Greetings! The Third Hokage

"I—I only know this much."

Aota took a deep breath, gritting his teeth as he faced Neji, trembling with extreme fear.

Neji merely narrowed his eyes, lost in deep thought.

"Where did you hear these things?"

Neji's question seemed to strike at the heart of the matter.

Aota looked at Neji in astonishment; seeing Neji's look of complete ignorance, he couldn't help but doubt his own judgment.

"Why haven't I heard of this?"

Neji shoved Aota away with a forceful flick.

Aota landed and stumbled back several paces.

Neji walked toward him, his oppressive aura making it difficult for Aota to catch his breath.

In this moment, he regretted his decision to confront Neji alone. Although Neji wasn't even fighting seriously, the power erupting from within him was worlds apart from what it had been!

It had only been a few days, yet it felt like an eternity!

From the sheer intensity of Neji's chakra, Aota could tell that his growth was terrifyingly rapid!

"Are you still playing dumb? With your strength progressing this fast, who would believe you don't have the scrolls?"

Aota straightened his collar, looking somewhat disheveled, bracing himself to defend against any sudden strike from Neji.

But he only prepared to defend; he seemed to realize that the current Neji was already a monster-level combatant.

Neji rubbed his chin, seeing that he wouldn't get any more answers this way.

He himself seemed to be in the dark about these things.

"Get lost. If you spout such nonsense again, don't blame me for being impolite!"

Neji glared at Aota.

Then, he turned on his heel and walked away with a cool, detached air.

At that moment, Aota felt his legs turn to jelly!

Scrolls?

Hyuga Tenin?

The former was a term he had never heard before.

As for the latter name, Neji had heard whispers of it.

He was a ninja from the same era as Hyuga Tenshu and Hyuga Tenmoku, though slightly their senior.

Tenin's master was a ninja from the same period as the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.

Tenin himself was a legendary Hyuga ninja said to possess a one-hundred-percent pure bloodline, with a Byakugan purity nearing absolute perfection.

Neji's current purity was only 13%; just from that, he could imagine how incredibly powerful this so-called Tenin must have been.

And only now did Neji realize that the reason such a powerful figure was so strong was because of... this?

Talent is just talent; without concrete skills, it is all vanity.

It was just like how Wood Style defined Hashirama Senju, the Mangekyo Sharingan defined Madara Uchiha, and the Flying Thunder God defined Minato Namikaze.

Every great powerhouse throughout history possessed a unique talent.

Were these scrolls the secret behind it? The ceiling of the Hyuga Clan, Hyuga Tenin.

Standing outside the Main Branch courtyard, Neji paced back and forth for a long time.

Judging by Aota's reaction, few people knew about this. And since Aota's grandfather was... Hyuga Tenshu, Neji recalled seeing Tenshu speaking privately with Hiashi the other day.

Either Hiashi was unaware and Tenshu was orchestrating this alone, or Hiashi would stand on Tenshu's side.

No matter how he looked at it, Neji wasn't sure if it was wise to stir the pot now.

The more he learned, the more Neji felt that the internal core conflicts of the Hyuga Clan were unimaginably complex...

"Hero Festival?"

Tenten blinked, her eyes wide. As a ninja not born into a prestigious clan, she didn't seem to know much about it.

At the meeting point, only Asuma, Tenten, and Neji were present.

"That's right. Every year, there is a festival to commemorate the heroes who sacrificed themselves in the wars. The Hokage attends this event, and the noble families of Konoha are summoned to show their respect for the heroes. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio represents three of our oldest clan powers in Konoha: the Yamanaka Clan, the Nara Clan, and the Akimichi Clan. That's why those three can't make it to training today."

After Asuma finished explaining, he smiled and crushed the cigarette butt he had been smoking.

Tenten nodded leisurely, then looked at Neji: "Isn't the Hyuga Clan included?"

"The Hyuga Clan? Of course... they are one of the oldest clans in our Konoha." Asuma hesitated for a moment, then lit another cigarette with a troubled expression.

"As for the Hyuga, the Main Branch should be there, right? I'm just from the Branch Family," Neji explained.

The group fell silent.

"When does this festival end?"

"It should last until dusk; it will definitely be over before the sun sets."

At dusk.

The sun in the west dyed more than half the sky red, the clouds elegant and distant, as if this scene might become eternal in the next moment.

Before the Hero Monument, everyone bowed solemnly.

The person on the stage seemed to be leading everyone in reciting some kind of oath.

A long while later, the festival dispersed.

The crowd grew thinner and thinner; those who were meant to leave had all departed.

"Well then, Tenzo, you should head off too. I can return to the office by myself."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said to the masked ninja before him, and the Anbu member was clearly taken aback.

"Go on, hurry along."

Finally, the Anbu left, and only one person remained at the site: the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

It was unclear how long he stood there before he tilted his head back and called out loudly, "Alright, you've been hiding long enough. If you have something to say, come on out."

A rustling sound emerged from the bushes.

The figure of a young boy appeared.

"You are that boy from the Hyuga Clan?" Hiruzen frowned.

Neji stepped out, maintaining his vigilance at first.

After approaching, he bowed.

"Hyuga Neji, greetings, Lord Third Hokage!"

"Heh, Neji, is it? What business do you have? Do you also wish to pay your respects to the fallen heroes of the festival?"

Seeing Hiruzen laughing heartily, Neji could not bring himself to be happy; his mood remained heavy.

"I have come to find you because I wish to make a deal with you."

Neji said earnestly.

"A deal? Hahaha!"

Hiruzen chuckled, stroking the goatee on his chin. As a child who was obscure even among the genin, Neji naturally had not caught Hiruzen's attention.

It was like a celebrity in the spotlight ignoring a commoner; they were simply not on the same level.

With the weights on either side of the scale so drastically unbalanced, what kind of deal could there be?

"Neji, if you have any problems, just tell me, and I will do my best to help you resolve them."

"You must first promise me that you will keep everything I say today a secret; only then will I begin our conversation."

Neji was extremely cautious.

This step was a dangerous gambit.

Therefore, Neji had to prepare every possible measure, just in case.

"Uh... little Neji, if you are truly bored, you can go find Iruka-sensei to play. Is your squad leader Guy? That's right, he went out on a mission. Then, then perhaps your clan head, Hiashi..."

"Lord Hiruzen!"

Neji's words caused Hiruzen to freeze.

A child nearly sixty years his junior had addressed him by his name! The impact was not small.

"If I told you that I witnessed the death of Hayate Gekko, would you still think I am joking?"

Neji's words caused Hiruzen's smile to vanish instantly, the look of astonishment on his face as if he had been struck by a bolt of lightning.

Inside the office at the Hokage Building.

"I truly never expected that the boy would be you! To think the Sand Ninja would betray Konoha..."

Hiruzen's expression was grave as he took a sip of tea, though he seemed to have already guessed all of this.

Neji, however, was not concerned with that.

He said, "Regarding the enemy's abilities and their plans, I have gathered some intelligence. With this information, we can significantly reduce the village's casualties and perhaps even prevent this tragedy."

"I see. So this is the bargaining chip for your deal? Speak, then. What do you wish to exchange it for?" Hiruzen's gaze toward Neji finally turned serious.

Neji spoke unhurriedly: "Regarding the history of the Hyuga Clan, the name Hyuga Tenin, the Main Branch and the Branch Family of the Hyuga Clan, and the scrolls passed down through the generations... I want to know everything you can provide regarding these matters!"