Hizashi Hyuga... Dead!

Hizashi Hyuga lay on the ground, his eyes filled with unwillingness.

His body trembled slightly, his face pale as paper. Sweat soaked his forehead and slowly trickled down his cheeks.

He stared at the sky with hollow, bewildered eyes, as though wondering why he had been defeated so easily by Rogge.

Mikoto Uchiha stood to one side, her gaze locked tightly on Rogge, her eyes shining with admiration.

That light glittered in her eyes like brilliant stars.

Her cheeks were faintly flushed, colored by a mixture of shyness and excitement.

Her hands unconsciously clenched together, as though suppressing the joy in her heart.

"Rogge, you're really amazing!" Mikoto Uchiha's voice carried a hint of excitement and delight, ringing through the air like crisp birdsong.

"Your strength is simply astonishing. That fight just now was incredible." Her eyes were full of reverence, as though Rogge were an invincible hero.

She took a small step forward, as though wanting to get closer to Rogge, but hesitated and ultimately stopped where she was.

Rogge frowned slightly. He showed little reaction to Mikoto Uchiha's praise.

His face still wore that indifferent expression, as though none of this had anything to do with him.

He knew perfectly well that Mikoto Uchiha had a crush on him, but he pretended not to know and maintained his aloof demeanor.

Meanwhile, seeing Mikoto Uchiha's flirtatious behavior toward Rogge, Tsunade unexpectedly felt a burst of inexplicable jealousy.

A complicated emotion flashed through her eyes, containing both possessiveness toward Rogge and the helplessness of being his teacher.

She lowered her head slightly, pain showing in her eyes.

After all, she was someone who had slept with Rogge.

Yet she was still his teacher. It was inappropriate for her to say too much, so she could only brace herself for this sort of situation.

Her lips trembled slightly, as though she wanted to say something, but in the end, she remained silent.

Seeing Mikoto Uchiha's affection for Rogge, Hizashi Hyuga was consumed by jealousy.

His eyes were full of gloom and arrogance, the madness of someone who had suffered defeat.

He gritted his teeth, the fury in his heart like a volcano on the verge of erupting.

Although he had just become Rogge's defeated opponent, he was not afraid in the least.

His pride would not allow him to admit defeat like this. He had to reclaim his dignity.

"Hmph, what's so great about him? He just got lucky and awakened the Lava Release Kekkei Genkai." Hizashi Hyuga's tone was full of bitterness, his words like sharp thorns stabbing at Rogge.

Hizashi Hyuga struggled to stand, but the pain in his body caused him to collapse to the ground again.

Pain twisted his face, but his eyes remained stubborn.

Smack!

Hearing Hizashi Hyuga's mockery, Rogge did not hesitate to slap him across the face and shut him up.

The slap rang out loud and clear.

"Ant!"

"Shut your mouth!" Rogge's voice was cold and stern, like ice that sent chills through everyone present.

A powerful aura radiated from his eyes, making no one dare meet his gaze.

Tsunade and Mikoto Uchiha were both startled by Rogge's actions, surprise showing on their faces.

A trace of reproach flashed through Tsunade's eyes. She felt Rogge had gone a little too far.

Mikoto Uchiha, meanwhile, was full of concern, afraid that Rogge would bring trouble upon himself.

"Rogge, don't be so impulsive." Tsunade's voice carried a hint of reproach.

"Hizashi has already lost. There's no need to treat him like this." Tsunade frowned slightly, concern for Rogge showing in her eyes.

Mikoto Uchiha hurriedly added, "Rogge, don't be angry. He just spoke without thinking."

Her voice was gentle and conciliatory as she hoped Rogge would calm down.

"Don't lower yourself to his level. He's only unwilling to accept it." Mikoto Uchiha looked at Rogge expectantly, hoping he would heed her words.

At the same time, they both rebuked Hizashi Hyuga.

"Hizashi, how could you speak like that? Rogge just defeated you. You should respect him," Tsunade said.

Her eyes were stern as she hoped Hizashi Hyuga would realize his mistake.

"Doing this will only make you look even more pathetic." Tsunade shook her head slightly, disappointed by Hizashi Hyuga's behavior.

Mikoto Uchiha agreed, "Exactly. You've gone too far. Rogge is already very strong. You shouldn't be jealous of him."

Her eyes were filled with anger. She felt Hizashi Hyuga's actions were disgraceful.

"You should apologize to Rogge." Mikoto Uchiha looked at him expectantly, hoping Hizashi Hyuga would recognize his mistake and apologize to Rogge.

Hizashi Hyuga clutched his face, his heart full of rage and humiliation.

Fury blazed in his eyes, as though it could burn Rogge to ashes.

But he knew he was no match for Rogge right now and could only endure in silence.

His body trembled slightly with suppressed anger.

He gritted his teeth and silently swore that he would become stronger and make Rogge pay for what he had done today.

The people around them watched the scene and silently sighed.

Hizashi Hyuga did not apologize. He merely stood up in silence, his eyes full of stubbornness.

Though his body still trembled slightly from the earlier battle, he forced himself to straighten his back and display his resilience.

Rogge glanced at Hizashi Hyuga and did not pursue the matter.

Under Tsunade's orders, the caravan set out once more.

However, the atmosphere had become extremely strange.

Hizashi Hyuga's silence hung over everyone's hearts like heavy storm clouds.

Mikoto Uchiha kept sneaking glances at Rogge, her eyes holding both concern and admiration.

Tsunade's expression was complicated, her jealousy intertwining with her sense of responsibility as a teacher.

No one spoke along the way. Only the caravan's wheels and footsteps echoed through the silence.

The oppressive atmosphere was suffocating, as though even the air had become thick and sticky.

At noon the next day, they reached their destination.

The caravan members cheered joyfully, filled with gratitude toward Tsunade and the others.

Tsunade also breathed a sigh of relief. They had successfully escorted the caravan to its destination, and now they could return to Konoha Hidden Village to report their completion of the mission.

After parting ways with the caravan, Tsunade took her three students to rest temporarily at a hot spring inn, planning to return to Konoha Hidden Village the next day.

Warm steam filled the hot spring inn, relaxing both body and mind.

Tsunade sat to one side, gazing thoughtfully into the distance.

Mikoto Uchiha secretly looked at Rogge, her heart full of joy and shyness.

Hizashi Hyuga sat alone in a corner, the fire of defiance still burning in his eyes.

That night, moonlight spilled across the hot spring inn's courtyard, making it seem especially tranquil.

Tsunade looked at the bright moon in the sky, her thoughts in turmoil.

She knew that although this mission was complete, the conflict between her students had not been fully resolved.

She had to find a way to make them unite and grow together.

Mikoto Uchiha lay in bed, Rogge's figure constantly surfacing in her mind.

She tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

Meanwhile, Hizashi Hyuga silently trained in his room, determined to become stronger and surpass Rogge.

Elsewhere, Rogge's killing intent surged like an unstoppable tide.

He stood in his room, his gaze cold and resolute.

Rogge's dissatisfaction with Hizashi Hyuga had been building. The repeated provocations and disobedience made him feel that keeping this man alive would inevitably lead to trouble.

So, he decided to eliminate Hizashi Hyuga under cover of night.

He slowly put on a stone mask, its cold touch making his resolve even firmer.

Then he dressed in black and silently made his way toward Hizashi Hyuga's room like a ghost in the night.

The hot spring inn was especially quiet at night, with only the faint sound of flowing water and occasional insect chirps.

Rogge's footsteps were as light as feathers, making not the slightest sound.

He carefully avoided anywhere that might make noise, each step extremely cautious.

When he quietly slipped into Hizashi Hyuga's room, despite being as careful as possible, he still alerted Hizashi Hyuga.

After all, Hizashi Hyuga was a sensory ninja who possessed the "Byakugan."

Hizashi Hyuga jolted awake from his sleep, his eyes full of vigilance and shock.

Seeing the mysterious masked man before him, he immediately realized danger had arrived.

"Who are you?" Hizashi Hyuga shouted, swiftly taking a combat stance.

"Byakugan, activate!"

Hizashi Hyuga wanted to use his Byakugan to see through the masked man's true identity!

However, Rogge had long used a master-level Transformation Technique to disguise his appearance.

Beneath the mask was merely an utterly ordinary White Zetsu face!

Even with the Byakugan, Hizashi Hyuga could never see through Rogge's Transformation Technique.

Rogge merely looked coldly at Hizashi Hyuga, the killing intent in his eyes growing ever stronger.

His body moved, rushing at Hizashi Hyuga like lightning. Using Shave from the Six Powers, he instantly closed the distance between them.

Hizashi Hyuga was shocked and hurriedly used taijutsu to defend himself.

However, Rogge was simply too fast, and his strength was also overwhelming.

He constantly shifted his techniques, using Armament Haki—Iron Body Hardening—to strengthen his defense while striking at Hizashi Hyuga's vital points with Finger Pistol.

Though Hizashi Hyuga resisted with all his might, he gradually fell into a disadvantage under Rogge's fierce assault.

His heart was filled with anger and unwillingness, yet he could do nothing about it.

Finally, Rogge seized an opening and viciously kicked Hizashi Hyuga with Tempest Kick.

The sharp blade of air directly severed Hizashi Hyuga's neck, and his headless corpse crashed heavily into the wall.

Hizashi Hyuga... died!

Just as Rogge killed Hizashi Hyuga, Tsunade was alerted by the commotion. She rushed over, and the moment she pushed open the door, she saw Rogge crouching beside Hizashi Hyuga's head, attempting to dig out his Byakugan.

However, with its owner dead, the Byakugan had already been destroyed by the Caged Bird Seal. Rogge's efforts were destined to be in vain.

Seeing the scene before her, rage instantly flared in Tsunade's heart.

She had never imagined that something like this would happen right under her nose.

"Who the hell are you?" Tsunade roared, immediately attacking the masked man without hesitation.

She used Monster Strength, throwing a punch at Rogge.

Sensing Tsunade's attack, Rogge quickly rose and dodged.

He knew he could not let Tsunade recognize him now, or the consequences would be unimaginable.

His body flashed as he prepared to flee the scene.

How could Tsunade let him escape so easily? She pursued him relentlessly, launching attack after attack.

Rogge dodged while searching for an opportunity to escape.

Amid the intense pursuit, Rogge gradually found an opening.

Using a huge boulder ahead to conceal himself, he used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport back to his room, escaping Tsunade's pursuit.