~ Support & Read 38 Advanced Chapters on My Patreon!
❁❁❁❁
“The Hyūga Clan really is weak. If this were the Uchiha Clan—breaking out of Konoha would be no problem at all.”
Shin watched the bogged-down Hyūga, shaking his head. Konoha’s main forces hadn’t even arrived yet—and they were already pinned down by Hiruzen and a few dozen Anbu.
Once Konoha’s reinforcements arrived, the Hyūga would likely be wiped out in minutes.
“Looks like I have to intervene.”
Shin activated his [Nine-Tomoe Rinne-Tenseigan].
He hadn’t actually expected the Hyūga to fight their way out on their own.
He’d intended to help, but he wasn’t planning on intervening personally. Dealing with Hiruzen himself felt beneath him.
Shin’s eyes flickered slightly, exerting his ocular power.
Hiashi Hyūga, currently blocking Hiruzen’s attacks, suddenly felt his body move on its own.
“What’s happening?” Hiashi panicked internally.
Losing control of his own body was terrifying.
However, despite losing control—his body moved with incredible fluidity—effortlessly dodging Hiruzen’s strikes.
Hiruzen, wielding his Adamantine Staff, swung rapidly, but couldn’t land a single blow on Hiashi.
His eyes narrowing, Hiruzen retreated a few steps, sensing something was wrong with Hiashi.
Before, Hiashi could only desperately block his attacks. Now—he easily evaded everything.
It was like fighting a completely different person…
Was he hiding his true strength before?
Of course not. How could Hiashi possibly hold back now? He wished he could unleash ten times his power.
The truth was, Shin was now controlling Hiashi’s body. That explained the drastic change.
Ducking under a downward swing from Hiruzen’s staff, Hiashi’s hand suddenly formed a Rasengan, slamming it towards Hiruzen’s face.
Hiruzen, despite his thick skin, wasn’t about to take a Rasengan to the face. He quickly blocked with his Adamantine Staff.
“Still quick for an old man,” Shin muttered to himself, watching Hiruzen get sent flying by the impact.
“Rasengan? How do you know the Rasengan?” Hiruzen stared at Hiashi in shock.
Hiashi was even more shocked than Hiruzen. He couldn’t explain it either.
But he had a suspicion. ‘Perhaps Shin Uzumaki interfered? Controlling my body directly?’
Thinking of Shin’s methods, Hiashi felt a shiver run down his spine. Being controlled felt awful, like his body wasn’t his own.
“Big Brother?” Hizashi looked at Hiashi in astonishment.
“Hizashi, take the clan and leave!” Hiashi ordered his brother. Although his body was controlled, his mind was still his own; he could still speak.
“But—?”
“No buts! Don’t forget, I still have a trump card.” Hiashi reminded Hizashi subtly.
Hizashi instantly understood and nodded.
“<Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!>”
Hiashi assumed the Gentle Fist stance. The surrounding Anbu, along with Hiruzen, were enveloped within the Ba Gua trigram pattern.
Then, he attacked with blinding speed. His fists ignited the air with friction, creating a fiery effect around his strikes.
It resembled Might Guy’s [Morning Peacock] technique from the sixth gate of the Eight Inner Gates—attacks so fast they generated flames through air friction.
What was normally a single-target technique became an area-of-effect attack. Hiashi’s figure blurred within the Ba Gua pattern.
Any ninja struck by his fists or palms died instantly. Only the Third Hokage managed to block Hiashi’s blows.
After blocking the attack, Hiruzen retreated more than ten meters, his arms aching. His old bones couldn’t take much more of this.
Hiruzen’s Taijutsu wasn’t weak, but age had taken its toll. Besides, the sheer power of these attacks could threaten even a Kage. He’d only managed to block because the attack wasn’t solely focused on him.
“I misjudged you. I never knew you hid your strength so well.” Hiruzen looked at Hiashi with extreme caution.
“Hid my ass! I’m the one controlling him!” Shin, sitting on a rooftop nearby, couldn’t help but complain internally. Hiashi didn’t have this kind of power; it was all Shin.
Hiashi felt no satisfaction.
His limbs burned with pain. Shin controlled his body, but Hiashi still felt the repercussions. The explosive burst of power had strained his body; he was only holding back his groans out of pride.
“Go!”
Hizashi seized the opportunity, leading the Hyūga clansmen away from Konoha. The Anbu ninja blocking their path had all been killed by Hiashi (under Shin’s control).
Their escape route was clear.
Hiruzen wanted to stop them, but he was pinned down by Hiashi.
Hiashi felt terrified, praying Shin wouldn’t unleash another barrage like that. He didn’t think his body could handle another round.
“Hokage-sama!”
Just then, the main force of Konoha ninja arrived. Though some were away on missions, thousands had gathered in a short time.
Hiruzen spirit lifted.
He immediately ordered, “The Hyūga Clan has defected! Apprehend them!”
Among the arriving ninja were members of Konoha’s major clans.
Hearing the order—The Uchiha, Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi, Aburame, and other clan members stared in shock.
Is this real? The Hyūga Clan defected?
Not just one person, but the entire clan had defected, becoming missing-nin.
Looking at Hiashi Hyūga, seeing the scratch across his forehead protector, they finally believed it.
“The Hyūga Clan… defected.” Fugaku Uchiha looked at Hiashi, his thoughts unreadable.
He knew about the Hyūga’s recent misfortune and had even felt a bit of delight.
But now, seeing them defect, Fugaku couldn’t laugh. A sense of unease washed over him.
The other clans felt similarly.
They understood the Hyūga’s situation. Their defection, though extreme, was understandable.
At the same time, they admired the Hyūga’s courage.
To actually dare to defect? That took guts, perhaps making them the strongest clan in Konoha in a different sense. They wondered if the Hyūga had some hidden trump card.
❁❁❁❁
~ 38 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
p-atreon.com/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)