The Hasu Clan

As the eldest daughter of the main branch, Hyuga Hanabi had been quite arrogant, planning to make Takizawa Dan her lackey so she could sneak out to play behind Neji's back.

But now, seeing that he was a super powerhouse capable of taking down assassins from other villages in a single strike, her perspective shifted.

For a moment, Hanabi wasn't thinking about how to control Takizawa Dan, but rather whether he might kill her too.

After all, she had discovered his secret—the secret that he could actually fight!

"Hanabi, don't worry. Konoha Village is my home. I will never betray it, and I would never hurt anyone without cause!"

As if reading her thoughts, Takizawa Dan shook his head and spoke.

Although some children and ignorant people looked down on him or even mocked him, the Hokage and many kind-hearted commoners had always cared for and looked after him. Without their help, Takizawa Dan would never have grown up safely.

Deep down, Takizawa Dan still held deep affection for Konoha Village.

"Oh..." Hanabi nodded obediently. "I believe you, Takizawa-kun. But this way... the news that you aren't a loser will spread throughout the village immediately."

Indeed, as the eldest daughter of the Hyuga clan, Hanabi held a significant position, and the fact that she had been kidnapped by assassins from another village had to be reported to the Hokage.

When that happened, the news that Takizawa Dan had killed two adult ninjas single-handedly would naturally be impossible to hide!

"It won't." Takizawa Dan shook his head, his dark eyes fixed on Hanabi. "Hanabi, you killed these two people, understand?"

"Me... I did?!" Hanabi reacted quickly, her mouth forming an 'O' shape. "But... why? Isn't this a great chance for you to get rid of your reputation as a loser?"

"I don't like being in the spotlight, and I like being famous even less!" Takizawa Dan said. "Come, help me bury the bodies, and then we'll take these two heads to see the Hokage!"

"Okay..."

An hour later.

Konoha Village, Hokage's office.

"What!? You say someone tried to kidnap you?"

The Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, slammed her hand on the desk, her expression one of utter shock.

At this time, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had not long passed away, and Tsunade had only just taken office; her foundation was still unstable.

Beside her, a group of Konoha's high-ranking officials fell into silence upon hearing the news.

"Yes... Lady Tsunade, just now, Takizawa-kun and I were at the back mountain..."

Facing the pressure of the Hokage and the high-ranking officials, young Hanabi felt timid, but she did her best to recount the events in full.

However, regarding how the two ninjas were killed, Hanabi followed the story she had pre-arranged with Takizawa Dan: she claimed that after being captured, she seized an opportunity to get close and used the Gentle Fist and Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists to strike their vital points, causing the two adult ninjas to die on the spot before they could react!

"And the bodies of those two ninjas? Take me to see them!" Tsunade asked.

"They are here, Lady Tsunade. There is no need to trouble yourself with a trip; I have already severed their heads and brought them to present to you."

With that, Takizawa Dan opened the dark bundle he had been carrying on his back and placed it on Tsunade's desk.

As the bundle was unwrapped, two masked heads were revealed! One of them had its eyes wide open, staring in death!

Hiss—

Seeing this, many of the high-ranking officials present gasped, casting fearful looks at Takizawa Dan.

Usually, Konoha ninjas would bring back the complete bodies of enemies they had killed and bury them on the spot, which was considered a form of respect for the fallen.

But Takizawa Dan had not only buried the bodies haphazardly in the back mountain, he had even decapitated them!

How could someone so young be so ruthless and cold-blooded?

Tsunade also looked surprised. She glanced at Takizawa Dan and asked, "Takizawa Dan, I ask you, you were with Hanabi at the time, right? What were you doing when she was kidnapped?"

To be honest, Tsunade was skeptical of Hanabi's account.

Even if the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist was devastating at close range, it was hard to believe that a seven or eight-year-old Hanabi could instantly kill two well-trained adult ninjas.

Therefore, her intuition told her that Takizawa Dan must have been involved!

"At that time? The moment I saw those two ninjas, I was so scared that I found a place to hide." Takizawa Dan feigned a look of terror. "It wasn't until Lady Hanabi killed the two ninjas and told me it was safe that I dared to come out..."

The high-ranking officials present frowned deeply at these words!

"Absurd! You are a teenage boy, yet you let Lady Hanabi, who is half your age, protect you?!" A high-ranking official stood up abruptly, pointing at Takizawa Dan's nose and scolding him. "Do you even have any shame? Furthermore, Lady Hanabi is of such noble status! If your cowardice had led to her being taken away, you would be held fully responsible!"

The other officials also looked at Takizawa Dan with anger, as if they felt he was a disgrace to Konoha.

"But... you all know that I was born physically weak; I don't even have the strength of a child. Moreover, I have no chakra in my body, so I can't fight at all." Takizawa Dan said with an innocent and aggrieved expression. "I am indeed not as strong as Lady Hanabi. In that situation, going out would have been suicide and useless. As for failing to protect her... I was indeed a coward, I am a useless loser, and I beg the Hokage to punish me!"

As he spoke, Takizawa Dan dropped to one knee before Tsunade, who sat at the head of the table!

"You..."

The official who had spoken earlier was left speechless.

It was true; who didn't know that Takizawa Dan was Konoha's number one loser? Physically weak, lacking chakra, and inferior even to commoners—expecting him to charge forward to protect Lady Hanabi was indeed asking too much.

And this guy, of all things, had the thickest skin; he was actually admitting he was a useless loser in front of everyone!

For a moment, the group really had no way to deal with him!

"Enough, enough. We are all from the same village, why turn on each other? Besides, Takizawa Dan, your parents died for the village; the village owes you. You have never done anything wrong, so don't go around asking for punishment in the future," Tsunade said, waving her hand.

Perhaps she was truly overthinking things. She had personally examined Takizawa Dan's condition using medical ninjutsu; he was destined to be a cripple for life, incapable of possessing even a shred of combat power.

She could only conclude that the Hyuga Clan's close-quarters combat prowess was indeed formidable, and coupled with Hyuga Hanabi's astonishing talent, they had managed to resolve this crisis.

With Tsunade, the Hokage, having spoken, the high-ranking officials present naturally found it difficult to say anything more and were forced to remain silent.

Following this, Tsunade slowly pulled the black cloth masks off the two individuals.

To her shock, each of them had a ripple-shaped scar carved onto their left cheek!

Seeing this, Tsunade couldn't help but exclaim, "This is... the mark of the Hasu Clan!"