Hyuga Disgrace, Beneath the Branch House

(The Hyuga clan massacre arc begins in Chapter 15. Everything before that is buildup. I admit it, I'm a clickbait author.)

(The author will roleplay as a cute little boy in the comments. Please go easy on me—comment ratings are very important to me as a new author, so please show mercy.)

(Please leave your brains here. Author-chan will keep them safe for you.)

(*?′╰╯`?)?

Konoha Year 48

Hyuga Kei's father knelt before Hyuga Hiashi. "I am willing to accept punishment under the clan rules. I only beg that you spare my son and wife. Kei is a genius—he will definitely awaken the Byakugan in the future."

"He will not bring shame upon the clan."

Hyuga Hiashi left no room for compromise. "You will be punished according to clan rules. They must die as well!"

"As members of the Hyuga clan, we cannot allow our bloodline to flow outside the clan."

Right in front of Hyuga Kei's father, Hyuga Hiashi activated his Byakugan and forcefully unleashed an Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm. The attack struck Hyuga Kei's mother in the head, while Kei was still in her arms.

She was merely an ordinary person. How could she possibly withstand such an attack? Hyuga Kei's father had no time to intervene either.

The result was obvious. Blood and flesh splattered all over the three-year-old child.

Under such intense stimulation, the child fainted from fright. At that moment, a soul from another world quietly fused with the child's soul.

"Enough!" A furious shout rang out. An elderly man entered from outside—it was Sarutobi Hiruzen. Dozens of Anbu followed behind him. He walked up to Hyuga Kei and picked up the boy, who had been frightened senseless.

"Have you not caused enough trouble? No matter what, the child is innocent!"

Seeing the Hokage intervene, Hyuga Kei's father immediately knelt before the two of them and pressed his head deeply into the ground. "I know my crime cannot be forgiven, and I am willing to die to atone for it! I only ask that Kei be allowed to live. The child is innocent."

With that, the father struck his own temple with one palm and died on the spot.

"Since the Hokage has spoken, let this matter end here today!" Hyuga Hiashi then changed his tone. "However, this child must live within the Hyuga clan. Once he awakens the Byakugan, the Caged Bird Seal must be branded upon him."

Sarutobi Hiruzen knew this was the Hyuga clan's bottom line and decisively nodded in agreement.

All he needed was for the child to survive. That alone was the greatest blow he could deal to the Hyuga clan's rules. He had long been dissatisfied with those rules—rules that placed the clan above the village should have disappeared long ago.

Two years later, early Konoha Year 50

In a corner, Hyuga Kei curled into a ball as several figures continuously punched and kicked him.

"You piece of trash! Your very existence is the greatest humiliation to us."

"You don't even have the Byakugan. What right do you have to bear the Hyuga name?"

"You do not even bear the mark that symbolizes the Hyuga? Of course. How could a bastard like you possibly be branded with such a mark?"

These Branch House youths continued cursing as they beat the boy before them.

Hyuga Kei did not dare make any rash moves, because fighting back would only invite even more bullying.

These people had just been branded with the Caged Bird Seal. After learning from their parents about the seal's function and meaning, their hearts became filled with resentment and dissatisfaction.

They did not dare oppose the Main Branch, nor did they dare violate the rules. However, they thought of a way to vent their anger: was there not still a "Hyuga clansman" within the Hyuga clan who did not even possess the Byakugan?

At this moment, the ugliness of human nature was laid bare. When people were at the bottom, they wanted to resist. But when they discovered someone of even lower status than themselves, instead of uniting to resist together, they oppressed that person twice as hard.

And Hyuga Kei was the lowest-ranking person in the Hyuga clan. He could not even be considered a member of the Hyuga Branch Family.

"Help him up. Let him see how powerful the Byakugan is." The oldest child spoke.

"Let him see how powerful the Branch House is."

Hyuga Kei, who had been beaten so badly that he could barely stand, was hauled up by two Branch House members, one arm draped over each of their shoulders.

The veins around that Hyuga clansman's Byakugan bulged as he formed a hand seal. "This is the Hyuga clan's Byakugan. A bastard like you will never possess it. When you go down there, complain to your bastard parents!"

"Gentle Fist Style: Two Palms!"

He even used taijutsu. He was trying to kill him.

Two fingers struck Hyuga Kei's body, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. He could not even fight back now. No one had taught him how to train; he did not even know the most basic method of extracting chakra.

"Stop!"

A stern shout rang out. Hyuga Kei no longer had the strength to look at the newcomer.

"Is this the pride of your Branch House? Bullying a Hyuga clansman who does not even have the Byakugan!"

"But..."

"Get back and train!"

"Yes, Lord Hizashi!"

Several of them tossed aside the unconscious Hyuga Kei and fled as fast as they could.

Hizashi Hyuga had someone help Hyuga Kei up, but even he could not help frowning when he saw the boy's miserable condition.

"Send him home. From now on, his living allowance will be the same as that of the Branch House children."

"My lord, this..." The attendant was deeply confused. The clan head had explicitly forbidden anyone from helping this Hyuga disgrace, so why was Hizashi Hyuga still helping him?

"His father may have violated the Hyuga clan rules, but he and I had some friendship."

"The clan head will not punish me over something like this. Take him away. Oh, and give this to him."

Hizashi Hyuga took out a scroll. "This is a ninjutsu his father once developed. It was considered heretical. Today, consider it returned to him."

"Yes!"

When Hyuga Kei woke up, he was already back in his own home.

"Ah!" The moment Hyuga Kei moved his body, he could not help letting out a pained howl.

After immense effort, Hyuga Kei finally managed to sit up against the wall. As soon as he did, he saw the scroll lying beside him.

He carefully picked it up and opened it. Every movement sent waves of piercing pain through his body.

Its title was Combination of Ninjutsu and Gentle Fist.

It recorded a great deal of knowledge related to Gentle Fist and ninjutsu, proposed methods and possibilities for combining them, and finally included several successful cases created by the author. Most were C-rank or B-rank ninjutsu.

The signature at the end was unexpectedly that of Hyuga Kei's father, whom he had only met a few times—Hyuga Tokuma.

"They gave me ninjutsu, but I do not even have a chakra extraction method!"

As though responding to Hyuga Kei's words, another small booklet fell from a hidden layer within the scroll.

He picked up the booklet and glanced through it. Written inside was the chakra extraction method Hyuga Kei had longed for.

Hyuga Kei was overjoyed. With this, he could truly become a ninja.

He wished he could begin training immediately. After carefully reading the meditation method, Hyuga Kei adjusted his sitting posture and attempted to extract chakra.

Sure enough, in less than ten minutes, Hyuga Kei felt a stream of energy being extracted from every cell in his body and gathering in his dantian.

Even his body felt a little refreshed. As chakra circulated through him, the swelling on his body gradually began to subside.

"This is incredible! So this is the legendary chakra."

It said that after training, extraction would become faster. Hyuga Kei seized this painful opportunity and began training rapidly.

"Hizashi Hyuga... I will definitely repay this kindness."

Hyuga Kei recalled the voice that had saved him. Without Hizashi's words, he might already have died.

If he had simply been beaten to death, those little beasts might not even have been punished. Their parents might have even patted their shoulders and lavishly praised them.

Hyuga Kei's expression twisted viciously at the thought. "Hyuga clan, just wait. I'll play with you slowly."

Hizashi gently patted the back of his pregnant wife, Hyuga Yun, reassuring her. "Don't worry. I have already sent Tokuma's son the training method."

"I also granted him the treatment given to Branch House members. He will receive a monthly allowance of ten thousand ryo and live a good life."

Moved, Hyuga Yun bowed to Hizashi. "Thank you!"

"Don't be so formal. That child is your older brother's son, and my nephew as well. Let us focus on the pregnancy. Once Neji is born, I'll bring Kei over to be his study companion."

"Alright!"