Farming monsters for an entire afternoon, then picking up loot for a whole day.
Hyuga Arin looked at the several stacks of kunai in his inventory—each stacked to 99—and finally let out a sigh of relief.
It was… honestly hard to describe.
"In the end, I still didn't manage to pick them all up."
There were quite a few that he had no idea where he'd thrown them. In the end, he could only retrieve everything he could find on the mountain.
During this whole process—
The two Hyuga brothers and Tsunade didn't help at all.
Tch. What kind of good teammates were these?
Only after Hyuga Arin finished collecting everything did the three of them finally head back toward Konoha.
On the return trip, there was no need to rush. Instead, they walked along the main road toward the village.
Missions had time limits.
Usually, when executing a mission, ninja would hurry to reach the objective as quickly as possible. Once the mission was completed, however, there were no strict requirements.
Under the shade of the trees.
Tsunade and Hyuga Arin walked at the front.
Tsunade glanced sideways at Hyuga Arin and lowered her voice.
"When we get back, the Hyuga clan won't let you off easily this time."
"I won't conceal anything either."
Her voice was kept very low, so low that the two brothers walking behind them couldn't hear a thing.
This mission itself had been the result of a deal between the Hyuga clan and the Hokage.
She didn't have the authority to interfere in Hyuga clan affairs—after all, she was only a jonin right now.
And precisely because of the Hyuga clan's involvement, she absolutely could not hide any details. The ones who would truly evaluate this mission were the Hyuga clan themselves.
The Hyuga clan at present wasn't the oppressed clan they would become in the future.
Competing with the Uchiha for the title of strongest ninja clan, the power they held was far from insignificant.
Even though that power was mostly directed at branch family members.
"Doesn't matter. They can't kill me, and they don't dare cripple me."
Hyuga Arin split into a grin, revealing chilling white teeth.
They couldn't kill him. They couldn't cripple him.
Those were Konoha's rules.
They were also the conditions under which the First Hokage had accepted the Hyuga clan—any ninja currently in service could not be beaten to death or crippled by the Hyuga clan.
Of course, "accidental death" outside the village was another matter.
But if the Hyuga clan dared to come after him outside the village, he'd gladly accept the EXP.
Tsunade fell silent.
Was this kid completely unafraid of death?
In her life so far, she'd never encountered someone like this—reckless, unrestrained, and fearless in the face of death.
It couldn't help but remind her of a certain famous figure.
Uchiha Madara.
At the very least, based on the legendary stories, Madara's image matched Hyuga Arin disturbingly well.
A Hyuga Madara?
What kind of joke was that?
"The Caged Bird Seal—even the Sealing Division can't break it," Tsunade said quietly.
As Konoha's princess, although her reputation outweighed her actual authority, she was still aware of many of the village's secrets.
A certain "darkness of the ninja world," a pot-loving mastermind, had once tried to Break the Caged Bird Seal—but ultimately failed. It was only because the Hyuga clan vaguely sensed something amiss that the attempt was stopped.
If the Caged Bird Seal wasn't broken, then even if Hyuga Arin truly became a "Hyuga Madara," he still wouldn't be able to escape the Hyuga clan's control.
"Is that so?"
Hyuga Arin didn't care. He simply looked toward the distant mountain ranges.
Tsunade followed his gaze.
She still had no idea what he was looking at.
Or what he might be seeing.
…
Back in Konoha.
Tsunade went to submit the mission report.
The three of them headed toward the Hyuga clan compound.
Like the Uchiha, the Hyuga lived within a clan district, though with some differences.
Within the Hyuga compound, there were also clear hierarchies. The main family lived in the best area, while the branch family residences were divided according to strength.
Just as they were about to reach the entrance, Hyuga Hiashi stopped.
Watching Hyuga Arin walk forward, he pondered for a moment before speaking.
"You performed very poorly on this mission."
Hyuga Arin glanced at the bandages wrapped around Hyuga Hiashi's hand and broke into a grin.
"What? Planning to settle accounts after the fact?"
Hyuga Hiashi took a deep breath.
"I'm not that kind of petty person. But what you did on this mission can't be hidden at all."
Even if he didn't say anything, his brother and Tsunade certainly wouldn't hide it either.
The fact that he had been allowed to leave the village on a mission already meant the main family was paying close attention. There was no way to conceal anything.
"So?" Hyuga Arin sneered.
He really wasn't someone who'd grown up being scared.
Hyuga Hiashi's gaze flickered as he spoke in a low voice.
"Hyuga Arin, if one day I defeat you, I hope you'll completely submit to me. If that happens, I'll save you once."
He knew very well that Hyuga Arin was the whetstone his father had prepared for him.
If he simply watched Hyuga Arin be punished like this, his father would also be disappointed in him.
So he was still trying to salvage the situation.
The branch family serving the main family was only natural.
The branch family defying the main family was a grave sin.
Those were the rules of the Hyuga clan.
Hyuga Arin looked at Hyuga Hiashi with a half-smile and said nothing.
Aside from Gentle Fist and the Byakugan, the branch family had no powerful techniques at all.
Advanced Gentle Fist techniques like the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms or Rotation were only mastered by the main family.
In theory, branch family members who rendered great service might be taught these techniques—but Hyuga Arin had never heard of any branch family member actually being taught Rotation or the Sixty-Four Palms.
Most likely, it was only after Hyuga Hiashi became clan head, and because of Hyuga Neji, that true transmission would be allowed.
As for now…
Hyuga Arin could only say: heh.
In other words, theoretically speaking, Hyuga Arin would never be able to defeat Hyuga Hiashi.
That was only theory.
Hyuga Arin slowly opened his mouth.
"What if you can never defeat me?"
Impossible.
That thought flashed through Hyuga Hiashi's mind instantly.
But looking at Hyuga Arin's half-smiling expression, he gritted his teeth and said,
"Then I'll grant you freedom. I won't allow anyone to activate the Caged Bird Seal on you."
"Ha. Hahaha."
Hyuga Arin laughed twice, shoved Hyuga Hiashi aside, and walked straight past him.
What a generous reward.
"Hyuga Arin, you're back."
Two Hyuga clan members guarding the entrance smiled as they greeted him.
"Uncle Caogen, Uncle Quwu—just got back from a mission," Hyuga Arin replied with a bright smile, nodding at them.
Compared to the smile he'd shown Hyuga Hiashi, this one was far less chilling.
The two Hyuga in their twenties scratched their faces awkwardly and muttered under their breath,
"We're not that old, are we?"
Hyuga Caogen couldn't help sighing.
"Time really flies. Hyuga Arin—you've become a ninja already."
They were about to say more when they noticed Hyuga Hiashi approaching. Immediately, they dropped to one knee.
"Young Master."
Hyuga Arin's expression sobered slightly.
"I'll head back first."
He didn't pay any attention to anyone else, pushing the door open and walking inside.
Hyuga Caogen and Hyuga Quwu looked worriedly after Hyuga Arin, wanting to explain something on his behalf.
Hyuga Hiashi and Hyuga Hizashi ignored them completely and walked in as well.
Watching the three figures disappear inside, the two let out a sigh.
Hyuga Quwu touched the forehead protector on his own head.
Just a few green marks—
And yet, the gap between branch family and main family was as vast as heaven and earth.
…
Hyuga Arin returned to his own room.
It was a small one-bedroom unit. Because his deceased parents had both been jonin, he had inherited this residence from their estate.
He sat cross-legged on a cushion and quietly waited for something.
"Six more levels."
He murmured softly.