[Bandit Set: attack +10, defense +10, recovery speed +10, skill: Cheap Shot (no level)]
The set's bonus stats were calculated separately, but what interested him most was the Cheap Shot skill.
A god-tier skill for the early game.
He took a Soldier Pill from his inventory and popped it into his mouth. As he chewed, bitterness began spreading across his tongue.
Soldier Pills were essential supplies for traveling Shinobi. They could restore some chakra, replenish stamina, and fill the stomach.
A dieter's dream.
The taste just leaned toward bitter, with a hint of sweetness.
"I'll try the Nara Clan's next time," Hyuga Akira muttered, choosing a direction and heading down the mountain.
He had heard the Nara Clan's Soldier Pills tasted better. Unfortunately, they were a little pricey.
The location Tsunade had given them was on the Land of Fire's border.
They would reach it after crossing the mountain range.
For some reason, Hyuga Akira encountered no other dangers along his route, as though he did not matter at all to the other ninja villages.
Actually, it was not just him.
The same went for Hyuga Hiashi and his brother.
Hyuga Akira stood on a branch and looked toward the distant border. A military camp had already been established there, and not far beyond it lay the Land of Rain.
The Land of Rain and the Land of Fire met on flat ground, with only an uncertain line dividing their territories.
"Is this the place?"
"Byakugan!"
Every obstruction before his eyes began disappearing. The whole world turned transparent gray, and only human bodies containing chakra qualified to have color.
Blue chakra stood out starkly through the Byakugan.
He saw quite a few people moving around the camp. At this distance, he could quickly scout the entire camp.
What reassured him was that everyone he saw inside wore Konoha Forehead Protectors.
But he did not see Tsunade or Hyuga Hiashi and his brother.
"Haven't they arrived yet?"
He shifted his gaze and spotted three familiar figures in the woods to either side, rapidly approaching the camp with no one following them.
Only then did Hyuga Akira flip down from the tree and walk toward the camp. The surrounding area was safe for now.
At present, they were merely preparing for war, entirely as a precaution. The Five Great Nations had not yet openly broken with one another.
But Konoha in the Land of Fire certainly would not be the only one taking such precautions. The other great nations would likely make military preparations too.
The impact would be considerable.
Travel would be restricted for Shinobi from all Five Great Nations, costing the ninja villages a major source of income.
After all, the nobles and merchants of the Five Great Nations provided the largest number of missions. Merchants and nobles from the smaller nations lacked the resources to maintain long-term partnerships with major ninja villages.
Such restrictions would also prevent international missions from proceeding, inflicting heavy losses on every ninja village.
At that point, it would come down to their reserves. Whoever had the least would make the first move.
The first to act would be at a disadvantage, whether at the negotiating table or on the battlefield.
War will break out next year. Sunagakure has the smallest reserves, so it should make the first move.
Hyuga Akira calculated inwardly.
Just then.
Hyuga Akira looked back toward the woods. A figure burst out and attacked him.
His opponent opened with Gentle Fist, and Hyuga Akira responded with Gentle Fist too.
He just added a little something extra.
Bear Grappling Fist!
His supple palm carried tremendous force, slamming into his opponent's chest and sending him flying.
"Hyuga Hiashi, what do you think you're doing?" Hyuga Akira looked at Hyuga Hiashi with an outwardly relaxed expression.
Inside, however.
Upgrade [Naufra]!! Put everything into it!!
[Naufra (lv2) experience (200/0) trait (none)] [Naufra (lv3) experience (300/0) trait (none)] [Naufra (lv6) experience (600/0) trait (none)] [Naufra (lv8) experience (800/0) trait (none)]
2,800 experience vanished in an instant.
Hyuga Hiashi said to Hyuga Akira with a dark expression, "Perhaps I've given you too many chances, leaving you unable to recognize your place and making you this insolent."
"Where do you get the nerve?" Hyuga Akira mocked him mercilessly.
"What? Going to kill me here?" His eyes flicked toward the nearby camp. "Never mind whether you'd dare. With your strength, are you even capable?"
Hyuga Hiashi clutched his chest, his expression utterly foul.
To think he was completely outmatched by Hyuga Akira in a head-on fight. Gritting his teeth, he growled, "Remember, you belong to the Branch Family, and you'll belong to it for life. Know your place."
His hands rapidly formed hand seals.
Caged Bird Seal!! Activate!!
Chapter 33: Just the Caged Bird Seal
Pain spread from his eyes to his brain, as though someone were repeatedly stabbing needles into his eyeballs and brain, even running electricity through them!!
In a single instant, he felt as though he had been dragged into hell to suffer torture.
This was not pain a human could endure.
No wonder most members of the Branch Family could not bear it.
Pain was only one aspect. There were also intense burning, stabbing, and raw, gritty sensations.
Countless negative effects crowded together, even making Hyuga Akira feel as though the world were beginning to warp.
"Naufra!!"
Hyuga Akira growled.
His brain automatically released large quantities of numbing hormones, beginning to ease the pain.
He held on.
Hyuga Akira barely managed to lift one eye. Everything before him had become blurry, and Hyuga Hiashi had turned into a black silhouette in his vision.
He pushed off the ground and closed in on Hyuga Hiashi. The Bronze Battle Blade appeared in his hand, sliced through the air, and stopped at Hyuga Hiashi's neck.
"Gulp." Hyuga Hiashi stopped forming hand seals and swallowed.
Only then did Hyuga Akira feel a little better. He stared at Hyuga Hiashi with one eye open, icy killing intent on his face.
"Let's make a bet."
He grinned at Hyuga Hiashi. "Will you destroy my brain and eyes first, or will I kill you first?"
He called it a bet.
But Hyuga Akira knew perfectly well that Hyuga Hiashi did not dare kill him. The commotion here had already drawn the camp's attention.
Hyuga Hiashi would never accept the charge of murdering someone from his own village.
Hyuga Akira had always acted without restraint because he knew he would not die. As a player, however, he simply could not learn to bow and scrape.
He would rather suffer with dignity than live without pain and without dignity.
Players would never be slaves, unless someone issued a quest.
But apart from a panel, he did not have a quest system at all. Who cared about their Main Family?
They were just a bunch of NPCs, yet they wanted to control him.
Sooner or later, he would kill them.
Hyuga Hiashi did not dare move. He truly did not dare kill Hyuga Akira outright. Even if he held Hyuga Akira's life in his hands, he could not bear the charge of murdering a fellow villager.
He was indeed afraid, but he was even more afraid that Hyuga Akira would strike. Compared with all his own misgivings, Hyuga Akira stood out for doing whatever he pleased.
From what he knew of Hyuga Akira, there was a real possibility that he would kill him.
As the two faced off.
A figure leaped out of the woods, fist raised, and dropped between them from above.
A fair, delicate fist smashed hard into the ground.
Boom!!
The ground shattered, and dust billowed up, obscuring their surroundings.
Within the dust, Hyuga Akira and Hyuga Hiashi both leaped backward.
As the dust gradually dispersed.
Tsunade stood between them, her expression extremely grim, and shouted sharply at them.
"I don't care what grudges exist between your Hyuga Main Family and Branch Family. Right now, you two are my subordinates, and you should follow my orders!!!"
She understood what had happened at a glance, and she also knew Hyuga Hiashi had provoked him first. Tsunade looked coldly at Hyuga Hiashi. "I'll be telling your father what you did today."
Attacking a comrade at a strategically important location was an outright scandal for Konoha.
Hyuga Hiashi's expression was grave. He had only seized an opportunity to punish Hyuga Akira, never expecting him to withstand the Caged Bird Seal's pain through sheer endurance.
Hyuga Akira watched Hyuga Hiashi coldly and lightly drew a hand across his neck.
He had his sights set on Hyuga Hiashi's life.
"Hyuga Akira!!" Tsunade snapped at him. "Stop provoking him. Even if you're my student, I won't indulge you."
"Understood, Lady Tsunade," Hyuga Akira said with a grin, as though nothing had happened.
What Tsunade meant by that was that she was backing him.
Hyuga Hiashi's expression was no longer merely grave, but utterly foul. Hyuga Akira could endure the Caged Bird Seal's pain, and he had Tsunade backing him.
Hyuga Akira had completely escaped the Hyuga Clan's control.
Hizashi Hyuga ran over from the distance with a backpack in each hand. Earlier, Hyuga Hiashi had spotted Hyuga Akira and rushed ahead.
He had expected Hyuga Akira to be punished, but judging by the scene now, Hyuga Akira seemed to have suffered no loss at all.
But this was not something he could interfere in. He stood silently beside Hyuga Hiashi.
Tsunade rubbed her temples with a headache. "There's no need to keep this squad together anymore. Once the handover is complete, this team will disband immediately!"
Whoever wanted to lead this lousy team could have it. She, Tsunade, could not handle it anymore.
"As punishment, both of you are going into confinement!!"
The prison built inside the military camp.
Its primary purpose was to hold enemy Shinobi and interrogate them for intelligence. It had only just been built, and they had not yet had time to capture any enemy Shinobi.
Unlike the Hyuga Clan's dungeon, Shinobi patrolled this place at irregular intervals.
Holding one of them in each hand, Tsunade gestured for the nearby Shinobi to open the prison doors.
The Shinobi in a green vest immediately unlocked both doors with a key.
Tsunade threw Hyuga Hiashi and Hyuga Akira inside.
Before you continue