Main House and Branch House

Hyuga Makoto grimaced in pain, but he forced himself to push away the few people beside him, struggling to his feet while working his still-unresponsive hands.

"I underestimated you, but you only possess brute strength. Before the Byakugan and the Gentle Fist, everything is useless!" Hyuga Makoto spat out his threats.

Toru paid no mind to these words, focusing instead on the differences between Hyuga Makoto and the other Hyuga around him.

Among these people, only Hyuga Makoto bared his forehead openly; the others all used cloth bands, headbands, or other accessories to cover theirs.

If that were all, Toru wouldn't have found it strange.

But the issue was that the Six Eyes could see deeper than the surface. Beneath those coverings, the brains of those Hyuga clansmen had been subjected to some kind of restriction, a restraint that limited both their vision and their strength.

Perhaps this was the reason these people obeyed Hyuga Makoto so absolutely; that restriction must be a symbol of status, a manifestation of their subordinate position.

However, Toru was not clear on the specific details. He planned to ask Clan Head Fugaku later; as a high-ranking official of Konoha and the leader of a major clan, he should be well aware of this.

Taking advantage of the moment Toru was studying the mystery of their foreheads, Hyuga Makoto recovered the use of his arms. Although they still felt numb and painful when he swung them, they no longer hindered basic movement.

Hyuga Makoto formed hand seals: "Byakugan!"

Veins instantly bulged around Hyuga Makoto's eyes, and his gaze turned significantly sharper in an instant.

Toru noticed that a large amount of chakra surged into Hyuga Makoto's eyes, which was the cause of the excessive burden around them.

Compared to the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan, the barrier to using the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan was much lower; even the few ninja academy students before him could activate it.

The Hyuga group before him activated their Byakugan one after another, and Hyuga Makoto, as the leader, took up the stance of the Gentle Fist. This caused Dohka and the others, who had been soundly thrashed by this technique before, to grow fearful and scramble behind Toru.

Hyuga Makoto sneered: "Hiding is useless. Before these eyes, you have nowhere to run!"

Hyuga Makoto lowered his center of gravity, one hand in front and one in back, settling into his Gentle Fist stance.

"Gentle Fist Art."

Hyuga Makoto's aura shifted sharply, causing even Toru to feel a hint of vigilance.

The two stood in a stalemate for a moment, but soon Hyuga Makoto could no longer contain himself. He stepped forward with precise, practiced movements and struck out with two palms: "Eight Trigrams Two Palms!"

Toru chose to avoid the brunt of the attack, side-stepping to dodge.

Hyuga Makoto continued his pursuit: "Four Palms! Eight Palms! Sixteen Palms! Thirty-Two Palms!"

After completing the set of Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms, Hyuga Makoto was panting, his stamina significantly drained.

Toru, however, looked relaxed and comfortable, as if he had just been taking a leisurely stroll.

Internally, however, Toru was quite impressed by this set of Gentle Fist techniques from the Hyuga clan. He thought to himself that it was indeed a great clan with a long history; they certainly had their own foundations for survival.

Toru imitated Hyuga Makoto, condensing chakra at his fingertips, then struck out in an instant, poking a pressure point on Hyuga Makoto's chest and forcing him back.

Hyuga Makoto was shocked, thinking: How is this move so similar to the Gentle Fist?

Little did he know, this was simply Toru acting on a whim, imitating the technique after seeing through the principles of the Gentle Fist with his Six Eyes.

Hyuga Makoto had lost his earlier confidence and hurriedly called for the others to swarm him.

Yet, Toru moved among them, weaving through the crowd like a leaf dancing in the wind without a single touch.

One had to realize that Hyuga Makoto's complete set of Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms couldn't even brush the hem of Toru's clothes, let alone the fragmented Gentle Fist techniques mastered by these ragtag followers.

Toru's agility was thanks to the powerful insight of the Six Eyes and the enhanced physical prowess provided by Cursed Energy. These two "cheats" brought from his previous life made Toru's strength far exceed that of his peers.

Toru didn't just dodge; he poked at the others' pressure points whenever he moved, and even more cleverly, he utilized the openings in their group attack to make their own Gentle Fist strikes land on each other.

Hyuga Makoto finally managed to regroup and charged into the fray, only to have Toru close in and strike his pressure points. He went numb instantly, and while paralyzed, he was hijacked by Toru. Toru spun him around, using him as a human shield against a palm strike from the round-faced Hyuga.

Hyuga Makoto nearly spat out a mouthful of blood, cursing angrily: "Are you blind, you damn fool?"

The round-faced Hyuga was terrified and began apologizing profusely and servilely.

Toru showed no mercy to Hyuga Makoto, grabbing his arm and throwing him, aiming directly at the round-faced boy.

With a loud thud and the screams of both, the two crashed into each other and were unable to rise again.

Toru turned his gaze toward the others, causing their legs to tremble; they were too intimidated to step forward.

Toru took the initiative, dealing with them all in a few quick strikes, piling them together before sitting on top of the heap himself.

This scene made Dohka and the others watching from the sidelines feel a tighten in their chests, as they were the ones who had suffered this fate last time. They inwardly sighed with relief that they had recognized Toru as their "big brother," so they wouldn't have to be beaten anymore.

Among the onlookers, Dohka reacted the fastest, leading the shout: "Big Brother Toru is mighty!"

Tekka and the others followed, shouting: "Big Brother is mighty! Big Brother is mighty!"

Toru signaled for them to quiet down, and the volume gradually faded.

Toru looked down at the people pinned beneath him and asked: "Do you still want this training ground?"

The pinned group dared not answer, waiting for Hyuga Makoto to speak. Hyuga Makoto, buried in the second-to-last layer, struggled to say: "We don't..."

Toru stepped off their backs and onto the ground with satisfaction, and the group that had been used as a human tower scrambled to their feet.

Hyuga Makoto clutched his swollen cheek, looking at Toru with resentment. If looks could kill, Toru would have died countless times already.

Toru noticed Hyuga Makoto's gaze and turned to look, scaring Makoto into quickly averting his eyes and slinking away with his group in tow.

On the way, he didn't forget to curse and lecture his underlings, mentioning the Main House and the Branch House, and that the Branch House should protect the Main House. Toru caught these words keenly.

During the fight, the round-faced Hyuga's headband had loosened, allowing Toru to see the green X-shaped Cursed Seal on his forehead. It was this very seal that caused the restriction on the brain's visual processing that the Six Eyes had observed.

"Cursed Seal, Branch House, Main House... the Hyuga clan is truly pathetic to ensure the continuation of their clan through such methods."

Through these keywords, Toru roughly deduced the Hyuga clan's system of Main and Branch Houses.

Toru did not think highly of this; such a system was effectively stifling the potential of the clan.

Compared to the system and atmosphere of the Hyuga clan, Toru was quite satisfied with that of the Uchiha clan.

The Uchiha had always valued strength; no matter whose son one was, as long as one was strong enough, one would be recognized.

This was one of the reasons why Toru had gained the clan's recognition so quickly.