Pain.
It erupted from his eyes and surged straight into his brain—
like countless needles stabbing into his eyeballs and cerebral cortex,
then electricity poured through them.
In a single instant, it felt as if he'd been dragged straight into hell.
This wasn't pain a human being was meant to endure.
No wonder so many members of the branch family eventually broke.
It wasn't just pain—
there was burning, tearing, grinding agony layered on top of it.
Endless negative sensations stacked together, so dense that Hyūga Ming felt the world itself begin to twist and distort.
"Brain Endorphins!!"
He roared.
His brain flooded itself with massive amounts of numbing hormones, forcibly suppressing the agony.
He held on.
Barely.
Hyūga Ming forced one eye open.
His vision was completely blurred—
Hyūga Hiashi had become nothing more than a dark silhouette.
Hyūga Ming pushed off the ground and closed the distance.
A bronze blade appeared in his hand.
The edge sliced through the air and stopped at Hyūga Hiashi's throat.
"Ghk…"
Hyūga Hiashi froze mid-seal and swallowed hard.
Only then did the pain ease slightly.
Hyūga Ming kept one eye open, staring at him with naked, chilling killing intent.
"Let's gamble."
He bared his teeth in a grin.
"Will you destroy my brain and eyes first—
or will I kill you first?"
He called it a gamble.
But Hyūga Ming knew the truth.
Hyūga Hiashi didn't dare kill him.
The commotion had already drawn attention from the nearby military camp.
Hyūga Hiashi would never shoulder the crime of murdering a fellow Konoha ninja.
That was why Hyūga Ming had always acted without restraint.
He knew he wouldn't die.
And as a player—
he simply couldn't learn how to bow his head.
Better to endure pain with dignity
than live painlessly without it.
Players will never be slaves.
Unless it's a quest.
And he didn't even have a quest system.
Just a status panel.
Why should he care about some so-called main family?
A bunch of NPCs trying to control him?
He'd kill them all eventually.
Hyūga Hiashi didn't move.
He really didn't dare.
And worse—he was afraid.
Not just of the consequences, but of Hyūga Ming himself.
Compared to all his constraints and hesitation,
Hyūga Ming was utterly unrestrained.
Hyūga Hiashi had the horrifying certainty—
If he pushed even a little further,
Hyūga Ming would actually slit his throat.
Just as the standoff reached its breaking point—
A figure burst from the forest.
A fist descended from above, slamming down between them.
A pale, slender fist.
BOOM!!
The ground shattered.
Dust exploded outward, swallowing everything.
Both Hyūga Ming and Hyūga Hiashi leapt back simultaneously.
As the dust settled—
Tsunade stood between them.
Her expression was terrifying.
"I don't care what grudges exist between your Hyūga main family and branch family," she roared.
"But right now, you are my subordinates—and you will follow my orders!!"
She knew at a glance what had happened.
And she knew who had provoked it.
Tsunade turned her cold gaze on Hyūga Hiashi.
"What you did today—I'll be reporting it to your father."
Attacking a comrade at a strategic frontline was a disgrace to Konoha.
Hyūga Hiashi's face darkened.
He'd only meant to seize the opportunity to punish Hyūga Ming—
He never imagined the boy would endure the Caged Bird's torment.
Hyūga Ming stared back coldly, dragging a finger across his own throat.
Your life,
I've marked it.
"Hyūga Ming!" Tsunade snapped.
"Stop provoking him. Even as my disciple, I won't tolerate this."
"Got it, Tsunade-sensei," Hyūga Ming replied cheerfully, as if nothing had happened.
He understood her words clearly.
She was backing him.
Hyūga Hiashi's expression sank even further.
Enduring the Caged Bird.
Protected by Tsunade.
Hyūga Ming was now completely beyond the Hyūga clan's control.
Hyūga Hizashi arrived at a run, carrying a backpack in one hand.
Hyūga Hiashi had rushed ahead earlier when he sensed Hyūga Ming.
Hizashi had expected to see punishment.
Instead—
Hyūga Ming stood unharmed.
This was no longer something he could interfere with.
He took his place beside his brother in silence.
Tsunade rubbed her temples, clearly fed up.
"This team is finished. Once the handover is complete, it's disbanded."
This damn team—
whoever wanted it could have it.
She was done.
"As punishment," she continued coldly,
"you two are confined!"
Military Camp Detention Facility
This prison had been built to hold enemy ninja for interrogation.
It had barely been put into use.
Tsunade grabbed one person in each hand and signaled for the guards to open the cells.
A chunin in a green vest hurriedly unlocked two doors.
Tsunade tossed both Hyūga Hiashi and Hyūga Ming inside.
"Reflect properly in there," she said icily.
Hyūga Ming sat down—then immediately stood and walked to the bars.
"Tsunade-sensei," he said,
"if the team's disbanded… can I stay here?"
"Hm?"
Tsunade stopped and turned.
She understood.
Hyūga Ming and Hyūga Hiashi had completely torn relations apart.
If Hyūga Ming returned to Konoha now,
the Hyūga clan wouldn't just punish him—they'd crush him.
This wouldn't be a simple confinement like last time.
Glancing at the neighboring cell, Tsunade said gravely:
"Some things can't be avoided forever."
The Hyūga clan wouldn't let him go.
No matter how long he hid, he'd have to face them eventually.
"One year," Hyūga Ming said firmly.
"Let me stay here for one year."
He treated Hyūga Hiashi like he didn't exist.
One year was enough.
Enough to solve the Caged Bird problem.
Rain ninja drops held the key—
but he needed to reach level eighteen and complete his job change first.
One year was more than enough.
Once the Caged Bird was removed,
even if he returned to Konoha—
The Hyūga clan wouldn't be able to touch him.
Tsunade's gaze sharpened, killing intent leaking out.
"If you ever become a missing-nin," she warned,
"I will personally kill you."
Still, she knew the odds were low.
The Caged Bird could kill him at any time.
"Don't worry, Tsunade-sensei," Hyūga Ming said with a smile.
Before the Second and Third Shinobi Wars ended—
He had no intention of defecting.
In wartime, survival meant backing a powerful tree.
And war—
Was the best time to grind experience.
"I hope so," Tsunade muttered, frowning slightly as she turned away.
The chunin who'd opened the cells gave an awkward shrug.
He didn't even fully lock the doors.
He was just a civilian ninja.
And Hyūga clan matters?
Those were way above his pay grade.
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