The Hyuga Clan's Scheme?

As Kawaki Aoba read on, page after page, the expression on his face grew increasingly strange.

The book contained nothing other than the Hyuga Clan's signature martial art: the Gentle Fist manual.

What was a Gentle Fist manual doing hidden under his bed?

Kawaki Aoba genuinely couldn't make sense of it. Was the Hyuga Clan trying to frame him? But framing a blind man for stealing the Gentle Fist Art of Eight Trigrams, which could only be practiced after awakening the Byakugan—did they think they could make people die laughing?

Kawaki Aoba felt there was more to it than he could see. There had to be some greater scheme behind this manual, just waiting for him.

But whatever the case, since the Hyuga Clan had sent him such a generous gift, he might as well accept it.

Although he no longer had the Byakugan, which greatly diminished the power of the Gentle Fist Art of Eight Trigrams in his hands, he could still offer it up.

Kawaki Aoba began intently memorizing the techniques for practicing the Gentle Fist, while his Shadow Clone ran into a little trouble.

"Give it back! Hurry up and return my things!"

"You're being completely unreasonable!"

"Haha, you want it, huh? Then come over and take it yourself!"

"You're such a useless loser. You can't even protect your own things. How could a guy like you ever become a ninja?"

On a rather secluded street, Kawaki Aoba's Shadow Clone came across a scene straight out of a melodrama.

A girl who looked to be around ten years old was surrounded by several boys about her age.

From what they were saying, the situation was obvious: the boys had taken something that belonged to the girl and wouldn't give it back.

It was perfectly normal for something like this to happen at their age.

But... could someone explain to Kawaki Aoba why the girl became so intensely excited when she saw him?

And weren't there too many Hyuga Clan ninja following him around?

Through Observation Haki, Kawaki Aoba's Shadow Clone sensed that the number of Byakugan-wielding ninja watching him had gone from one to three. The two newcomers clearly weren't with the one who had been following him from the start.

No, more precisely, they'd been given different assignments.

The first one was simply tailing and watching him. As for the other two...

Kawaki Aoba carefully sensed the emotions of the youngsters up ahead with Observation Haki. Everyone's emotions seemed genuine, except for the girl who was being bullied.

Was this, like the book under his bed, another arrangement by the Hyuga Clan? But what was the point?

Just as Kawaki Aoba stopped, the group of peers across the street began approaching him, with the girl subtly steering them his way.

At the same time, the emotions radiating from the girl shifted from pure excitement to a mixture of nervousness, apprehension, and excitement.

Kawaki Aoba knew that feeling well. He'd felt the same way during his first mission to wipe out bandits.

Without the slightest hesitation, Kawaki Aoba turned and left.

Charging ahead despite knowing there might be unknown trouble and an enemy's scheme waiting was neither bravery nor anything a ninja should do.

So Kawaki Aoba simply chose another route.

Scheme all you want, plot all you want. I'm not playing along. What are you going to do about it?

When the girl saw Kawaki Aoba leave, she was dumbfounded. She wanted to chase after him and demand to know why he hadn't put on a heroic show by rescuing her. But the boys surrounding her were so annoying that they blocked her way at the crucial moment.

The Hyuga Clan ninja hidden nearby were also stunned. How was this different from the plan? Weren't Genin around this age supposed to step in and help?

But Kawaki Aoba had already decided not to take the bait. What could they do about it? Actually jump out and stop him? That was unthinkable. Hadn't they already lost enough face recently?

Then Kawaki Aoba's Shadow Clone spent the rest of the day wandering around Konoha with the Hyuga Clan ninja who had been watching him from the beginning.

As for the two who had joined later, they had already left and returned to the Hyuga Clan compound.

After wandering around for quite a while, Kawaki Aoba's Shadow Clone headed back once he figured enough time had passed.

Meanwhile, the original at home had long since turned back into an ordinary-looking Shuriken.

After following Kawaki Aoba's Shadow Clone on a stroll and returning to his original spot, the Hyuga Clan ninja nearly cursed aloud.

If he hadn't been confident that his concealment was good enough to escape a blind man's notice, he would have thought that cheeky brat had been messing with him.

Then, while the other man had his Byakugan deactivated, Kawaki Aoba switched his original self back again.

With the Shadow Clone's memories returned, Kawaki Aoba finally had a few guesses about the Hyuga Clan's baffling scheme.

If his judgment was correct, the Hyuga Clan wanted to use his own methods against him.

He had helped Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others fool the Hyuga Second Elder and successfully frame him, so now the Hyuga Clan wanted to retaliate in kind.

What's more, they even wanted to beat him down with a single blow.

What mattered most to the great ninja clans of Konoha? The powerful ninja who appeared in every generation, or the clan's prosperity?

Neither. What mattered most was the foundation they relied on to establish themselves: their Kekkei Genkai or clan techniques.

That was also what the village valued most. Take Kawaki Aoba, for example. After his unsealed jutsu, White Lightning, had been "developed," he had suggested handing it over to the village himself.

Otherwise, according to the village's rules, as long as he was alive, any jutsu he developed was considered his signature. Anyone who secretly learned it would be committing a serious offense.

At best, they would have to pay a heavy price to beg his forgiveness. At worst, they could even face severe punishment.

If even a lowly Genin like him was treated that way, the same naturally applied to the core secret techniques of the great clans.

And the Gentle Fist, used in conjunction with the Byakugan, was undoubtedly the Hyuga Clan's core technique.

Since they were already enemies, Kawaki Aoba didn't mind assuming the worst of them.

His Observation Haki expanded gradually, until it encompassed the entire Hyuga Clan compound. Only then did it stop.

Hyuga Clan compound.

The two Hyuga Clan ninja who had earlier been assigned to arrange a heroic rescue for Kawaki Aoba had returned.

At that moment, the two ninja were kneeling respectfully on one knee in a hall. Seated before them on the dais were three elders and a younger man.

These four were the Hyuga Clan's highest authorities: Hyuga Huoshu, Hyuga Hiashi, Hyuga Xingcun, and the elder of the Hyuga Clan's weakest branch—the Hyuga Second Elder.