Chapter 20

No sooner had he gotten outside than three masked ninja blocked his path. "Uchiha Sasuke, you openly attacked people in the Ninja Academy and injured three students."

"According to the higher-ups' rules, you have to come back with us to the Anbu to accept punishment."

"You'd better behave. Don't make us use force."

The masked man in the lead spoke in a fairly even tone. "Not going."

Sasuke's face was expressionless, and his answer was crisp. "Then don't blame us for getting rough—"

"Tch. Since when did the Anbu start meddling in petty crap like this?"

A voice suddenly rang out, arrogant as could be.

Uchiha Natsume, Uchiha Ueda, and Uchiha Chu walked out from the side.

All three wore armbands on their arms.

They had not come as Uchiha clan members, but as members of the Konoha Police Force. "Uchiha Natsume?"

"You should understand that we are—"

"I don't."

"If you want to take Sasuke away, bring the Hokage's written order."

"The authority to handle this matter belongs to our Police Force in the first place."

Uchiha Natsume interrupted him for the third time.

He had no fondness for these Anbu people at all.

These guys usually circled around the Third Hokage, looking for trouble everywhere.

They were the sort who hid in the dark and played dirty tricks. Uchiha Natsume looked down on them from the bottom of his heart.

Why did the Police Force attract more hatred than the Anbu?

Because the Police Force did its work with real names and real faces.

As for the Anbu? No one knew who anyone was.

They dumped all the dirty water onto the Hokage.

Relying on Hiruzen Sarutobi's old face to run around causing trouble was the only reason the Anbu's reputation had not completely rotted. "Uchiha Sasuke must come with us today."

"If you dare lay a hand on me inside the village, then—"

"Chi!"

Before the leading Anbu could finish, a flash of white light swept past.

The mask on his face was sliced straight off. "Ai Sanada?"

"So it was you?"

Uchiha Natsume's mouth curled, and with a hint of mockery, he stared at the man's face.

He even called out his name.

Ai Sanada froze, then hurriedly raised a hand to cover his face. "Uchiha Natsume, do you know what you're doing?"

"Your current actions have already—"

"The Konoha Police Force is carrying out official duties in accordance with village regulations."

"Anbu members are maliciously obstructing us, abusing their authority, and interfering with the Police Force's normal law enforcement."

"On top of that, you threatened and intimidated us."

"Lord Ai Sanada, are you satisfied with that wording?"

The corner of Uchiha Natsume's mouth hooked up, revealing a faintly sinister smile.

His Three-Tomoe Sharingan had already lit up.

Killing intent began to seep from his body.

What a joke. Uchiha Natsume had been on the battlefield twice.

His hands had been stained with blood, and corpses had piled up around him.

These guys who only knew how to throw their weight around in the village simply could not compare to him. "Move out!"

Ai Sanada knew there was no hope of taking Sasuke away today.

If he stayed any longer, he would only let Uchiha Natsume keep humiliating him.

If more onlookers were drawn over, he might even lose his Anbu livelihood. "Tch, useless trash."

Watching the three of them flee with their tails between their legs, Uchiha Natsume spat out a disdainful remark.

Only then did he turn and look at Sasuke. "You all right?"

"I'm fine."

"Those guys won't die either."

Facing Uchiha Natsume, Sasuke once again put on that innocent face. "You brat..."

"All right, go train properly with those companions of yours."

The clan would handle the rest.

The more Uchiha Natsume looked at this kid now, the more pleasing he found him.

Compared with Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke's talent and temperament all struck exactly the right chord with him.

As for Itachi... that guy was really not likable. "Thank you, Lord Natsume."

Sasuke thanked him, then turned and went back into the training ground.

That was right. He had long since noticed people from the Police Force following behind him, which was why he had dared to let loose like that.

When children scuffled among themselves, even if the Hokage came in person, there was not much he could do to him.

This was the confidence that came from having someone backing him.

While enjoying that confidence, Sasuke was also calculating in his heart—how he could keep feeding off this advantage for a little longer.

The plan had to be pushed forward again.

He just did not know how things were going on his old man's side...

--

The next few days were calm and uneventful.

Ever since Sasuke had directly taught those guys a lesson last time, the training ground was available for them to use every day now.

It saved a lot of trouble, and Sasuke was happy to have the peace.

The weekend.

Sasuke sat in the Uchiha Training Ground, the expression on his face turning a little strange. "That guy Neji... what the hell is he doing?"

On the system panel before his eyes, the mission progress bar had jumped to [62%], leaving Sasuke completely stunned.

When he had checked it in the morning, it had only been at [18%].

It had only been half a day. How had it rushed all the way to sixty percent?

Don't tell me... that guy was imagining things on his own?

The Hyuga Clan Compound. "Brother Neji... did I improve a lot this time?"

Hinata lifted her head, a trace of anticipation in her eyes.

After training together these past few days, Hinata could not tell whether it was just her imagination.

Brother Neji seemed less cold toward her than before.

In the past, every time, he had simply knocked her down cleanly, then walked away without looking back.

He would not say even one extra word.

But now it was clearly different.

Not only would he patiently correct the posture of her Gentle Fist, he would also personally demonstrate the correct movements. "A lot."

Neji's voice was much gentler than before. "Your strength, speed, and accuracy have all improved."

"I have to hurry up and train too, or sooner or later, you'll catch up to me, Hinata."

The corner of Neji's mouth lifted slightly after he said this. "Mm!"

Hinata met his smile and smiled along with him. "Neji."

Just then, Hiashi Hyuga's voice came from behind them. "Clan head!"

The smile on Neji's face vanished instantly.

The man before him looked so much like his own father.

His uncle. The head of the Hyuga Clan.

This person...

This person...

Neji's chest began to churn again.

His father had died because of the person before him.

For a boy, no matter what the reason was, it could not suppress that hatred. "Stay for dinner tonight."

"I've already given the order."

"Go take a bath first. Come to the guest hall in a while."

Hiashi Hyuga's tone was still as icy as ever. After speaking, he turned and left.

After walking out of the training ground, however, the corners of Hiashi Hyuga's mouth quietly lifted.

Hinata's changes were clearest to him.

Added to Neji's current attitude toward Hinata, Hiashi Hyuga was extremely pleased inside.

It was just that he had long been used to keeping his face tense, so he always maintained that expression on the surface. "If this momentum continues... the thing I promised you back then should be achievable..."

Hiashi Hyuga looked up at the sky, and the smile at the corner of his mouth slowly turned bitter, with a trace of hope mixed in.

--

In the guest hall. "Neji, have you run into any hurdles in your martial practice lately?"

"As for Gentle Fist, have you found the feeling for it?"

"And Hinata... having her as your sparring partner, is she holding you back a little?"

Hiashi Hyuga threw out a string of questions one after another, and Neji was visibly a little dazed.

When had they ever had this kind of conversation before...

Though he muttered inwardly, he did not miss a single answer aloud, replying to every question.

When Hinata was mentioned, Neji made it clear that he was still willing to spar with her. "Come with me."

After Hiashi Hyuga spoke, he got up and walked toward the depths of the courtyard.

Before long, the two of them stopped in front of an elegant room. "Creak—"

When the door was pushed open, the light inside was dim. "This is the room your father used to live in."

"I see that you understand some things now, so there are certain words I should make clear to you."

"You hate me, don't you?"

Hiashi Hyuga said this very suddenly.

Neji had already been shaken by the room of his late father, and now his mind simply could not turn fast enough.

Had some flaw shown on his face?

"It's right that you hate me."

"I owed your father. I admit that mistake."

"This is what your father entrusted me to leave for you."

Hiashi Hyuga walked to a cabinet, took out an old notebook, and handed it over. "This..."

Neji opened the notebook and froze all at once.

The handwriting was so familiar it made his eyes sting.

[Neji, Dad doesn't know how old you are now, but I think the thorn in your heart should have been worn smooth by now.]

[I was an unqualified father, but I always wanted to leave you something. Take this notebook as the last thing I give you.]

[The Hyuga family's rules are just this unreasonable. Don't resent your uncle. He can't withstand these old rules alone either.]

[Your uncle and I had a very good relationship ever since we were young...]

[If you can turn to this page, it means you've grown up. Listen to your uncle from now on. When there are things he should let you know, he will naturally tell you.]

[One last thing: I'm sorry, son...]

After Neji finished reading the final line, tears pattered down.

He set the notebook on the table and stared at Hiashi Hyuga with reddened eyes. "You lost your father, and I lost my brother."

"I swore to Hizashi that as long as you put down your hatred on your own, the two of us would join hands and smash these rotten rules to pieces!"

"This is the clarity my brother bought with his life, clarity that came decades late for me!"

Hiashi Hyuga poured out all his following plans in one breath. "Smash them!"

"The rules!"

No one outside knew the contents of the conversation that day.

But when Neji came out of the room, the look in his eyes had changed. It was firm beyond anything from before.

[Ding—congratulations, host. Mission accomplished...]

[Physique +10, meridian capacity expanded by 10%, acquired—Gentle Fist: Tai Chi.]

At the same time, in front of Sasuke, who had just finished training, a translucent panel suddenly popped up. "Huh?!"

"It's done?"

Sasuke looked stunned.

He had been thinking about how to resolve the resentment in Neji's heart!

How had it resolved itself?

Only when a surge of heat rushed violently into his body did Sasuke confirm that this was not a dream.

A massive amount of information about Gentle Fist: Tai Chi appeared in his mind. "This..."

As the mysteries of Tai Chi poured in, Sasuke's mind could hold nothing else.

The cycle of heaven and earth was reflected upon his own body.

That profound and indescribable state emptied all distracting thoughts.

Sasuke sat down cross-legged on the spot, closed his eyes, and immersed himself in that wondrous feeling.

At the same time, inside the Hokage Office Building...

"How are things going?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi set down the scroll in his hand and looked up at the man wearing an armband before him—Shisui Uchiha. "Everything has gone smoothly according to plan."

"The Uchiha have completely accepted me now, and I have my own people under me."

"With the position of vice minister of the Police Force in my hands, my authority is only a little below the clan head's."

"The ideals of the Will of Fire have also been spread through the Police Force."

Shisui's tone was respectful as he reported every detail of the progress during this period to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen Sarutobi flipped through the documents Shisui had handed over, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Back then, he had taken the risk of letting Shisui return to the Uchiha. This move, at last, had not gone astray. "Shisui, from here on, the Uchiha Clan will be relying on you."

"You are already the vice minister of the Police Force. The position of next clan head is basically yours."

"With me backing you from behind, taking that position won't be difficult."

"For the sake of making both the village and the Uchiha better, there are still many things you'll have to shoulder from now on..."

Inside and outside his words, Hiruzen Sarutobi began painting Shisui a grand picture.

It had to be admitted that if Shisui truly followed what he said, this matter had an eighty or ninety percent chance of succeeding.

Even seizing the entire Uchiha in his grasp would not be difficult. "Understood, Lord Hokage."

"There are still some matters waiting for me to handle back at the Police Force."

"If I want to become a good clan head, I must first manage myself well. I can't slack off."

"I'll take my leave first."

After Shisui finished speaking, he used a Body Flicker and disappeared directly from the room.

As soon as Shisui left, a figure flashed out from the darkness. "This piece, Shisui, has already been used as far as it can go."

"It's enough to keep the Uchiha stable."

"As for the rest, don't move for the time being."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at the newcomer, lowering his voice, his words carrying a note of warning.

The one who walked out from the darkness was none other than the head of the Root Organization—Danzo Shimura. "Cancel all the previous plans?"

Danzo did not argue back. He only asked in return.

"Cancel them."

"But the surveillance on the Uchiha must not stop."

"Not until Shisui has completely taken control of the Uchiha Clan."

"When Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke grow up, the Uchiha side won't be able to stir up any waves."