At dusk, Konoha was quiet and calm. Night fell like a gray coat over the buildings, and the four faces on Hokage Rock stood like thin giants. They watched the land below in silence.
Inside a courtyard, Ryuji stood in the center wearing white training clothes. His eyes were closed, and he held his body still as if listening to his own breathing.
Wood chips and broken blocks were scattered everywhere in the courtyard. Every Root training post around him had been smashed apart, and the trimmed grass was torn up with pits and scars. On some of the broken posts, fresh blood stains had not yet dried.
"It's done."
Ryuji opened his eyes and looked at the panel in front of him, smiling. "I finally have long range and heavy attack taijutsu."
[Taijutsu: Gentle Fist · Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms (C rank), Eight Gates · Gate of Life (Forbidden Technique), Gentle Fist (B rank), Vacuum Strike (A rank)]
"I copied Kaguya Otsutsuki's Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack, but with her body and talent, that move is probably just brute force for her."
He pulled his thoughts back and swept his eyes over the messy courtyard. After hesitating for a moment, he chose not to clean up and turned to walk into the house.
He had spent the whole morning in intense training with Might Guy, and the afternoon exhausting himself developing new taijutsu. Right now, he only wanted to get some rest.
Not long after he entered the house, a figure appeared outside the courtyard. The visitor could not help feeling shocked when he saw the scene inside.
What happened here?
The man frowned and quietly stepped into the courtyard. He stood in front of the door for a few seconds, then finally reached out to open it.
At the instant his hand touched the handle, the door suddenly burst outward. The force was so great that it boomed through the air and surged along the handle.
It felt as if it would smash him apart and scatter him across the grass. At the same time, it seemed like it wanted to rush into his body.
"Hm?"
The visitor froze for a moment and instinctively pressed his palm against the door. He instantly released the power of Gentle Fist and barely canceled out the violent force.
All the power dissolved like mud sinking into the sea, as if two opposing forces had neutralized each other.
Inside the room, Ryuji stopped his attack. He seemed to realize who the visitor was.
The door creaked open.
When Ryuji clearly saw the face outside, he was stunned as well. "Lord Hizashi?"
He quickly recovered and showed an apologetic expression. "Sorry, Lord Hizashi, I thought it was…"
"I should be the one apologizing for coming unannounced."
Dressed in a black kimono, Hizashi Hyuga waved his hand, hiding his slightly trembling arm behind his back. He looked at Ryuji with a trace of approval and smiled. "May I come in and sit for a while?"
"Please come in." Ryuji smiled and stepped aside.
"Thank you for the trouble." Hizashi Hyuga entered the entryway and glanced around the simple, empty interior. His gaze paused briefly on the open door of another room filled with training equipment.
"I already know what happened this morning. You acted cautiously when you saw someone intrude, and that was the right call."
They sat down in the living room, and Hizashi Hyuga sighed softly. "I just didn't expect someone to dare attack you inside the village. How is your injury?"
Noticing his gaze on his palm, Ryuji smiled. "I was lucky. It's mostly fine now."
"There are only the two of us here, no need to be so distant." Hizashi nodded. "Your father and I were close when he was alive. I neglected you, but seeing that you are safe puts me at ease."
Although he was the nominal head of the Branch Family, his reputation among them was fairly good. His attitude toward Ryuji was gentle, more like an elder than a clan leader.
Hizashi Hyuga asked about Ryuji's recent situation, but as they talked, he paused. After hesitating, he chose not to scold him for the defiance at noon, unlike what the Main Family elders had said.
Looking at Ryuji's young face, he thought of the boy's deceased father. He also recalled Neji's current attitude toward the Main Family, and sighed inwardly.
With such harsh actions and attitudes from the Main Family, resentment was inevitable. All he could do was try his best to soothe it.
"You smashed those wooden posts outside, didn't you?" Hizashi Hyuga changed the topic and said with feeling. "Your progress is impressive. You even awakened Byakugan through misfortune, but be careful with intensity and don't hurt yourself."
"You flatter me, Lord Hizashi." Ryuji remained polite but did not echo his words. He spoke calmly instead. "After all, I'm the only one left now. I can only rely on myself."
Hearing this, Hizashi Hyuga froze for a moment, and guilt and regret rose in his heart again. Seeing Ryuji's calm surface hiding real sadness, he found he could not bring himself to ask further questions.
What was there to ask?
Was he supposed to ask how someone once useless suddenly became so strong?
There was no need to ask. The death of a father, the loss of the only family, was enough to change a timid child.
Hizashi Hyuga pressed his dry lips together, suddenly realizing the child had not even prepared tea. In the end, there was still resentment in his heart, and all he could do was try to comfort him.
"All right. If you face any difficulties in the future, you can come to me." Hizashi Hyuga stood up. "I'll take my leave. You should be tired too, so rest early."
He did not leave immediately. Instead, he took out two scrolls and placed them on the table, speaking gently. "Since you have already awakened Byakugan, you should have mastered Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms. These are the advanced Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms."
Ryuji glanced at the scrolls, his eyes flickering slightly. He knew that out of guilt and pity, Hizashi had truly gone all out on impulse.
The Hyuga Main Family wanted the Branch Family to be strong enough to protect them, yet not too strong. Aside from Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation, the secret passed orally among the Main Family, the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms was also a technique that required their permission.
While it meant little against the level of the Five Kage, it was extremely powerful against most close range Jonin. At best, it slowed and blocked Chakra flow, and at worst, it left the target unable to use ninjutsu at all.
Only Branch Family members who protected the Main Family and showed loyalty and obedience had a chance to learn it. As for the so-called Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms, it barely existed in records, making the Sixty-Four Palms likely the current limit of Gentle Fist.
If the Main Family learned that Hizashi had privately taught this technique, he would be severely punished. He would likely have to endure the soul-deep pain of the Caged Bird Curse Seal once again.
The moment he took out the scrolls, Hizashi Hyuga already felt a trace of regret. Before he could say anything, Ryuji picked them up.
"Thank you." Ryuji lowered his head, his face hidden in shadow, his shoulders trembling slightly. "My father's scrolls and notes were taken away. Without you, I really wouldn't know how to go on."
Hearing this, Hizashi Hyuga closed his mouth, which had been slightly open as if to speak. After a moment of silence, he could only sigh. "Don't resent the Main Family. This is our fate as the Branch Family. Your father would not want to see you suffer like this."
Fearing he might regret it again and ask for the scrolls back, Hizashi finally took his leave.
Ryuji sat in the living room with his head lowered, the sadness on his face gradually fading. He looked up at the night outside the window as it grew deeper.
[Ding! Your lie has been judged as feigned emotion. Hizashi Hyuga experienced intense emotional fluctuation and reached the level of self-doubt. You gained 1500 Reality Points.]
[Remaining Reality Points: 12293]
"Today was quite rewarding." Ryuji looked at his points and sighed. "If more good people like Lord Hizashi and Senior Guy showed up, that would be even better."
Seeing his points become more comfortable, he felt restless again. To be safe, he decided to keep ten thousand points in reserve, since a little over a thousand was enough for trouble.
The first person he thought of was, of course, his most respected Orochimaru. "The scrolls in Orochimaru's hands seem ready to be adjusted."
To him, Orochimaru was a test subject, and a very useful one. He now had a bold idea.
After thinking for a moment, he silently said in his heart, "Manifest. Add follow-up content to the scrolls in Orochimaru's possession, sealed so they can only be read after mastering body transfer. The content will state that when a ninja with deep resentment dies, the soul becomes tangible."
He roughly described his request and soon received a response.
[Spend 100 Reality Points. Confirm manifestation?]
Since it was only text and a simple seal, the cost was low. "Confirm," Ryuji replied.
After confirming completion, his eyes flickered again as he thought of Neji Hyuga from earlier. Orochimaru was too far away, and results would take time.
There was no need to wait blindly. He could start with others, and Neji Hyuga was a good choice.
After some thought, he silently said, "Manifest. Clothing that conceals identity, blocks Byakugan and other perception, and cannot be damaged."
[Spend 2000 Reality Points. Confirm manifestation?]
"So expensive." He frowned, then replied, "Yes."
[2000 Reality Points deducted. Remaining Reality Points: 10193]
As the system response echoed in his mind, Ryuji waited for an item to appear. Instead, he saw his shadow change.
Black liquid surged out from his shadow, crawling up his ankles like fluid and gradually covering his entire body. He raised his head and looked at himself in the mirror.
He was now wearing a hooded black robe. The edges flowed as if alive rather than cloth, and his face was hidden in bottomless darkness.
[Shadow Robe: A black robe transformed from shadow. It adapts to the host's body, interferes with most observation and perception, automatically repairs damage like liquid, and normally hides within the shadow. Bound.]
At that moment, Ryuji had only one thought. Those 2000 Reality Points were worth it.