No Reasoning

As dawn began to break, Neji packed his things and quietly waited for Tsunade and the others to arrive. Today was the day he had agreed to leave the village with Tsunade. However, before Tsunade arrived, an order came for all Branch House members to assemble.

A sudden unease stirred in Neji's heart. He hurriedly called Xiao Xi over and gave her instructions. Watching her receding figure, he finally felt somewhat relieved, then joined the other Branch House members on their way to the ancestral hall.

The air in the ancestral hall was as heavy and still as lead. Dozens of gazes, venomous as stingers, swept back and forth over Neji and the other Branch House members standing below.

Before long, Neji watched clan members repeatedly step forward to make contact with the detection stone slab and understood what the Main House was doing—checking the match between the Branch House members' chakra and the chakra records left by entries and exits through the barrier. So the barrier disturbance from last night had been discovered. Although the barrier had not been damaged, its abnormal activation had drawn the First Elder's investigation, revealing that someone had entered and left the ancestral hall.

This was no small matter. The Main House's already frayed nerves over Xiao Jie's disappearance tightened even further. Even Hiashi, who had been leisurely these past few days, could no longer sit still. The ancestral hall had been breached, and as clan head, he could not escape blame. That was why today's scene had come about.

The Main House had already been investigated. The intruder was not from the Main House, and there was no reason for them to do such a thing. Though they knew it was unlikely to have been a Branch House member, based on their confidence in the Caged Bird, what if it was? That was why every Branch House member had to undergo testing. Neji's heart instantly rose to his throat. He could not quite remember whether he had released any chakra last night.

The clan crest hanging high overhead reflected a cold gleam under the candlelight, as though countless Main House eyes were watching from the darkness. Hiashi sat in the seat of honor with a face like still water. The First Elder's cloudy Byakugan swept over the room before abruptly locking onto Neji. His gaze seemed poisoned, as if he wished to slice Neji apart inch by inch.

Neji clenched his hands tightly within his sleeves, his nails nearly digging into his palms. The Breath Concealment Art flowed tirelessly through his meridians, suppressing every fluctuation of chakra deep into his Dantian. Inner Qi moved soundlessly like an undercurrent beneath ice. Yet his heartbeat pounded against his eardrums like war drums—the ancestral hall barrier's prolonged, unnatural scan had felt like a scrutiny that flayed skin and stripped bone, nearly crushing his feigned composure.

"Next, Hyuga Neji!" the elder in charge called coldly.

Neji drew a deep breath and stepped forward. His footsteps made faint echoes against the polished black stone floor, every step like treading on knife edges. He stopped before the barrier stone platform, where an ancient stone mirror faced the Caged Bird curse mark on his forehead.

Bzzzz—

The stone mirror lit up with a ghostly blue glow, brighter and longer-lasting than any of the previous scans. The beam seemed alive as it repeatedly licked at the curse mark before sweeping through the meridians of his entire body. Neji felt a cold, sticky probing force trying to bore beneath his skin. The Primordial Bagua Diagram in his Dantian suddenly trembled, cyan light flowing through it as the prying force was silently dissolved.

Time stretched infinitely. Cold sweat slid down Neji's temples and fell onto the icy floor. He could clearly hear the suppressed breathing of the Branch House members behind him, and he could feel the First Elder's serpent-like gaze nearly boring straight through him.

At last, the stone mirror's light went out with a brief, clear hum—passed!

The taut string inside him suddenly loosened. His clothes were already soaked through with cold sweat. Neji took a step back without changing expression, just about to bow and take his leave—

"Wait!"

The First Elder's withered voice rasped like sandpaper, carrying an unquestionable malice. Leaning on a snake-headed staff, he slowly descended from the raised platform. His aged body was wrapped in loose elder robes, yet he radiated a suffocating pressure.

"When the barrier examined you just now, why was your aura abnormal? Your body trembled, and your eyes darted about!" The First Elder stopped in front of Neji, his cloudy Byakugan nearly pressed to Neji's face. His claw-like hand shot out like lightning toward Neji's wrist. "I will personally inspect your meridians! Let's see what tricks you little bastard are playing!"

The claw came with a sharp whistle of finger force, and a faint, poisoned gleam of chakra flickered at its fingertips!

"Stop!"

Neji abruptly retreated, moving like a ghost as he narrowly avoided the withered claw. His back was straight as a spear, and his voice suddenly rose, clear and sharp with the edge of someone driven into a corner, echoing through the dead-silent ancestral hall.

"My aura was abnormal? Facing the pressure of the clan head and all the elders, am I, a mere Branch House member, guilty simply for feeling fear? But you, First Elder!" His blazing gaze stabbed directly at the First Elder. "The barrier stone platform has already rendered its verdict! Yet you wish to overstep the clan rules with this unauthorized act! Could it be that because your grandson vanished without a trace, you want to take this chance to pull something and forcibly pin this dirty accusation on me? So you can give yourself—and all the Main House elders present—an 'explanation'?!"

Every word struck at the heart, every sentence cut like a blade!

"Insolence!" Hiashi finally shouted from the seat of honor, his face so dark it seemed ready to drip water. Neji's words were like a resounding slap across the face of the clan head—what the First Elder had done was undoubtedly trampling on his authority!

"First Elder!" Hiashi's voice was icy. "The ancestral hall barrier was established by our ancestors and has its own judgment! Where do you place the clan rules with this action? And where do you place me, the clan head?"

"Clan Head!" An elder with a hooked nose immediately stepped out from behind the First Elder and said in a strange, mocking tone, "Young Master Xiao Jie has gone missing, and some petty thief has broken into the ancestral hall. This concerns the very foundation of the Main House! What is wrong with the First Elder being cautious because he cares about the clan? On the other hand, certain Branch House youngsters are reacting so strongly that they look rather guilty!"

"Exactly! Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures! Neji, if you have nothing to hide, why are you afraid to let the First Elder examine you?" Another Main House elder immediately chimed in.

"Enough!" Hiashi slammed his palm against the armrest, shattering the hardwood. "In the Hyuga Clan, it is not your place to teach this clan head what the clan rules are!"

The ancestral hall instantly erupted into chaos. Elders loyal to the clan head's faction and confidants of the Main House First Elder traded barbs and accusations. The ancestral hall, once solemn and sacred, became a marketplace full of shouting. The Branch House members stood silent as cicadas in winter, watching the lofty Main House members tear off their masks, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.

Just as the chaos reached its peak—

"You sharp-tongued little bastard! How dare you defy an elder!"

A violent roar exploded like thunder! Behind the First Elder, Yuumu Hyuga, the Main House Jonin who had remained silent like a shadow, moved!

He moved so fast that only an afterimage remained. Violent chakra burst forth, churning the air in the ancestral hall! There were no hand seals, no flashy techniques—only a slap infused with immense chakra, carrying a shriek that tore through the air as it smashed ruthlessly toward Neji's cheek!

This strike was fueled by rage! Before the palm wind even arrived, its terrifying pressure had compressed and frozen the air around Neji! Yuumu intended to smash this Branch House wretch, who had repeatedly challenged the Main House's authority and embarrassed his master, into the ancestral hall floor like a fly!

"Yuumu! You dare!" Hiashi shot to his feet, shocked and furious. The two Jonin at his side immediately rushed out, charging straight at Yuumu Hyuga!

"Stop them!" A vicious gleam flashed in the First Elder's eyes as he slammed his snake-headed staff heavily against the ground. Several Main House experts behind him erupted with chakra at the same time and fearlessly met the Jonin from the clan head's faction!

Boom! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Several Jonin-level chakra forces collided violently. Waves of air rolled through the hall, tearing at the hanging white banners until they snapped and fluttered wildly. The candle flames swayed madly, flickering between light and dark! The violent energy currents sent nearby Branch House members staggering in all directions.

At the very center of the storm, Neji's pupils abruptly shrank to pinpoints! The stench of death, like an icy venomous serpent, instantly coiled around his heart!

There was nowhere to run!

"Roar—!"

At that critical moment, a deeply suppressed roar burst from Neji's throat, like the furious cry of a dying young dragon! Inner Qi in his Dantian spun madly at an unprecedented speed, and vast energy surged through his limbs like a dam bursting apart!

"Wandering Dragon: Threefold Mountain-Breaking Waves!"

Bzzzz!

Pale golden force burst from his body, instantly condensing into three roaring chakra dragon phantoms that chased one another head to tail around him! The dragons were not illusory. Their scales, claws, and fangs were clearly visible. Carrying the domineering intent to crush mountains and split stone, they circled around him and protected him firmly at the center!

Bang—!!!

Yuumu Hyuga's massive palm, powerful enough to shatter rock, slammed ruthlessly into the outermost dragon phantom!

A piercing crack exploded! The outermost dragon shattered at once, turning into golden motes that filled the air! The second dragon shook violently, cracks spreading across its body! Neji felt as if he had been struck by a massive hammer. His chest tightened, and the hard black stone tile beneath his feet cracked with a crack, forming spiderweb-like fractures as his feet sank half an inch into the floor! A trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

"Hmm?!" A flash of surprise crossed Yuumu Hyuga's eyes. His furious palm strike had actually been blocked by a mere Branch House brat? Though only one layer of defense had broken, it was enough to make him lose face!

"You little mongrel! You do have some skill! Let's see how many strikes you can take!" His shame and fury instantly transformed into even more violent killing intent. Veins bulged hideously around Yuumu Hyuga's Byakugan as both hands shot out like lightning.

"Gentle Fist Technique: Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!

In an instant, his palms became a blur of afterimages! Dense as a rainstorm and sharp as steel needles, chakra finger force tore through the air with piercing shrieks! One hundred twenty-eight pale blue chakra beams wove into a devastating net of death, sealing off every possible path of escape around Neji! The palm wind whipped Neji's hair into a frenzy and pressed his clothes tightly against his body!

This was the true killing move of a Jonin! The moment he attacked, he unleashed the profound essence of the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist—a sure-kill assault!

"Brother Neji!" Soshi Hyuga, standing among the crowd, cried out in horror, his eyes nearly splitting apart. Countless Branch House members turned pale and could not bear to watch.

He could not evade! He could not block!

Bloodshot veins filled Neji's eyes, yet beneath his pupils burned an almost crazed calm. Inner Qi burned and transformed at an unprecedented speed. His hands traced profound arcs before his chest, while the liquefied sea of Qi in his Dantian rapidly drained away!

"Wandering Dragon: Sea-Covering!" His left palm thrust out. A deep blue vortex gathered in his palm and erupted, transforming into a roaring dark-blue water dragon that crashed fearlessly toward the sky-filling palm shadows with the devouring force of a whirlpool!

"Dragon Battles in the Wilds!" His right palm followed immediately after. Heavy dark-yellow force burst forth, condensing into an enormous earth-yellow dragon coiling around him. Its scales were thick as mountains, protecting him firmly within! Two dragons emerged together, and faint dragon roars echoed through the air!

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom—!!!