Hyuga Arin recognized the two men standing protectively in front of Hyuga Hiashi at a glance.
Hyuga Sano and Hyuga Yuno—the twin brothers of the Hyuga clan. Both were jōnin, both branch-family members.
He hadn't expected the clan to assign the two of them to guard Hiashi.
"Just one person?" Hyuga Sano swept the area with his Byakugan. There was only a single figure in sight.
Still, the faint chakra enveloping Arin made him uneasy.
"Yuno."
"I've got this."
Hyuga Yuno vanished in an instant, reappearing right in front of Arin. Both hands unleashed Gentle Fist strikes like a storm.
Arin sidestepped casually, left and right, relaxed and effortless.
"So slow. How do you even survive out here with Gentle Fist like this?" Arin raised his hand and lightly tapped Yuno's abdomen.
Yuno's body instantly doubled over. The force carried by that single finger far exceeded expectations—it even pierced straight through his green flak jacket.
Those two fingers—
Yuno's pupils shrank. "Gent—"
Crack!
Arin's finger struck Yuno's neck, shattering it instantly.
[Experience: 18,978]
Arin tossed the dropped items into his inventory.
Against him, using Gentle Fist was the most foolish choice imaginable.
With max-level Gentle Fist traits, any movement near his body was completely predictable. Add in the chakra–nen hybrid attributes and his own physical strength—
Gentle Fist never stood a chance.
In a sense, Hyuga Arin was the natural nemesis of Gentle Fist.
Yuno's body slumped toward Arin. Arin swayed aside, letting the corpse fall heavily to the ground.
Yuno hadn't been weak—his attacks were simply seen through from the very start.
For branch-family members who specialized in Gentle Fist, once their technique was deciphered, only death awaited.
"Young Master, something's wrong—run!" Hyuga Sano's face twisted with grief. He hadn't imagined his younger brother would fall so quickly.
Gentle Fist was supposed to have the advantage against Cloud ninja.
"Uncle Sano—"
"GO!" Hyuga Sano roared, launching himself straight at Arin.
Hiashi knew he couldn't stay and become dead weight. He turned and sprinted toward the camp.
Arin watched Sano charge. He drew the blade from his back and strolled forward as if taking a leisurely walk.
"Eight Trigrams: Palm Air Blast!"
Sano struck, firing an invisible shockwave.
Arin swayed aside, dodging it effortlessly, and continued forward.
Sano inhaled sharply. A faint Eight Trigrams diagram flickered beneath his feet.
This was something he had developed himself, always hiding it to prevent the main house from discovering it. But now, he had no choice.
"Eight Trigrams—Sixty—"
A flash of blue lightning.
Before he could finish speaking, Arin appeared behind him.
So fast.
That was Sano's final thought as he collapsed to the ground.
Arin flicked his blade, white steam curling from the corner of his mouth.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form—Thunderclap Flash."
[Experience: 19,999]
Arin glanced at Hiashi's retreating figure—it hadn't yet vanished from view. He first picked up the items dropped on the ground.
[Byakugan (Damaged)]
[Skill: Gentle Fist]
The twins had dropped the same items. None of it was useful to Arin, so he tossed everything into storage.
Then he looked toward the rapidly fleeing Hiashi. As his breathing changed rhythmically, lightning began to coil around his body.
"Thunder Breathing—Lightning Flash!"
Arin turned into a streak of white light, shooting straight after Hiashi.
Hyuga Hiashi was running for his life.
He hadn't expected such horrific luck—running straight into an enemy jōnin of this level.
Suddenly, his Byakugan caught a flash of lightning rapidly closing in from behind. He stopped abruptly.
The lightning halted in front of him.
"Why stop running, Hyuga Hiashi?" Arin asked softly.
Hiashi's pupils constricted. "How do you… know my name?"
Don't be mistaken—everyone knew the Hyuga main house in Konoha.
But outside the village, the identities of main-house members were strictly confidential.
"I guess there's no need to hide anymore." Smoke billowed around Arin as he reverted to his original appearance.
He rested the blade on his shoulder. "You should recognize me like this."
"Hyuga Arin!" Hiashi roared.
"You dare attack fellow Konoha ninja?!"
"Do you want to become a rogue ninja?!"
Arin sighed helplessly and shook his head. "Honestly, after all this time, you haven't grown at all. Still this naive."
"Don't you notice how quiet it is here?"
Hiashi's expression changed. Only now did he realize just how unnaturally silent the surroundings were.
Why…?
This was—
Arin spoke calmly, "I heard your father died on this battlefield, didn't he?"
Hiashi's face hardened. His hands formed the seal for the Birdcage Curse Mark.
"What are you trying to say?"
Even if he didn't understand the silence, killing two branch members meant he could kill Arin here as well.
Back in the village, no one would condemn him.
"How about I send you to join your father?" Arin said with a light chuckle.
Hiashi's face twisted grotesquely.
Birdcage—activate!
…Nothing happened.
"How is this… possible?" Hiashi's face drained of color.
Arin stood there with a faint smile, showing no sign of agony.
He had fully activated the Birdcage. Arin should have died instantly!
"Are you trying to use this?" Arin removed his forehead protector, revealing the blackened mark beneath.
"Looks like your Birdcage doesn't work anymore."
He stepped closer, one step at a time.
Hiashi took a deep breath and assumed the Gentle Fist stance.
"Hyuga Arin—the main house has never wronged you."
Arin stopped and pondered for a moment. "Never wronged me?"
"Restricting my freedom. Arbitrarily assigning my squads. Stripping away my battle merits. Forcing me to kneel before the main house."
He walked right up to Hiashi. "You call that not wronging me?"
"So tell me—"
"What do I owe you?"
Hiashi opened his mouth… then fell silent.
"The main house… I will change it."
"You… won't get the chance."
"The rest of the main house—I'll send them to join you as well."
Arin's breathing began to shift.
Oh right—Hyuga Natsuna could be spared. She was genuinely a bit foolish, and she'd worked herself to the bone for him. Might as well let her live.
Facing the Arin who had dominated the Cloud battlefield, Hiashi showed not a shred of fear—only burning fighting spirit.
Then—
A flash of blue light.
Hyuga Hiashi's headless body collapsed to the ground.
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