Chapter 100: A Genius of Yang Release
Inoichi Yamanaka's writing speed was extremely fast. Whether he'd specially practiced or frequently recorded extracted secret techniques and ninjutsu, his brush moved like a swimming dragon. In just half an hour, he'd recorded all the intelligence extracted from Suikazan Fuguki's mind onto the scroll.
"Clan Head Hyuga, I don't know which techniques of Fuguki's interest you, but aside from basic low-level ninjutsu like the Three Basic Techniques, all the secret techniques, genjutsu and ninjutsu I could extract are recorded here."
Inoichi handed over the scroll.
"Jonin Yamanaka, you've worked hard."
Ritsu thanked him and accepted the scroll, immediately opening it to search. He skipped past everything with "Water" in the name—though he didn't skip many Water Release techniques before finding his target.
Ninja Art: Hair Needle Senbon
Ninja Art: Needle Jizo
Ninja Art: Wild Lion's Mane
Flipping through the entire scroll, only these three secret techniques involved hair manipulation. But Ritsu was already quite satisfied. He'd expected to obtain at most the first two.
A defensive technique like Ninja Art: Needle Jizo was a pleasant surprise beyond expectations.
Speaking of which, besides Suikazan Fuguki, one of the Sannin—Jiraiya—also mastered this type of hair manipulation secret technique. There was overlap with what Fuguki mastered, but also differences.
However, Ritsu didn't care about the connections. Whatever origins these techniques had didn't matter to him. What mattered was whether they truly had high compatibility with the Byakugan and could be promoted for his clansmen to practice. He needed to personally experience this.
"Orochimaru-senpai, I'll also take my leave."
Ritsu said goodbye to Orochimaru.
"Go ahead. However, Ritsu-kun, prepare yourself mentally. I think orders will come soon requiring you to return to the village."
"I await them anytime."
Ritsu answered with a smile.
Seeing this, Orochimaru also chuckled softly and waved his hand, indicating Ritsu could leave.
"Then, Clan Head Nara, Jonin Yamanaka, Jonin Akimichi, I'll take my leave." Ritsu greeted this generation's Ino-Shika-Cho trio, tucked away the scroll Inoichi had written, and departed quickly.
The three from Nara didn't linger either. Though regulations required Inoichi to copy another scroll to submit to the village, rules were dead while people were alive. The copy for the village could be delayed.
After exiting the tent, Ritsu's figure was already gone.
"Shikaku, you—"
"Inoichi, save any words for when we're back."
Shikaku interrupted Inoichi's words.
The three moved swiftly, quickly returning to Shikaku's tent. Once inside, Inoichi, who'd been holding back for so long, finally couldn't restrain himself. He asked urgently: "Shikaku, why did you have me help read Fuguki's brain?"
"Why couldn't you help?"
Shikaku asked in return.
Inoichi was stunned by the question.
Before he could figure out the answer, Shikaku took out cups and tea leaves. While beginning to brew tea, he said: "Inoichi, Choza, you both witnessed that interrogation just now. What do you think?"
"Those bastards who sell out comrades' intelligence deserve death!"
Choza Akimichi spoke his mind directly.
"Clan Head Hyuga... I don't think he's easy to deal with. This matter won't be settled so easily, especially with the Uchiha Clan also dragged in."
After two seconds of thought, Inoichi gave his assessment.
Both responses were within Shikaku's expectations.
Choza's thoughts were pure and simple. The Akimichi Clan's Multi-Size Technique specialized in frontal assault, completely unrelated to stealth operations, cultivating his habit of charging straight ahead.
Inoichi worried and overthought things. Because the Yamanaka Clan specialized in mental techniques, he inevitably contacted many of the village's unseen matters, making him extraordinarily cautious in his conduct.
"Choza, you're correct. Those who sell out comrades' intelligence truly deserve death. The village will definitely provide an explanation. However, as Inoichi said, the village's explanation probably won't easily satisfy Clan Head Hyuga. Nine out of ten chances, the village won't be peaceful going forward."
Shikaku said slowly.
Not peaceful?
This phrase made Inoichi's expression change, and Choza unconsciously shifted his body.
"Shikaku, what do you mean by 'not peaceful'?"
"I can't rule out the possibility of violent conflict erupting."
Shikaku calmly spoke words that were anything but calming.
"How is that possible? Where would he get such audacity?"
Inoichi showed alarm.
"Shikaku, do you mean the Hyuga Clan will rebel?"
Choza asked even more bluntly.
"Inoichi, you yourself just said Clan Head Hyuga isn't easy to deal with. Do you think throwing out a few scapegoats from above will settle this matter? Not to mention the Uchiha Clan is also involved. If those above can't give the Hyuga and Uchiha Clans a satisfactory explanation, why wouldn't they resort to violent means to obtain the satisfaction they want?"
Shikaku lifted the hot water kettle and poured three cups of tea.
He set down the kettle and sat down. Not afraid of burning his mouth, he picked up his teacup, blew on it gently several times, and lightly sipped, savoring the bitter-turned-sweet tea fragrance. He continued: "Think from another perspective. If I were Hyuga Ritsu and suffered such great injustice, I'd definitely demand justice. Otherwise, what awaits me in the future will be even more and even deadlier crises!"
Inoichi and Choza couldn't refute this.
Choza looked at his teacup, silent for a moment before asking in a muffled voice: "Shikaku, why did they target Clan Head Hyuga? Because he destroyed the Hyuga Clan's Main and Branch Family system? Or is it what that bastard Fuguki said..."
"I don't know."
Shikaku shook his head. "And asking why now is meaningless—it's already too late. Regardless of why they chose to persecute Hyuga Ritsu, his betrayal and entrapment is something that already happened. Only because Ritsu himself is very strong did he survive."
And the problem lay precisely here.
Ritsu was strong—not only did this allow him to escape danger, it also gave him the courage to oppose the village and the confidence to demand justice for himself.
"That bastard Danzo!"
Inoichi cursed angrily.
But he knew clearly in his heart that Danzo's actions weren't necessarily just Danzo's personal will. He simply only dared curse Danzo.
"The reason I had Inoichi help Hyuga Ritsu is actually quite simple—it's just showing goodwill."
Shikaku finally answered Inoichi's question. But this answer made both Inoichi and Choza quite panicked. Under what circumstances would they need to show goodwill to Ritsu? The answer was simple—if Ritsu might gain the upper hand against the village leadership. For their clans' survival, they needed to build good relations with the potential victor in advance.
"Shikaku, has it really reached that point?"
Inoichi wanted a definite answer.
"Not necessarily, but don't forget the principle of planning ahead. The Hyuga and Uchiha Clans are already enough to drastically change the village's situation. Moreover... there's also Orochimaru!"
Shikaku sighed heavily, full of complaints.
The Hyuga Clan, the Uchiha Clan, Hyuga Ritsu who mastered the Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai, Hiruko who mastered Ice Release Kekkei Genkai, and an unfathomable Orochimaru whose thoughts and intentions remained inscrutable.
So many unstable factors could influence the village's trajectory. The only fortunate thing was that White Fang's son wasn't strong enough yet and shouldn't cause too much impact for now.
Shikaku had to consider—if under these unstable factors' influence, the village's situation truly moved toward the terrible future he predicted, how should their Nara, Yamanaka and Akimichi Clans conduct themselves? After all, their Ino-Shika-Cho trio had always been deeply bound to the Sarutobi Clan, from which the Third Hokage came.
He looked up at Inoichi and Choza, saying decisively: "Though everyone knows our Ino-Shika-Cho clans are vassals of the Sarutobi Clan, this doesn't mean we'll unconditionally support them. Some things absolutely cannot be done."
Or rather, you can do them, but if you do, do them properly so people can't discover you did such rotten things!
Shikaku also couldn't help roaring and cursing internally.
If possible, he truly didn't want to face such frustrating matters at all. But those people had perhaps held power too long, acting too unscrupulously. One careless move and they'd created this endless disaster.
Honestly, he equally detested this behavior of selling out comrades' intelligence—it was nauseating to the point of vomiting.
Meanwhile, Inoichi and Choza deeply realized Shikaku truly wasn't joking.
"Shikaku, we'll do whatever you say."
"Right, Shikaku, we'll listen to you."
Inoichi and Choza chose to abandon thinking, following the experience passed down over hundreds of years—trusting this super-brain shared by the three clans, produced by the Nara Clan!
"We'll take it one step at a time. This matter... the outcome is hard to predict."
Shikaku's brow remained tightly furrowed, looking deeply contemplative.
Inoichi and Choza exchanged glances. Having Shikaku worry was sufficient. Even if they worried along with him, it would just be useless effort. Better to set down their burdens and wait to charge forward according to Shikaku's instructions.
The two picked up their teacups and began drinking leisurely.
Ritsu didn't know that the Nara clever person had already determined he would stir up major trouble. In fact, he currently had no such excessive thoughts. More accurately, his mind remained focused on improving his own and his clan's strength.
After returning to his tent, he immediately created a bunch of shadow clones to study these three hair manipulation secret techniques together.
"These techniques' foundation is physical energy!"
"Meaning they're Yang Release secret techniques? That makes sense. Nearly all secret techniques involve Yang Release or Yin Release. Bodily transformation is precisely Yang Release's domain."
"These techniques seem quite difficult to practice. Large-scale promotion within the clan might not be easy."
In the tent, one "Hyuga Ritsu" after another discussed back and forth. Though their essence was singular, different shadow clones thinking from different angles could still spark flashes of inspiration through collision and friction.
Though Ritsu's research found letting clansmen practice these techniques might pose considerable difficulty, he himself mastered all three techniques effortlessly.
It was completely natural, accomplished immediately, so smooth that even Ritsu felt somewhat dazed. He felt no difficulty or bottlenecks whatsoever.
"Is it because of 'Senju'? No, it might also be 'Kaguya'!"
Ritsu looked thoughtfully at his hair moving like snakes.
If he remembered correctly, the Senju Clan bloodline's true power wasn't Wood Release Kekkei Genkai but the Body of the Sage inherited from their ancestor Asura—monster-like physical healing ability, Tailed Beast-level massive chakra, and ocean-vast vigorous life force.
One could say the Senju Clan's Body of the Sage was fully matured Yang Release.
Also, the Kaguya Clan's Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai—bone and flesh regeneration ability was completely Yang Release characteristics.
He'd used the Chimera Technique to seize the Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai and obtained Hashirama Senju's bloodline from White Zetsu. Plus he possessed the Level 3 "Physical Regeneration" superpower.
These buffs were stacked nearly to the maximum!
"So I'm a genius at practicing Yang Release secret techniques!"
Ritsu couldn't help laughing.
Regardless of whether this speculation was accurate, it was good news anyway. Effortlessly mastering three Yang Release hair manipulation techniques meant his strength had improved somewhat again.
Because the Mist ninja had completely retreated, aside from occasionally discovering a few stragglers who hadn't escaped with the main force, triggering small-scale conflicts, combat on the eastern battlefield had basically disappeared.
Until several days later, a fleet flying the Hidden Mist Village flag openly sailed into a port on the Fire Country's eastern coast. Aboard were diplomatic envoys from Hidden Mist Village, claiming they'd come under the Fourth Mizukage's orders to sign a ceasefire agreement with Konoha.
Though the Mist ninja didn't think Konoha, after fighting the entire ninja world in circles, still had strength to counterattack the Water Country, one must guard against that ten-thousandth chance!
So formally signing a ceasefire agreement was wise. Moreover, this time the Mist ninja hadn't just suffered casualties—they'd also lost several powerful ninja tools. The Executioner's Blade, Samehada the Great Sword, and Samehada's scroll were all in Hyuga Ritsu's hands.
In short, the Mist side intended to recover these losses through negotiation.
Also, they'd confirmed through certain channels that Suikazan Fuguki was still alive and wanted to ransom him back.
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