Neji's move in Konoha had left every major force numb with shock.
A student who had not even graduated from the Ninja Academy, a child only twelve years old, an ordinary member of the Hyuga Clan's Branch Family! Yet this insignificant nobody had suddenly risen up and killed more than forty Root, Anbu, and Hyuga Clan elites in a single move.
After killing them, he had not even tried to flee. Instead, he had charged straight for the Hokage Office Building. Surrounded by the Third Hokage and Konoha's many elites, he had shown no fear and directly blasted Konoha's center—the Hokage Office Building—into rubble with an ultra-S-rank ninjutsu!
And the Hokage Office Building was not merely an office. It also stored countless secret techniques, confidential intelligence, and archives. Konoha's highest secret, the Scroll of Seals, was also kept there!
This was a slap in the face, a blatant slap in the face!
It seriously affected Konoha and the Land of Fire's position as an international hegemon!
This would become an even more ridiculous joke than when the Uchiha Clan had been exterminated by a thirteen-year-old child!
The Shinobi World's greatest village had first allowed an entire great clan to be slaughtered by a thirteen-year-old child, while the village's own ninja had not discovered it until noon the next day. Nearly a thousand people had been massacred.
And now, barely more than three years later, another twelve-year-old child from one of Konoha's great clans had broken through an encirclement in broad daylight and reduced the Hokage Office Building and its surrounding area to dust with a single ninjutsu.
Even more laughable was that, just like the thirteen-year-old brat who had massacred his clan, this twelve-year-old brat had successfully escaped as well!
The news could not possibly be concealed. In just two days, the other four nations had received this explosive news. The Raikage laughed so hard he could barely close his mouth, declaring that Konoha was finished. The old Third Hokage had grown so old that he could only play political schemes—and was not even good at them. He even began considering another invasion of the Land of Fire.
The Kazekage and Tsuchikage had similar thoughts. Only the controlled Mizukage made no response!
Konoha itself was also roiling with undercurrents.
First came the instigator of this incident, the Hyuga Clan. At this moment, the atmosphere in the Hyuga Clan Compound was unbearably oppressive.
After Hyuga Hiashi and Neji had parted ways last night, Hiashi had not rested at all. He had summoned the clan elders overnight to discuss Neji.
When the six white-haired elders learned that Neji had broken free of the "Caged Bird" curse seal, their expressions were beyond description.
It was like a miser who had guarded a treasure his entire life suddenly being told one day, "This treasure does not belong to you. It belongs to someone else, and now you must return it to them."
The six white-haired elders felt exactly like that miser. They all believed the Branch Family was their property, that the Branch Family was born to be controlled by them, to obey them, serve the Main House, and protect the Main House! That was the Branch Family's mission!
But now, someone was telling them that a member of the Branch Family no longer wished to obey them, had escaped their control, was no longer their property, would no longer serve the Main House, and would no longer protect it either!
And this person likely possessed a method to remove the "Caged Bird" curse seal from other Branch Family members as well.
This made the elders unable to hear another word Hyuga Hiashi said. Their minds held only one thought: "Kill him. We must kill him!!"
The six elders of the Main House were astonishingly unified and unyielding in their stance! There was no room for compromise!
Hyuga Hiashi repeatedly emphasized that Neji was very powerful, but the elders completely ignored him. How powerful could a twelve-year-old child possibly be? Even if he possessed Sage Jutsu, how many could he fight? Dozens? Hundreds?
Under the Clan Head's repeated insistence, the Clan Head and three elders held an emergency meeting with the Hokage and Root leader Danzo.
After Hyuga Hiashi finished explaining the situation at the meeting, before the Hokage could speak—
Upon hearing that Neji had mastered Sage Jutsu, Root leader Shimura Danzō's eyes lit up. He immediately voiced his support for capturing Neji and offered to take full responsibility for the operation.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had originally wanted to say something, but swallowed his words before they left his mouth. After a moment of silence, he continued, "Evacuate the civilians first and minimize the losses. If Neji is willing to surrender, guarantee his safety!"
After thinking for a moment, the Third Hokage added, "I will assign some Anbu members to assist in the capture operation."
Such simple words, as though they alone could decide Hyuga Neji's fate!
Just like seven years ago, when another simple meeting had decided the fate of Neji's father, Hyuga Hizashi!
There would be no mistakes. In Konoha, they were the heavens and the earth. Their words could decide whether someone lived or died!
But when the day of action truly came, the reversal of events far exceeded the expectations of Konoha's higher-ups and the Hyuga Clan.
Neji's actions were like a size-48 slipper, viciously slapping the faces of those people in full view of everyone—first the left side, then the right!
Painful was one thing, but the real issue was how utterly humiliating it was! The humiliation had spread beyond their borders!
After Danzo flew into a rage within Root, he fell into deathly silence. His urge to seize Neji and skin him alive grew ever stronger, and he immediately issued the highest-level capture order!
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, stood at the edge of the enormous crater Neji had blasted out, puffing furiously on his pipe to conceal his unrest!
At twelve, Neji already possessed strength close to, or even reaching, Kage-level! What terrifying talent. In terms of talent alone, Neji absolutely surpassed Itachi Uchiha!
But Itachi Uchiha had been forced into massacring his entire clan before infiltrating the terrifying organization Akatsuki, his life and death unknown. Hyuga Neji, meanwhile, had been driven into directly defecting from the village by one of his own oversights, forming a mortal enmity with Konoha!
The Third Hokage thought of Orochimaru, who had defected and remained at large; Jiraiya, who neglected his duties; Tsunade, who had left the village; and the deceased Fourth Hokage.
The Third Hokage suddenly felt that he was old, truly unfit to continue serving as Hokage!
Yet the village's young geniuses had been destroyed one after another! He had failed the First Hokage and the Second Hokage!
Sasuke and Haku had been watching Neji's situation all along. They knew this was no simple matter, and they knew Neji was not someone to be provoked. When they saw Neji break through the encirclement, destroy the Hokage Office Building with one move, and escape safely atop the Thunder Roc, they both breathed a sigh of relief for him.
Sasuke even felt somewhat envious of Neji's freedom, his ability to settle grudges as he pleased and live without attachments!
Wasn't this exactly the outcome he longed for? One day, when he was strong enough, he would eliminate every enemy who had directly or indirectly caused the Uchiha Clan's destruction!
Sasuke thought silently until Neji's figure vanished beyond the horizon. Then he turned and returned to the training room to continue strengthening himself!
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