"How come you just won't believe me?" Hyuga Arin spread his hands.
Looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi's suspicious gaze—
There wasn't even a shred of trust between them.
Left with no choice, he told the truth. "Fine. I killed the Kazekage of Sunagakure."
Hiruzen frowned. "You're still not being honest. If you don't properly explain yourself, I'll have no choice but to suspend you from duty."
He knew very well how strong the Third Kazekage was.
The so-called strongest Kazekage wasn't an exaggeration.
Even for him, defeating that man wouldn't be easy.
And yet—
Arin killed him?
Did that mean Arin could kill him too?
He didn't believe it at all.
Now Arin was truly speechless. "I tell the truth and you don't believe me."
Sunagakure had sealed the news immediately, so Hiruzen hadn't received accurate intelligence yet.
Hiruzen said coldly, "That's enough, Hyuga Arin. From now on, all your duties are suspended. Stay at home and reflect. When you're ready to tell the truth, you'll get your position back."
No matter what Arin had done, it ultimately benefited Konoha.
So the punishment couldn't be too harsh.
A symbolic penalty was enough.
"Sure, sure. Whatever makes you happy," Arin said, speechless.
He told the truth and still wasn't believed. With that, he turned and walked out.
"Wait."
Hiruzen stopped him.
"What now?" Arin spread his hands innocently.
"Your forehead protector," Hiruzen said coldly.
Arin sighed and reached into his clothes, pulling the headband out from his inventory.
He placed it on the desk.
"That good?"
"Until your position is restored, you are not permitted to carry out any ninja activities."
"Yes, Lord Hokage," Arin replied lazily.
Looks like getting Wind Release from Hiruzen was a dead end.
But Hiruzen wasn't his only option.
After Arin left—
Hiruzen glared, fuming. "Will it kill that brat to tell the truth?"
If he knew what exactly had happened, Konoha might've been able to squeeze some benefits out of it.
That kid really wouldn't budge, no matter what.
…
Arin returned home helplessly.
Machi had already reclaimed her throne—
The sofa.
Snacks in hand, TV on.
She was way too relaxed.
Though… he wasn't much better.
At that moment, Hyuga Natsuna came out holding soup.
Seeing Arin, she lit up. "You're finally back!"
"After you left, Mushihime also went out on a mission. I missed you all so much."
Arin looked at the little girl suspiciously.
Was she developing some kind of dependency syndrome?
Did she even realize how she was being treated here?
Especially Machi—
She was straight-up treating her like a servant.
"Dinner's ready, hehe!" Natsuna was clearly in high spirits.
Perfect timing for a meal.
Machi also left her beloved TV and walked to the table.
Natsuna brought out dish after dish from the kitchen.
Over the years, she had grown in many ways—
Especially her cooking.
"By the way, have you ever thought about learning some ninja techniques?" Arin asked as he pulled out a chair.
He knew the Hyuga clan's customs.
As a main family member initially judged to lack talent, Natsuna was basically a display piece for Hiruzen—
Proof that the main family didn't maintain private forces.
Of course, the two they secretly raised—
Had already died at Arin's hands.
And because he possessed a way to remove the Caged Bird Seal—
They didn't dare seek revenge.
After all—
They might lose.
"I want to…" Natsuna sighed. "But grandfather said I can't become a ninja."
In truth—
She existed as a future fiancée for the main family heir.
Though she didn't want that fate—
She didn't even realize it had already been decided.
Arin thought for a moment. "If you want to become a ninja, have Machi teach you."
They were basically exploiting child labor without paying her.
Even Arin felt a bit guilty.
"Really?" Natsuna's eyes lit up with hope.
"I don't have time," Machi said coldly.
Natsuna instantly looked like an abandoned kitten.
Arin glanced at Machi with a half-smile.
Machi sighed helplessly. "Fine. But you deal with Danzo."
"Don't worry," Arin shrugged.
Danzo was actually pretty easy to talk to.
Even if he always wore that grim face.
Worst case—
He'd just openly go hunt Uchiha.
As the self-proclaimed "guardian of the Uchiha," Danzo would definitely agree to such a small request.
…
"Not impossible," Danzo said after some thought.
Letting Machi take a break wasn't a big deal.
Her main task was monitoring Arin anyway.
Arin, who had been dragged over in the middle of the night, nodded in satisfaction.
Just as expected.
The "guardian of the Uchiha" wouldn't refuse.
"So," Danzo suddenly changed tone, "what exactly did you do in the Land of Wind?"
"The entire country is locked down. Don't tell me you did nothing."
He knew it.
Whenever this kid went out, trouble followed.
Arin sighed. "I killed the Kazekage."
He had already told Hiruzen the truth earlier—
But the old man just wouldn't believe him.
"You really killed a Kage?" Danzo's eyes widened.
Unlike Hiruzen, Danzo actually believed him.
He knew Arin's strength.
With proper preparation and traps—
Killing a Kazekage wasn't impossible.
Hiruzen was too confident in his own talent.
He believed no one could surpass him.
After all—
Being born with all attributes already meant top-tier potential.
If Arin were from the Senju or Uchiha—
Hiruzen might've thought differently.
"That's right. Sunagakure sealed the country because they haven't found the Kazekage's body yet," Arin said.
Danzo fell into deep thought.
He was already calculating what Konoha could gain from this.
Sunagakure's strength had dropped drastically.
They hadn't even recovered from the last war.
They wouldn't start another one lightly.
Which meant—
They might look for allies to survive this crisis.
"Danzo-sama," Arin spoke up, "put that aside for now. Can I pick a few Wind Release techniques?"
Perfect timing to upgrade his Wind Release.
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