So that was it...
I see!
That made sense. Chiba had only just returned to the village when he encountered martial law. Given his personality, he would naturally take it seriously at once. Though he did not yet know the specifics, it was perfectly normal for him to immediately make such thorough considerations.
Seen that way, what he did had only appeared cruel. The reasoning behind it was entirely in keeping with his character at the time.
Indeed, if he had broken their limbs, then even if those two Hyuga Clan ninja had backup, they would not have tried to rescue two inconvenient "burdens," lest they themselves be buried in Konoha.
Moreover, those two Hyuga Clan ninja had indeed been far too suspicious. They had openly attacked ninja from their own village in full view of everyone. That really was...
They had been completely exploited by Chiba because of their own actions!
I really worried for nothing. From the very beginning, Chiba had stood on undefeated ground. The two Hyuga Clan ninja had been in the wrong from the outset. No matter what he did, even if he had killed them on the spot, he would not have been at fault. It was a sensitive time, and Chiba had endured half a year of hardship before returning to the village, only to find it under martial law. The vigilance that stirred in him, combined with his habitual mindset and character of putting the village first, meant that no matter what, he had been right to stop those two in that situation. It did not matter how "cruel" his methods were, nor whether he had held back and spared their lives.
Good. This was also a chance to rein in the Hyuga Clan's current attitude.
Besides, I mishandled this matter as