"…"
At Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, Hyūga Hideki froze for a moment.
Jōnin?
Who?
Kumokawa?
"Why?"
The question slipped out of him instinctively.
In the next instant he realized his tone, but because Kumokawa kept staring straight ahead without so much as glancing his way, Hideki couldn't help the flare of anger as he snapped, "Lord Third, he's just a useless piece of trash!"
"Hideki." Hiruzen looked him squarely in the eye and said calmly, "From where you stand, is a young man who was able to protect his comrades and escape an encirclement by nearly a hundred Hidden Cloud shinobi still 'useless'?"
"I'll vouch for it." Akimichi Dōtō, also present, suddenly spoke up. "Kumokawa's importance during the escort mission and the ambush was indispensable."
"He? Hyūga Kumokawa?"
Hideki glanced at Kumokawa as if hearing some joke.
His anger ebbed into a sneer: "A useless brat who only opened his Byakugan at thirteen? A coward who goes weak-kneed at the sight of blood? Someone who—"
Before he could finish, the boy who had been silent until then slowly turned his head to look at Hideki.
Kumokawa's expression softened into a smile—one without the slightest mirth.
"Senior Hideki, you don't wear that outfit very often, do you?" he said, speaking slowly and evenly. "Before you say your next sentence, you'd better think twice."
At the first half of that line, Hideki frowned, puzzled why Kumokawa would randomly mention his clothes.
But Kumokawa was right.
The outfit Hideki wore was not the Hyūga clan's ceremonial garb; it was a jōnin uniform.
Like the other jōnin present, over the black underlayer with mesh armor he wore the standard green chestplate.
Despite Hideki's age and his standing—like Hiashi—he was a jōnin. Because of his pedigree and status as a senior, Hideki had never taken Kumokawa seriously.
"And what if I say it?" Hideki spat, fixing his gaze on Kumokawa with a cold laugh. "He's nothing but a pup who'd crawl over at the snap of my fingers—"
"Jōnin Hideki!"
At the sight of Kumokawa narrowing his eyes and hearing Hideki's unfiltered words, the man impersonating Hiashi suddenly snapped out of his daze and, reflexively, opened his mouth to scold.
Too late.
Sssht!
A gust of air tore through with a sharp whistle, ruffling Hideki's hair.
The pressure rippled across his face; his eyes, still fixed on Kumokawa, stiffened a fraction.
His lips parted to spit out the insult "house-dog," but the two words died in his throat.
A chill wind passed.
On the wall behind him a deep crack spidered into the plaster.
He felt a wetness on his cheek—blood—trickling down along his jaw and soaking his collar.
A fine cut had opened on his cheek, pain spreading inch by inch.
At some point, Kumokawa had raised two fingers — and, at that exact moment, Hiruzen had caught his hand.
Everyone's expressions changed. Nara Shikaku's eyes showed not surprise but a considered understanding.
You asked for it, you got it.
They had wanted to use Hideki to test Kumokawa; now they had received the expected result.
But it was not entirely what they'd anticipated.
A Wind Release technique without hand seals? Is he even a Hyūga?
Only a very few present had reacted in time when Kumokawa moved.
If Kumokawa had truly intended to end Hideki's life just now, Hideki's throat would already have been cut.
"Sigh, Kumokawa — don't be so impetuous."
Hiruzen gave an exhalation, gently pressing down on the situation, his tone still warm and calming. "Hideki is, after all, your family's elder."
"Apologies, Lord Third — that was reckless of me."
Kumokawa did not resist; he lowered the two raised fingers and spoke with sincerity. "I only feel that Senior Hideki has grown old and forgotten his place."
"The peace and ease other comrades have fought and died to secure has slowly corroded him. It has made him polished, arrogant, and rude—just like his clothes."
With that, Kumokawa glanced at the others and added quietly, "A jōnin's clothing isn't this clean or neatly pressed, nor should it smell of jasmine. A jōnin's clothes should be stained with sweat and blood — that's the clothing of a jōnin."
"So allow me to remind Senior Hideki: this is a Konoha jōnin council, not a Hyūga clan meeting. You are a jōnin of Konoha, not an elder of the Hyūga main house. And I am a jōnin of Konoha, not a Hyūga household lapdog."
"I think your earlier words should be seen as a threat and provocation toward your colleagues and Lord Third."
"However, because you are a senior, you will be given a warning."
Hiruzen smiled, eyes narrowing, showing no anger. "All right, that was out of line. I believe Hideki meant no malice."
Turning to Hideki, his narrowed gaze softened and he asked with a small smile, "Isn't that so, Hideki?"
"…"
Hideki seemed not to have heard. His face was pale and shadowed.
The pallor came from fear of what Kumokawa had just done; the darkness in his expression was the pent-up hatred and anger with nowhere to vent.
"Hideki?"
Hiruzen's emotionless voice snapped into Hideki's ears; he shuddered and bowed his head slightly. "Yes, Lord Third. I apologize — I spoke without thinking."
Under Hiruzen's unsmiling gaze, a chill crept into Hideki's heart as he realized his position.
The old saying applied: some things can't be weighed — once put on the scale, a thousand catties can't stop them.
Unlike genin-to-chūnin promotion, the promotion from chūnin to jōnin is done directly by each village's Kage: a comprehensive evaluation of ability.
Only those who meet the standard are elevated. Jōnin are the highest rank among a village's shinobi under the Kage.
Jōnin are appointed directly by Lord Third; no one else may question it.
Hideki's act had been aimed at Kumokawa, but it could also be read as defiance against Hiruzen's authority.
The difference lay in how Hiruzen chose to treat it.
Now it was clear.
Kumokawa was no longer the branch-family kid to be beaten and scorned; he had become a Konoha jōnin valued by Lord Third himself.
But was that all?
"All right." Hiruzen nodded, smiling. "From now on you're comrades. Apologize to each other — and no grudges."
At that, Hideki jerked his head up in disbelief; the faces of many in the room changed as well.
What the Third Hokage intended was more than simply to secure Kumokawa's footing.
He wanted to "kill the chicken to warn the monkey."
The chicken was Hideki; the monkey was the clan leaders.
Sometimes you can reach out — but if you reach too far, you get cut.
"…" Hideki hung his head, resentment and anger flickering across his eyes as he forced out, trembling, "I'm sorry."
"Apologies, Senior Hideki." Kumokawa inclined his head lightly and said, "I hope you understand that even a member of the Hyūga clan needn't grow strong only by the Byakugan and Gentle Fist."
At those words, the assembly recalled the glimpse of Kumokawa's power moments ago and looked at Hideki with strange expressions.
The once-stagnant, conservative Hyūga had unexpectedly produced a ninjutsu prodigy—and had pushed him until he broke away and acted on his own.
This was…