"Captain Soushu!"
"Good afternoon, respected kinsman."
After showcasing the terrifying destructive power of his torch pole techniques, Hyuga Soushu left behind his brooding cousin Hizashi and returned home to bathe, change into a Jonin vest, and then made his way toward the outer edges of the clan territory.
This time was different from the previous two days when he had just returned to the village — the Hyuga clansmen he met along the way suddenly appeared to have all recognized Soushu — once an obscure figure — and greeted him one after another with politeness.
Although Soushu sometimes spoke without thinking, his past-life memories still ran deep. Following the rule that you don't punch a smiling face, he patiently responded to each greeting, even exchanging a few words with some Branch House ninja who had specially come to meet him.
"Father, are we really going to let this continue?"
After going over the updated list, Hiashi noticed this scene while monitoring clan members at the Main House mansion and asked his father, "There must be more to his Shifting Body Technique than meets the eye. We cannot simply stand by and do nothing."
"Do you want our noble Main House to steal a Branch House member's Taijutsu technique?!"
The Hyuga Clan Leader interrupted angrily.
No matter how much he suspected Soushu's unusual methods, as clan head, he would never stoop to stealing secret techniques from a Branch House ninja!
If such news spread, aside from damaging the Hyuga Clan's reputation, it would immediately ignite long-suppressed resentment among the Branch House, potentially causing total chaos.
"...I..."
Hiashi wanted to explain that he hadn't meant that, but seeing his father's furious expression, he swallowed his words.
"The Main House possesses treasures beyond the Gentle Fist alone."
The clan leader sighed softly, feeling weary.
"As future clan head, you must learn the art of exchange."
"This is not only an essential skill for dealing with the village, but also necessary for controlling the Branch House and neutralizing potential rebellious factions."
"I didn't consider this thoroughly enough."
Knowing it was best to admit fault early and get off easier, Hiashi quickly apologized.
"The so-called Eight Boxing that Soushu developed himself must have extremely high physical strength requirements," the clan leader continued. "We can offer the Kaguya Clan's secret medicinal formulas in exchange for the manual of his Eight Boxing technique."
"But..."
Hiashi still couldn't quite understand.
After all, they had already witnessed most of Soushu's Eight Boxing during his fight with Hizashi and had pretty much deduced the core principles through martial logic alone — if they still needed rare medicine for it, wouldn't that be too disadvantageous?
"Foolish beyond belief!"
The clan leader reprimanded mercilessly. "To take something, one must first give! Don't you understand this principle?!"
"I understand!"
Realizing he'd only dig himself deeper, Hiashi decided to just shut up.
"You're dismissed."
The clan leader closed his eyes and waved his hand.
Hiashi silently bowed before retreating toward the shoji door, ready to leave.
"There's something else."
Just as Hiashi Hyuga was about to open the door, the Hyuga Clan Leader suddenly said in a calm voice, "Check the records and find out who approved Soushu's return permit and examination recommendation."
"At once."
Hiashi nodded silently in response.
With these words, Hiashi finally felt a bit more at ease.
It wasn't that he didn't want to suppress Soushu, whose arrogant and disrespectful behavior clashed with the Branch House's traditions. However, considering the village was still in a state of war and every battlefield desperately needed reinforcements, the fact that Soushu and his ambiguous companion had returned immediately after the situation at the Land of Rain's battlefield eased slightly suggested there might be some hidden dealings involved.
Whether Soushu had gained favor from a senior jonin or secretly aligned with a high-ranking official in Konoha, the cautious Hyuga Clan Leader would only act after thoroughly investigating the matter.
After all, the existence of the Caged Bird (Tenketsu) Curse Seal was irreversible — time and advantage always belonged to the Main House.
Realizing this point, Hiashi felt relieved and immediately arranged personnel to investigate what exactly Soushu had experienced during the past two and a half years.
"Tokubetsu Jonin Soushu, please hold on a moment!"
Just as Soushu managed to bid farewell to those enthusiastic clan members and walked into Konoha's Commercial District, preparing to buy some small gifts for Mahiru Uchiha, a Nara ninja wearing a chunin vest and having a pineapple-shaped hairstyle stopped him.
"Who are you?"
Soushu frowned, clearly annoyed.
He was certain he didn't know this Chunin. During his deployment in the Land of Rain, he'd also gotten along poorly with any ninja from the Nara Clan due to various reasons. Moreover, how dare this unknown Nara ninja address him using the title "Tokubetsu Jonin"? There was no way Soushu would show him a good face!
Besides, he had only returned to the village a few days ago. Aside from the Hyuga Clan, very few Konoha ninjas could accurately call him by both name and title. This further indicated the Nara Chunin had ulterior motives.
"Danzo requested that I offer my apologies. We truly regretted yesterday's disturbance; please don't take offense," the Nara ninja didn't answer Soushu's question but quietly murmured these words right on the street.
"Are you asking for it!"
Instantly, Soushu exploded, striking with one palm and sending him flying away.
"Bang!"
Unexpectedly though, when this Nara jonin was sent flying and crashed several meters onto the ground, a puff of blue smoke suddenly rose from his body. Soushu's face paled instantly.
As the smoke cleared, the figure revealed itself to be an ordinary-looking Konoha Chunin.
Soushu's expression turned even darker.
"[Body Control Technique] and Transformation Jutsu..."
And not the standard kind taught at the Ninja Academy, otherwise Soushu wouldn't have failed to detect it!
The street instantly became chaotic.
Almost simultaneously, three Anbu appeared — less than ten seconds after Soushu had struck him down — teleporting one after another onto nearby rooftops and treetops in front of Soushu.
One of them wore a mask identical to the ANBU who showed up yesterday at the site where Soushu and the Root ninjas clashed!
If someone told him there was nothing shady going on here, he'd laugh in their face—no way would he ever buy it, even if it cost him his life!
The once-bustling Konoha Commercial District fell eerily silent. Then someone shrieked in panic. Villagers who moments ago were eager for a peek now stampeded in terror, leaving the streets deserted within seconds.
Hyuga Soushu simply stared at the three suspiciously timely ANBU standing before him while his left hand reached into the Scroll Pouch strapped across his chest, pulling out the Sealing Scroll holding the Torch Pole inside.
Even if these three were indeed genuine ANBU—direct subordinates of the Hokage—he still couldn't afford to let his guard down.
For all he knew, those two Eagle B's might be putting on a double act—just another scheme to send an unspoken warning to rebellious ninja clans!