Dumb Deer

Dumb Deer

Hyuga Hiashi's hand beneath the table suddenly clenched into a fist.

Three days ago, an ANBU captain had suddenly appeared at the Hyuga clan compound and tossed him a message:

"One of the Three Sannin will reopen their school and select suitable candidates from the Hyuga and Uchiha clans to take as disciples. In three days, bring four outstanding young Hyuga members to the Sarutobi clan compound. They must be under fourteen."

Only heaven knew how thrilled Hyuga Hiashi had been upon hearing those words.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was already past fifty. His peak as a ninja would soon pass, and unlike the Uzumaki Clan or Senju, he did not possess immense vitality. As his energy waned, he would inevitably relinquish the position of Hokage in the near future.

In the Hidden Leaf Village today, the three most popular candidates for the Fourth Hokage were Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade.

Being accepted as a disciple by one of the Three Sannin meant that the Uchiha and Hyuga bloodlines would enter the core of the Hidden Leaf's master-disciple faction. It meant that, if handled properly, members of the two clans might also have a chance to sit in the Hokage's seat years from now!

Although Jiraiya's disciple, Minato Namikaze, also had a disciple from the Uchiha clan, no one in the current Hidden Leaf regarded Minato Namikaze as a candidate for the next Hokage. He was too young. Though powerful, he had no faction of his own. Thus, in a sense, Obito Uchiha could only be considered an "extra," and was generally not seen as part of a proper master-disciple lineage.

However, before Hyuga Hiashi could say anything, the ANBU captain continued:

"What follows is not an order, but a private matter the Hokage specifically instructed me to convey... The Hokage said that the intelligence Hyuga Yuto risked his life to bring back was very useful. Give the young man a chance. Bring him along as well."

The ANBU captain left after saying that, leaving Hyuga Hiashi caught in a storm of thoughts:

...What? The Hokage wants me to bring Hyuga Yuto? But... why would a master-disciple lineage consider someone from the branch family? How could a village leader have a Bird in a Cage seal on his head? Is this the Hokage's dissatisfaction with the Hyuga main and branch family system? But this is Hyuga internal affairs. Since the village was founded, it has been stipulated that it could not interfere in the private affairs of ninja clans...

He thought about it for a long time, yet still could not make sense of it. Although Hyuga Hiashi had the urge to summon Yuto and question him, he held himself back out of consideration for the Third Hokage.

Now, at the dinner banquet, Hyuga Hiashi and Uchiha Fugaku looked at each other at the same time, then swiftly averted their gazes.

—No matter what, this opportunity must be seized by my Hyuga clan! (Uchiha clan!)

"Sure!" Jiraiya eagerly backed up his teacher.

"As ninja, why speak so stiffly? If there's nothing to liven things up, why not go take a bath in the hot springs?"

Tsunade snorted at that and shot Jiraiya a disdainful glare. She knew this guy definitely did not mean simply soaking in a hot spring. He was surely going to "gather material" or something.

Orochimaru remained silent, merely smiling. His intention to go along with the crowd was obvious.

Unfazed by Tsunade's angry glare, Jiraiya laughed heartily.

"Come on, boys and girls! You're all young, so why is there no passion at all? No need to draw lots or anything. Whoever has a problem with someone, come on up! There are no rules. If you want to take on all seven by yourself, that's fine too!"

Hyuga Yuto's heart stirred. He already understood that this banquet had been held for the Three Sannin to take disciples. The Hokage's direct faction accepting members of the Hyuga and Uchiha clans carried strong political implications. In the Hidden Leaf, the core of the master-disciple faction was practically the pool from which Hokage candidates were selected!

He just did not know why the original story had never mentioned the Three Sannin taking new disciples... Had it come to nothing? Or was this banquet only happening because of him, this butterfly...

Hyuga Yuto considered many things, but he did not rise first. Instead, he lowered his head and took a sip of tea.

"I'll go first!" Uchiha Shota suddenly called out.

Just like his nickname, "Swift Blade," Uchiha Shota was someone as aggressive as fire.

He bowed to Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Three Sannin, and his own clan head, then leaped forward and shouted:

"You Hyuga! Are you coming one at a time, or all together?"

Hyuga Yuto clearly saw the corner of Uchiha Fugaku's mouth twitch.

What a dumb deer. Hyuga Yuto secretly chuckled.

Though the Hyuga clan's rules were stricter and its members were not as unruly as the Uchiha, young people's patience was ultimately limited. Hyuga Shinji first bowed properly, then walked up to the dumb Uchiha deer.

"Uchiha Shota, I, Hyuga Shinji, will be your opponent."

There was not enough room inside, so the two went out into the courtyard to spar. Everyone inside either belonged to a bloodline-limit clan with inherited eye techniques or was a Kage-level powerhouse, so they could naturally see every detail of the match clearly.

Without much nonsense, the young men in the courtyard began to fight.

A fireball the size of a carriage shot out. The first to attack was Uchiha Shota.

The dumb deer's Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu seized the initiative. After Hyuga Shinji dodged it, Shota immediately drew his blade and charged forward with the Body Flicker Technique. He was fast, but his blade was even faster.

Bang!

A hemispherical chakra barrier suddenly burst forth in the courtyard, deflecting that vicious slash.

—Eight Trigrams Palm: Heavenly Spin!

Hyuga Yuto narrowed his eyes slightly. Veins bulged at his temples as his Byakugan activated.

Heavenly Spin was a secret technique of the main family, an "absolute defense" that repelled all physical attacks. It was extremely powerful. Under normal circumstances, branch family members had absolutely no chance of being taught it; if they wanted to master it, they could only secretly study and comprehend it themselves. Opportunities to observe it at such close range were rare, and Hyuga Yuto naturally would not let this one pass.

While he happily stole what he could learn, the battle in the courtyard grew more and more intense.

Uchiha Shota's eyes were blood-red, two tomoe spinning wildly in each pupil. His blade flashed like lightning, wrapped in a layer of silvery-white electricity. He had clearly used Lightning Style.

Hyuga Shinji was no less formidable. Heavenly Spin consumed a great deal of chakra, so aside from using it the first time to deal with the Fireball Jutsu and blade draw slash, he did not use it again. Relying on his solid Gentle Fist and the main family Byakugan's field of vision without blind spots, he dodged and counterattacked at the same time.

The needle-point-against-wheat-tip battle of offense and defense lasted less than five minutes. In the end, Uchiha Shota narrowly defeated Hyuga Shinji.

In terms of "dynamic vision," the Sharingan truly was superior to the Byakugan.

The dumb Uchiha deer pressed the back of his blade against Hyuga Shinji's neck, lightly drew it across, and shrugged.

"You're strong, but unfortunately, you're not my opponent... Under these eyes, you're the bird in the cage."

Uchiha Fugaku's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

He somewhat regretted bringing this nephew out... Was his mouth imbued with Lightning Style too? Did every word he spoke have piercing power?

Calling the Hyuga birds in a cage—why didn't he just wish Tsunade's family a thriving line of descendants?

Hyuga Shinji was furious, his Byakugan nearly turning red, but with the Hokage and both clan heads present, he could only darken his face, walk toward his opponent, and form the "reconciliation seal."