The Martial Arts Tournament had seven participants in total. Three were eliminated in the first round, and with one contestant getting a bye in the second, only four remained for two matches. Fuyuki versus Neji was the first match, while the second was Hinata versus a five-year-old from the Hyuga Clan.
The result was obvious: Hinata won by a landslide. She wasn't lacking in talent, but there was nothing worse than comparing people to one another.
Just look at those two overpowered monsters, Sasuke and Naruto. At sixteen, they'd already reached Six Paths Level. Anyone compared to them would seem weak and delicate, practically helpless.
The early-month Martial Arts Tournament ended, and the clan elders went with the Third into the Main Branch Courtyard.
The Hyuga Clan members who'd been training in the morning dispersed, ready to eat breakfast and rest for a bit before the medical lesson that was sure to leave them scratching their heads.
The Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist mainly targeted the internal organs, acupoints, and meridians, so they naturally had to study medicine. Occasionally, they even had to study law.
A whole clan studying medicine. They were practically asking to be struck by lightning.
Fuyuki pretended not to notice as he ditched his personal maid, Natsumi, and the clingy Hinata, then returned to his bedroom alone. After locking the door, he raised a hand, and a circle of black markings appeared on the floor.
"Elemental Spirit Summoning: Meisete-ku!"
A black Elemental Spirit, shaped like a bean sprout, rose from the floor. A golden lock hung around its neck, and it gazed at Fuyuki with a vacant, adorable expression, waiting for its master's command.
The Summoning Technique didn't require Hand Seals. All it needed was enough chakra and mental energy.
The little black sprout Fuyuki had summoned was a master of stealth, formed from pure Yin-Style Chakra with a touch of Yang-Style Chakra mixed in. Unless it ran into an expert in Yin Release, even an Elite Jonin wouldn't be able to detect Meisete-ku.
After seeing the Third, Fuyuki had figured the adults must be up to some shady business. Besides, the timing was suspicious: Konoha was caught in a lull before the Uchiha rebellion. Anything important enough to bring the Hokage in person was bound to be out of the ordinary.
As a temporary freeloader, eavesdropping on the adults' plans for their operation was only natural.
"Slip into the meeting room, Meisete-ku!"
Fuyuki gave the order in his mind. The Yin-Style Spirit melted into a pool of shadow and slipped into the building. It moved freely through the structure without meeting any resistance, quickly reaching Hyuga Hiashi's residence and sneaking into the meeting room. From there, it began broadcasting a low-latency, panoramic VR feed to Fuyuki in the Side Courtyard.
"The border defenses need to be strengthened further. Anbu recently discovered traces of Orochimaru in the Land of Fire."
Orochimaru had vanished for over a year, and now he'd appeared in the Ninja World again. If there wasn't something fishy going on, his teacher, Sarutobi Hiruzen, wouldn't believe it for a second. Orochimaru's reappearance was exactly what had prompted the Third to visit the Hyuga Clan.
Truthfully, the Third had no face to show at the Hyuga Clan. Back when Kumogakure had bullied and pressured them, he'd sided with the other village to end the border conflict quickly, twisting the truth and forcing the Hyuga Clan to apologize to the Cloud Ninja Village.
Even though Konoha had compensated the Hyuga Clan afterward, he'd still failed in his duty as the Third.
He'd planned to let the matter cool until he left office, then have the Fifth Hokage rebuild trust with the Hyuga Clan. But now circumstances had changed: Orochimaru, who should have been keeping a low profile, had suddenly shown himself.
The Hyuga Clan could slack off as much as they liked under ordinary circumstances. After all, he'd been the one to sell them out first.
But now Orochimaru had infiltrated the Land of Fire. Whatever his reason for coming, they had to find him!
That was where the Byakugan came in. It didn't matter how well someone hid their presence. If the Byakugan saw them, their cover was blown—and they'd be surrounded and beaten down!
After hearing the Third out, Hiashi and several elders fell silent for a moment, not answering him right away.
Searching the entire Land of Fire wasn't something they could finish in a short time. Even if they sent out every Hyuga Jonin-ranked ninja and above, it would still take them over half a month to search the whole country thoroughly.
Bringing the Hyuga Clan to a standstill for half a month would cost them a considerable amount of money.
Of course, Hiashi knew the Hokage would pay them a generous fee.
After exchanging glances with the elders, Hiashi finally spoke on behalf of the clan. "That's fine, but we'll need two days to arrange the handover. Lord Hokage, that won't delay the mission, will it?"
"No problem. The Anbu unit has already set out to conduct a thorough search. You'll be the second wave. If you discover any sign of Orochimaru, don't act rashly. Notify the Anbu members nearby over the radio." Hearing Hiashi's answer, the Third smiled.
Then he added pointedly, "I've been sitting in my office too long lately, and my back often aches. I should get more exercise in the forest behind Kage Rock this afternoon."
Hiashi froze. When he heard the Third mention his backache, he'd assumed the old man was about to throw propriety aside and invite them for drinks. He hadn't expected him to bring up the forest behind Kage Rock instead.
Still, he understood what the Third meant. It was his private way of thanking them.
"Then we're grateful for your kindness, Lord Hokage," Hiashi said at once.
"Then I won't keep you any longer."
With the search settled and the Hyuga Clan committed to helping find Orochimaru, the Third had no reason to stay. He already had a mountain of paperwork to handle on an ordinary day, especially after the Nine-Tails Incident, the Cloud Ninja Village's shameless antics, and the Uchiha matter.
The Hokage was practically turning into the Bald Hokage.
He had far too much to deal with!
"Orochimaru? Isn't Snake Princess busy cuddling and kissing Big Brother Pain right now? Why'd she suddenly come to the Land of Fire?"
Fuyuki ended the Summoning Technique, and Meisete-ku dissolved into pure chakra and returned to his body.
"Ah, whatever. This has nothing to do with me. They can do whatever they want!"
As the saying went, if it didn't concern him, he could keep his head down and stay out of it. He had no grudge against Orochimaru, and he was in the heart of Konoha. Even if Orochimaru could fly, there was no reason for him to come bite Fuyuki for no reason and give him a curry chicken that would never disappear.
Besides, wasn't the Uchiha Clan right there? Orochimaru had been lusting after them for ages.
"Bet Snake Princess is making another secret deal with that scheming bastard Danzo." Fuyuki straightened his clothes and acted as if nothing had happened. Then he strolled openly into the Clan Head's residence, pushed open the door to his mother's room like he'd done it a thousand times, and beamed. "Dear little Hanabi, your awesome big brother is here!"
Hanabi had been born some time ago, but newborns were fragile, so their mother had been living with her in the Main Branch Courtyard. Hanabi wouldn't be free to leave until after the clan's thirty-second ancestor-worship ceremony.
The Ninja World's customs around childbirth differed from those in Fuyuki's previous life. There was no full-moon celebration. On the seventh day after a baby's birth, the family named the child and held a celebration. Then, on either the thirtieth or thirty-second day, they went to the clan grounds to pay their respects to their ancestors. Orphans and children without parents went to worship at the Shrine instead.
Fuyuki had experienced all of that himself, so he knew the customs well. He didn't know about the others.
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