Noon.
The blazing sun hung high in the clear blue sky.
People bustled through the Hyuga Clan compound in Konoha.
The courtyard, once open only to Main Family members, now held many unfamiliar faces.
As they looked at the lavish buildings, envy flickered in their eyes from time to time.
Beyond that envy, no other emotions surfaced.
There was nothing they could do. Once they were branded with the Caged Bird Seal...
They were destined to spend the rest of their lives serving the Main Family.
"Look, it's that guy!!"
"So the rumors really were true. He's actually hanging around with the eldest young lady."
"Seriously, dude, why him? Just because he's a little better-looking than me?"
Neji Hyuga listened to the Branch Family members whispering around him, helplessness in his eyes.
There was nothing he could say to refute them.
The Hyuga Branch Family had long resented the Main Family. Everyone knew that.
Even he himself harbored hatred toward the Main Family.
Yet over the past few years, Yemu's presence had unwittingly eased some of the resentment in his heart.
He couldn't help it. Neji couldn't resent Hinata without dragging Yemu into it too.
"Behave yourselves. Don't you know how strong Yemu is?"
"In this world, the weak have no right to judge."
Neji Hyuga's cold, proud voice echoed in the ears of the Branch Family members.
If Yemu Hyuga was a traitor in their eyes, then Neji Hyuga was unquestionably the leader of the Branch Family's younger generation.
On top of that, Neji was the son of Hizashi Hyuga, the head of the Branch Family.
Those impeccable roots made him all the more beloved among its members.
"Neji, why are you speaking up for him? Is it because you two usually get along? Or are you going to betray us too?"
"Exactly! Yemu was supposed to be the hope of our Branch Family, but that girl lured him away!"
"Yeah, exactly."
Neji Hyuga pressed a hand to his forehead helplessly. He knew the conflict between the Branch Family and the Main Family couldn't be resolved in a single day.
Neji Hyuga drew a deep breath. "If you want to ask Yemu why he's hanging around with someone from the Main Family, you can ask him with your fists in the matches later."
"Provided you can beat him."
At those words, everyone around him immediately fell silent.
Beat Yemu Hyuga? Seriously?
Rather than fantasize about that, they might as well wonder when pigs would start climbing trees.
Things were different on the Hyuga Branch Family's side.
Some Main Family members were deeply curious about what made Yemu Hyuga so charming that their clan's eldest young lady clung to him so much.
There were even plenty of rumors that the Hyuga Clan's eldest young lady had practically become a housewife, going to someone else's home to cook every single day.
How could that possibly be true?!!
"It's time! The Hyuga Clan tournament officially begins!!"
Hyuga Hiashi stood in the ring and announced the start of the tournament.
He glanced toward a corner, where Hinata was happily chatting and laughing beside Yemu, and, unusually, raised no objection.
Normally, as his daughter, Hinata should have stayed beside him, just like Hanabi.
But with Yemu Hyuga involved, he had no choice but to make an exception.
Or perhaps he had always had his own little agenda.
After all, even the Hokage had personally come to watch.
If Hyuga Hiashi still didn't understand Yemu Hyuga's value to the clan, he really would deserve to be called a fucking idiot.
Perhaps Yemu Hyuga really could change their clan.
Soon, everyone headed to their assigned areas according to the draw and began their matches.
"Hiashi, your clan's youngsters certainly seem full of energy."
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat beside Hyuga Hiashi and took a puff from his pipe, his words slightly muffled.
Hyuga Hiashi gave a dry laugh. "It's thanks to your leadership, Lord Hokage, that our clan can flourish with such vitality."
Though Hyuga Hiashi was cursing inwardly, he still wore a cheerful smile.
As the head of a major clan, he had far too much to consider.
Sometimes, he could only sacrifice those he cared about to ensure the clan's survival.
Hiruzen Sarutobi waved a hand. "You're giving me far too much credit."
Despite his words, the smile Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't suppress made it clear that the old bastard was delighted. Flattery plainly worked on him.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped making small talk and turned his gaze toward the reason for his visit.
Yemu Hyuga, the genius Uchiha Itachi had praised so highly a few years ago!!
He wanted to see just how capable the boy was after spending several years slacking off.
But that wasn't actually the case.
Yemu Hyuga usually trained by having his Shadow Clones fight one another. In front of others, he was either lying around or teasing Hinata and Qingxue.
In reality, he worked harder than any of them.
"Yemu, my man! Long time no see!!"
Yemu Hyuga's opponent was a Branch Family member.
More precisely, the Branch Family members fought first, and only the outstanding ones earned the right to face members of the Main Family.
There was no helping it. In everyone's eyes, the Branch Family members' Byakugan was restricted, and they couldn't learn the Main Family's core ninjutsu. Naturally, they were considered inferior in both status and strength.
Still, the emergence of a freak like Yemu Hyuga had reshaped quite a few Hyuga clan members' view of the world.
"Long time no see."
Yemu Hyuga smiled faintly.
In truth, he had no idea who this person was.
"Yemu, could I get your autograph afterward?"
The Hyuga Branch Family member's eyes sparkled.
Even though Yemu's behavior displeased plenty of Branch Family members...
His talent and strength unquestionably commanded admiration.
In this world, strength reigned supreme, so Yemu Hyuga had become an idol to many young people in the Hyuga Branch Family.
Yemu Hyuga scratched his head, confused.
Was this some new tactic?
Trying to buddy up before the fight?
Still, he nodded.
Yemu clearly had no idea what kind of standing he held within the Hyuga Branch Family.
It could be summed up as love and hate.
Soon, the match began.
Yemu and his opponent formed the Seal of Confrontation at the same time.
The result was exactly what everyone expected.
Yemu's opponent flew out of the ring in a perfect arc and landed on the ground.
The strange thing was that even as he sailed through the air, he still looked blissfully happy, as though being Yemu's opponent was a tremendous honor.
And, as it happened, that was exactly how he felt.
Once he got Yemu's autograph, he planned to brag his ass off to his buddies.
Hiruzen Sarutobi watched it all.
So Yemu Hyuga was already strong enough to crush everyone his age?
Before you continue