The Hidden Cloud ninjas, who were currently fighting Tetsu Hyūga and Homura Hyūga, followed the commotion with their eyes.
Tetsu Hyūga did the same.
After Kei Yotsuki clearly saw Kiyoshi, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. Taking advantage of Tetsu Hyūga's momentary distraction, he broke through a careless opening in his movements.
*Snap!*
Tetsu Hyūga was caught off guard and hit with a punch.
He stumbled back several steps, faintly hearing the sound of breaking ribs.
At least three were broken.
"Tetsu!" Natsu Hyūga cried out in worry.
"I'm fine, Natsu." Tetsu Hyūga wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and waved his hand.
How could he lose face in front of Natsu?
They were both from the Branch Family and were the same age, having entered the Ninja Academy together. They had essentially grown up together.
As Branch Family members were not allowed to intermarry with outsiders, they usually married within the clan.
Natsu Hyūga happened to be a generation removed from the Main Family.
And she was the most beautiful girl in the Branch Family!
With all these buffs stacked, Tetsu Hyūga could not allow himself to be disgraced!
***
Meanwhile, far away.
The monitoring screen inside the Central Tower showed the events unfolding downstream of the river near the tower.
This river was not far from the tower, placing the area squarely within the monitor's surveillance range.
If it were any further, the monitor wouldn't be able to track it.
"Is that kid Uchiha Kiyoshi?" Jiraiya took a bite of an apple, pointing at the surveillance footage on the screen.
He had asked the Old Man (Hiruzen) for a position as an assistant proctor.
"Yes, that's Kiyoshi." Minato Namikaze nodded.
Having heard Kushina mention Kiyoshi, he recognized Kiyoshi at a glance based on his appearance and features.
"The situation doesn't look optimistic." Jiraiya suddenly shook his head.
On the screen, the Hyūga clan squad was being surrounded and attacked by Hidden Cloud ninjas.
Kiyoshi's squad arrived from a distance, and the two sides seemed to be in a confrontation.
"Those Byakugan Hyūga aren't as strong as those Hidden Cloud ninjas." Jiraiya tossed the apple core into the trash can, where it landed with a *clank*.
"So Kiyoshi must be planning to rescue them, to help comrades from the same village." Minato Namikaze nodded.
Seeing Natsu Hyūga talk to Kiyoshi, Minato Namikaze was predisposed to believe they were well-acquainted.
If they were close, Kiyoshi would certainly offer a helping hand.
"He has a bit of the Will of Fire." Jiraiya smiled.
It was rare for an Uchiha to have the disposition to protect comrades and uphold the image of the great nation of the Land of Fire.
He had only heard the Old Man mention one Uchiha named Kagami Uchiha who possessed such Will of Fire.
Unfortunately, that person was no longer around.
Since then, Jiraiya had never seen another Uchiha worthy of the four words "Will of Fire."
Kiyoshi might be the first.
"The situation seems to have changed." Minato Namikaze watched as the Hidden Cloud ninja began negotiating something with Kiyoshi.
"Let's watch." Jiraiya focused on the slightly blurry screen, observing Kiyoshi's attitude toward the Hidden Cloud ninja.
Kiyoshi came from the Land of Lightning.
If his attitude was not correct, there was a possibility he held onto past loyalty.
Jiraiya would report this immediately.
Any danger threatening the village must be eliminated in its infancy!
Seeing Jiraiya's expression tighten and become serious, Minato Namikaze also focused on the screen.
***
"You must be Uchiha Kiyoshi. Are you interested in forming a team with us? We welcome strong individuals." Kei Yotsuki spread his hands in an inviting gesture.
There were too many onlookers here for him to mention anything else.
The Hidden Cloud had specifically tasked this team, who were participating in the Hidden Leaf Chunin Exams, with inviting Kiyoshi over.
This was their primary mission.
While other Bloodlines were valuable, only Kiyoshi showed signs of merging the superior bloodlines of both the Yotsuki and Uchiha clans!
To allow the Hidden Cloud to have its own Bloodline ninja clan, they needed to continuously localize and integrate them.
What was suitable for the Hidden Cloud was what mattered.
"You'll have to prove that you are strong first." Kiyoshi's words surprised everyone.
Natsu Hyūga and her team were stunned.
This wasn't according to the script they had expected.
They were all comrades from the same village; shouldn't they be banding together to fight off the Land of Lightning ninjas?
"I knew you were a traitor from the Land of Lightning!" Tetsu Hyūga immediately shouted, his eyes filled with xenophobia.
A ninja from the Land of Lightning like this could never understand what the "Will of Fire" meant!
Kurenai and Asuma both looked astonished.
They didn't understand why Kiyoshi would say such a thing.
Homura Hyūga said nothing, but his expression was also righteous indignation, aligning with Tetsu Hyūga's thoughts.
"Tetsu Hyūga, Kiyoshi is not that kind of person!"
Although she didn't know why Kiyoshi would say this, Kurenai felt uncomfortable hearing Tetsu Hyūga speak about Kiyoshi this way.
"Kiyoshi, you..."
With his previous flawless behavior, Kiyoshi had already become a mature, steady genius in Asuma Sarutobi's mind.
Surely he would know that such words were detrimental to the "Will of Fire."
"A meeting of great minds." Kei Yotsuki's look of surprise vanished.
He also hadn't expected Kiyoshi to be so easy to talk to.
Once they reached a private location, he would discuss it further with Kiyoshi, give him some promises, and bring Kiyoshi back to the village.
That would be a great achievement!
High-level Ninjutsu, guidance from Hidden Cloud master instructors, and becoming a hero of the village...
Kei Yotsuki felt as if a bright future was beckoning him.
"Druk, Taf, you two go together."
"Okay."
The tan-skinned Druk said gruffly, rushing forward with two twin swords.
Taf, who had fair skin and blonde hair, followed gracefully, holding a slender longsword.
The stalemate that had paused because of Kiyoshi's arrival was once again engulfed in the flames of battle!
"Aren't we comrades, Kiyoshi?" Natsu Hyūga considered herself somewhat familiar with Kiyoshi, who had even offered her help before.
Why was he acting like this today?
"Are we? Think carefully, what did your Main Family aristocratic elder say the Uchiha are?" Kiyoshi said calmly.
Though the voice was soft, it was like a thunderclap in Natsu Hyūga's ears!
Kiyoshi heard what happened last time?
Natsu Hyūga was filled with shock.
Madam Ginka was not a gossip; she had only mentioned such a thing once in public.
It could only be that time... when she said something detrimental to the clan's unity.
"That was Madam Ginka..." Natsu Hyūga thought about how to explain.
"Oh? Was her name Ginka Hyūga? But on that day, Kushina heard it too, besides me." Kiyoshi brought up Kushina.
He indicated he had another witness, rendering any denial by Natsu Hyūga useless.
"Ginka... Madam Ginka was because..."
Natsu Hyūga stammered, unable to form the excuse she had prepared.
She had planned to deny it and say Kiyoshi misheard.
Her reaction immediately reversed the public opinion about Kiyoshi.
Everyone could see that there was a hidden context.
"Natsu, what happened?" Homura Hyūga, hearing that the Main Family was involved, didn't dare to be careless and wanted to understand the whole story.
Natsu Hyūga remained silent.
Kei Yotsuki watched the scene with interest.
It seemed the Hyūga clan wasn't treating Kiyoshi well.
Thinking this, Kei Yotsuki refrained from joining the battle, telling Druk and Taf to take it slow.
***
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