Evening.
Konoha was peaceful at twilight. Night draped over the buildings like a gray coat. The four stone faces on the Hokage Rock watched over the land like silent giants.
In his courtyard, Kumokawa stood motionless, wearing his white training Gi. His eyes were closed.
The yard was a wreck. Wood chips littered the ground. Every single wooden training post had been shattered. The manicured lawn was pitted and scarred. Some of the splintered wood was stained with drying blood—his own, from pushing his body to the limit.
"Done."
Kumokawa opened his eyes and checked his System Panel. A smile touched his lips. "Finally, I have ranged and heavy-impact Nintaijutsu."
[Taijutsu: Gentle Fist · Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms (C-Rank), Eight Gates · Gate of Healing (Forbidden), Gentle Fist · One Blow Body (B-Rank), Vacuum Palm (A-Rank)]
"It mimics Kaguya's 'Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack', but with her physique, that technique was probably just a casual wave of her hand. For me, it requires technique."
Kumokawa gathered his thoughts and glanced at the messy yard.
He hesitated, then decided not to clean it up. He turned and walked into the house.
After a morning of high-intensity training with Guy and an afternoon of developing Nintaijutsu, he was exhausted.
But shortly after he entered, a figure appeared outside his gate.
The visitor looked at the devastation in the yard, stunned. 'What happened here?'
Frowning, the visitor walked silently to the door. After a few seconds of hesitation, he reached for the handle.
But the moment his hand touched it.
BANG!
The door was slammed open from the inside. A massive force, enough to generate a sonic boom, traveled through the handle. It felt like it wanted to crush the visitor and scatter him as fertilizer.
"Hm?"
The visitor reacted instantly. He pressed his palm forward against the door, unleashing a burst of Gentle Fist chakra to neutralize the incoming force.
The forces collided and dissolved like mud into the sea.
Inside the room, Kumokawa stopped. He realized who it was.
Click.
The door opened fully.
Seeing the face of the visitor, Kumokawa paused, feigning surprise.
"Lord Hizashi?"
Kumokawa blinked, then bowed apologetically. "I'm sorry, Lord Hizashi. I thought it was..."
"No need to apologize. I am the uninvited guest."
Hyūga Hizashi, dressed in a black kimono, waved his hand dismissively. He hid his trembling hand behind his back. Looking at Kumokawa with a hint of appreciation, he smiled. "May I come in?"
"Please." Kumokawa stepped aside.
"Excuse the intrusion." Hizashi entered the genkan. His gaze swept over the sparse, simple interior, lingering briefly on the open door of the training room filled with equipment.
"I heard about what happened this morning. You were right to be cautious when sensing an intruder."
They sat in the living room. Hizashi sighed, speaking first. "I just didn't expect someone to dare attack you inside the village. How is your injury?"
Noticing Hizashi looking at his hand, Kumokawa smiled. "Lucky. It's nothing serious."
"It's just us two here. No need to be so formal," Hizashi nodded. "Your father and I had a good relationship. I have neglected you. Seeing you safe is a relief."
As the leader of the Branch House, Hizashi was well-liked. He acted more like an elder uncle than a clan leader.
Hizashi asked about Kumokawa's recent life. He hesitated, intending to scold Kumokawa for his disrespect toward Aoi earlier (as the Elders had demanded), but he couldn't bring himself to do it.
Looking at Kumokawa's young face, thinking of his dead father, and thinking of Neji's growing resentment... Hizashi sighed internally.
With the Main House's atrocious behavior, how could resentment not breed? All he could do was try to soothe the wounds.
"You broke those stakes outside, didn't you?" Hizashi changed the subject. "I didn't expect your progress to be so rapid. Awakening the Byakugan through trauma... a blessing in disguise. But be careful not to overtrain."
"You flatter me, Lord Hizashi," Kumokawa replied politely but distantly. "After all... I am alone now. I have only myself to rely on."
Hizashi froze. A wave of guilt and pity washed over him.
Looking at Kumokawa's calm exterior masking deep sorrow, Hizashi couldn't ask the question he wanted to ask.
What question?
Why a 'waste' suddenly became so strong?
Is there a need to ask?
The death of a father, the only family... that is enough to change a cowardly child.
"..."
Hizashi licked his dry lips. He realized the boy hadn't even served tea.
He still holds a grudge.
I can only try to make amends.
"Alright. If you have any difficulties in the future, come to me." Hizashi stood up. "I should head back. You must be tired. Rest early."
He didn't leave immediately. Instead, he pulled two scrolls from his robe and placed them on the coffee table.
"Since you've awakened the Byakugan and mastered the Thirty-Two Palms... this is the advanced Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms."
Kumokawa's eyes flickered. He knew Hizashi, driven by guilt and impulse, was taking a massive risk.
The Main House wanted Branch members strong enough to serve, but not strong enough to rebel. Techniques like Rotation and Sixty-Four Palms were restricted. Only the most loyal dogs were allowed to learn them.
If the Main House found out Hizashi had taught this to Kumokawa without permission, Hizashi would face severe punishment—likely the torture of the Caged Bird.
The moment he put the scrolls down, Hizashi felt a twinge of regret. But before he could speak, Kumokawa had already picked them up.
"Thank you." Kumokawa bowed his head, his face hidden in shadow. His shoulders trembled. "Father's scrolls and notes were all taken away... If not for you, I truly wouldn't know how to proceed."
"..."
Hizashi closed his mouth. He was silent for a moment, then sighed. "Do not hate the Clan. This is our fate as the Branch House. Your father would not want to see you in such pain."
With that, afraid he might regret it and ask for the scrolls back, Hizashi left quickly.
Kumokawa sat alone in the living room, head bowed.
Slowly, the "grief" on his face smoothed into calm indifference. He looked out the window at the deepening night.
[Ding! Your lie has been judged as "Crocodile Tears".][Hyūga Hizashi has generated strong emotional fluctuations, reaching the level of "Self-Doubt".][You have obtained 1,500 Realization Points.][Remaining Realization Points: 12,293]
"A bountiful harvest today," Kumokawa mused. "If only there were more good people like Lord Hizashi and Senior Guy."
With points in hand, his heart began to itch.
Keeping 10,000 as a reserve, he had over a thousand points to play with. Enough to cause some chaos.
His first thought, naturally, went to his beloved Orochimaru.
"The scroll in Orochimaru's hands... it's time to make a move."
To him, Orochimaru was a lab rat. A very useful one.
Kumokawa had a bold idea.
He focused his mind: 'Manifestation: Add subsequent content to the scroll held by Orochimaru. Set condition: "Living Corpse Reincarnation" mastery required to unseal. Content: "When a ninja harboring deep resentment dies, their soul can materialize..."'
[Cost: 100 Realization Points. Confirm?]
"Manifest."
After confirming the update, his eyes drifted back to the thought of Neji.
Orochimaru was far away. Results would take time.
He couldn't just wait. He needed to start working on someone closer. Neji was a prime candidate.
After a moment of thought, Kumokawa commanded: 'Manifestation: A suit that conceals identity, blocks Byakugan and sensory perception, and is indestructible.'
[Cost: 2,000 Realization Points. Confirm?]
"So expensive." He frowned, but agreed. "Yes."
[Deducted 2,000 Points. Remaining: 10,193]
As the System responded, Kumokawa waited for a physical object to drop. instead, he saw his shadow begin to writhe.