Watch Your Behavior

"I was wrong! Those two Branch Family members don't need to be taught a lesson. This was my fault—I was the one who wanted to cause trouble for them!"

Seizing an opening, Shunichi spoke rapidly to Shuji.

"Huh? But what does that have to do with me?"

Shuji immediately laughed at that. His hand tightened, forcing Shunichi's head back down into the water.

"I'll go tell the clan head that I attacked two Branch Family members for no reason, that I escalated the conflict between the Branch Family and... glug, glug—"

Before Shunichi could finish, Shuji shoved his head underwater again.

After a long while, Shuji pulled Shunichi's head back out.

"Why do you think I care that much about this? Say whatever you want."

With that, Shuji pushed Shunichi's head back into the water.

"Please, let me go!"

After being pulled from the water once more, Shunichi broke down and shouted at Shuji.

"Begging me? But you don't respect me."

Shuji chuckled and shoved Shunichi's head down again.

"You're begging me to spare you, yet you can't even call me 'sir'?"

Grabbing Hyuga Shunichi by the hair and pulling him close, Shuji asked with an ambiguous smile.

"Please... please, sir, let me go."

Hyuga Shunichi's halting voice had already taken on a tearful tone.

"Who is 'sir'?"

Shuji suddenly tightened his grip and shoved Hyuga Shunichi's head into the water again.

"Please, Lord Shuji, please spare me."

Having tasted fresh air again, Hyuga Shunichi spoke at breakneck speed.

"Mm. Lord Shuji disagrees."

Shuji nodded lightly, then shoved Hyuga Shunichi's head back down again.

He was still speaking rather coherently. He was nowhere near breaking down yet.

"Rest for one minute, then we continue."

With his arms folded across his chest, Hiashi leaned against a tree and looked down at Hyuga Yuichi, who had just climbed back to his feet.

"Lord Hiashi! I was wrong! I really know I was wrong! I'm sorry! Aah!!!"

The moment he heard Hiashi's words, Hyuga Yuichi dropped to his knees and crawled toward him.

"Did I tell you to move?"

Hiashi curled his lip disdainfully. Amid Hyuga Yuichi's miserable screams, he activated the Caged Bird technique again.

After finishing with Hyuga Shunichi's clothes, Nawaki watched the scene before him and unconsciously licked his dry lips.

That really... looked painful...

"That's enough for today. We'll continue tomorrow."

Dragging Hyuga Shunichi, who was already close to losing consciousness, to the shore, Shuji casually tossed him onto the ground.

"No! No! Spare me!"

Hyuga Shunichi, whose mind had nearly gone blank, jolted awake at those words. He reached out and grabbed Shuji's pant leg.

"Why should I spare you?"

Shuji chuckled, crouching down to look at the pale-faced Hyuga Shunichi from above.

"Please, sir..."

"Then will you behave yourself from now on?"

Shuji smiled, pinching Hyuga Shunichi's chin and forcibly making him raise his head.

"Yes! Yes! I'll behave, I'll behave!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Hyuga Shunichi nodded frantically, like a drowning man clutching at his last straw.

"Hmph."

Satisfied, Shuji snorted softly, patted Hyuga Shunichi's face, then stood and headed toward Konoha Hospital.

Hiashi and Nawaki followed behind Shuji.

"Will this... really work?"

On the way, Hiashi hesitantly asked Shuji. Though Shunichi and Yuichi had both paid a considerable price today,

that did not guarantee that Hyuga Shunichi would not trouble Hizashi and Hinagiku again in the future.

"Mm... Tomorrow, go ask Lord Tokuhiro whether Hyuga Shunichi went to admit his mistake on his own. If he didn't, we continue tomorrow."

Shuji turned to look at Hiashi. Just giving him a beating definitely could not guarantee that the problem would be thoroughly resolved.

So what came next would be the real conclusion to this matter.

"You mean?"

Hiashi paused, looking at Shuji.

"Attacking a Branch Family member for no reason is enough of an excuse for Lord Tokuhiro to use this opportunity to do something."

Shuji nodded with a smile, explaining it to Hiashi.

"After all, perhaps the Main Family doesn't fear the Branch Family causing trouble. But if the Branch Family were to retaliate against the Main Family with a mindset of mutual destruction at a critical moment, that would be quite a headache too, wouldn't it?"

Turning around, Shuji lightly patted Hiashi on the shoulder.

"Most importantly, even if Hizashi is from the Branch Family, he is still your younger brother and your father's son.

Hiashi, if you had children in the future, would you really stand by and watch one of them be beaten into the hospital for no reason?

Even if that child belonged to the Branch Family."

"I will never let my child become part of the Branch Family!"

After a moment of silence, Hiashi raised his head and spoke to Shuji with great determination.

"Oh? That's a very good idea, but you'll have to work hard to become the Main Family head before there's any possibility of changing things."

Shuji chuckled, nodded, and continued toward Konoha Hospital.

"Huh?"

Hiashi froze. Then, as if he had thought of something, he stepped forward to Shuji's side.

"So you support me becoming the Main Family head?"

Honestly, Hiashi felt that his talent was absolutely outstanding within the clan. Once his old father could no longer hold on and prepared to step down,

he would definitely be able to take over as Main Family head—as long as Shuji did not compete with him.

"Hm? I could also choose not to support you."

Shuji paused, looked back at Hiashi, then raised a brow and said,

"Don't do that. You have to support me—we're brothers from different fathers and mothers!"

Hiashi immediately grinned. He took two big steps forward, slung an arm around Shuji's neck, and said with a cheeky expression.

"Then... watch your behavior?"

Shuji shot Hiashi a sidelong glance and asked with a grin.

Whether or not he became the clan head was not actually important. What mattered most was strength. With strength came more influence.

That was an eternal truth in the Shinobi World.

It was just that this little brat Hiashi did not understand that yet.

"I'm warning you, don't go too far!"

Hiashi's arm around Shuji's neck suddenly tightened as he spoke in a low voice.

The threat in his tone was unmistakable.

"Oh, then I won't support you."

Shuji immediately shook his head, answering without the slightest hesitation.

"Ah! You have to support me!"

"Should we tell the clan head about this?"

After dressing Hyuga Shunichi, Hyuga Yuichi stood beside him and asked softly.