Sorry, I Don't Eat Beef

That night, Yemu opened his eyes from sleep. Light streamed through his blue pupils like a comet streaking past.

Faint sounds came from outside the window, and the moonlight cast shadows darting back and forth.

Three of them!

And none of the three was weak.

As they quietly opened the window and slipped inside, Yemu pretended to close his eyes, waiting to see what they would do.

So they're from Root!

The three Root ninja exchanged glances.

Seeing that Yemu hadn't noticed their infiltration, their eyes filled with contempt.

They couldn't understand it. Was this brat really worth Lord Danzo's personal attention?

But Root ninja barely had any thoughts of their own. If Danzo told them to go east, they had to go east. Even if he ordered them to lick someone's ass, they would obey without hesitation.

Still, Danzo wouldn't do anything that perverse.

Most of his orders involved sending Root members to their deaths or ordering their execution.

Yemu didn't panic in the slightest as the three Root ninja approached.

If they crossed the line at all, he would teach them a bloody lesson.

Well, Yemu really hadn't sensed any killing intent.

"If you want something, why sneak up to my bed in the middle of the night? I'm not into men."

Seeing that they bore no hostility, Yemu simply stopped pretending.

The Root squad captain, who had been about to lay hands on him, froze in surprise.

"You... you noticed us?"

"When?"

The Root captain's gaze flickered.

"Spare me the nonsense. Just tell me what you want. I still need to sleep."

Yemu Hyuga shot them a sidelong look, showing these Root ninja no courtesy.

The Root captain inwardly sighed at the brat's arrogance, but he did get straight to the point. "Lord Danzo wishes to see you. Are you free tonight?"

He had assumed Yemu would agree immediately once he explained.

After all, even a brat should understand that masked ninja in Konoha weren't people to mess with.

Instead, Yemu's answer left them stunned.

"No."

"I have a mission tomorrow. Some other day."

Yemu Hyuga's voice was cold. He had already grown strong.

Why should he still have to cater to anyone else?

Seriously, I've already awakened the Tenseigan. Shouldn't I be able to do whatever I want?

The affairs of this court are mine to decide, not yours, my ministers.

You should be thanking your lucky stars I haven't started refusing to eat beef.

If Danzo wants to see me, he can come here himself!

Yemu had little affection for this Pot Kage.

Besides, he knew Danzo's ways well enough to guess why he was being summoned without even opening his eyes.

Most likely, Danzo wanted him to join Root and become his workhorse and executioner.

If he refused, Danzo would inevitably set his sights on him again.

"Brat, don't you know Lord Danzo's standing in Konoha is equal to the Hokage's?"

Another Root ninja spoke with a trace of hostility.

He was already planning to drag the brat back by force.

Otherwise, they would fail their assignment and Danzo would surely punish them.

He had no desire to experience the Aburame Clan's hundred-insect torture again.

"But he isn't the Hokage yet. Why does he put on more airs than the Hokage?"

"If he actually becomes Hokage someday, will I have to rush over in the middle of the night and kneel before him?"

Yemu Hyuga finally stood up.

Since all pretense had been abandoned, he had no reason to keep up an act either.

Yemu quickly checked the three men's chakra reserves.

They were nothing more than three Chunin.

That made Yemu feel that Danzo might be underestimating him.

"Bastard! Get him!"

The three Root ninja had orders to bring Yemu back by force, even if they had to carry him.

Seeing the three Root ninja charge at him, Yemu made his move.

Yemu Hyuga stopped pretending. From today onward, he really would refuse to eat beef.

Anyone who provoked him would pay the price!

Yemu Hyuga had originally wanted more time to grow stronger, but unfortunately, his peaceful routine would end tonight.

These three ninja were considered elites within Root. Working together, they could easily handle an ordinary Jonin.

Unfortunately, an ordinary Jonin wasn't remotely a match for Yemu Hyuga.

The room was cramped.

Yemu could have taken them all out with a single Shinra Tensei.

But to avoid wrecking the room, he chose Taijutsu instead.

This brat actually chose to attack first?

Who gave him the nerve?

The three Root ninja darted around the room, moving so swiftly that they became blurs.

Yet Yemu's Byakugan tracked them rapidly, easily discerning all three of their paths.

Whoosh!

The instant Yemu deliberately exposed a blind spot, all three ninja launched simultaneous attacks from midair.

They targeted three different parts of his body: his chest, his back, and his neck.

Faced with their assault, Yemu remained unfazed.

He shook his head helplessly. Slow. Far too slow. Perhaps for a combat novice like Qingxue...

Such a coordinated attack would indeed be impossible to counter.

But under the perception of Yemu's Tenseigan, these three Root ninja were utterly inadequate.

Smack!

Yemu Hyuga reached out with one hand and caught the arm of the Root ninja attacking first from the left.

His grip clamped down like an eagle's talons, sending searing pain through the ninja.

The man was certain his wrist was already bruising.

Before he could scream, however, Yemu Hyuga stepped forward and drove a straight punch into his chest.

The sudden burst of force struck like a bullet.

The Root ninja's eyes bulged, then rolled back. Suspended in Yemu's grip, his body folded inward like a shrimp.

He couldn't even make a sound. The force coursing through his body knocked him unconscious instantly.

The entire exchange was over in less than a second.

By the time the Root ninja on the right moved in to coordinate his attack, he could only watch in trembling despair as Yemu instantly defeated his companion.

Whoosh!

Yemu struck first, shifting from fist to elbow, his hands and feet moving in unison, his eyes following his hand.

Bajiquan emphasized explosive force: collapsing, shaking, and striking, overwhelming like a landslide, shaking mountains and piercing the enemy with swift, sudden attacks.

Yemu's [Baji Grandmaster] talent trait was now gold quality.

His understanding of Bajiquan was practically at the very pinnacle.

He drove a quick punch into the Root ninja's abdomen, then slammed an upward elbow into his chest, sending him flying out the window.

Crack!

Bones shattered. This Root ninja would likely need a long recovery.

Move like a drawn bow; strike like exploding thunder!

Yemu Hyuga turned with a cold gaze toward the Root captain directly above him.

Looking through the mask, Yemu saw nothing but terror and shock in the captain's eyes.

Yemu Hyuga leaped into the air, spun a hundred and eighty degrees, and landed an inverted spinning kick on the Root ninja's head, violently launching him out the window.

Below the room, the fight was over.

All three Root ninja lay unconscious. The Root captain, having taken just one spinning kick from Yemu, was in even worse shape.

Blood spilled uncontrollably from his mouth.

Yemu Hyuga leaned against the window, calmly surveying the scene below. His thin lips parted. "Sorry, I don't eat beef."