Actually, I Lied to You

"Lord Zhi, why have we come here?"

"Ao, knowing too much is never a good thing."

Hyuga Zhi smiled, reaching into the base of a withered tree to pull out a scroll.

Three years ago, a figure claiming to be his "ancestor" appeared in his dreams; not only was this entity incredibly knowledgeable, but he also possessed a clear understanding of the movements of every clan in the world.

For instance, this scroll contained supplies traded between two mid-tier clans, but now, it belonged to Hyuga Zhi.

It was precisely because of this "ancestor's" help that he had leaped from an ordinary Hyuga ninja to a powerhouse who had married the First Elder's daughter.

"Let's go, Ao. We should head back; this is getting a bit too close to Senju territory."

"Yes, my lord."

Hyuga Ao, who had his Byakugan activated to keep watch, suddenly turned serious.

"My lord, there are Senju clan ninjas approaching. Three of them... no, we're being surrounded."

"?"

Veins bulged around Hyuga Zhi's eyes as he realized a large group of Senju ninjas had indeed formed a tightening perimeter.

"Stay calm, Ao. This distance is enough for us to escape. Follow me; there are the fewest people on this side. Whether it's a trap or not, this is our only chance..."

"Yes."

In a spot the two had failed to notice, a figure with a pitch-black body sat within a circle formed by black markings, silently lowering his hands.

"My lord, this should suffice, right?"

"Well done, Hong."

Throughout the long history of ninjas, there were always novel variations, such as these red eyes.

Unlike the Sharingan, Black Zetsu had discovered that these eyes possessed effects similar to the Byakugan and could even create Chakra illusions to deceive it.

Unfortunately, these Red Eyes were difficult to awaken, and those who did were left with weak constitutions, meaning they would never become powerhouses even if they became ninjas.

On the other side, Senju Shinji began to move, taking Hiugo with him.

Given his usual relationship with Genichi, taking his younger brother out for a stroll wasn't an issue.

Although he didn't understand why the "Sage of Six Paths" wanted him to bring a child along, he decided to trust him once, given the previous ninjutsu-related matters.

"Someone is coming."

Hiugo sensed the rapidly approaching Chakra and silently put some distance between himself and Senju Shinji.

Senju Shinji stopped in his tracks, discovering two Hyuga ninjas standing before them.

A peak Jonin and an elite Jonin?

Shinji understood why Hiugo had created distance; this was his first time taking the boy out on a mission, and they had "coincidentally" run into opponents whose strength was exactly one level higher than their own.

"Ao, go capture that brat alive. Leave this one to me."

"Yes."

The two Hyuga ninjas quickly locked onto their respective targets.

Senju Shinji said in a deep voice:

"Hiugo, look for a chance to run."

"..."

Hiugo glanced at his own legs, then at the long legs of his opponent, and silently picked up a kunai.

Hyuga Ao charged straight toward Hiugo, unleashing a palm strike that generated a rapid gust of wind:

"Eight Trigrams: Palm Rotation!"

"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"

Hiugo formed hand seals, and massive wooden palms erupted from the earth, lunging at his opponent.

The Eight Trigrams: Palm Rotation only managed to knock away some wood chips, failing to destroy the technique.

A flash of surprise crossed Hyuga Ao's face:

"To be this sturdy... but kid, this distance is enough. Body Flicker Technique."

Hyuga Ao bypassed the wooden palms, appeared beside Hiugo, and unleashed a rapid flurry of strikes:

"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"

Facing the signature pressure-point technique of the Hyuga Clan, Hiugo remained indifferent, his expression unchanged as he erupted with his own Chakra.

This was the standard Senju combat style, flaunting their vast reserves of Chakra.

Ao had underestimated Hiugo's raw Chakra; had he attacked directly, it might have been troublesome, but the Gentle Fist was of little use here.

The moment his fingers touched Hiugo, they met a wall of resistance and were deflected, causing his follow-up assault to falter. Though it was meant to be sixty-four strikes, he was forced to retreat after only sixteen, as they had no effect.

Hiugo had no intention of letting him go; wooden vines sprouted from the ground, and branches emerged from them.

This was inspired by the Wood Style: Cutting Technique Obito had used with the Ten-Tails. By using vines instead of palms, he could launch branches at high speed. Since Hiugo was too lazy to name it, he simply added one more character:

Wood Style: Cutting Technique: Barrage

Eight Trigrams: Heavenly Spin

Facing the dense thicket of branches, Hyuga Ao had no choice but to deploy his signature defensive maneuver, his Chakra beginning to drain rapidly.

While maintaining his Ninjutsu, Hiugo continued to weave hand seals with both hands:

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique"

The fireball ignited the branches, escalating the damage once more. Seeing Hyuga Ao on the verge of collapse, Hiugo unleashed a rapid palm strike, shattering the vines that were launching the branches.

Hiugo rolled twice across the ground before rising to his feet, his gaze shifting toward the position of Hyuga Zhi.

Senju Shinji had just been repelled by a single palm strike, and watching his opponent successfully provide support to the other side, his expression turned incredibly grim.

It wasn't the child holding him back; it was he, the adult, who was failing.

Hyuga ninja, you have forced my hand.

Senju Shinji thought to himself, weaving hand seals as his Chakra was consumed violently.

"Water Style: Secret Technique: Dance of the Mizuchi"

Water surged around Hyuga Zhi, swirling rapidly to encircle him. The currents accelerated and compressed, slicing through pieces of fabric with every rotation.

"Eight Trigrams: Divine Vacuum Palm"

Sensing the threat of death, Hyuga Zhi hesitated no longer, directly unleashing the technique taught to him by his "ancestor" in a dream. This move was similar to the Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm, but its power was several tiers higher.

For reasons unknown, even though this move was powerful enough to be classified as a Secret Technique, the "ancestor" had forbidden him from naming it as such, claiming it was merely a defective product.

A powerful gust of wind from the palm tore through the water flow and struck Senju Shinji directly, interrupting the release of his Ninjutsu.

The uncontrolled water flow burst open, followed by the sound of a violent explosion.

Hyuga Zhi's body was already a bloody mess as he slammed into a tree; caught in the center of the blast, he had taken the full brunt of the damage.

He understood in his heart that the reason he could force a mutual destruction against an Elite Jonin was because the consumption of that Ninjutsu far exceeded his own Divine Vacuum Palm.

"My Lord!"

Hyuga Ao attempted to rush to the rescue but was intercepted by Hiugo, a glimmer of scarlet light appearing in the depths of the boy's eyes:

"We aren't finished yet."

Hyuga Ao's expression turned icy as he stripped off his upper garment, revealing his torso covered in Explosive Tags:

"If you continue to block me, we will die together."

Hiugo narrowed his eyes, stepped back a few paces, and smiled:

"How truly loyal. Why would a member of the Main Branch risk his life to protect another?"

"Lord Zhi is the hero in my heart, and the hope of the future Hyuga."

"Is that so? Then go."

Hyuga Ao retreated slowly, reaching Hyuga Zhi's side and helping him up: "My Lord, let us go."

"I have troubled you, Ao."

Hyuga Ao's expression shifted slightly: "Lord Zhi, you would never speak like that."

"Heh, it seems I still need to practice."

"Hyuga Zhi" looked at Hyuga Ao, a strange, eerie smile curling his lips.

"You have done well, Ao."

"Genjutsu... how is this possible..."

Hyuga Ao's face was filled with horror. Only the Senju and the Hyuga were present; although the Byakugan possessed some resistance to Genjutsu, who would have been paranoid enough to prepare specifically against a Senju's illusions?

The boy's voice echoed from all around:

"Actually, I lied to you."

"None of you... are leaving."