Inside the Hokage's office at the Hokage Tower.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, a lean man with a small mustache and clad in the ceremonial Hokage robe, was reviewing a file in his hands.
It clearly contained information on Hyūga Satori.
Name: Hyūga Satori
Age: 6
Birthday: August 7th
Born into the Main House of the Hyūga Clan; both parents deceased. His grandfather, Hyūga Sounmei, serves as the Third Elder of the Hyūga Main House.
Proficient in the Byakugan, Gentle Fist technique, invented the New Gentle Fist style, and defeated both Hyūga Chonghuo and Hyūga Hiashi. Suspected to possess combat abilities rivaling that of a Genin.
Weaknesses: Sleeping through lessons, socially detached, very low chakra reserves.
Once diligent and hardworking during childhood, he suddenly lost all drive for no apparent reason and became indifferent toward improvement, earning himself the nickname of "dead last" within the Hyūga household.
The file compiled every public detail available on Satori.
"A fallen prodigy from the Hyūga, huh… Still has some potential left in him, it seems," Sarutobi mused thoughtfully.
As the leader of Konoha, he monitored every significant development within the village closely.
The Hyūga were one of the most influential clans in Konoha, naturally drawing great attention.
Previously, rumors once circulated that Satori was destined to be the Hyūga Main House's next prodigy.
Eventually, those whispers faded, replaced only by stories claiming him a failure. That caused Sarutobi himself to lose interest.
However, Satori recently shot to sudden fame after defeating two opponents using his newly-created Gentle Fist variation—drawing unprecedented attention overnight.
Just then, the door to the office slowly opened, revealing Danzō Shimura, the "Dark Shadow of Konoha."
At this stage of his life, he still appeared quite youthful.
Since he had not yet begun his collaboration with Orochimaru on human experimentation, his right arm wasn't wrapped in bandages nor did he cover his eyes.
"Danzō, my dear friend, you've arrived," Sarutobi said, placing the file down and greeting him cordially.
Danzō gazed at Sarutobi and spoke solemnly, "Hiruzen, have you found someone suitable for the research project I requested?"
Sarutobi took a puff from his pipe, then calmly slid the file on Satori across the desk.
"I've recently come across a promising young mind—you could try recruiting him into Root."
A flicker of interest passed through Danzō's eyes as he picked up the file without hesitation and started reading.
"Hyūga Satori... A Main House member who habitually sleeps in class?"
The further he read, the angrier he grew. With a bang, he slammed the folder onto the table.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen! What am I supposed to do with a Main House member? He's utterly unsuitable for Root!"
Everyone knew the Main House members lived under intense protection.
If Satori joined Root, the Hyūga might station a dozen or more Branch House members assigned strictly for surveillance and protection.
Root was designed to be an ultra-secretive organization—the true root of Konoha. It couldn't afford such public exposure.
Plus, this Satori spent every school day sleeping instead of studying, clearly not the paragon of a prodigy.
His so-called innovation was nothing but slight modifications to the Gentle Fist technique.
Danzō wasn't impressed by such talent.
"Danzō, finding qualified research talents is difficult," Sarutobi replied calmly. "Right now, Satori is the most suitable candidate I could find within the village."
Hiruzen Sarutobi said coldly.
"Satori Hyūga, at such a young age, has already developed new techniques based on the Gentle Fist. He's a rare find in research."
"If you miss this opportunity, finding someone else will be extremely difficult."
The implication was clear: It's either Satori Hyūga or no one at all.
Konoha may be a ninja village—but it's rich in ninjas and poor in researchers.
Someone like Satori Hyūga is unique in the entire village—and even he has only one disciple, Orochimaru.
But he would never hand Orochimaru over to Danzo.
His close friend had extreme ideas, and Orochimaru's personality was odd—he might drag Danzo into dangerous territory.
As the heir of the Hyūga Main House, putting Satori in Root would also allow him to monitor Danzo.
"Hiruzen, you'll come to regret this," Danzo said through gritted teeth.
Danzo had sought research talents for Root in order to unlock the secrets of the First Hokage Hashirama Senju's cells and obtain powerful strength to protect Konoha.
Now that Hiruzen refused to give him personnel, he would have to find other ways.
He had previously considered teaming up with Orochimaru, but feared intervention from Hiruzen, so he hadn't acted yet.
Now that Hiruzen denied him support, he'd have no choice but to cooperate with Orochimaru and carry out human experimentation.
"Danō, I am the Hokage. You must follow my orders," Hiruzen replied coldly.
Upon hearing these words, Danzo burned with rage.
Every single time, Hiruzen would fall back on that line to pacify and silence him, filling him with anger.
If it weren't for being just a step slower than Hiruzen before their teacher back then, perhaps it would've been him sitting on the Hokage's seat.
Thinking of this, Danzo turned around and left, slamming the door shut behind him with a loud bang.
Satori Hyūga didn't yet know that he had been rejected by Danzo—the notorious "Trouble Magnet."
Otherwise, he'd definitely be speechless.
In other novels, protagonists usually caught Danzo's attention and got recruited by him.
Yet here he was, actually getting rejected instead.
These past few days,
Satori Hyūga had been swamped within the clan.
His New Gentle Fist technique, promoted by Hiashi Hyūga, gradually spread among the younger generation of the Hyūga Clan.
Part of the reason was Hiashi himself.
Although defeated by Satori, he still considered himself the future clan head, and indeed possessed the necessary magnanimity.
He supported anything beneficial to the clan.
Another factor was his grandfather, Sounmei Hyūga, who helped out and shielded them from external pressure.
Under these circumstances, Satori took on about a dozen paying apprentices, noticeably filling his pockets.
On the training grounds, the younger members of the Hyūga Clan trained diligently, swift movements and sweat flying everywhere.
To be honest, they already had the foundation of the Gentle Fist, so learning the New Gentle Fist came quite quickly.
Each performed adequately, looking quite skilled outwardly.
The New Gentle Fist emphasized both softness and hardness, with the steel-fist explosive power at close range being slightly more challenging to master.
But compared to the original Gentle Fist, which required memorizing the body's meridians and over a thousand pressure points, it was much simpler.
Without a brilliant mind, mastering it would be nearly impossible.
Once someone grasped the basics of the New Gentle Fist, they could control every muscle in their body, concentrate force into a single point, and deliver punches so intense they'd crack the air itself.
Not far from the training grounds stood a spectator.
The head of the Hyūga Clan was observing the scene intently, his Byakugan revealing all within its field of vision.
"Satori Hyūga — this scion of the Main House — I hope he brings new vitality to our clan."
It had only been a short time since the end of the Second Great Shinobi War, and the ninja world lay in ruins, awaiting reconstruction.
For the Hyūga Clan to regain its strength and vitality, it must rely on the younger generation.
He didn't stop Satori's actions either — because he still held hope in his heart.
What is old and decaying will inevitably fade away. True hope lies with the new generation.
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