On the ancient, solemn grounds of the Hyuga Clan, an important Handover Ceremony for the clan head was about to begin.
"Dong~ dong~ dong~"
Nine resonant peals echoed across the peaceful grounds, as though recounting the Hyuga Clan's history and glory.
"Pay homage to our ancestors~" proclaimed Great Elder Hyuga Hoze.
Sunlight streamed through the ancient window lattices into the magnificent Ancestral Temple. The clan's important members stood in formal attire, their expressions solemn as they awaited this sacred moment.
"Present the seal of office~"
With the Four Great Elders and the Two Clan Elders as witnesses.
Hyuga Hiashi handed the Clan Head's seal to Qingwu and said solemnly, "Qingwu, the Hyuga Clan is in your hands now."
Qingwu replied, "I understand. I'll make the Hyuga Clan great again~"
His heart brimmed with purpose and responsibility. He was determined to breathe new life into the Hyuga Clan and restore its former glory.
"Tap, tap~ tap, tap~"
A discordant series of footsteps shattered the peace. The representatives of the various clans and the other guests all thought, The Hyuga Clan's test has arrived~
The only question is which Factions have stepped in. Or are several great nations involved? Interesting~
Time to enjoy the show~
They all knew perfectly well that today would not be peaceful. This was common enough at succession ceremonies for major clans. Everything depended on how the Hyuga Clan handled it.
One misstep could destroy the Hyuga Clan's thousand-year reputation in a single day. How the various Factions treated the clan afterward would depend on whether Qingwu satisfied them today.
Hyuga Seigo, let us see what you're made of.
Even the elders of the families that were close to Qingwu thought this way. Friendship between clans was no children's game. It involved all manner of considerations, especially strength and Factions...
"Heh~ here they come..."
A group of mysterious figures slowly entered the hall. Seeing them, Danzo wore a sinister smile. "I'm afraid this transfer of leadership won't go quite so smoothly today."
Sarutobi Hiruzen gave him a long, searching look.
"Hehe~ we heard the Hyuga Clan was holding its succession ceremony today, so we came to watch. Are we welcome...? Where's the new clan head...? Come out and let us have a look..."
"Hahaha~ exactly! Come out and let me get a look at you."
"Don't talk like that. Their clan head is still a kid. Don't scare him. If you make him cry, the Hyuga Clan won't forgive you."
"Ahahaha~ oh, I'm so scared~"
"..."
The mysterious figures' voices echoed through the spacious hall, thick with mockery. It was obvious they had come to cause trouble.
"Bastards! Who are you? How dare you trespass on our Hyuga Clan's grounds!" The Hyuga Clan members glared at them, their hands moving to their weapons.
"Do you have a death wish?!"
Qingwu was speechless. His clansmen were far too naive. What a bunch of idiots. A group this large had passed through Konoha's Barrier and the Anbu's surveillance to reach the Hyuga grounds.
Even an idiot wouldn't believe the scheming old bastards of the Konoha F4 weren't behind this. What the hell was the point of asking?
"Oh?! They're angry."
"The little Clan Head's hiding. He doesn't dare come out! Ahahaha~"
The masked visitors continued jeering without restraint. These desperate criminals had no idea what fear meant.
They couldn't even insult people properly.
What trash.
Despite their taunts, Hyuga Seigo remained completely unmoved. He stepped forward and calmly watched these clowns perform, his eyes revealing unhurried confidence.
"Stand down. They're here for me."
Qingwu waved the Hyuga clansmen back. Are you kidding? If you fight them, how am I supposed to show off?
With his Otsutsuki bloodline as a foundation and the support of the Demon Refining Pot Visualization Method, Qingwu had begun walking the path of the Six Paths. Naturally, that transformation would not happen overnight. The gulf between mortal and immortal was no small thing.
Even so, Qingwu had already reached the level of Senju Hashirama and Madara Uchiha. His combat strength stood above all others at Kage Level.
The Hyuga Clan members immediately fell silent and retreated behind him, as did the Four Great Elders, the Two Clan Elders, and Hiashi and his brother. Qingwu had to overcome today's challenge himself.
It was time for him to shine.
Our Hyuga Clan has a truly exceptional son.
"What?!"
Every guest's expression changed. They had never expected Qingwu to command such respect that everyone obeyed him without hesitation.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's and Danzo's expressions darkened as well. A united Hyuga Clan was not what they wanted to see.
"Are you finished?! You pathetic clowns dare come to the Hyuga Clan's doorstep and show off your paltry skills?" Hyuga Seigo's voice was steady and powerful, as though it could pierce straight into people's hearts.
I have to nail this act. It's my succession ceremony, after all. I need to establish my presence. All I'm missing is a monk's robe and a big dragon tattoo.
One of the mysterious figures sneered. "Hmph. The Hyuga Clan is a shadow of its former self. If you don't satisfy us today, I'm afraid this Handover Ceremony won't be continuing."
Before he had finished speaking, the masked figures in black behind him suddenly attacked, charging straight at Hyuga Seigo.
"Enough bullshit! Just kill the brat~"
Hyuga Seigo's gaze sharpened. He blurred into motion, easily dodged the attack, then kicked...
Boom~ The first attacker flew backward, his chest caved in. He clearly would not survive.
Then came an elbow strike.
Bang~ Another flew backward, vomiting blood and following his comrade to Yomi. At least neither would be lonely on the road to the afterlife.
"Whoa~ damn! Two strikes, two kills, right off the bat."
The guests were stunned. "This Hyuga Seigo has some real skill." His friends cheered.
"Yeah~ Qingwu's amazing!"
"Shit~ he's tough! Get him together!" When their initial attack failed, the other mysterious figures immediately lunged again. Their weapons flashed coldly, while others rapidly formed hand seals and began unleashing ninjutsu.
"Lightning Release: Earth Flow!"
"Wind Release: Beast Wave Gale Palm!"
The first two attacks worked in perfect coordination: Lightning Release to restrict his movements, Wind Release to deal damage.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!" "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" Another combined attack, its power doubled by the pairing.
"Wind Release: Thousand-Faced Wind!" "Earth Release: Stone Bullet Cannon!" "Water Release: Water Flow Gun!" These techniques required few seals and launched quickly.
They were clearly seasoned fighters.
"Come on, then~"
Hyuga Seigo remained unhurried as he unleashed the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist, spreading an enormous Eight Trigrams Palm field around himself.
"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms!"
Great Elder Hyuga Hoze said, "You youngsters had better watch closely and learn. This is the true power of Gentle Fist."
At his words.
Everyone in the Hyuga Clan immediately focused, activating their Byakugan for fear of missing a single detail of the battle.
The mysterious figures' ninjutsu attacks looked fierce, but Hyuga Seigo either evaded them with deft footwork or extinguished them with a single Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm. In practice, they weren't worth a damn.
Then.
"Secret Technique: Thousand Blade Kill~!"
"Lightning Fist!"
"Whirlwind Kick!"
"Secret Technique: Hazy Night Sword!" Several close-combat specialists wielding Secret Techniques attacked with lethal moves, making the spectators' eyelids twitch.
Surrounded by attacks like these, Qingwu was in danger.
But the next second shattered their expectations.
"Aaaargh~" Screams rang out one after another.
"Pfft, pfft, pfft~" The mysterious attackers flew through the air, vomiting blood, their bones broken and tendons torn. They could not withstand Qingwu's attacks at all.
"You damned brat! I'll take you down with me..."
They couldn't stop him. They simply couldn't. Rather than a crowd ganging up on Hyuga Seigo, it looked as though Qingwu was ganging up on all of them. He gave Gentle Fist the sheer ferocity of Strong Fist.
Smack~ This one still wanted to use ninjutsu?! Qingwu slapped him again, forcing the words back down his throat.
As for that poor fellow.
"Thrust, thrust, thrust~" Strikes to his chakra points disrupted his chakra flow, and then his body exploded with a bang.
Black smoke poured from his mouth, leaving it charred black~
How pitiful.
"Stay away from me!"
"Great Fireball, Great Fireball, Great Fireball~"
Some still managed to launch their ninjutsu. Qingwu met them with an Eight Trigrams Mountain Breaker, smashing through their techniques and defenses alike. One kick drew blood.
"Aaaargh~"
The young Hyuga clansmen watched with blazing admiration. "Holy shit~ holy shit~ holy shit~"
Three cries of "holy shit." Their Clan Head was incredible. They had never imagined Gentle Fist could be so powerful in his hands.
Ninjutsu, the three basic techniques—whatever they tried.
They all died.
"Now that's an eye-opener~"
"Now I understand how the Hyuga Clan earned its reputation for being invincible within its Eight Trigrams field."
"But isn't this field a little too big? It looks even more impressive than Hiashi's Rotation~"
"Look how effortlessly he's handling them. He clearly isn't using his full strength. Hyuga Seigo's power is unfathomable~"
"Ohoho~ I knew Taijutsu could shine too! This is youth..." Might Guy was so moved that tears filled his eyes.
The guests and representatives of Konoha's clans—the Ino-Shika-Cho, Inuzuka, Aburame, Gekko, Hatake, Yuhi, and others—all acknowledged Qingwu's strength.
Those black-clad attackers had at least Chunin strength, with some reaching Special Jonin level and no shortage of Jonin among them. Yet in Qingwu's hands, they were toys. Almost all of them were dead already.
Just then, Danzo's expression darkened, and he gave a meaningful glance. The mysterious figures' leader rushed forward as well, attacking Qingwu from behind. One slash revealed his strength unmistakably: near-Kage Level. "Draw-Sword Technique~!"
The Hyuga clansmen's expressions changed drastically. "Despicable~!"
They had never expected this either.
This man had none of the pride or dignity of a powerful fighter.
He had actually launched a sneak attack.
It was too late for them to help now.
"Clan Head, watch out...!"
"Rotation~!" But Qingwu had been prepared and immediately defended himself. Unlike other Hyuga clansmen, however, his Rotation formed an air shield extending only one meter in front of him.
Clang~ The black-clad leader's killing blow struck the air shield, producing the ringing impact of solid metal. The shock numbed his hand.
Crack~ bang—
"Aaaargh~" An unstoppable force shattered his blade, then traveled along it into his body. His arm twisted, its bones shattering and flying out, before his entire body was shredded and hurled away. It was gruesome.
"Hiss~" A chorus of sharp gasps rose.
A near-Kage Level expert had been torn apart right before their eyes, killed in a single exchange. What terrifying strength. Decisive and ruthless—this was everyone's new impression of Qingwu.
They no longer regarded him merely as an admirable junior. Now there was far more awe for a powerful fighter. Some were delighted, while others worried. The children of several families were Qingwu's playmates. With someone so powerful as their friend, why worry that they would amount to nothing?!
While these thoughts passed through their minds.
"Boring~ I haven't even warmed up."
Qingwu had already finished the battle.
Forty or fifty attackers, the strongest of them a near-Kage Level expert, had been slaughtered by his Taijutsu in just three to five minutes.
"Long live the Clan Head~ long live the Clan Head~"
The Hyuga Clan members stared at him with fervent eyes and cheered loudly. Damn, having him made them feel safe.
Qingwu waved his hand.
A group immediately stepped forward.
Some handled the bodies, while others cleaned away the traces of battle. By the end, the floor was spotless, without even a lingering odor.
Thoroughly professional.
The Four Great Elders, the Two Clan Elders, and Hiashi and his brother watched with smiles. They knew Qingwu had succeeded.
From today onward, the Hyuga Clan.
Would answer to his voice alone.
His friends, who had been held back, finally breathed sighs of relief.
Naruto: Yeah~ Qingwu won! Qingwu won~
Shikamaru: My friend, what happened to taking it easy together?
Choji: Crunch~ crunch~ these chips are delicious.
Kiba: That was terrifying. Even Akamaru's shaking.
Shino: The insects are afraid.
Hinata: Qingwu's all right. Thank goodness.
Ino: That's my man, my man! Hehe~
Sasuke was stunned: Is this Hyuga Seigo's true strength? He's so strong. If he's willing to help me...
Sakura: Qingwu really is dazzling, but I still like Sasuke...
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed inwardly.
There was no stopping him now.
Before you continue