The Hyuga Limit

"From today onward, you are my disciple," Uzumaki Mito said with a smile.

"Mm!" Mimi nodded in reply.

Tsunade's resistance was futile. After realizing that nothing could change the outcome, she glared viciously at Mimi.

This girl! She's never made things easy for anyone!

"Come report to the Senju clan grounds tomorrow morning," Uzumaki Mito said before using Body Flicker to leave.

The exams still had to continue.

Tsunade stormed off the field, while Mimi turned and walked into the crowd.

The battle was over, but the students looked at the two girls with awe. Their fighting strength had completely surpassed their level.

They could not even bring themselves to feel jealous. All they felt was fear at the gap between them.

The ninjas, however, were focused on something else. Lady Mito had taken on a disciple.

There was no need to think too deeply about it. This meant she was cultivating a powerful foundation for Princess Tsunade.

So, what should they do?

The old man with Red Eye narrowed his eyes, while the one with Byakugan came to a decision as well.

"There's nothing left to see now, right?"

"No. I heard that the genius named Orochimaru from the class next door is also taking the exam."

"A genius? A civilian?"

"That's right. A civilian."

"Then there's nothing worth watching."

This ninja did not think highly of the fellow called Orochimaru.

Even though he himself was also a civilian.

During his brief career as a ninja, he had come to understand one thing.

Compared with clan ninjas, Civilian Ninjas had their limits.

There was a chasm called bloodline.

In a corner of the training field, a handsome, delicate-featured boy watched Tsunade and Mimi in the crowd. Deep in his eyes was a trace of longing.

That kind of Ninjutsu...

But insects? They feel a little disgusting.

Orochimaru subconsciously licked the corner of his mouth.

Even now, his entire body was tingling. Putting himself in that situation, if he were trapped among a swarm of insects, he did not have Tsunade's useful layer of mucus.

Once he was hit, he did not need to imagine the consequences.

The Little White Snake on his shoulder flicked its tongue in unison.

Its long, narrow golden eyes narrowed slightly.

As for Summoning Beasts, he had one too. Manda was simply a little disobedient.

As for the Third Hokage, besides believing that Orochimaru was a talented boy and a genius rarely seen in decades, his main reason was that he believed Orochimaru could inherit one of the Three Great Sage Locations' senjutsu.

That point was undoubtedly very important.

The bearing of a strong person had already revealed itself.

But which was stronger, insects or snakes?

The Third Hokage caught sight of Orochimaru in the Crystal Ball and could not help thinking of that question.

But in the next moment, he laughed freely.

They're all children of Konoha.

Still, when he was young, he had once witnessed such a scene in nature.

A huge snake several meters long had fought a massive swarm of ants. In the end, the great snake had been gnawed down to a pile of white bones.

Shocked by the seemingly tiny yet ferocious swarm of insects, he had not dared provoke that kind of insect for a long time.

And in terms of ferocity and talent, Mimi was three points superior.

"Lady Mito has finally made her move."

It was not that the Third Hokage did not understand certain things. But since everyone thought that way, his own opinion was no longer important.

All Konoha needed was to grow strong and prosper.

Although sometimes he also wondered: whose Hokage was he, anyway?

The Senju's?

The Uchiha's?

Or everyone's?

So long as he had a clear conscience, that was enough.

The Third Hokage worriedly drew on his pipe.

Some things sounded simple enough when spoken of, but carrying them out made his scalp tingle.

He then turned to look at his desk.

"Ah! There's still as much work as a mountain!"

If only Tsunade would grow up faster. It would be fine to dump it all on her!

After the examination grounds were cleaned up, the exams continued. The next few matches were somewhat boring.

One by one, some of the ninjas began leaving. They could not skip work for too long, even though this was a peaceful era.

Still, quite a few off-duty ninjas remained.

They wanted to see what kind of person would ultimately become the Third Hokage's disciple.

Until one exam began.

"Hyuga Hitomi versus Uchiha Chiri."

Just the names alone were enough to stir people's interest.

The two girls each stepped onto the field.

"Form the Opposition Seal!"

One had black hair and white eyes. She wore the Hyuga Clan's white robes, with a long sword hanging at her waist. Her bangs covered the Caged Bird, and her cute, distinctive Hime Cut framed a cold, beautiful face that carried an elegant, imposing nobility.

The other had black hair and black eyes. She wore the black Uchiha Clan robes, with the clan crest printed on the back. Her hands were empty, but a ninja tool pouch hung at her waist. She also had a cute Hime Cut, but her hair was naturally curly, and her delicate little face held the approachable nobility of a refined young lady.

Just looking at their appearances, one had to admit that they were worthy of being born into prestigious clans.

The crowd began discussing them animatedly.

This exam had not been arranged by anyone. The Third Hokage dared swear to that. Still, a showdown like this naturally aroused interest.

A prestigious clan against another prestigious clan.

It was truly a rare sight.

The Hyuga and Uchiha ninjas usually had a hidden rivalry within the village. After this match, whoever won would have enough bragging rights to last for a long time.

Although the Uchiha had never taken the Hyuga seriously and had always kept their eyes on the Senju, that did not stop them from boasting about the strength of a dōjutsu clan.

They were both dōjutsu clans. Whoever lost would be humiliated.

But...

"Green-tea Hime Cut, bad-girl wavy hair."

Looking at the two distinctive girls, Mimi could not help muttering.

She then looked toward Tsunade in the crowd.

Tsunade, who had been watching Mimi the entire time, snorted and turned her head away.

"Tsundere twin tails."

"Golden-haired loser."

Mimi turned back to look at Chiri, then looked at the sword Hyuga Hitomi carried.

A headful of question marks appeared.

If I remember correctly, the Hyuga family's traditional specialty is the Gentle Fist, right?

So is it just decoration?

"If you intend to be as careless as usual, you'd better surrender early," Hyuga Hitomi said arrogantly, lifting her chin slightly.

This isn't very Hyuga, but it's very Uchiha.

The Hyuga's pride was engraved in their hearts, while the Uchiha's pride was written across their faces.

That was the difference.

Chiri merely smiled gently and said in a mild tone, "I won't surrender. If you intend to take this seriously, then I'll take it seriously too."

This isn't very Uchiha, but it's very Hyuga.

If not for her eyes, one might have thought the Konoha Hospital had mixed up the babies.

"Then that couldn't be better!" Hitomi said coldly.

"Begin!"

Hyuga Hitomi bent her body slightly, her small hand resting on her sword.

Judging by her stance, it was not decoration.

Fighting empty-handed is a little disadvantageous.

Chiri bit her finger and pressed it against her arm, where she had pulled up her sleeve.

Two swords, one long and one short, appeared in her hands amid smoke. She flicked them simultaneously to shake off the blood, and the scabbards shot away stylishly.

A short sword in her left hand and a long sword in her right.

Two-Sword Style.

"Is this a duel between swordsmen?"

"But a Hyuga using a sword?"

Even the Hyuga ninjas were utterly confused.

"Maybe she just came up with it herself."

"The Branch Family doesn't have access to the secret Gentle Fist Art."

"No, it's a secret art of the Hyuga Clan—a sword technique derived from the Ultimate Gentle Fist."

"Did you know? The Gentle Fist has its limits," Hyuga Hitomi said inexplicably.

Hearing this, Chiri could not help making an attentive gesture.

"So the limit of the Gentle Fist is the limit of the Hyuga!"

"To surpass the limit!"

"I'm giving up on the Gentle Fist!"

The Hyuga ninjas in the crowd erupted in an uproar.

"How dare you! You rebellious Branch Family member!"

Hyuga Hitomi coldly glanced at the person who shouted, saying nothing more.

The secret art her father had given her was written in black and white exactly like that.

"Be careful, Uchiha Chiri. My sword is very fast," Hyuga Hitomi said coldly. Even though she meant well, her stiff tone still sounded somewhat arrogant.

"Don't worry. I'm confident in my swordsmanship."

Fortunately, Chiri did not care about that sort of thing.

But her swordsmanship was actually something she had come up with herself.