army's good deeds—slaying corrupt officials, aiding refugees, distributing food—ended up attributed to Hyuga by the people.
Of course they'd be upset.
In the beginning, they didn't care about recognition. But now? Someone else was wearing the crown.
Their credit, stolen. Their reputation, buried.
"But," Hizashi added with a subtle edge in his voice, "not all of them have clean hands."
"Our intelligence division has investigated most of the rebel army's structure. And frankly… some of their darkness rivals the Empire's."
"They formed hastily. Their chain of command is a mess. Most of their members came from hardship—poverty, slavery, displacement. But when they got power and coin…"
"They hoarded it."
"Instead of sharing it or investing in their cause, they stuffed their pockets and fought over scraps. And now that we've entered the scene and exposed the truth?"
"Their chaos has spilled out. Petty fights, blame games, and corruption—it's all on the surface now."
"They're no different than the Empire's corrupt elite."
"They claim the Empire plunders with foreign aid and black deals."
"But some among them? They do the same—under the empire's name—then pin the blame on the officials they hate."
"It's disgusting."
Hizashi let out a dry laugh.
"Reminds me of all the trash we used to sweep up in Konoha, doesn't it?"
Unlike his older brother Hiashi, whose personality was colder and more rigid, Hizashi always spoke with a touch of humor—especially when the topic was bitter.
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