Early in the morning, after tossing and turning all night, Hyuga Satoru crawled out of bed.
After all, it is my first time killing someone.
Hyuga Satoru let out a sigh.
Ever since he time-traveled, last night was the first time he suffered from insomnia. The miserable states of the Stone Shinobi who died in battle yesterday still seemed vivid in his mind.
When all was said and done, having undergone modern education, his acceptance of the brutal reality of the Shinobi World still required a process.
Shaking his head, he cleared the distracting thoughts from his mind.
Now is definitely not the time to be thinking about such things.
The Third Shinobi World War, the Caged Bird, these things chased after him like beasts with bloody, gaping jaws. He had to elevate his strength as quickly as possible.
After finishing breakfast, Hyuga Satoru had just intended to cultivate when he heard someone knocking on the door.
Opening the door, it was Hiashi Shu.
"Uncle Shu, is something the matter?"
"The patriarch is looking for you."
"Oh, I'll tidy up and head right over."
Along the way, gazing at Hyuga Satoru's slender figure, Hiashi Shu's eyes revealed a complicated expression.
During this period, Hyuga Satoru's reputation as a genius gradually spread throughout the Hyuga Clan, yet he knew very well that for the Branch House, being a genius was a curse.
If he were an ordinary Branch House member, his whole life would pass by just like that without being overly painful, but if he were a genius, letting them accept that kind of helpless numbness was perhaps the true torture.
Hyuga Satoru did not know what Hiashi Shu was thinking; he was only pondering what the patriarch's intention in calling him over could be.
The heavy doors of the Main House hall were pushed open, and Hyuga Satoru once again saw the old man sitting cross-legged on a round straw mat, along with the young man standing beside him, Hyuga Hiashi.
"Shu, you may withdraw."
"Yes." After bowing to the old man, Hiashi Shu silently retreated from the Main House hall.
"Lord Patriarch." Hyuga Satoru bowed slightly.
The old man's half-closed eyes opened a crack, his gaze carrying pressure as it bore down upon Hyuga Satoru in the middle of the hall.
"I heard that you have always been walking very close to a member of the Uchiha Clan, and have even been funded by her with ninja tools for your training?"
"We are merely companion relations. She and I are in the same squad, so it is naturally very normal to walk closely," Hyuga Satoru said without being servile or overbearing.
"So be it." The old man shook his head. "I don't care whether you chose to be in the same team because you walk closely, or walk closely because you are in the same team. I just want to make you understand that the cultivation of a ninja of my Hyuga Clan does not require the sponsorship of other clan members."
"This concerns the dignity of the Hyuga. Do you know this?"
The old man's gaze was like an invisible knife, pressing down upon Hyuga Satoru.
Hyuga Satoru remained silent.
The old man changed the subject, his tone suddenly softening by a few fractions.
"I understand that your savings can hardly sustain the consumption of cultivation. How about this, from now on you can claim an extra ten thousand ryo each month from the Hyuga Relief Hall, consider it support from the clan for your training."
A fine trick of the stick and the carrot, Hyuga Satoru felt internal disdain. First a stroke of suppression to make him fearful, then giving some sugar water to win over people's hearts; this patriarch had already maxed out his proficiency in the art of personnel management.
In truth, his funds were no longer particularly scarce right now; the bounty from the B-Rank Mission he had just completed alone was enough for him to use for a long time.
"Many thanks, Lord Patriarch."
Hyuga Satoru gave his thanks respectfully. No matter what, surface work still had to be done well.
"Mhm." Suigetsu Hyuga nodded. "I know that you have always been inattentive to the cultivation of the Gentle Fist, but I still hope you can attach importance to the Gentle Fist. This is the cultivation secret technique of Heaven Rotation. Go back and comprehend it for three days, and immediately return it here after three days. Bear in mind, it must not be leaked to anyone."
Hyuga Satoru accepted the scroll tossed over by the old man, a wave of astonishment rising in his heart.
Heaven Rotation was one of the Main House secret transmissions. Generally speaking, the Branch House could only comprehend it on their own and did not have the qualifications to cultivate it. In a sense, Suigetsu Hyuga's action could already be considered breaking the rules.
"Thank you, Lord Patriarch." Hyuga Satoru feigned a look of joy and thanked the old man.
"Mhm, you may return."
Once Hyuga Satoru's figure vanished from the Main House hall, Hyuga Hiashi at the side asked with puzzlement, "Father, why bestow the cultivation method of Heaven Rotation upon him?"
The old man lifted his head slightly, a profound glint suddenly emerging within his turbid eyes: "Hiashi, do you know that the Hokage looked for me yesterday?"
"The Hokage looked for you?" Hyuga Hiashi wore a face of astonishment.
"Mhm." The old man nodded.
"You know our Hyuga's situation is special. Even if the Hokage wants to mobilize Branch House ninjas, he must obtain the consent of the Main House. I originally thought the Hokage wanted the Jonin of the Branch House, but I never expected it would actually be him, a Genin."
"What does the Hokage want with him? A mere Genin, even with a Dual Bloodline Limit, can't unleash much use, can he?" Hyuga Hiashi was puzzled.
The old man shook his head. "Unclear. It probably relates to an ANBU mission."
"It seems the Hokage values him greatly!"
"Mhm, after all, he is the first Dual Bloodline Limit ninja in the history of the Leaf Village. Regardless of whether the Hokage wants to cultivate him or employ him heavily, the Branch House's primary allegiance is always to the Main House. We will just go with the flow."
Hyuga Hiashi nodded slightly.
Upon returning, Hyuga Satoru began flipping through the cultivation notes of Heaven Rotation. In the Hyuga Clan, usually only the Main House had the qualification to cultivate Heaven Rotation, while the Branch House had to rely entirely on comprehension.
In the original work, Neji Hyuga comprehended Heaven Rotation during his Genin period, and only then was he crowned with the name of a genius.
Because Hyuga Satoru did not pay much attention to the cultivation of the Gentle Fist system, he had not studied the cultivation method of Heaven Rotation, but right now he happened to patch up this flaw.
The rest period given by Aburame Shibi was seven days, and today was the second day. Hyuga Satoru mulled it over; the time was roughly enough for him to develop a brand-new ability through Heaven Rotation.
The cultivation principle of Heaven Rotation was not complicated: instantly erupting chakra from the acupuncture points across the entire body, then spinning at high speed like a top to form a hemispherical chakra shield.
Its difficulty lay in the technique of erupting chakra, as well as the control over the high-speed rotation.
A formed Heaven Rotation possessed the ability to deflect attacks, and was known within the Hyuga Clan as the Absolute Defense.
However, this kind of ability clearly could not reach Hyuga Satoru's requirements. He attempted to combine Heaven Rotation with Electromagnetic Force.
Through a few days of study, he gradually developed several brand-new ways to use Heaven Rotation.
While utilizing Heaven Rotation, he used Electromagnetic Force to construct a repulsive force, greatly increasing defensive capabilities. Metal objects would be repelled by the repulsive force without even making contact, similar to an omnidirectional Shinra Tensei.
By the same logic, constructing an attractive force turned him into a humanoid mincer.
Or pairing it with metal ninja tools, such as a ninja blade. Operating the ninja blade while using Heaven Rotation created Minced Meat Version 2.0. If the enemy wanted to run, because of the influence of the gravitational force, they could only be swallowed up by the high-speed rotating blades.
Hyuga Satoru respectively named these three special Heaven Rotations: Heaven Rotation - Yin, Heaven Rotation - Yang, and Heaven Rotation - Sword Dance.
Regarding the construction of electromagnetic repulsive and attractive forces, for non-metal objects, Hyuga Satoru's current influence was still limited, but if there were metal objects on the enemy's body, then the influence would be greatly magnified.
The upper limit of Level 2 Electromagnetic Force's capabilities was extremely obvious, but Hyuga Satoru's current experience value had already been farmed to [3289/6000], and being distant from Level 3 was not far off.
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