System Mission Complete 2/2

In the end, Hayato still paid for dinner. Akimichi Ginza refused to take money no matter what, and even gave them a thick stack of vouchers and discount coupons. Not only that, but Akimichi Choza, the head of the Akimichi Clan, had also rushed over after hearing the news.

In the end, a group of huge, fat men stood at the restaurant entrance to see Hayato and the others off, their imposing presence scaring many passersby into hurriedly taking detours.

After parting with his companions at the intersection, Hayato arrived at his doorstep.

Hayato stopped and looked toward a corner by the roadside.

An ANBU ninja stepped out of the shadows.

That distinctive pineapple head—it was another ninja from the Nara Clan, the one from last time.

The ANBU ninja took out a bottle. "Naruto-sama heard that you were injured. This is a secret medicine from the Nara Clan. It can be taken internally or applied externally."

Just in terms of sending medicine, Sarutobi Hiruzen was miles ahead of Shimura Danzō. That was why Sarutobi Hiruzen was Naruto, while Shimura Danzō could only hide in the shadows and stir up trouble.

Was it genuine concern for a subordinate, or was he buying people's loyalty?

Who cared!

Hayato accepted the bottle. "Thank Naruto-sama for his concern."

The ANBU ninja did not waste words and turned to leave.

Hayato hurriedly called out, "We'll be colleagues from now on. What should I call you?"

"Ren." A voice came from the darkness.

Ren was the codename of that Nara ANBU ninja. Within ANBU, everyone addressed one another by codenames. That was the rule.

Hayato said, "I should come up with a cool codename too. Sun? Pride?"

Not long after he returned home, Ko Hyuga, the Hyuga Clan's designated errand runner, came again. This time, he also brought the clan head's cordial regards and a bottle of specially made Hyuga injury medicine.

Hyuga Hayato put on a polite act and sent Ko Hyuga away amid profuse expressions of gratitude.

After resting for a while, Tokuma Hyuga came by.

Seeing the two bottles of injury medicine on the table, Tokuma Hyuga smiled. "Then I won't need to give you mine. Mother insisted I bring it over. Do you still want it?"

Hayato smiled. "Of course I do. I'll feel safer using it."

The unspoken meaning was: I don't feel safe using those two bottles.

Instinctively sensing that there was something off about Hayato's words, Tokuma Hyuga froze for a moment. He looked at the two exquisitely crafted medicine bottles on the table, both high-end and luxurious, but could not think of any reason not to feel safe using them.

Hayato was just like that. Not wanting to continue the topic, he said, "It's really nothing. Just a minor injury."

If such an injury had happened in his previous life, he would probably have needed to stay in the hospital for observation for a month. If it got serious, complications could even kill him. But in the world of Naruto, there was something as miraculous as chakra. After just one afternoon, he had nearly recovered on his own.

Tokuma Hyuga smiled. "Go tell Aunt Keiko that yourself."

"Uh..." Hayato said, "I'd better obediently take the medicine."

Once, Hayato had cut his finger with a wound less than two centimeters long. Keiko had panicked so badly that she wrapped his finger up like a watermelon.

Tokuma Hyuga added, "Father and Mother originally wanted to come see you today, but they were afraid you'd be too tired. So keep tomorrow evening free. We'll celebrate your graduation and becoming a genin."

Hayato said, "The results aren't out yet. I might not pass."

Tokuma Hyuga said happily, "What happened during the exam this afternoon has already spread everywhere. Everyone's saying the Hyuga Clan produced two geniuses."

Hayato thought to himself, The clan head is probably agonizing over whether to focus on nurturing me or nip me in the bud.

If Sarutobi Hiruzen had not extended that olive branch, then even with the system mission, Hayato might not have revealed his fangs so early. From here on, he had at least a year of breathing room. By then, whether it was Hayato's strength or changes in Konoha's external environment, neither would allow Hyuga Hiashi to make a choice unfavorable to Konoha.

After seeing Tokuma Hyuga off, Hayato continued practicing chakra refinement, then drifted sweetly to sleep in anticipation.

What good stuff will tomorrow's system draw give me?

There were thirty-six students in this class. In the end, eighteen received forehead protectors—exactly half. The remaining half would either have to repeat their training or give up on becoming ninja.

The graduation ceremony was the same every year, so it was far less grand than the exam. In fact, apart from the few lying in the hospital, only twelve students and some of their parents attended the ceremony.

Sarutobi Hiruzen once again took time out to give a brief speech, then personally handed forehead protectors to the students who were present. The rest would be passed along by others.

Hayato took first place among the graduates, without any dispute.

When it came to determining second place, several examiners disagreed. Some thought it should be Rock Lee—his written test had been a complete disaster, and he scored zero on the Three Body Technique test, but his Eight Gates at the end had been truly stunning. Others supported Hyuga Neji—if Hayato had not suddenly emerged at the end, Hyuga Neji would undoubtedly have been the leading figure and strongest favorite of this class. Some believed the two should have another match, but Rock Lee was lying in the hospital. Were they supposed to delay the graduation ceremony?

In the end, Sarutobi Hiruzen made the final call—there would be two second-place winners.

Third place went to Nara Chinai.

Fourth place went to Aburame Shishin.

Kiba Inuzuka came in fifth. His cheeks puffed up as he sulked, feeling a little humiliated at losing to Aburame Shishin.

When Sarutobi Hiruzen placed the forehead protector in Hayato's hands, Hayato's excitement showed plainly on his face. Sarutobi Hiruzen was very satisfied with Hayato's reaction, believing it showed how much he treasured the identity of a Konoha ninja.

However~~~, the truth was completely different from what Sarutobi Hiruzen imagined.

"Ding!"

The moment he received the forehead protector, the system's crisp voice rang out.

Host: Hyuga Hayato

Special Achievement Mission: Pass the exam and become a genin;

Mission complete.

Special Title Mission: Strongest Genin, graduate from the Ninja Academy with the highest overall score.

Mission complete.

The status panel changed once again:

Host: Hyuga Hayato

Age: 1

Rank: Genin

Taijutsu: 745↑

Ninjutsu: 68↑

Genjutsu: 408↑

Chakra Amount: 585↑

Current Mission: None

String-String Fruit (Beginner): Five-Colored Strings 81%↑, Overheat 078%↑, Bullet String 155%↑

Titles: Barbecue Expert, Strongest Genin

Available Draws: One C-rank Special Achievement Draw (random C-rank ninjutsu), one B-rank Special Item Draw.

Draw now?

"Draw!"

It was still the nine-grid card-style lottery.

After two flashes of white light, the system announced:

Ding!

Host: Hyuga Hayato

Obtained C-rank ninjutsu: Wind Release: Beast Wave Palm. Fuse?

Obtained B-rank special item: Ichigo Kurosaki's Mask (first stage, upgradeable).

In the anime, members of the Hyuga Clan had never displayed ninjutsu other than their Kekkei Genkai and Gentle Fist. So the question was: could Hyuga Clan members not use other ninjutsu, or were they unable to?

The answer was obviously no.

Hayato was damn good at the Three Body Technique.

So, the Hyuga Clan could use other ninjutsu.

The Hyuga Clan's physique was very special. Ordinary ninja, even jonin, could only release ninjutsu through special chakra points in their hands, feet, mouths, and so on. But every one of the Hyuga Clan's three hundred and sixty-one chakra points could release chakra—this was how techniques such as Eight Trigrams Palm: Rotation and One-Strike Body came about.

Just imagine it:

A Water Release ninja: "Water Release: Exploding Water Shock Wave." Then a huge volume of water pours out of their mouth, like a fully opened faucet.

A Hyuga ninja: "Water Release: Exploding Water Shock Wave." Then water sprays from every pore on their body, like a showerhead.

Therefore, although the Hyuga Clan could use other ninjutsu, the difficulty and risk of doing so were far greater for them than for other ninja. For example, if another ninja made a mistake using Fire Release, at worst they might burn their lips off. But if a Hyuga ninja messed up, it could be like setting themselves on fire after being drenched in gasoline.

Besides, in normal ninja battles, the Hyuga Clan's Kekkei Genkai and Gentle Fist were already powerful enough. Why abandon the fundamentals to chase the trivial, picking up sesame seeds only to drop a watermelon? Most Hyuga ninja thought that way. Was there anything wrong with it?

Was there nothing wrong with it?

There was a huge problem!

It was fine not to learn ninjutsu they could not use, but they could at least study it. It might even help them draw inferences from other things. Besides, not every type of ninjutsu carried risks for Hyuga ninja.

The Hyuga Clan's special physique gave them extraordinary chakra control. Aside from talent, the most important thing for sensory ninjutsu, mental ninjutsu, space-time ninjutsu, and sealing techniques was chakra control.

Caged Bird was proof of the Hyuga Clan's mastery of curse mark techniques.

But aside from the self-binding Caged Bird, did the Hyuga Clan have any sealing techniques worth mentioning?

No!

This was Pride—the Pride of a great clan toward other ninjutsu. The consequence was that while the Hyuga Clan carried the title of a great clan, its high-end combat power lacked the bearing of one.

Pride was the original sin.

Why was the Uchiha Clan wiped out?

There were many reasons: the village's attitude and policies, historical issues, the negative effects of the Sharingan on emotions, Black Zetsu possibly stirring things up behind the scenes, and so on.

But speaking of the Uchiha Clan itself, Pride was one of those factors.

Unlike the Hyuga Clan's Pride toward ninjutsu, the Uchiha Clan's Pride was directed at civilian ninja and even ninja from other clans.

The Uchiha Clan's glory became arrogance, arrogance became conceit, and conceit became overconfidence.

In the end, the Uchiha Clan stood alone in Konoha, pushed aside at every turn and left without outside support. When the extermination plan was made, there was not even anyone to oppose it.

[PS] This chapter is bound to be controversial. The original work did not explain the Hyuga Clan's physique in particular detail, but it was indeed mentioned there, specifically during the Chunin Exams. As for the analysis, that is all Road Idiot's own speculation. Agree if you think it makes sense; ignore it if you do not. There are many analyses online about the reasons for the Uchiha Clan's extermination. Directionless Fungus's analysis is definitely not comprehensive. It may have omissions and may even be wrong. That is fine. Different opinions are a good thing; I only hope they can be raised in a tone of discussion. If I am too far off the mark, I will revise it.

Thanks to "Trench Coat Joke," "Back of the White Dove," and "Qin G" for 1 recommendation vote each; thanks to "Comma in a Dream" for 5 recommendation votes; and thanks to "Shouxin, Shouqing." for 7 recommendation votes and their suggestions.

Next chapter, tomorrow at 8:00. Please vote and bookmark. Hoping for your lasting companionship.