To be honest, those words were extremely rude, almost equivalent to pointing a finger in someone's face and scolding them directly.
Even so, Yuki showed little reaction. His expression remained inscrutable as he smiled and said, "Well, it must have been difficult for you all to come here just to remind me. Don't you have anything serious to do on a normal day?"
"You—!"
"Hold on, that's too rude. After all, cousin Yuki is still young. He probably doesn't understand this aspect yet."
Just as the young clansman, Hyūga Ruka, was about to fly into a rage at Yuki's words, Takuma quickly stepped in to smooth things over—or rather, pretended to.
Immediately after, Takuma continued, "But don't worry, cousin Yuki. Uncle Hiashi strongly opposed the proposal just now at the meeting. He truly is a good father, always protecting his son's 'personal freedom.'"
"Oh? So you mean my father and I are colluding, abusing power, and acting recklessly?"
"No, I'm not saying that—"
"Actually, that's exactly what happened. What you said is absolutely right. I have indeed been misusing my status as the eldest young master and completely ignoring the clan's rules."
But just as Takuma was preparing to feign humility and mock him, he never expected Yuki to agree so readily, without a moment's hesitation.
As soon as those words left his mouth, Takuma and his companions stared at him as if he were an idiot, utterly baffled as to why Yuki would say such a thing.
Logically, if they were truly guilty, shouldn't father and son deny it vehemently, using every means to clear their names? Why would they admit it so openly?
"Do you know what you just said?"
"I don't know, and I don't want to. That's enough. My sister is waiting for me to guide her training. I'm leaving."
As if tired of wasting time with these fools, Yuki turned and walked away without a care for how shocking his words had just been.
This guy really isn't afraid of boiling water…
Watching the young master of the Hyūga clan actually turn and leave just like that, Takuma and his two companions exchanged glances, seeing the surprise in each other's eyes.
However, at that moment, Ruka, who had just mocked Yuki, snorted coldly and said to the companion beside him with a smirk, "Still practicing? That failure who hasn't even mastered the basics of the Gentle Fist at seven years old can keep at it, I guess—"
Before he could finish his sentence, a white shadow appeared before Ruka like a ghost.
Before the three of them could react, Ruka felt his throat tighten. His upper body was forcibly pulled into a bowing posture, and his entire body froze in place.
Before him, a pair of Byakugan eyes burned with murderous intent.
"Say that again."
As Yuki's hands locked tightly around Ruka's neck, forcing his face down to eye level, Takuma beside them could almost see the flesh on Ruka's neck tearing away.
"Let go, you bastard—!"
After a few seconds of stunned silence, the other follower beside him, Rui, rushed over quickly. But before he could intervene, Yuki shot a glance his way. With that single glance, Rui halted in his tracks.
Trembling. At that moment, Rui found his body trembling uncontrollably. Every cell in his body screamed at him not to take another step forward—because doing so would likely mean death.
What terrifying killing intent… Why would such terrifying killing intent come from a rookie who hasn't even graduated from the Ninja Academy?
Not only Rui, but even Takuma was so frightened by the naked killing intent that his body nearly went numb on the spot, not daring to step forward to rescue Ruka.
"Remember this. In this clan, you can talk about whoever you like—after all, the tongue is in your own mouth. But you cannot speak ill of my sister. Otherwise, next time, that tongue might not remain in your mouth. Understood?"
"U-understood…"
After taking a deep breath, Yuki slowly released Ruka. His fingers were now stained with sticky blood, seeping from the torn flesh on the latter's neck.
That was too close. I almost killed him. Are these guys really so slow to react to a sudden attack?
As Yuki released Ruka and walked away without looking back, he began to blame himself for his recklessness and impulsiveness.
Takuma, Ruka, and Rui were all Chūnin. But for today's Yuki, killing them would require little effort. After all, the number of opponents at this level that Yuki could kill was likely countable in the hundreds.
Over the two years since he left Konoha Village, he had continuously sought out brutal bandits and rogue ninjas as targets, placing himself in the most dangerous environments. In doing so, he had cultivated a terrifying aura of killing intent.
In contrast, though the three "talented" Chūnin had undertaken many missions, to Yuki they were little more than flowers raised in a greenhouse.
Those stubborn old fools are finally losing their patience. Fortunately, Father's arrangements should be almost ready. We should be able to proceed with the plan from two years ago.
As Yuki walked alone through the deserted corridor, his mind returned to that day two years ago when he had proposed leaving Konoha Village alone to experience the outside world.
"Why would you suggest something so insane—leaving the village alone to train without even a guard?"
Back then, if Hiashi hadn't been sure his son wasn't drunk, he might have thought the boy was talking nonsense.
How could it be possible? The eldest young master of the Hyūga clan, the heir to the clan head, and the bearer of the "Byakugan"—coveted by so many forces—wanting to go out alone for training at just ten years old? In Hiashi's eyes, it was an idiotic, unfunny joke.
"Yeah, why not? Is there a problem?"
"But tell me why—why would you take such a huge risk? Aren't you afraid of death?"
"Hahaha—"
"Why are you laughing?"
"Nothing, Father. You just asked a very funny question. If I were afraid of death, why would I become a ninja? Is being a ninja a long-lived profession with a high average lifespan?"
Faced with his son's retort, Hiashi couldn't help but hesitate for a moment.
Indeed, from the day they became a ninja, they embarked on a path where death could come at any moment. Talking about risk in this profession was almost a joke in itself. If you weren't willing to take risks, why become a ninja? Wasn't this profession inherently risky?
After a moment, Hiashi slowly said, "But you carry the hopes of our clan and the secret of the Byakugan. If you die outside—"
"If I die during external training, then it only proves that's my limit—that I'm unworthy of bearing the clan's hopes. As for the Byakugan, I'll destroy it myself before I die. That solves the problem, doesn't it?"
"Nonsense! Utter nonsense! You must understand—you're a genius. You should grow up safely under the protection of the main family, not take such risks at such a young age."
"Grow up safely under protection… Let me ask you this: Among the famous powerhouses of the ninja world—Senju Hashirama, Senju Tobirama, Uchiha Madara, Hanzō of the Salamander, Hatake Sakumo, Namikaze Minato—which of them grew up safely under protection?"
"This…"
"Besides, during the previous Ninja World Wars, children as young as five or six had to go to the battlefield to kill enemies. Who protected their lives then?"
"But that was during wartime. Now it's peacetime."
"During wartime… Speaking of wartime, has the Hyūga clan ever produced a single clansman who could compare to the top-tier powerhouses I just mentioned? Even one."
Hearing Yuki's question, cold sweat broke out on Hiashi's forehead.
As the head of the Hyūga clan, he naturally knew the answer: No.
Indeed, the Hyūga clan was famous throughout the ninja world, and nearly every ninja knew of this family. But the clan had never produced a single top-tier powerhouse capable of single-handedly turning the tide of battle. Not one.
"Father, with all due respect, it seems that you—and the entire Hyūga clan—have been thoroughly poisoned by the 'Caged Bird.'"
Yuki's next words left Hiashi even more stunned.
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