Chapter Eight: All We Have to Do Is Make It a Done Deal

"We can do it!"

Hyuga Ritsu answered without hesitation.

Looking at Hyuga Takuma, he said frankly, "There are only seventeen members of the Seven Main House Branches in total. Nine of them are Jonin, but Clan Head Hyuga Hiashi, Elders Hyuga Hisho and Hyuga Daichi, and that useless Hyuga Daisho, who's only pretending to be a Jonin, are all at the Frontline Camp on the eastern battlefield. In fact, only five Main House Jonin are currently in the clan, and two of them are over seventy and no longer have the strength of Jonin. That means there are only three Main House Jonin in the clan who can truly fight!"

The distinction between the Main House and Branch House in the Hyuga Clan was actually very simple.

The ancestor of the Hyuga Clan who originally established this system had seven sons, the source of the Seven Main House Branches. In each branch, each generation had exactly one Main House member. A branch might have only one Main House member, or it might have four or five.

Take the branch of the current Clan Head, Hyuga Hiashi, for example.

As the eldest son, Hyuga Hiashi was a Main House member.

His father had naturally been one, too.

His eldest son or daughter would likewise be a Main House member.

At present, both Hyuga Hiashi's father and grandfather had passed away, and he didn't have any children yet, so he was the only Main House member in his branch.

Normally, a branch had two or three Main House members at a time. But if four or even five generations lived under one roof, that branch could have four or five Main House members.

Everyone else in the clan belonged to the Branch House.

Take Hyuga Hiashi's younger brother, Hizashi Hyuga. Just because he was born a little later, he had been branded with the Caged Bird Seal and made a Branch House member.

"Ritsu, you forgot to count the Branch House members who firmly support the Main House. Although the Clan Head and the two elders took a lot of capable fighters with them, there are still more than ten Jonin among those who stayed behind."

Hyuga Takuma pointed out the flaw in Hyuga Ritsu's reasoning.

"Takuma, you're the one who forgot that I no longer have the Caged Bird Seal. Do you think I can control the other Branch House members with it, just like the Main House does?"

"What? This..."

Hyuga Takuma was stunned.

Even though he knew for a fact that Hyuga Ritsu no longer had the Caged Bird Seal, his habitual way of thinking had made him unconsciously overlook that point. He'd forgotten that Hyuga Ritsu was no longer bound by the seal—and might even be able to use it to control other Branch House members.

"If you can manipulate the Caged Bird Seal like the Main House can, then the Branch House Jonin really aren't a concern. You only need to figure out how to defeat the three Main House Jonin."

After a brief silence, Hyuga Takuma admitted that Hyuga Ritsu's plan was indeed feasible.

"However, there's another problem."

Before Hyuga Ritsu could say anything more, Hyuga Takuma raised another concern. "Have you thought about how we'll explain this to the village? We'd be attacking the Main House and destroying the Main House–Branch House system. Would the village allow that?"

Konoha's policy toward the clans was to let them govern themselves. As long as outsiders weren't involved, and no clan members serving in the village were implicated, the clans were generally allowed to settle their own affairs.

But—

The Hyuga Clan was still Konoha's Hyuga Clan.

And unlike the rebellious Uchiha, the Hyuga Clan was far more closely tied to Konoha. There was no doubt that the Byakugan had played a crucial role in enabling Konoha to fight on four fronts at once. Its powerful scouting abilities gave Konoha's ninja the upper hand in battle, or let them detect danger in advance.

Because the Byakugan was so important,

the village wouldn't allow any major upheaval in the Hyuga Clan. At the very least, it wouldn't tolerate widespread turmoil in the clan before the war ended.

"As long as we move fast enough, we'll make it a done deal."

Hyuga Ritsu spoke with confidence.

Hyuga Takuma thought it over and realized there was real merit to what Hyuga Ritsu had said. If the Main House members were dead, and the Hyuga Clan could remain stable without the Main House ruling over it, what could the village do, even if it disapproved? Force the Hyuga Clan to maintain the Main House–Branch House system against the wishes of all the Branch House members?

He wasn't like Hyuga Arima and Hyuga Akiba, who were still young and had relatively simple views, devoting themselves single-mindedly to studying ways to kill.

At seventeen, he loved researching adult literature, but he already knew that the village's higher-ups weren't as noble and upright as they claimed. They probably didn't care about the Hyuga Clan's internal grievances. To them, maintaining stability in the Hyuga Clan mattered more than deciding who was right or wrong in the conflict between the Main House and the Branch House.

Nearby,

Hyuga Akiba was growing impatient.

"Takuma, you're so long-winded! Are you done yet? When are we going to kill those Main House bastards?" Hyuga Akiba grumbled.

"We'll leave as soon as we're ready."

Hyuga Ritsu stood up.

He didn't tie his Forehead Protector back on. Instead, he tucked it into his pocket, leaving his forehead exposed. "Takuma, Arima, Akiba, get ready. If you need any ninja tools, take them from Arima for now. We'll pay him back later."

"I'll go get them!"

Hyuga Arima dashed into the house and came back two minutes later with a pile of well-maintained ninja tools.

Hyuga Takuma and Hyuga Akiba had come in a hurry. And since they were inside the clan compound, they'd brought only the bare minimum of ninja tools. They hadn't brought anything like Flash Bombs or Explosive Tags.

Neither of them hesitated. They quickly filled the pouches hanging behind their waists.

"Big Brother Ritsu, aren't you taking anything?"

Seeing that Hyuga Ritsu hadn't moved, Hyuga Arima couldn't help asking.

Although the Hyuga Clan specialized in Taijutsu and the Gentle Fist was renowned throughout the ninja world, they could kill with it just as quickly as others could with a knife, that didn't mean they only knew how to fight with Taijutsu. They used ninja tools when needed, after all. Tools like Explosive Tags and Flash Bombs served purposes that Taijutsu couldn't replace.

"No need."

Hyuga Ritsu waved him off with a smile. "This might sound a little arrogant, but it's the truth. Those few Jonin from the Main House will be no trouble for me!"

His confidence radiated from him.

After using the Chimera Technique to steal the Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai, his Chakra had increased tenfold, and his Byakugan had improved in every way. Besides, in addition to the Byakugan, he now had the Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai, which was exceptionally effective against Taijutsu specialists.

Even before this, Hyuga Ritsu had already been called the Branch House's greatest genius.

With Level 3 Body Regeneration, he could handle three or four ordinary Jonin without trouble.

Those Main House Jonin were all sizzle and no steak. Hyuga Ritsu didn't take them seriously. What he was wary of was the village's intervention. The village's top fighters wouldn't be nearly as easy to handle as those Main House fools.

"Are you all ready? We're about to leave."

Hyuga Ritsu looked at the three of them.

"I've been ready for ages!"

"I can't wait to smash those disgusting smirks off the Main House's faces."

"Ready when you are!"

The three answered one after another. Hyuga Akiba and Hyuga Arima had been eager to go from the start, and even the usually composed Hyuga Takuma couldn't hide his excitement.