The Atmosphere

"Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms?"

After Neji was taken from the Hyuga Clan, he moved into the Senju Clan compound with Akira. Officially, he had joined the Anbu, but in reality, he was following Akira as a free agent and learning from him.

Uchiha Akira stroked his chin and waited for a moment.

[ Ding! How could a disciple who wishes to improve be allowed to leave disappointed? Ask Lord Hashirama to negotiate with the Hyuga Clan, so they understand that the Main Family and Branch Family are one whole. The Branch Family are not tools in the Main Family's hands, but blood-related clansmen! ]

[ Mission: Teach Hyuga Neji the Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms! ]

[ Mission Reward: Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique! ]

Uchiha Akira broke into a brilliant smile.

"Don't worry, Neji. Leave it to me!"

Holy shit!

Asuma Sarutobi and Kurenai Yuhi exchanged looks, both seeing the same disbelief in each other's eyes.

No way, right?

He could even teach that?

If they remembered correctly, only the Hyuga Main Family currently possessed the Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms. What was Uchiha Akira going to use to teach it?

Before the two could figure it out, Uchiha Akira continued, "But Neji, I don't think the Eight Trigrams Palm is necessarily the most suitable ninjutsu for the Hyuga Clan. You have the Byakugan, which can see over extremely long distances."

"Rather than becoming an offensive ninja, have you ever considered becoming a long-range assassin?"

He rubbed his chin and offered his suggestion.

He would take the system reward, of course.

But with the Byakugan's long-range vision and locking ability, it was practically a hawk eye—one with x-ray vision, at that. If Neji shifted toward long-range assassination, it would undoubtedly suit the Byakugan even better.

Just like how Kaguya Otsutsuki used the Byakugan to lock onto her targets before unleashing All-Killing Ash Bones.

"Long-range assassination?"

Hyuga Neji froze slightly, deep in thought.

"Of course, I'm not telling you to give up the Eight Trigrams Palm. You can pursue both. The Eight Trigrams Palm already requires precise control, so long-range assassination won't interfere with your training."

Akira gave his advice.

In the end, the decision was still Neji's to make.

Neji's eyes flickered, and he nodded firmly. "I understand, Teacher. I'll think it over carefully."

Just then.

A sharp sound tore through the air!

"Brother Akira, something's wrong!"

Itachi appeared in an instant. Though he always carried himself calmly, panic was impossible to conceal in his eyes now. "The Hyuga Clan has joined forces with the Yamanaka Clan and the Aburame Clan to pressure our Uchiha Clan in the Hokage's office!"

"The Hyuga Clan is acting because you, Brother Akira, entered their clan grounds without permission and disrupted their Clan Tournament."

"As for the Yamanaka Clan and the Aburame Clan, they used Ninja Dogs and discovered that the last place Yamanaka Fu's and Aburame Toru's scents disappeared... was within our Uchiha Clan!"

In an instant.

Uchiha Akira understood what had happened.

The Yamanaka Clan and Aburame Clan were here because Yamanaka Fu and Aburame Toru had vanished.

The Hyuga Clan, meanwhile, simply disliked him and had come to stir the pot.

Asuma, Kurenai, and Hyuga Neji's expressions changed slightly.

Three clans targeting them together?

In more than a century since Konoha's founding, nothing like this had ever happened. The three of them could not help but feel a trace of worry.

"Teacher, it's all my fault. If it weren't for me..."

Hyuga Neji lowered his head in dejection.

Before he could finish, Uchiha Akira waved him off and snorted. "So what? Do they have proof that our Uchiha Clan did it? I could also say Shimura Danzō stole our Uchiha Clan's Sharingan."

"Ah?"

The others stared at him in bewilderment.

What did this have to do with Shimura Danzō?

"Don't worry."

Uchiha Akira rose to his feet, unconcerned. "The real culprit hasn't even shown himself yet. They're just a few small fries. We don't need to worry about the Yamanaka Clan or Aburame Clan. At Konoha's card table, mere Ino-Shika-Cho cannot influence the game."

"Let's go take a look first."

As he spoke.

The two figures became like shadows, blending into the forest in the blink of an eye and vanishing without a trace.

Hokage Building.

Office.

Hyuga Hiashi, Yamanaka Inoichi, and Aburame Shibi sat silently in the Hokage's office. The spacious room somehow felt crowded at that moment, and even the light seemed much dimmer.

"So, the three of you are jointly accusing the Uchiha Clan?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed on his pipe and asked.

"That's right, Lord Hokage!"

Before the other two could speak, Hyuga Hiashi seized the initiative and said urgently, "Uchiha Akira, as a member of the Uchiha Clan, trespassed into our Hyuga Clan without permission and even disrupted our Hyuga Clan's Clan Tournament!"

"If this matter is not resolved, how will the major clans establish their dignity in the future?"

"Lord Hokage, when Konoha was founded, the First Hokage said that everyone in Konoha was family. But likewise, even the Hokage must respect the independence of every major clan!"

"The Uchiha Clan's actions are now destroying the rules established by the First Hokage!"

He spoke too quickly.

So quickly that Yamanaka Inoichi and Aburame Shibi had yet to react, surprise flashing through their eyes.

Hyuga Hiashi looked calm, his expression cold and proud.

At present, aside from the Uchiha Clan and Sarutobi Clan, there was no major clan in all of Konoha that the Hyuga Clan regarded highly.

"Heh."

A clear scoff rang out. Uchiha Akira, Uchiha Itachi, and Uchiha Fugaku appeared in the Hokage's office in an instant, making the already dim room feel even more oppressive.

"The Hyuga Clan's dignity?"

Uchiha Fugaku gave a cold, indifferent laugh.

"Since when did the defeated have any dignity?"

That one sentence instantly changed Hyuga Hiashi's expression. Yamanaka Inoichi and Aburame Shibi watched the scene with looks of understanding, their gazes shifting to the handsome Uchiha Akira.

They had heard rumors about the matter between the Uchiha and Hyuga Clans.

Only now, hearing it firsthand, could they confirm that the rumor of Uchiha Akira defeating Hyuga Hiashi was true.

"Uchiha Fugaku! Don't push people too far!"

Hyuga Hiashi's face turned icy.

"Konoha is not the Uchiha Clan's Konoha. If you break the village's rules, the Uchiha Clan must pay the proper price. Likewise, your Uchiha Clan is also suspected of murdering Yamanaka Fu and Aburame Toru!"

"Lord Hokage, please investigate this thoroughly!"

As he spoke.

He redirected the matter toward the Yamanaka Clan and Aburame Clan.

Yamanaka Inoichi and Aburame Shibi exchanged looks, inwardly cursing Hyuga Hiashi as an old fox.

"Clan Head Hyuga is correct."

Yamanaka Inoichi had blond hair, green eyes, and slightly sunken cheeks. Yet his somewhat broad face made him look not gaunt or sinister, but rather sturdy. His voice was low and steady.

"Please give us a reasonable explanation, Uchiha Clan Head."

"The Ninja Dogs have confirmed that Yamanaka Fu's and Aburame Toru's scents last vanished within the Uchiha Clan. If you cannot provide us with a reasonable explanation, then we ask Lord Hokage to order a thorough investigation of the Uchiha Clan."

His voice was calm.

Yet it carried an unyielding determination.

In an instant, the dagger was revealed!

Uchiha Fugaku's expression changed slightly, and his breathing quickened. The evidence Yamanaka Inoichi had presented could not be avoided. Against a top intelligence ninja, even he found it difficult to match his sharpness in words!