The Hyuga Clan's Bloodline

Chiba Shun nodded, then suddenly thought of something and hurriedly asked, "A, were those female shinobi willing?"

Chiba Shun felt somewhat awkward asking that, considering he had been the one to suggest that the female shinobi offer themselves.

Yozuki A said, "Of course they were willing."

"I handled this personally. I secretly spread the word among several female shinobi, and they all fought for the chance to go to the Land of Moon."

"I selected several dozen Chunin."

"Those three were the ones I picked with the cleanest backgrounds."

Chiba Shun was dumbfounded. "Huh?"

Yozuki A said strangely, "If they get pregnant, the child they give birth to could very well belong to the Hyuga Clan, one of the strongest shinobi clans in the Shinobi World."

"There's also a good chance the child will possess a top-tier Kekkei Genkai like the Byakugan. Who wouldn't be willing?"

Chiba Shun froze for a moment. Uh...

It seemed he still had not adapted to this world of shinobi. He did not understand everyone's thirst for power.

Nor did he understand the allure of a Kekkei Genkai!

The Byakugan was one of the very strongest Kekkei Genkai!

Forget unmarried female shinobi—even many who already had partners would be willing if given the chance.

Who did not want their child to be a genius?

Yozuki A said, "Since the child hasn't been born yet and we can't confirm whether they'll inherit the Byakugan, your mission rank hasn't been determined."

"Only after the child is truly born and the village truly gains the Byakugan Kekkei Genkai will Father record the mission for you."

Chiba Shun waved his hand, indicating that he was in no hurry.

He had just collected the reward for an S-rank Mission three months ago. Although he had spent heavily over those three months, he still had more than five hundred thousand ryo left and was not short on money for the time being.

Yozuki A hesitated before saying, "That suggestion you just made was good. How about you take a trip to the Land of Moon and meet Akira Hyuga?"

"You're aware of the situation, you started this, and you're professional at handling this sort of thing."

Chiba Shun blinked. Professional? How was he professional?

Still, he did not refuse. He nodded and said, "All right."

After packing up, Chiba Shun left with Yozuki A.

Not far away, Aoki Yuyi stepped out of the office and watched their receding backs with an inscrutable expression.

Several days later, Chiba Shun arrived in the Land of Moon.

After Yozuki A reported Chiba Shun's suggestion to the Third Raikage, the Third Raikage agreed to let Chiba Shun carry out this mission.

In the Third Raikage's view, Chiba Shun had been the reason they had managed to persuade Akira Hyuga last time. Now that Kumogakure was pushing for more, it was naturally best to send Chiba Shun again.

If someone else went, the Third Raikage was afraid they would ruin everything.

Naturally, Chiba Shun had not come alone. He was accompanied by the female shinobi who was already pregnant, as well as four Elite ANBU squads escorting her.

That was right. Kumogakure's security detail for this pregnant woman was far more formidable than the one assigned to escort Chiba Shun's Ninja Academy exchange group back then.

Upon arriving, Chiba Shun glanced at the female Chunin named Yanoi. She wore a smile the entire time and was extremely careful to protect her belly with every movement.

That smile was full of anticipation for the future.

Even a fool could tell that she was thrilled to be carrying the Hyuga Clan's bloodline.

It made Chiba Shun feel somewhat ashamed of his previous thoughts.

And when Chiba Shun arrived at that Izakaya in Sunshine Town, Land of Moon, and saw the other female shinobi waiting there, that feeling became even more pronounced.

There were more than twenty female shinobi in total, and their gazes toward Yanoi were filled with envy.

Chiba Shun waited at the Izakaya for seven days before Akira Hyuga finally came again to leave behind more offspring.

Akira Hyuga brought along three rookie Genin.

Pretending nothing was amiss, he entered the Izakaya. He first swept the surroundings with his Byakugan as though conducting reconnaissance, then took his three subordinates to enjoy a good meal.

Others might not have noticed, but Chiba Shun could sense Akira Hyuga's breathing stall for an instant.

Chiba Shun glanced at Yanoi and knew that Akira Hyuga had probably discovered it.

He paid it no mind and simply waited quietly.

A moment later, Akira Hyuga and the other three finished their feast.

Akira Hyuga gave his three subordinates a mission to gather intelligence outside, then waited a while longer.

Only after confirming that the three had gone far away did he approach Chiba Shun. He pointed at Yanoi excitedly and asked, "Is that my child?"

Chiba Shun nodded and said, "You're Akira Hyuga?"

Akira Hyuga nodded. Ignoring Chiba Shun, he looked around and said, "Kumogakure certainly values my child."

Chiba Shun smiled. "Of course. These are all ANBU directly under Lord Raikage."

"Your child will be taken as a disciple by at least an Elite Jonin in the future!"

"And he'll receive abundant resources. His growth will go smoothly."

"However, as I said before, Kumogakure doesn't merely want a Hyuga Clan child. We want a Hyuga Clan!"

"So I'll have to trouble you again tonight, Senior Akira Hyuga!"

Akira Hyuga took several deep breaths before saying, "Understood."

After saying that, he looked at Yanoi once more before returning to his seat.

That night, Akira Hyuga entered several female shinobi's rooms again.

However, after finishing and preparing to return to his room to rest, Chiba Shun found him once more.

Akira Hyuga frowned and demanded in a low voice, "My subordinates are in the room next door. Do you want to expose me?"

Chiba Shun shook his head. "Don't worry. The Shinobi Village bears no ill will toward the Hyuga Branch House."

"I came to ask you for a favor."

With that, Chiba Shun handed Akira Hyuga a blank scroll and a pen.

Akira Hyuga frowned and asked, "What do you mean?"

Chiba Shun explained, "Write down every secret Gentle Fist technique of the Hyuga Clan that you know."

Akira Hyuga snapped, "Kumogakure dares covet our Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist?!"

Chiba Shun smiled. "Senior Akira Hyuga, you're overthinking it. Gentle Fist requires the Byakugan to use. Without the Byakugan, Gentle Fist is nothing."

"The Gentle Fist you write down will be given to your child in the future!"

Akira Hyuga's anger subsided somewhat upon hearing that, but he was still hesitant.

When it came to leaving behind his bloodline, he could deceive himself into believing that he was resisting the Main House. But writing down Gentle Fist would be betraying Konoha—and betraying himself as well.

His hatred for the Main House was beyond words, but he still felt a certain sense of belonging toward Konoha.

Chiba Shun sighed. "Senior Akira Hyuga, you still haven't changed your way of thinking."

"Even now, your stance is still on Konoha's side, the Hyuga Clan's side, the Hyuga Main House's side."

"Looks like you've grown used to being a slave to the Hyuga Main House."

"Gentle Fist doesn't belong to you, nor does it belong to the Hyuga Branch House. It belongs to the Hyuga Main House. In the eyes of the Hyuga Main House, the fact that you can use Gentle Fist is something they bestowed upon you!"

"The only reason they bestowed it upon you is because you're good dogs."

Akira Hyuga immediately activated his Byakugan and glared furiously at Chiba Shun.

Chiba Shun did not care. Anger was good. How else could he break through Akira Hyuga's ingrained way of thinking if he did not get angry?

He continued, "Remember this: your life is already over. You should place all your hopes on your child, who is destined to breathe free air!"

Akira Hyuga's entire body shook at those words. He hesitated for a long while before finally accepting the paper and pen.

He did not avoid Chiba Shun. Instead, he followed him into a room and quickly wrote down every secret Gentle Fist technique he knew.

He wrote with great care, recording not only the secret Gentle Fist techniques, but also methods for training the Byakugan.

He also recorded the process through which he had learned to use the Byakugan and studied Gentle Fist.

There were even extensive training insights, as well as the speed at which members of the Hyuga Branch House cultivated various secret techniques.

After he finished, Chiba Shun put the pages away and asked, "What about Main House secret techniques like Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven and Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm?"

Akira Hyuga took a deep breath and was not surprised that Chiba Shun knew about those secret techniques.

He said evenly, "Only Branch House members highly trusted by the Main House, or those who have rendered great merit, can learn the Main House's secret techniques."

"I have never learned Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven or Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm."

Chiba Shun nodded, then said in a casual tone, "Then when you return to Konoha this time, please invite a few shinobi who hold the same resentment toward the Hyuga Main House to come to the Land of Moon as well, Senior Akira Hyuga."

Akira Hyuga's expression changed. He immediately activated his Byakugan, and this time, he even assumed a Gentle Fist stance.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~

Four figures swiftly appeared in the room. They were one of the four ANBU squads assigned to protect Yanoi.

Chiba Shun shook his head at the ANBU squad captain, signaling him not to act rashly.

Only then did he explain to Akira Hyuga, "I heard that the Hyuga Clan practices internal marriage to preserve the purity of the Byakugan?"

"But even if they marry within the clan, surely siblings don't marry each other?"

"Senior Akira Hyuga, you need to think about your child."

"They will grow up and marry someday too. They can't marry outsiders every single time, can they?"

"If they keep marrying outsiders generation after generation, the Hyuga Clan's bloodline may disappear in only a few generations."

"Besides, neither you nor I can be certain. What if your child's Byakugan isn't pure enough?"

"If your child can marry someone like him, I believe their descendants' Byakugan will become even purer."

"Only a pure Byakugan can possibly evolve!"

Akira Hyuga took a deep breath and asked, "What kind of eyes does the Byakugan become after it evolves?"

Chiba Shun smiled. "Lord Raikage said those eyes are called the Tenseigan!"

"But I don't know the details."

Akira Hyuga's expression was somewhat strange, as though he were longing for those legendary eyes.

After a while, he left the room without saying a word.

Seeing this, the ANBU squad captain waved his hand and left the room with his subordinates.

He did not ask Chiba Shun anything. His only mission was to ensure Yanoi's safety; he did not care how Chiba Shun carried out his mission.

The next day, a somewhat exhausted Akira Hyuga left the Izakaya with his three subordinates.

Chiba Shun also departed with Yanoi and the three female shinobi who had spent the night with Akira Hyuga.

If the three were not pregnant, they would return here next time.