Seto Takes the Blame

Near dusk, at the Inuzuka Clan head's residence.

"Who did this?"

Inuzuka Goya's face was dark as he looked at Inuzuka Seto being carried in. A nameless fury burned within him.

Who had the audacity?

They actually dared to inflict such vicious harm on a member of the Inuzuka Clan within Konoha.

Were they disregarding the Inuzuka Clan, or provoking him, the clan head?

"Clan head, we just asked him, but Seto refuses to say anything."

A clansman below said helplessly.

"Speak. What happened?"

Inuzuka Goya unleashed the imposing presence of a clan head, his gaze fixed squarely on the resentful Inuzuka Seto lying on the stretcher.

Inuzuka Seto remained silent.

He truly had no face to say it.

He had actually been defeated by Ye Fan, whom the clan had always regarded as trash.

If he said it aloud, he would undoubtedly become a laughingstock.

"Have you gone mute? Or has my position as clan head lost all weight?"

Inuzuka Goya's expression grew even uglier.

"Clan head, I... I did this to myself."

After hesitating for a while, Inuzuka Seto made up an excuse.

"Bullshit!" Inuzuka Goya roared.

"Seto, just tell the truth. No matter who the culprit is, the clan head will definitely seek justice for you."

"That's right, Seto. If you don't say it, you're practically protecting the culprit. Do you want to see him get away with it?"

"Seto isn't weak to begin with. Anyone capable of injuring him this badly would at least be a Special Jonin. I think Seto doesn't want to say it because he's afraid of angering the clan head."

"..."

Several clansmen below could not help chiming in.

"Actually... actually, I was beaten by..." Seeing everyone begin to speculate wildly, Inuzuka Seto knew he could no longer hide it and had no choice but to tell the truth. "Actually, Ye Fan..."

"Ye Fan? That piece of trash?"

"What did you say? Ye Fan, the one who left the Inuzuka Clan?"

"Seto, don't tell me your injuries have something to do with Ye Fan!"

The moment Inuzuka Seto mentioned Ye Fan's name, it triggered such a huge reaction.

It was clear just how unwelcome Ye Fan was within the Inuzuka Clan.

"Quiet, all of you!"

Inuzuka Goya shouted, and the hall immediately fell silent.

Inuzuka Goya stared directly at the ashamed-looking Inuzuka Seto and asked in a low voice:

"Explain everything clearly."

With no other choice, Inuzuka Seto lowered his head and recounted what had happened that afternoon.

After hearing his account, everyone present fell silent.

One after another, they turned their gazes toward Inuzuka Goya.

"Ye Fan!"

Inuzuka Goya ground out those two words through his teeth. Anyone could hear how much he loathed Ye Fan.

That was no surprise. Back then, Ye Fan's existence had made the Inuzuka Clan a topic of public discussion.

Ye Fan's reputation as trash had become practically known to every household, and it had greatly embarrassed him as clan head.

Besides, a few days ago,

Ye Fan had extorted a hefty sum of money from him.

He had thought they would have nothing further to do with Ye Fan after that.

Who could have imagined that only a few days later, Inuzuka Seto would be beaten so badly that he could barely take care of himself?

Did Ye Fan have some grudge against the Inuzuka Clan from a past life? Why did he keep haunting them?

"Clan head, the Ninja Hound by Ye Fan's side originally belonged to Aoi Inuzuka. Since Ye Fan no longer belongs to the Inuzuka Clan, that Ninja Hound should naturally be returned."

At that moment, a tall, thin clansman spoke up to remind him.

A sharp glint flashed through Inuzuka Goya's eyes. After a brief silence, he said:

"Go. Bring Ye Fan to me!"

Night fell, and the moon in the sky was exceptionally bright.

Ye Fan, who was meditating on the roof of his home, suddenly opened his eyes.

As he looked in one direction, the corners of his lips curved upward.

A few breaths later.

Laiyun and Dark Shadow, who were in the courtyard, seemed to sense something. Both raised their heads, pricked up their ears, and listened to the movement in the direction Ye Fan was watching.

After a while, a figure riding a Ninja Hound entered Ye Fan's sight. It was someone from the Inuzuka Clan.

Without needing to ask, Ye Fan could guess why he had come.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Laiyun and Dark Shadow, who had been on alert in the courtyard, both leaped onto the roof.

The visitor moved swiftly. Within a few breaths, he arrived outside the courtyard. Raising his head to look at Ye Fan on the roof, he said coldly:

"Ye Fan, the clan head wants to see you!"

Ye Fan flicked his sleeve as though brushing away mosquitoes, treating the visitor as if he were thin air.

"Ye Fan, are you deaf?"

The man suddenly raised his voice and even released an imposing aura.

Ye Fan gave him a casual glance and asked:

"Clan head? Which clan head? Are you referring to Inuzuka Goya?"

The man said nothing, but the way he looked at Ye Fan became even more hostile.

"How strange. Inuzuka Goya is your clan head, not mine. If he wants to see me, let him come himself."

Ye Fan smiled. His voice was calm, but to the man's ears, it sounded utterly grating.

"Ye Fan, stop playing word games. You ordered your Ninja Hound to injure Inuzuka Seto. The clan head already knows. If you obediently come with me, perhaps the clan head will punish you lightly."

The man's face remained cold.

Ye Fan chuckled.

"Punish me? I'm not part of the Inuzuka Clan. Who does Inuzuka Goya think he is? It seems he doesn't have that authority!"

"Isn't that authority reserved for the Hokage?"

"Or has Inuzuka Goya found himself a powerful backer lately and decided to usurp the Hokage's position?"

With such a huge accusation thrown at him, let's see how he handled it.

The man was no match for Ye Fan in an argument. Embarrassed and enraged, he only spat out two words:

"Bullshit!"

The Inuzuka Clan had indeed been close to Danzo recently, but that was only because they wanted to elevate the clan's status within Konoha.

They had never considered becoming the Hokage.

If any misunderstanding arose, the Inuzuka Clan might very well end up like the Uchiha Clan.

"Isn't that so? I seem to recall Inuzuka Seto saying that your Inuzuka Clan has recently been secretly training a group of Ninja Hounds for some major scheme. Aren't you planning to overthrow the Hokage?"

Ye Fan picked at his ear and spoke as though he had said it without thinking.

To his surprise, the man's face changed drastically when he heard this.

"Y-you really heard Inuzuka Seto say that?"

"If he didn't say it, where else would I have heard it?" Ye Fan asked in return.

In truth, he knew about it because he had read Kurenai Yuhi's memories that day.

The Third Hokage had long been wary of the Inuzuka Clan and had specifically instructed trusted Jonin to keep watch on them in secret.

"Inuzuka Seto was just talking nonsense. The Inuzuka Clan would never do anything to betray Konoha."

Though the man said this aloud, panic surged within him.

"I'm willing to believe you. I just don't know whether others will," Ye Fan said with a smile.

"There are others?"

"Then you'd better go back and ask Inuzuka Seto who else he mentioned this matter to."

Ye Fan's face showed a trace of gloating, along with a hint of anticipation.

Fine.

He was setting Inuzuka Seto up.

That was what the guy got for provoking him!

That poor bastard!

It was not enough that he had just been taught a lesson.

He would probably have to face the Inuzuka Clan's interrogation next.