Genye, the Schemed-Against

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye. The village was carrying out reconstruction work in an orderly fashion, yet Xuanye, the great hero who had subdued the Nine-Tails, was being completely "ignored" by everyone.

Sarutobi Hiruzen and Hyuga Yuansheng seemed to have reached some sort of consensus; they did not want Xuanye to possess too much prestige within the village, as it threatened the stability of Konoha.

Xuanye, however, did not mind this at all. He spent his days leisurely, randomly selecting two members of the Hyuga Clan to improve their Caged Bird Seals.

It could not be denied that the Caged Bird Seal had certain positive functions.

Xuanye retained its ability to destroy the Byakugan if the bearer had their eyes removed or died, but he erased the "backdoor" that allowed the Main Branch to control the Branch Family.

Although only a handful of people had their cages opened by Xuanye, this undoubtedly sent a massive shockwave through the entire Hyuga Clan!

Every member of the Hyuga Clan felt both anxious and incredibly expectant of the change to come.

"We cannot let this little brat keep going like this!"

In the Main Branch mansion, Hyuga Yuansheng slammed his hand against the table in a rage, speaking in a state of exasperation.

"If this continues, the hearts of my Hyuga Clan will scatter. Once we lose our cohesion, I fear my Hyuga Clan will not be far from extinction!"

Hearing this, Hyuga Hiashi, who was kneeling before the table, also felt a headache coming on.

"But Father, Hyuga Genya's strength is so great, and he is no longer bound by the Caged Bird Seal. How are we supposed to stop him?"

Listening to his son's words, Hyuga Yuansheng sneered.

"Hmph, so what if he is strong? Even someone as strong as the White Fang of Konoha died under our schemes back then, didn't he? As long as someone is human, they will have weaknesses."

Hyuga Hiashi's expression shifted slightly: "Father, you mean...?"

"That's right." Hyuga Yuansheng nodded and said in a cold voice: "First, find a way to expel this brat from the village, then find someone to take care of him. Only then can we ensure the safety of our Main Branch."

Seeing the look of reluctance on his son's face, Hyuga Yuansheng patted his shoulder and said earnestly.

"Hiashi, when you become the clan head in the future, you will understand that for the continuation of the clan, some sacrifices are necessary."

Inside a magnificent underground palace.

Uchiha Xia stared at Black Zetsu, dumbfounded, and fired off a triple-barreled question.

"Suppressing a Tailed Beast with human strength? Is this information authentic? Are you sure this isn't a smokescreen put out by Konoha?"

"The White Zetsu saw it with their own eyes; it should not be false," Black Zetsu replied hurriedly.

"Tsk." Uchiha Xia clicked her tongue, suddenly developing an interest in this fellow named Hyuga Genya.

"After I return from the Land of Rain, I want to see all of his files," Xia commanded.

"Yes!" Black Zetsu bowed slightly and responded respectfully.

Walking along the streets of Konoha, Xuanye frowned slightly.

From the moment he stepped out, he noticed that no matter where he went, many people were pointing and whispering behind his back.

What's going on? Xuanye felt a bit puzzled.

As he passed a corner, a gust of wind suddenly struck. Xuanye tilted his body slightly, and an egg smashed against the wall behind him, egg yolk splattering everywhere.

Splat! Splat! Splat!

Several more eggs were thrown. Xuanye used the Body Flicker Technique to dodge, looking with annoyance at the guys who were ambushing—no, openly attacking—him.

They were a few young boys, currently holding rotten eggs in their hands, blocking his path.

"(̿▀̿̿Ĺ̯̿̿▀̿ ̿)̄ Are you guys sick? Do I even know you?" Xuanye asked with a dark face.

"We don't know you, but we know you! Hyuga Genya!" the yellow-haired youth in the lead roared.

"...Oh?" Xuanye raised an eyebrow, sensing that things were not so simple.

"Tell me, how did I offend you, and who sent you here?"

"We came here on our own!" the boys glared at Xuanye in unison.

"Hyuga Genya, I'm asking you!" the yellow-haired youth shouted even louder: "You clearly had such great strength, so why didn't you step in sooner on the night of the Nine-Tails?!"

The other boys echoed him angrily.

"That's right! Did you wait until so many people died just to show off that you're a great hero who turned the tide?!"

"If you hadn't deliberately delayed, our parents wouldn't have died! Pay us back for our parents' lives!"

Oh? A good show, I see.

The desperate questioning of the group immediately drew a crowd of onlookers who gathered to watch the spectacle.

Hmm, looks like I've been set up. Xuanye rubbed his chin, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face.

Thinking about whose interests he had touched recently, he had a rough idea of what was going on.

It's just that these brainless brats aren't blaming the Nine-Tails, but instead, they've come to complain to me?

"Sigh, there are things you don't know," Xuanye said, sighing as he looked at the boys before him. "I had my own unavoidable reasons for stepping in late."

Could it be... that he really has some unspeakable secret?

Seeing Hyuga Genya's pitiful expression, the few youths wavered slightly, but their resolve quickly hardened once more.

No, the blood feud of a father is irreconcilable! There is absolutely no forgiving this guy!

Determined to make Xuanye pay the price, the yellow-haired youth in the lead said coldly, "Speak up. I want to hear what kind of excuses you can cook up!"

"That's because..." Xuanye paused, revealing a mischievous grin, "I felt like it! Is that any of your business?"

Hyuga Yuansheng is truly hilarious. Does he think he's dealing with White Fang or Naruto?

He still wants to play this moral kidnapping game with him... hilarious, he doesn't have any morals to begin with!

"You, you... you cold-blooded bastard! Are you even human?!"

The youths never expected Xuanye to say such a thing with such righteous indignation. Gritting their teeth, they pointed at him, wishing they could tear him limb from limb.

If not for the vast disparity in their strength, they would have already rushed forward to finish this bastard off!

"I hate it when people point fingers at me." Xuanye snorted coldly and said indifferently, "Put your hands down now, or be careful, or I might just break your fingers."

One youth shouted with a show of bravado, "Who are you trying to scare? In broad daylight, I don't believe you'd dare to lay a hand on us!"

"Exactly," the yellow-haired youth added, "A hypocrite like you who craves fame and reputation wouldn't dare do anything to us!"

"That's right, stop bluffing. We will definitely make you pay in blood—!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

In the blink of an eye, all the youths were sent flying backward, slamming hard into the wall and leaving behind numerous cracks on the flat surface.

"Phew, that felt good." Xuanye pulled back his fist and let out a long breath.

Ever since he became stronger, he stopped holding grudges, because he always settles them on the spot.

"How can this person be like this? This is just too arrogant..."

"Yeah, I saw it all clearly. He was clearly the one at fault, yet he acts like he's in the right and even dares to hurt people."

"A dangerous guy like this should be expelled from Konoha. No matter how strong he is, he can't stay, or he'll be a disaster sooner or later..."

The surrounding whispers naturally didn't escape Xuanye's ears.

"Anyone who dares to badmouth me again, don't blame me for being impolite!" Xuanye turned to look at the few who were gossiping about him and sneered.

"Even the Nine-Tails couldn't withstand a single punch from me. If I punch you to death, I'd like to see if anyone dares to seek justice for you."

As soon as Xuanye said this, the faces of those people changed instantly. They lowered their heads and slunk away in shame.

"Hyuga Genya!"

At that moment, one of the youths lying on the ground endured the pain and spoke up.

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, don't bully the young—!"

"Bully your ass!"

Xuanye had been ready to leave, but upon hearing this, he turned back and stepped on the youth.

"Do you have a grandfather in your head or a golden finger? Who do you think you are, the protagonist?!"

Withdrawing his foot, Xuanye ignored the disdainful and fearful gazes around him and strode away like a tyrant, with people automatically clearing a path wherever he went.

"Since you've been following me for so long, is there something you need?"

As he neared his home, Xuanye glanced back at the courtyard wall behind him, and a figure slowly emerged from the shadows.

"Hyuga Genya, Lord Danzo asked me to bring you a message."

The person wore an Anbu tactical vest, but the colors on the mask were more complex than those of the Anbu, clearly marking him as a member of Root.

"If you are willing, Lord Danzo can help you build a brand-new Hyuga Clan within Konoha."

"Oh?" Xuanye showed an intrigued expression. Is Danzo planning to recruit him?

After a moment of contemplation, Xuanye didn't shut the door on the offer: "Tell Lord Danzo for me that I will seriously consider his proposal."

The Root member nodded slightly, his figure merging back into the darkness as he returned to Root to report.

Xuanye's arrogant behavior of openly hurting people soon aroused the dissatisfaction of many high-ranking officials in Konoha, such as a certain someone named Hyuga.

The negative public opinion against Xuanye intensified, and many villagers couldn't even hold a conversation while eating without first cursing Xuanye twice.

More and more people petitioned the Hokage to drive the "scum" Xuanye out of the village, even though most of them didn't even know who Xuanye was.

His friends were in a state of chaos, but Xuanye himself remained unbothered, even finding the leisure to complete his daily lock-picking tasks.

The conflict grew increasingly sharp and could erupt at any moment, until one day, an unexpected person found Xuanye.

"...Lord Jiraiya?"

(Brothers, having a fever is truly miserable. Everyone, please take care and stay safe!)