I'm the Hokage!

It had to be said,

Hyuga Ritsu's move was downright disgusting.

It left Sarutobi Hiruzen feeling exceptionally miserable.

Looking at the Hyuga Branch Family members who had crowded around to "guard" him, he found himself at a loss for what to do. He couldn't make a move—not in front of the Hyuga Clan Jonin and Special Jonin who were arriving one after another. If he actually killed Hyuga Takashi and the others, he would only draw the Hyuga Clan's hatred onto them.

Most importantly, the Jonin and Special Jonin who had arrived were, without exception, glaring coldly at Hyuga Hiashi and the other Main House members. They weren't looking at their own clanmates at all, but at their enemies!

That made him realize the Hyuga Clan might truly never return to the way it had been. Killing Hyuga Ritsu wouldn't bring the clan back to peace; if anything, it might stir up an even greater storm.

So,

After hesitating for a moment, he watched Hyuga Ritsu fly toward Hyuga Hisho and Hyuga Daisho and shouted, "Hyuga Ritsu, stop!"

But Hyuga Ritsu paid him no heed. In an instant, he was standing before Hyuga Hisho and Hyuga Daisho, father and son.

"Minato, go stop Hyuga Ritsu. Don't let him kill anyone else!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately gave the order.

Hearing this, Elder Hyuga Karin, who was "guarding" Namikaze Minato, tensed her muscles and spread her arms as wide as she could. Not caring about the difference between men and women, she was about to wrap Namikaze Minato in her arms.

"Whoosh!"

Minato flicked a finger, sending a three-pronged kunai flying out from beneath Hyuga Karin's armpit. Hyuga Karin hugged empty air and stumbled, nearly falling over, while Namikaze Minato's figure appeared behind Hyuga Ritsu.

The three-pronged kunai pointed at Hyuga Ritsu's back.

"Stop, Ritsu."

Minato said softly.

But Hyuga Ritsu ignored Namikaze Minato at his back and resolutely swung both palms toward the father and son before him. With no other choice, Hyuga Hisho and Hyuga Daisho could only raise their palms to meet his.

"Clang!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Namikaze Minato thrust his kunai toward Hyuga Ritsu's back.

But it didn't pierce him. A section of bone-white rib suddenly emerged and knocked the kunai away.

At the same time, Hyuga Hisho and Hyuga Daisho cried out in pain. A bloody hole had appeared in each of their palms where they had met Hyuga Ritsu's.

As the saying went, strike while the iron was hot.

Taking advantage of Hyuga Hisho and Hyuga Daisho's injuries and momentary disarray, Hyuga Ritsu closed in and struck with a flurry of palms. His stance was unmistakably Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.

This was the core of the Gentle Fist.

Techniques like Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm, Eight Trigrams Palms: Revolving Heaven, and Gentle Step Twin Lion Fist all had their roots in Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. It was also a secret technique of the Main House; the Branch Family inherited Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms.

But thanks to his Body Regeneration ability, Hyuga Ritsu didn't need to worry about damaging the chakra pathways in his body. He had figured out Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms on his own.

There was no need to complete all sixty-four strikes to deal with these watered-down Jonin produced by the Main House. In fact, Hyuga Ritsu only used four palms. The first two pierced holes in the pair's other hands; the last two struck their chests, and the sharp bones that thrust from his palms pierced their hearts, killing them outright.

Shikotsumyaku and the Gentle Fist felt like a perfect match!

At the same time,

Namikaze Minato held a bright blue sphere of densely condensed chakra in his right palm and decisively slammed it toward Hyuga Ritsu's back. But in an instant, three bones tore through the back of Hyuga Ritsu's clothes and collided with the falling "sphere."

"Boom—!"

The bones shattered into pieces, and Hyuga Ritsu's back became a bloody mess.

He was sent flying four or five meters forward.

Then,

He landed on his feet, stood upright as if nothing had happened, turned around, and met Namikaze Minato's gaze.

Namikaze Minato furrowed his brows slightly and stayed where he was. Hyuga Hisho and Hyuga Daisho were both dead. The mission had failed, and there was no reason to continue.

"Clan Head!"

"Clan Head, are you all right?"

Hyuga Takuma and Hyuga Arima hurried over, followed closely by the other Jonin, who surrounded Hyuga Ritsu. Seeing his bloodied back, Hyuga Arima grew furious and cursed, "Lord Hokage, what is the village trying to do? Are you going to help those beasts from the Main House keep enslaving us Branch House members? You people—"

"Arima, enough!"

Hyuga Ritsu stopped Hyuga Arima.

As if he couldn't feel the pain in his back, he pushed aside the Jonin gathered around him and walked over to Sarutobi Hiruzen. With a respectful attitude, he said, "Lord Hokage, Arima is young and has a bit of a temper. He spoke without thinking. I ask you to be the bigger man and forgive him this once!"

"Hyuga Ritsu, what exactly are you trying to do? You slaughter your own clan members without restraint right in front of us. Do you think we can't do anything about you?" Shimura Danzō spoke for Sarutobi Hiruzen, demanding angrily.

"Shimura, Hokage's Assistant, this is an internal matter of the Hyuga Clan."

Hyuga Ritsu stood up straight, meeting Shimura Danzō's murderous glare without fear. His tone was firm. "Please don't forget the rules laid down by the First. The village does not interfere in the internal affairs of the various clans."

"But only so long as they don't threaten the village's safety."

Shimura Danzō refused to back down. "Do you think the infighting within your Hyuga Clan is only your own affair? You're truly narrow-minded and shortsighted. Fighting to this extent has already affected the village."

"How has it affected the village?"

"What losses has the village suffered?"

"Please explain. If my Hyuga Clan is truly at fault, then as Clan Head, I will naturally take responsibility. I will bear the consequences."

Hyuga Ritsu didn't yield an inch, meeting him head-on.

Shimura Danzō flew into a rage. How long had it been since anyone dared speak to him like this? Even Sarutobi didn't talk back to him this way. Killing intent suddenly surged in his heart, and he sneered. "You want to know how much the village has lost? Then I'll tell—"

"Danzō, that's enough!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen shouted.

"Sarutobi?"

"I said that's enough."

"Can't you see? This brat is a menace. For the sake of the village's future, we have to eliminate him as soon as possible!"

Shimura Danzō spoke with furious vehemence.

"That's enough, Danzō! I'm the Hokage!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen was angry now, too, and shouted at him.

"You'll regret this, Sarutobi!"

Shimura Danzō left him with that curse, swept his sleeve, and stormed off. Many Hyuga Clan members glared at him, looking ready to risk their lives to kill the old man who had dared declare that their Clan Head should be eliminated!

"Clear the way. Don't block the Hokage's Assistant!"

Hyuga Ritsu said coldly.

The clan members silently moved aside, watching Shimura Danzō disappear from view.