I'm No Worse Than Uchiha Itachi!

"Finally, I made it through safely."

Back in his room, Hyuga Makoto let out a quiet sigh of relief.

This meeting had gone much more smoothly than he'd expected.

However, he knew that the reason it had gone so smoothly probably had a lot to do with Hizashi Hyuga.

"That punch and those words before Hizashi Hyuga died had a huge impact on Hyuga Hiashi..."

Besides, it was precisely because he was dead that Hyuga Makoto had dared to use his name to fool Hiruzen Sarutobi.

This made him sigh with emotion. Although it wasn't very ethical, sometimes a person's death could be more valuable than everything they contributed throughout their life.

"You were truly magnificent, Haku!"

As for whether he would be exposed, it wasn't as if anyone could find a dead man and ask him to verify it...

"Wait, that might actually be possible!"

Hyuga Makoto scratched his head, but that would all happen nearly ten years from now.

Ten years. He felt that by then, the advantage would still be mine!

"But for now, the most important thing is to think about how to develop myself."

He had already undergone a transformation, but the extent of his development in every aspect was far too low.

He could understand why his Tenseigan was only at a pitiful one percent, but the fact that his bloodline was only at five percent left him baffled.

That was despite the fact that he possessed Hyuga blood. He didn't know whether his talent was simply too poor or whether the Hyuga bloodline had degraded too severely.

"Besides, I originally had an Earth attribute, but now it's completely become Yin and Yang. Could it be..."

Was this the difference between the Moon Ōtsutsuki and the Hyuga?

He had always felt that, as descendants of the Sage, the Hyuga and Kaguya Clan should sit at the same table as the Uchiha and Senju.

Not to mention that the two clans had been on good terms for generations, and Kaguya's All-Killing Ash Bones served as proof of their connection.

"If that's the case, then the key is when their powers split apart."

Perhaps, just like the Sage of Six Paths, they were inherited by two sons, with each receiving one type of power.

Or perhaps they only split apart after coming down from the moon?

"After all, there's only one kind of people on the moon, and it produced someone like Otsutsuki Toneri..."

These were all his guesses, but if he was right, then his template was probably the most standard "Moon Ōtsutsuki" template!

"Could it even be too standard, retaining only Yin Release and Yang Release?"

Hyuga Makoto rubbed his chin. If that was the case, then the upper limit of this template wouldn't be low.

"Even if I can't reach Otsutsuki Toneri's level, I shouldn't be too far behind."

With that thought, Hyuga Makoto gradually began to form a plan.

"Although this is only the reward for my first exclusive mission, I don't know when the next one will come or what I'll receive. It seems I have to make some preparations myself."

No matter how powerful the Moon Ōtsutsuki was, it was still far inferior to the true Ōtsutsuki.

He was currently missing the other Chakra attributes, and that was a serious problem!

Even if he relied on staying in the Anbu and completing side missions to slowly make up for them, the problem was...

"To become the World Nucleus, I can't just hide in Konoha."

However, his identity as an Anbu member meant that he couldn't run around freely.

"Looks like my Puppet Technique is finally going to be useful..."

Hyuga Makoto's eyes flickered. Just like Otsutsuki Toneri, his Puppet Technique could allow his consciousness to descend into a puppet!

He could also withdraw it at any time without causing any effect on himself.

Besides, in this fertile land of the shinobi world, where all things flourished and sprang to life, the things it had no shortage of were lunatics and scientists!

At this thought, Hyuga Makoto secretly nodded.

"Looks like I know what I have to do now..."

"Good morning, Neji."

Early the next morning, Hyuga Makoto ran to the training ground.

After figuring out what he would do in the future, he felt refreshed. If the Anbu hadn't notified him yet, he would have gone to report for duty already.

However, as soon as he arrived at the training ground, he saw Hyuga Neji already sweating profusely from training, which made him curious.

"Hey, didn't you go to class today?"

"Makoto?"

Neji's eyes lit up when he saw Hyuga Makoto approaching, but he quickly suppressed his emotions.

"Today is a day off. Besides, it's already nine o'clock. How did you ever become a shinobi?"

"I thought you were skipping class. Besides, nine o'clock is still early."

Hyuga Makoto shrugged indifferently, then patted Neji heavily on the shoulder.

"And besides, have I not accompanied you in your training lately to the point that you don't even want to call me big brother anymore?"

"..."

Neji's mouth twitched uncontrollably at those words.

His relationship with Hyuga Makoto could be described as very good...

Before his father passed away, Hyuga Makoto had lived at his house and treated him very well.

After his father passed away, it was also Hyuga Makoto who often took care of him, counseled him, and trained with him.

In his eyes, Hyuga Makoto was his big brother!

It was just that some of Hyuga Makoto's actions made him rather unhappy...

"You should spend more time training with Miss Hinata."

Neji snorted softly, his voice sounding somewhat dejected.

"Perhaps this is the destiny of the Branch Family, but don't forget that my father was from the Main Branch..."

"Enough, stop!"

Hyuga Makoto hurriedly interrupted Neji, unable to stop himself from glancing around as well.

Neji was Hizashi's son. He could say all sorts of nonsense without anything happening, but Makoto couldn't afford to do the same!

"Hey, don't get me in trouble."

"Relax. They're busy right now."

Although Neji hated the Main Branch, he still knew right from wrong.

"You're good in every way, but this is something I can't accept. The Main Branch and us are different."

"You don't know what you're talking about. Besides, there are many things you don't know."

Hyuga Makoto rubbed Neji's head, though he was also muttering inwardly.

Will Hyuga Hiashi bring out the letter ahead of time?

This clan head had completely resolved to "defy his ancestors" after watching Neji and Naruto during the Chūnin Exams.

Not only had he given Hizashi Hyuga's letter to Neji, but he had even performed a dogeza.

However, he quickly stopped thinking about it and asked curiously instead.

"By the way, what are they busy with?"

"I don't know. Hokage-sama arrived early this morning."

Neji didn't really accept Hyuga Makoto's way of thinking, but he didn't argue further.

"They're receiving Hokage-sama right now. They don't have time to bother with us."

"I see..."

Hyuga Makoto nodded thoughtfully. He knew that this was probably about coming to demand a person.

However, he wasn't particularly worried, because this was nothing more than a formality.

After all, thanks to Neji's father, he had already established connections with both sides!

At this thought, he couldn't help sighing.

"Neji, you have a good father."

"..."

Neji looked at him strangely. He knew his father was a good man, but what did Makoto mean by saying that now?

Before he could think about it any further, he suddenly saw two Anbu members walking toward them.

"Why... are they coming here?"

"Perhaps they're here to invite me into the Anbu."

Hyuga Makoto raised his eyebrows with a smile, making Neji snort.

"Invite you? I think there's a better chance they're here to arrest you..."

However, just as he finished speaking, he noticed that the two Anbu members began to speed up.

At the same time, the two of them drew their kunai!

"This..."

Neji's eyes widened, but before he could say anything, Hyuga Makoto had already taken a step forward.

"Stay back. Don't get yourself hurt."

As soon as he finished speaking, Hyuga Makoto charged toward the two Anbu members!

He hadn't forgotten that Uchiha Itachi had undergone a "welcoming ceremony" when he joined the Anbu.

Uchiha Itachi hadn't fought back, but now that Hyuga Makoto had improved so much, he naturally wanted to throw a few punches.

He didn't want to merely "test his courage," especially since his system was flashing right now.

[New side mission obtained]

[1. Avoid the battle voluntarily and become a defeated Anbu recruit]

[2. Accept the battle voluntarily. I'm no worse than Uchiha Itachi]

"Oh no..."

However, his actions left Neji completely stunned. There was only one thought in his mind.

Could it be that I was right? They really are here to arrest Makoto...