Things That Cannot Be Tolerated

In the dense forest, Hyuga Yuto gripped the handle of his kunai with both hands, driving the sharp iron blade into Sugisaki Tetsujiro's body to sever his spine.

He certainly could not use the Gentle Fist.

A ninja's corpse contained a vast amount of intelligence. When Sugisaki Tetsujiro's body was sent back to the Hidden Leaf Village, it would inevitably be examined by experts proficient in medical ninjutsu. Using the Gentle Fist would be equivalent to carving the words "I am the killer" onto his own forehead.

The kunai was a tool used by ninjas all over the world, impossible to trace by model. As long as one was careful with the angle and force of the strike, it was the perfect choice for killing one's own people.

He pulled the kunai out, drawing a spray of fresh blood.

Sugisaki Tetsujiro let out a muffled groan and raised his hand with lightning speed.

However, Hyuga Yuto used the Body Flicker Technique to shift in front of him, swinging the kunai to mercilessly slash through his wrist.

The Hidden Leaf jonin could no longer weave hand signs.

Hyuga Yuto raised his foot and delivered a fierce, straight kick to Sugisaki Tetsujiro's chest. Following the sickening sound of cracking bones, the jonin flew backward more than ten meters until he slammed into the base of a large tree.

He collapsed listlessly, his eyes unfocused.

His spine was severed, his hands were crippled, his chakra was nearly exhausted, and the traitor before him possessed the Byakugan.

There was no way to escape.

He would die from excessive blood loss.

"Senior Tetsujiro, please don't move."

Hyuga Yuto exhaled a breath of stale air and said calmly:

"I have no intention of torturing you. Please sit there and wait for your blood to run dry. Believe me, this way of dying is not very painful..."

His words were interrupted by Sugisaki Tetsujiro's sneer:

"Hidden Leaf scum... putting on such an act. How could the Hyuga Clan produce an animal like you?"

Hyuga Yuto shook his head, his face expressionless:

"Senior Tetsujiro, if you are trying to use words to provoke me into getting closer to you, this level of effort won't work."

"You are a very talented ninja. In the ten-plus days I spent under your command, I came to understand that deeply."

"Before your blood runs dry, I will not rashly approach you... that is too dangerous."

Sugisaki Tetsujiro's heart sank.

The shortened needle hidden under his tongue remained slightly sluggish due to its master's despair.

Although his chakra was almost depleted, triggering the Ninja Art: Needle Rain required only a sliver of chakra. It was a move that never failed against enemies who thought they had victory in their grasp.

Unfortunately... the young traitor before him was too smart, too steady, and revealed not a single flaw.

He truly is the Hyuga's Jade, Sugisaki Tetsujiro thought bitterly.

After a brief silence, Sugisaki Tetsujiro stared intently at the young man with the snow-white eyes:

"Hyuga Yuto, do you want my corpse?"

"Yes." Hyuga Yuto nodded, stroking the scroll:

"The reconnaissance squad was wiped out, but we brought back precious intelligence, and I survived alone. With the enemy completely annihilated, I have no reason not to protect the body of my jonin captain. If your bodies were all disposed of until not a scrap of flesh remained, it would look too deliberate."

"Aren't you afraid that people in the village will find something in my corpse?"

"I am. And I know that certain forbidden techniques can extract answers from the mouths of the dead." Hyuga Yuto thought of the infamous Impure World Reincarnation:

"But there is no other way. To do this kind of thing, one must always bear the risks. If I am discovered, I will simply die."

"To do this kind of thing..." Sugisaki Tetsujiro's face turned pale; the prolonged blood loss was causing his consciousness to blur:

"Betraying the village, betraying the clan, betraying your comrades—you can say such things so lightly."

The jonin paused, and only after a long while did he continue:

"Can you tell me... your reason?"

Hyuga Yuto looked at him calmly and slowly removed his forehead protector.

He revealed a greenish curse mark.

Bird in a Cage.

All members of the Hyuga branch family had this curse mark, known as the "Bird in a Cage," carved into their foreheads at a young age. From that moment until death, they could never be free of it.

This curse mark could seal the abilities of the Byakugan and, upon the removal of the eyes or the death of the bearer, completely destroy both the eyeballs and the brain.

Not only that, but members of the main family could also use this mark to control and destroy the neural pathways and brain tissue of branch family members.

In the Hyuga Clan, this was an ironclad hierarchy.

It had been this way for generations; the curse mark known as the Bird in a Cage had been passed down for a thousand years.

Sugisaki Tetsujiro's eyes widened in disbelief:

"Just, just because of... the Bird in a Cage?" His breathing became rapid, and for the first time, emotions of confusion and anger appeared in his tone:

"Hyuga Yuto, you would betray the village and the clan for a mere curse mark? The Bird in a Cage does limit your freedom and abilities, but it is the tradition and rules of a powerful ninja clan!"

"And this curse mark successfully prevents others from being tempted to steal the Byakugan, protecting you!"

"Even as an outsider, I know that in the Hyuga Clan, the main family are the true successors, bearing the heavy responsibility of protecting and promoting the Hyuga clan; the branch family are the guardians of the main family, bearing the responsibility of protecting the Hyuga main family!"

"Only through sacrifice can the clan be strong, the village be prosperous, and the Hidden Leaf flourish..."

Hyuga Yuto put his forehead protector back on, covering the Bird in a Cage.

He looked down at the dying jonin from above and said softly:

"For certain reasons, I gained consciousness very early, and I matured very early."

"For a long time, I have been thinking about one question—"

"Should I just endure it and let it go?"

"The Hidden Leaf is a good village. Although there is plenty of filth, on the whole, it is... positive and upward. The Hyuga Clan has a strict hierarchy, but at least on the surface, it is passable."

"Should I just endure it and let it go? Work hard on missions, cultivate diligently, and after reaching a certain height, life should be manageable. At worst, I could endure it for another thirty or forty years. After the new era arrives, perhaps everything will become better."

"I thought about it for a while and reached a conclusion—"

Hyuga Yuto's expression suddenly stopped being calm and gentle, becoming somewhat detached and helpless:

"It won't work."

"I cannot endure it."

"I cannot tolerate being branded as a slave, being treated as a guard for certain people for the rest of my life."

"I cannot tolerate my descendants having this ugly Bird in a Cage on their foreheads."

"What I cannot tolerate most of all is the version of myself in the future who spends his life cowering, never daring to resist until he dies."

The expression of the dying Sugisaki Tetsujiro was filled with confusion.

Hyuga Yuto... what is this guy talking about? Cannot tolerate?

What is there that cannot be tolerated?

So many years... why could other branch family members endure it, but you cannot? For the prosperity and strength of the Hyuga clan... shouldn't you discard your own emotions and become the sturdiest shield for the Hyuga main family?

You are the "Jade" of the Hyuga.

Carrying his confusion and doubt, the jonin's heartbeat grew slower and slower.

Finally, his blood ran dry, and he was dead beyond any doubt.

Hyuga Yuto, standing alone, sighed softly and walked slowly toward Sugisaki Tetsujiro's corpse.

"You cannot understand me, and I cannot understand you... hah, the gap between people is actually as vast as the heavens from the very beginning."

He crouched down, leaning in toward the body that was gradually turning cold.

"However, let me tell you one last thing."

"To be honest, I really, really, really..." The branch family youth gritted his teeth, the excessive anger causing blood to seep from the corners of his mouth, as if he were trying to chew his own skull to pieces:

"I really hate that title."

"Hyuga's Jade."