As Hyuga Soushu stepped out of the Hokage Tower, he had already changed into the newly issued Konoha-standard Jonin vest.
Looks-wise, that dark green vest was anything but stylish. But it still commanded respect from the villagers. After all, a Tokubetsu Jonin was still a Jonin—one of the elite members of Konoha's Ninja Power Structure—and fully entitled to bark orders confidently in meetings concerning critical affairs of the Hidden Leaf Village.
Of course, whether anyone would actually listen to that barking or if there'd be retaliation afterward was another matter entirely.
In any case, with this vest serving as his shield, Soushu theoretically didn't have to worry about suddenly vanishing—especially during wartime. If he were to disappear without a trace, alive or dead, the Hyuga Clan would have to assign a new Jonin to battle duty. That meant the clan lost two Jonins at once. And should this replacement happen to fall in battle, they'd need to send another one—a downward spiral that could seriously weaken the clan!
Still, there were always clueless hotshots dumb enough to think they could take on a respected Jonin. For example, Hyuga Ibo, who stood blocking the entrance to the Branch House residential area with three clearly capable members of the Hyuga Clan.
It was obvious they were waiting in ambush for Soushu to walk right into their trap.
However, in order to avoid suspicion, they hadn't used Byakugan to monitor him from afar. So when they saw Soushu wearing the Jonin vest, shock flickered across their faces.
A sly grin spread across Soushu's face. He held back the urge to start cursing them out and stood ten meters away, facing off against the four fellow Hyugas.
Even within the Hyuga Clan itself, a Jonin from the Branch House held a certain level of status. As long as they didn't provoke authority directly, the Main House usually wouldn't dare harm them—they were part of what passed for the upper echelon of Konoha's military structure.
Hyuga Ibo and his three loyal lapdogs clearly didn't expect this turn of events.
"Well, well, if it isn't my oh-so-dear cousin Ibo," Soushu mocked with a smirk. "What? As loyal citizens of Konoha, don't you know how to salute a full-fledged Jonin?"
"Guess whoever raised those mutts forgot to teach 'em some basic manners—and shame."
"And seems the so-called filial sons of the Main House are just masters of faking respectability—while scheming up trouble behind closed doors!"
Seeing Ibo's face twist into a darker scowl, Soushu's grin widened even more.
"Come on, come on! You're already flipping out? That's all you got?"
"You lowlife brat with no upbringing!" A vein pulsed furiously on Ibo's temple—he felt like he was about to explode.
"Ibo-san, for the sake of our shared bloodline, I've shown you plenty of tolerance. But you really don't know how to take advantage of kindness, do you?"
Soushu grinned again—and without hesitation, activated his Byakugan.
This was the standard pre-battle stance of any Hyuga ninja.
Immediately, Ibo and his three followers also activated their Byakugan, assuming the opening posture of the Gentle Fist.
Bang!
With a heavy thud, the lantern pole in Hyuga Soushu's hand struck the ground, creating a radiating crack across the water-milled blue bricks. As chakra flowed into the ninja tool, the tip of the lantern pole that hit the floor ignited with a flame resembling ghost fire.
Due to missing portions within the Gentle Fist teachings he inherited since childhood, during his two and a half years at war, Hyuga Soushu had constructed his own combat system based on his personal abilities and characteristics.
Though he'd yet to face off against any Jonin-level opponents, this was more out of battlefield self-preservation rather than an actual reflection of his skill being limited to Chunin level. As for Hyuga Ibo—who hadn't left the village in over twenty years—though his mastery of the Gentle Fist wasn't bad, compared to Soushu who crawled out from piles of corpses, he was still too green.
"Gentle Fist!"
Hyuga Ibo's eyelid twitched, sensing danger, but without hesitation, he launched the first attack anyway!
Which suited Hyuga Soushu perfectly. As long as Ibo made the first move, anything short of killing him on the spot would legally be considered defensive retaliation meant to protect himself.
"Jumping Slash!"
Fully familiar with clan rules and family laws by heart, Soushu didn't even bother activating the skill [Counter Storm], which could defend against ordinary basic attacks. Instead, he leapt forward directly, swinging the lantern pole Q toward Hyuga Ibo's head.
"Not good!"
Just as Ibo was about to demonstrate his standard thirty-two strike sequence of traditional Gentle Fist to teach this battle-returned bumpkin some respect, an ominous feeling suddenly washed over him!
His sixth sense blared warnings inside his mind without any prior indication, signaling imminent life-threatening danger!
Moreover—
"Bang!"
Before Hyuga Ibo could fully process everything racing through his mind or properly respond, Soushu swiftly retracted mid-motion at the last second, switching instead to an airborne knee strike. With a forceful blow to the chest, Ibo went flying backward, knocking down another Hyuga clansman who came alongside him.
Afterward, Soushu released his control over the lantern pole, letting it crash heavily between the two flunkies.
Where the lantern pole struck, another radial crack spread outward from the impact point across the already durable blue brick flooring.
If Soushu hadn't stopped his attack in time just now, that single blow alone might've blown Hyuga Ibo's brains all over a thousand trees.
"To be honest, Soushu was rather disappointed."
He originally thought such a bold individual must have been a subordinate personally trained by one of Main House's senior officials, but to his surprise, he turned out to be so easily defeated.
Though Ibo's mastery of the Gentle Fist was undeniably superior, battlefield combat—especially under life-or-death circumstances—was fundamentally different from executing missions or participating in family training exercises. One small mistake could lead to dying on the battlefield and ending up as test material for enemy experiments.
That's precisely why Soushu allocated precious [Coins] to purchase red potions capable of fully restoring injuries without side effects, and why he endured others' scorn while hunting injured enemy Ninja for merit points. Thanks to that, he grew from a rookie into a seasoned battlefield veteran, successfully returning to Konoha just before the outbreak of the most dangerous large-scale conflict.
Those who once ridiculed Soushu Hyuga for being scheming yet cowardly, disgracing Konoha with their conduct, now lay in pieces—some scattered like dazzling fireworks from Explosive Tags, others pecked apart by the Puppet: Corpse Crows of the Body Disposal Squad. If they had unfortunately been born into a ninja clan, there was also a good chance their corpses had ended up as someone's private collection.
But now it seems that over the past two and a half years spent battling on the field, Soushu Hyuga's improvement had far exceeded expectations. Compared to those so-called loyal watchdogs who boasted loyalty while lounging idly within the clan compound like pampered pets, Soushu had surpassed them by leaps and bounds!
"Why don't you go ahead and crawl too!"
Without hesitation, Soushu Hyuga seized the moment and kicked both stunned Hyuga clan members on his left and right, sending them flying away.
With that, he'd wrapped it up nicely—a one-on-four victory.
"Now that was quite a satisfying fight!"
Soushu teased casually after easily defeating the four.
Meanwhile, Ibo Hyuga, struggling to stand back up, flushed even redder with anger. Even though the sharp pain in his chest clearly warned him that fighting with broken ribs was reckless, he still resolved to protect the dignity of the Main House, using his Gentle Fist to punish this reckless outlaw who dared defy the clan's rules.
Although Soushu Hyuga still smiled brightly, his eyes narrowed slightly while he subtly tilted up the lantern pole in his hand, causing Ibo—who was preparing for battle—to panic momentarily.
"Have you fools finished making a racket yet!"
Just as Ibo found himself unable to back down and decided to grit his teeth and strike, a clear, cold voice rang out unexpectedly from above.
Instantly, Soushu Hyuga pivoted around defensively, dragging his lantern pole across the ground, only to find a young Hyuga clan member standing atop a tree beside the house. The stranger wore elegant blue robes, a white haori draped over them, with white bandages wrapped around his forehead.
"It's him again!"
Soushu couldn't help but twitch at the sight, sensing trouble.
His sensory abilities hadn't detected the other's approach at all. And judging from where this person stood, he was positioned precisely in one of Soushu's Byakugan blind spots!
This alone showed that this noble clansman wasn't just powerful—he deeply understood the flaws inherent in the Branch House's Kekkei Genkai!
"Lord Hizashi!"
Ibo called out joyfully, recognizing the newcomer.
This young Hyuga shinobi was none other than the second son of the current head of the Hyuga Clan—the future leader of the Branch House—Hizashi Hyuga.
Though officially all Branch House ninjas were considered equal, certain individuals always held higher status than ordinary Branch House members. Thus, Ibo's respectful attitude toward Hizashi was entirely understandable.
But what truly relieved Ibo was no longer having to face off directly against Soushu Hyuga.
It wasn't because he was afraid—it was simply that precious jade should never be forced to clash directly against an unyielding rock. It wasn't worth it.
Thinking this way, Ibo felt much better about the whole ordeal.
"Pfft!"
Hyuga Soushu paid no attention to Hizashi Hyuga's presence, casually turning his head to look at his elated clansman who seemed to have found a savior, and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
The other three clan members, barely managing to rise to their feet, were left utterly humiliated. Unlike Hyuga Ibo, they weren't as quick to brush off their humiliation with mental gymnastics.
"The harmony of our clan must not be disturbed."
Standing above with arms crossed, Hizashi Hyuga said indifferently.
"Uh right! Elder Hizashi makes a good point!"
Soushu didn't even glance back at the four useless clan members behind him. Instead, he turned to face the high-standing Hizashi Hyuga, lightly tapping the stone pavement with the lantern post in his hand while forcing a smile onto his face. "So then, what punishment should these disrespectful juniors receive?"
Hizashi Hyuga frowned slightly, clearly displeased.
Especially under broad daylight, the sight of Soushu's unashamedly exposed Cursed Seal — [Caged Bird Seal] — known as the Bird-in-a-Cage mark on his forehead made Hizashi Hyuga feel particularly uncomfortable.
"You're Soushu, correct?"
Hizashi Hyuga spoke calmly. "I've heard your name before. Although your performance on the battlefield was a subject of some debate, it was ultimately commendable. You and your parents are both regarded as heroes of our clan."
Mentioning family probably wasn't the best idea. At the mention of his cheap parents, Soushu completely lost his composure.
"Heh..."
Soushu's face twitched as he could no longer maintain his previous fake smiling act. His eyes grew sharp and menacing.
Hizashi Hyuga, however, couldn't understand why Soushu's attitude had changed so drastically within such a short time.
Yet before Soushu could act further, three figures were seen jumping from rooftop to rooftop approaching from a distance.
"Policing department personnel?"
Soushu expressed some surprise.
"Uchiha?!"
Hizashi Hyuga frowned even more intensely.
Although Konoha's two prestigious Dojutsu clans - the Uchiha and Hyuga - generally avoided direct conflict, their underlying tensions remained. Such open provocations near each other's doorstep rarely occurred!
The three Uchiha ninjas landed beside Soushu, carefully positioning themselves just outside the entrance street of the Hyuga district. Clearly, they weren't here specifically to cause trouble.
"We received reports from concerned villagers claiming there is unauthorized fighting happening here,"
The leading middle-aged Uchiha ninja stated coldly. "Remember that private ninja duels [Ninja-on-ninja combat without official sanction] are strictly forbidden within Konoha. This is an unbreakable law carved in stone!"
"This is merely a sparring match among Hyuga clan members. I think this falls outside the policing department's jurisdiction!"
Hizashi Hyuga's eyes instantly chilled over.
After all, they stood at the outer perimeter of the Hyuga territory. No matter what, he couldn't afford to show weakness.
"Have any of you formally reported this incident to the Policing Department?"
Ignoring the veiled threat in Hizashi Hyuga's tone, the middle-aged Uchiha addressed Ibo and others directly: "If you have any issues, speak up! Rest assured, the Policing Department will ensure justice for you!"
"No problem at all! We're just training!"
Hyuga Ibo immediately denied everything.
As for justice?
If he had been dumb enough to believe it, he probably would have dropped dead the second he walked out of the Policing Department's interrogation room. It wasn't that he feared the Uchiha wanted him dead—it was because the Main House really could kill him!
"Good!"
The middle-aged Uchiha ninja nodded and added, "Also, remember to replace those damaged stone tiles on the ground promptly; don't let them ruin Konoha's village appearance (affecting its aesthetics and cleanliness)!"
After saying that, he gave Hyuga Soushu a stiff smile before turning back with his two subordinates.
They arrived in haste and left just as quickly, making it seem like they really had just come over after receiving a report.
Hyuga Soushu himself was just as confused, since aside from Mahiru Uchiha, he genuinely didn't know any other members of the Uchiha clan!
However, Hizashi Hyuga, who stood on the tree branch above, noticed the subtle attitude the middle-aged Jonin from the Policing Department had shown toward Soushu.
"This afternoon, in the Main House's ceremonial hall."
Without another word, he vanished using [Body Flicker Technique].