Byakugan.
The Hyūga clan's kekkei genkai.
It granted long-range vision, X-ray sight, and near-perfect perception.
Long-range vision turned the eyes into living telescopes.
X-ray vision allowed one to see straight through objects and clearly observe the flow of chakra within the human body.
And in this world, everyone possessed chakra to some degree.
Which meant that no one could truly hide from the Byakugan's gaze.
If the Hyūga clan were being honest, the profession best suited to them was sniper.
And yet these people insisted on fighting in close combat.
No wonder their enemies laughed themselves to death.
Coupled with near-360-degree perception—
though the Caged Bird Seal reduced it by one blind angle—
That limitation barely mattered at long range.
Hyūga Ming stepped on a bandit's chest.
Five shuriken appeared instantly in his free hand.
With a flick of his wrist, he threw them.
The shuriken vanished from his hand—
and in the next instant, were embedded in five throats.
Notifications flashed before his eyes.
[EXP +13]
[EXP +11]
[EXP +10]
…
Six enemies.
68 experience points.
Hyūga Hiashi and Hyūga Hizashi rushed up behind him.
Hiashi, whose expression hadn't improved even once, demanded coldly,
"Why didn't you follow orders?!"
His gaze lingered suspiciously on the spiked mace lying on the ground.
That had been the Substitution Technique, right?
It had to be.
Then why had a mace appeared?
Where had Ming even been hiding something like that?
Ming ignored him completely.
He walked forward and picked up the mace—his substitution prop.
The Substitution Technique worked by replacing one's body with another object at the moment of attack, creating the illusion of a successful hit.
Put simply:
use something else to take the blow.
With Substitution at Level 5, Ming was no longer limited to logs.
"Answer me!" Hiashi snapped, furious at being ignored.
Ming calmly collected the dropped items.
[Silver: 8 taels]
That was everything combined.
"Too weak," Ming sighed inwardly.
"Didn't even drop anything good."
He turned sharply, eyes cold as blades, and looked at the two brothers.
"Try stealing my kills again—
and I'll kill you."
Hiashi completely lost it.
Though he didn't understand what kill-stealing meant, he charged at Ming anyway.
Hizashi hesitated—
then stopped.
Watching from the trees, Tsunade shook her head.
"This generation's Hyūga main family is a nightmare to deal with."
Mostly because of one problem child who refused to play by the rules.
But even so, breaking into internal conflict during a mission—
That was stupidity.
The Hyūga clan had protected Hiashi far too well.
If not for those unmistakable Hyūga eyes, she would've suspected the kid was an Uchiha.
Ming's eyes lit up when Hiashi attacked.
Interesting.
He wasn't using the Caged Bird Seal.
He was actually fighting head-on.
Ming had been waiting for this.
Veins bulged around Hiashi's eyes as he activated the Byakugan.
His palms lashed out like whips, relentless and furious—
A storm of strikes.
Gentle Fist.
The Hyūga's signature taijutsu.
Calling it a "fist style" was misleading—it was closer to precision chakra-point strikes.
Ming's hands moved just as fast, blocking the barrage cleanly.
Like a stubborn rock in a raging storm.
No matter how Hiashi attacked, he couldn't land a decisive blow.
Frustration crept in.
Hiashi gathered chakra into a single palm and struck with full force.
Ming raised both hands to block.
If that hit landed, he'd be sent flying.
Bang!
"AAAAHH—!!"
A shrill scream echoed.
But it wasn't Ming.
It was Hiashi.
His palm had slammed straight into the spiked mace.
The spikes pierced clean through his hand.
Ming appeared behind him, lips moving softly.
"You really are useless."
Before Hiashi could react, Ming tapped a finger against his temple.
Hiashi collapsed instantly, unconscious.
Hizashi rushed forward, launching rapid palm strikes, followed by a sweeping kick.
Ming leapt backward, dodging cleanly.
"Relax," Ming said mockingly.
"He's still alive."
He wasn't planning to defect from Konoha—yet.
A notification appeared.
[EXP +115]
"Not bad."
Seeing Hizashi still ready to fight, Ming thought it over—
then chose to let him go.
He turned and sprinted toward the mountains.
Hizashi exhaled in relief.
He hoisted Hiashi onto his back and stared after Ming, his expression conflicted.
"Hyūga Ming…"
"Is he really… a genius?"
His teeth clenched in frustration.
What kind of Hyūga used Substitution Technique in combat—
and with a spiked mace?!
What kind of ninja fought like that?!
He'd heard the rumors—
undefeated among his peers, hailed as the Hyūga clan's genius.
Now Hizashi seriously questioned how that reputation had been earned.
Tsunade appeared beside them, disappointment clear on her face.
"Internal conflict during a mission," she said coldly.
"You've failed as teammates."
Hizashi protested,
"But Hyūga Ming—"
"That's enough," Tsunade cut him off sharply.
"I don't want to hear explanations."
The Hyūga clan's internal mess wasn't her concern.
And Hiashi's condescending attitude had already worn thin.
She honestly didn't understand what the clan had been thinking, forcing these three together.
This team had clearly been arranged by the Hyūga themselves.
And the conflict was far too severe.
Ming didn't care what they were doing.
If they didn't follow him, even better.
Less competition for kills.
More bandits appeared ahead—far more than at the base.
"Who's there?!"
"How did you get up here?!"
"It's a ninja—just a kid!"
They watched in horror as Ming leaned forward, arms stretched back, sprinting toward them at blinding speed.
Then he stopped abruptly.
His arms snapped forward.
Shuriken flew.
The front line fell, throats pierced, bodies collapsing.
"ENEMY ATTACK—!!"
The scream echoed across the mountains.
But what answered them was a wall of shuriken.
A continuous barrage.
Necks.
Shoulders.
Chests.
Arms.
Blood bloomed everywhere.
Ming stood in place, throwing shuriken nonstop—
like a living machine.
His inventory held dozens of stacks, each capped at ninety-nine.
He watched the experience notifications flood his vision, his grin widening.
Suddenly, his gaze snapped to the side.
A three-meter ledge.
Someone leapt down, blade in hand.
"I've been waiting for you."
Before the words even finished leaving his mouth—
He was shredded by shuriken.
Dead before he hit the ground.
This wasn't a fighting game.
This was—
A shooting game.