Teaming Up

Before long, Guy, having released the Eight Inner Gates, slowly walked into the grove.

Seeing Guy dismiss the Eight Inner Gates, Hyuga Kagami breathed a sigh of relief inwardly, though he said coldly, "Under the perfect defense of my Kaiten, any attack is useless. You felt that too, didn't you?"

Guy panted as he spoke. "Kagami, the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan and Gentle Fist truly live up to their reputation. I felt like none of my movements could escape your eyes!"

Even in the Fourth Gate state, his two full-force attacks had been casually blocked by Hyuga Kagami. Guy felt that even if they kept fighting, he would have no chance of winning.

Hyuga Kagami wore an indifferent expression. "Of course. I saw through every one of your attacks."

Guy plopped down onto the ground. "Ah, I still lost."

"Being able to force me to use Kaiten, your Forbidden Technique is indeed somewhat commendable." After a pause, Hyuga Kagami added, "Get a good rest today. Meet me at the Mission Center tomorrow morning."

Guy froze for a moment, then cried out in surprise, "Y-you're willing to team up with me for missions?!"

"I don't like waiting for people. Don't be late!"

After coldly tossing out those words, Hyuga Kagami said nothing more and hurried toward home. His entire body was nearly falling apart; if he did not leave now, he really would not be able to hold on.

The thick-nerved Guy seemed completely unaffected. Cheering, he hopped and skipped all the way home.

Not long after Hyuga Kagami and Guy left, an Anbu squad appeared in the grove where they had fought.

After briefly surveying the scene, one Anbu said, "There are no traces of Ninjutsu, nor does it seem that any ninja tools were used. It was a pure Taijutsu confrontation."

The Anbu captain asked in a deep voice, "Have the identities of both combatants been confirmed?"

An Anbu member beside him answered, "Yes. One was a Chunin from the Hyuga Branch Family named Hyuga Kagami. The other was Might Duy's son, Chunin Might Guy. Judging from the traces, it seems the Hyuga boy won!"

Looking around at the toppled trees and the craters of varying sizes scattered across the ground, the Anbu captain said, "They caused this much commotion with Taijutsu alone. Report this to Lord Hokage. These two boys are worth watching!"

After returning home, Hyuga Kagami found Rin helping him clean the house, and warmth immediately rose in his heart.

Rin hurriedly came out to greet him. "Kagami, welcome home!"

Hyuga Kagami smiled. "You've worked hard!"

Before Rin, Hyuga Kagami put down all his disguises and guard. If there was anyone in the village he could trust without reservation, it was this pure-hearted girl before him.

Rin then noticed Hyuga Kagami's swollen, reddened arms and exclaimed, "How did you get hurt? Come, let me bandage you."

"It's nothing. I got hurt accidentally while sparring."

Pulling Hyuga Kagami onto the tatami, Rin applied medicine as she said, "Kagami, Lord Hizashi asked me to apologize to you and request your forgiveness."

Hizashi Hyuga was the twin younger brother of clan head Hyuga Hiashi. He usually assisted his elder brother in managing the Branch Family.

Hyuga Kagami was a little bewildered. "Forgiveness? For what?"

Rin said, "Aren't you angry? Everyone thought you were angry with the clan, which was why you had been unwilling to return to the clan compound lately."

At Rin's words, Hyuga Kagami immediately understood.

Without a doubt, the clan had misunderstood.

The clan evidently believed that Hyuga Kagami held a grudge against them, blaming them for not speaking up for him when he had been implicated in Orochimaru's defection, which was why he had distanced himself from them.

But in truth, Hyuga Kagami had never resented the clan.

Because he knew better than anyone that great clans like the Uchiha and Hyuga might look imposing within the village, but in reality, they found it difficult to influence the village's decision-makers.

Hizashi's future death was a perfect example. Even though he had acted in self-defense, the clan could not even protect the clan head. They had needed to sacrifice the clan head's twin brother, Hizashi Hyuga, just to barely get through the crisis.

So what ability did the clan have to protect him in the incident of Orochimaru's defection? Hyuga Kagami did not hate the clan, because he knew they truly lacked the power to help.

As for distancing himself from the clan, that was only to protect the secret of the Tenseigan. Still, this misunderstanding could be used; otherwise, suddenly distancing himself from the clan for no reason would inevitably arouse the suspicions of the village higher-ups.

The innocent Rin did not notice Hyuga Kagami's distraction and continued, "Lord Hizashi also said that at today's meeting, Lord Jiraiya praised you. He said you remained calm when facing Kumogakure's Two-Tails Jinchuriki and did not disgrace the village!"

Looking at Rin's proud expression, Hyuga Kagami smiled gently. "Lord Jiraiya returned to the village?"

Rin nodded. "Lord Jiraiya returned today."

Hearing that, Hyuga Kagami thought to himself, For Jiraiya to give up his obsession with Orochimaru and return to the village, the trouble facing the village must be even greater than I expected.

In truth, during the Third Shinobi World War, Konoha no longer possessed the advantage it had enjoyed in the First and Second Shinobi World Wars when facing the other major ninja villages.

Had the Fourth Hokage not risen suddenly and turned the tide across several battlefields in one stroke, the war might still have been deadlocked even now. So when the other major ninja villages learned that Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, had defected and that the Fourth Hokage and his wife, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, had died unexpectedly, it was impossible for them not to have entertained ulterior thoughts.

After applying medicine to the swollen parts of his body, Hyuga Kagami went to rest early.

His battle with Guy had been the hardest fight he had experienced since obtaining the Tenseigan. At the same time, it had given him considerable experience and insight.

Guy was simply flawless as a Taijutsu sparring partner.

Early the next morning, Hyuga Kagami wrapped his arms and legs in bandages before heading to the Mission Center.

A single night of recuperation was not enough for the bruises on his body to fully heal. For the sake of his pride, Hyuga Kagami did not want Guy to discover that he was covered in injuries.

Guy had been waiting early at the entrance to the Mission Center. When he saw Hyuga Kagami arrive, he called out from afar, "Kagami, over here! Over here!"

Watching Guy jump up and down at the entrance of the Mission Center as he greeted him, Hyuga Kagami wore an awkward expression.

After entering the Mission Center, Hyuga Kagami immediately began browsing the list of A-rank missions.

Guy asked quietly beside him, "Kagami, aren't A-rank missions only available to Jonin?"

Hyuga Kagami casually explained, "A few days ago, I led a team in completing an A-rank mission, so I was granted special permission to accept some A-rank missions."

Guy exclaimed in shock, "What?! You've completed an A-rank mission?"

For Guy, who dealt with C-rank and D-rank missions every day, completing an A-rank mission existed only in his fantasies. So when he heard that Hyuga Kagami had led a team to complete an A-rank mission as a Chunin, he was naturally astonished.

Hyuga Kagami glanced at Guy. "What's so strange about that? With me and a boy from the Uchiha Clan, isn't completing an A-rank mission perfectly normal?"

Guy scratched his head and laughed. "That's true. You're a genius, after all!"

Hyuga Kagami nodded in satisfaction. He wanted to establish a powerful image in Guy's mind, though he himself did not think he had much to do with the word "genius"...