Hyuga's Ripples and Dawn Wind's Fangs

Uchiha Ling's intervention in the Hyuga Hinata incident was like casting a stone into a calm lake, the ripples spreading rapidly.

The next day, as he carried Naruto into the Ninja Academy, he could clearly feel the gazes from the Hyuga clan students becoming increasingly complex. There was curiosity, scrutiny, and even a trace of imperceptible... gratitude? Especially among the branch family students, whose eyes flickered when they looked at him, as if they wanted to approach but dared not.

Hyuga Hinata had become even more reserved; every time she saw Ling, she would blush to the roots of her ears and dart away as nimbly as a startled rabbit, yet she would secretly observe him with her Byakugan. Ling paid no mind to this. His actions were motivated more by an interference with established fate and a casual helping hand to the weak, with no expectation of reward.

However, some viewed his behavior as a provocation.

During the lunch break, while Ling was in a secluded spot on the rooftop, eyes closed and focusing on chakra manipulation, a cold voice rang out behind him.

"Uchiha Ling."

Ling opened his eyes slowly. Without turning around, the sensory capabilities granted by his Sage Body already told him who it was: Hyuga Neji. That exceptionally gifted genius of the branch family, yet bound by the "Caged Bird."

He turned to face the white-eyed youth, who was of similar age but already possessed the aura of a powerhouse. There was no expression on Neji's face, but his pure white eyes suppressed anger and resentment like deep-sea undercurrents.

"Something the matter, Hyuga Neji?" Ling asked calmly.

"Yesterday, were you the one who interfered in Lady Hinata's affairs?" Neji's tone carried a challenge.

"If you mean stopping a few branch family children from bullying the main family's young lady, then yes," Ling admitted frankly.

"Bullying?" Neji sneered, his smile full of sarcasm and bitterness. "What would an outsider like you understand? The affairs of the Hyuga clan are not for an Uchiha like you to meddle in! The fate between the main and branch families is not something your laughable sympathy can comprehend!"

His voice was filled with suppressed agitation. In his eyes, Ling's actions were nothing more than charity, an ignorant provocation against the cruel rules within the Hyuga, and it stung the wound in his heart that could never heal due to the "Caged Bird."

Ling watched the emotionally volatile Neji and, rather than getting angry, said faintly, "Fate? Just because of that curse mark on your forehead, you've accepted your lot? You're content to be a marionette for the main family, hesitating even to protect those you wish to shield?"

These words were like a sharp blade, precisely piercing Neji's psychological defenses! He clenched his fists tightly, veins bulging on his forehead, and the Caged Bird curse mark seemed to throb with pain.

"Shut up!" Neji growled, exerting force through his feet as he assumed the starting stance of the Gentle Fist. "The dignity of the Hyuga clan shall not be desecrated! Let me use these eyes to show you just how laughable your so-called 'sympathy' is!"

"Eight Trigrams Palms. Thirty-Two Palms!"

Neji's figure blurred into an afterimage, closing the distance in an instant. His palms, carrying sharp winds, struck at the major acupoints all over Ling's body like a torrential downpour! His movements were at least twice as fast as Hyuga Ko's, and his palm techniques were exceptionally fierce and precise—he already possessed the shadow of a Jonin!

Facing an attack that would have instantly incapacitated an average Chunin, Ling still did not activate his Sharingan. He didn't even move his feet, merely tilting slightly, raising his hands to block. His movements were minimalist to the extreme, yet he always managed to evade Neji's palm strikes by a hair's breadth or deflect them with the slightest force.

"Pap! Pap! Pap!"

The dense sound of palm strikes was like rain hitting banana leaves, yet every blow missed or was blocked.

Neji grew increasingly alarmed! His Byakugan could see through chakra flow and acupoints, allowing him to predict an opponent's movements, but in front of Ling, all of this seemed ineffective! Ling's movements had no wasted motion; every dodge and block precisely hit the nodes where Neji's momentum shifted, leaving him with the frustrating feeling of throwing a full-force punch into cotton!

"Sixty-Four Palms!" Neji gritted his teeth, changing his offensive. Palm shadows flew, becoming even denser!

Ling's figure swayed like a ghost amidst the palm shadows, remaining unhurried. He even had the leisure to speak: "Anger and hatred have blinded your eyes. Your Gentle Fist is full of openings."

Before the words faded, Ling spotted the moment Neji's old strength was spent and his new strength had yet to arise. He brought his right index and middle fingers together and struck like lightning—not at an acupoint, but precisely at the joint of Neji's wrist!

A sharp, numbing sensation surged through him, and Neji's offensive stalled abruptly!

Ling took the opportunity to step back, widening the distance.

"You see, this is the price of being swayed by emotions," Ling said, looking at the ashen-faced Neji with a flat tone. "Your talent is great, but your heart is too weak. It is not just your life that is bound by the curse mark, but your soul."

Neji clutched his wrist, staring fixedly at Ling, his chest heaving violently. He could not refute it! In the confrontation just now, he had been thoroughly defeated; he hadn't even touched the hem of the other's clothes!

"The fate of the Hyuga should not be decided by a curse mark." Ling gave him one last look before turning toward the rooftop door. "The key to breaking the cage may not be with the main family, but in your own hands. Think about it."

With that, he left Neji behind, plunged into deep shock and confusion, and departed the rooftop alone.

This brief clash had no winner, yet it planted a seed of doubt and rebellion in the heart of Hyuga Neji.

That night, Ling used the Flying Thunder God to reach a hidden base in Tanzaku Town.

He informed Izumi and Zabuza of the situation regarding the Hyuga clan.

"The conflict between the Hyuga branch and main families is deep-rooted," Izumi analyzed. "Especially that 'Caged Bird' curse mark; it is an almost unsolvable dead knot. If we intervene rashly, we might be courting death."

"Not necessarily." Zabuza licked his lips, a fierce glint in his eyes. "The sturdier the fortress, the easier it is to break from within. That brat named Neji is an important breakthrough point. Hatred and talent are the best tools to utilize."

Ling nodded. "Maintain observation for now and gather more intelligence on the Hyuga and the 'Caged Bird.' This may be a lever for us to pry at Konoha's ancient families in the future."

He looked at Haku, who was quietly practicing Ice Release to the side, and Kimimaro, who stood guard like a statue.

"Dawn Wind" needed more real combat to sharpen its fangs.

"Zabuza, select some suitable C-rank or B-rank underground missions in the near future. You will lead Haku and Kimimaro to execute them," Ling ordered. "The goal: accumulate combat experience, refine the team's coordination, and earn substantial funds. Be careful to hide your identities to prevent conflict with Konoha and the major ninja villages."

"Finally, some decent work!" Zabuza grinned hideously. "Don't worry, kid, I'll take good 'care' of these two."

Haku and Kimimaro also looked up, their eyes flashing with eagerness.

Ling looked at the budding organization before him, calculating in his heart. The undercurrents within Konoha required him to navigate them personally, while the expansion and tempering of external forces could be left to "Dawn Wind." Advancing on two fronts was the only way to lay out his strategy on the chessboard of the ninja world and seize the initiative.

He looked up toward the direction of Konoha outside the window, his gaze seemingly piercing through space.

The stage of the Ninja Academy and the ripples of the Hyuga were merely the prelude. The true storm was brewing quietly in the shadows.