"Patrolling the East District 3?"
"You want me to do such a boring mission that even a Genin wouldn't want to go?"
His voice wasn't loud, but the undisguised contempt made the surrounding air turn cold.
Suzuki Shinji sweated and bowed as he explained.
"Lord Zetsu, this is already the safest area."
"Other clearing missions... all have a certain degree of danger."
"Danger?"
Hyuga Zetsu sneered, as if he had heard a joke.
He looked around at the Branch House Ninjas he had forcibly requisitioned, his gaze lingering briefly on Hyuga Kamon and Hyuga Ryosuke.
"With this young master here, what danger could there be?"
He pointed a finger at a red-marked area on the map.
"Right here."
"Black Wind Valley, clearing the remnants of Kumogakure."
Suzuki Shinji's face changed.
"Lord Zetsu, you can't!"
"The terrain there is complex, and according to intelligence, there might be Kumogakure Jonin among the remaining enemies!"
"Shut up!"
Hyuga Zetsu barked coldly.
"Even a piece of trash from the Branch House can show off on the Front Lines; as a direct descendant of the Main House, can I not even handle a few defeated soldiers?"
"It's decided."
...Black Wind Valley.
Jagged rocks, gusts of eerie wind.
"Everyone, stay sharp!"
Hyuga Zetsu walked at the front of the group, leisurely, as if strolling in his own backyard.
"Aren't they just a few guys hanging on by a thread?"
"Finish this quickly; I still need to go back and rest."
Hyuga Kamon followed behind him, brow furrowed.
He suddenly realized he couldn't see through the mountain wall earlier not because the rock layer was too thick, but because lead plates were embedded inside; he saw faint Chakra leaking around those lead plates.
He finally couldn't help but step forward and whispered, "Lord Zetsu."
"Something's wrong. We might be surrounded."
Hyuga Zetsu paused and glanced back at him like he was looking at an idiot.
"Surrounded?"
"Surround the Hyuga Clan?"
"I..." Hyuga Kamon was choked up.
"Lead plates are embedded in the mountain wall. Based on my intuition..."
"Your intuition?"
Hyuga Zetsu laughed exaggeratedly as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world.
"The intuition of a Branch House member—how dare you lecture me?"
"Stay put and be quiet!"
Just as he finished speaking...
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Dozens of Kunai glinting with cold light shot out from behind the rock walls on both sides, covering the entire team!
"Enemy attack!"
A Branch House Ninja cried out.
The mockery on Hyuga Zetsu's face instantly froze, replaced by a wave of panic.
"Return to Heaven!"
He screamed instinctively, his body spinning at high speed, forming an absolute defense circle of Chakra.
Clang! Clang!
Most Kunai were deflected by "Return to Heaven."
But others in the team weren't so lucky.
Puchi! Puchi!
Two Branch House Ninjas couldn't dodge in time; their shoulders and thighs were pierced by Kunai, letting out muffled groans.
"Damn it!"
Hyuga Kamon slapped away a Kunai flying toward him, his face ashen.
We really are surrounded!
"Retreat!"
"Retreat quickly!"
Hyuga Zetsu, who had been arrogant just moments ago, now had a trembling, tearful voice.
He was the first to stop "Return to Heaven," turning and fleeing madly back the way they came, without even looking at his clansmen behind him.
The remaining Branch House Ninjas were both shocked and furious, but they could only fend off the enemy attacks while covering the wounded as they retreated.
Hyuga Ryosuke's strength was on the weaker side among them.
Just now, to cover a wounded comrade, a deep gash had been sliced into his calf, and blood was flowing.
Every step felt like treading on knife edges.
His speed inevitably slowed down.
Hyuga Zetsu fled for his life for a distance, saw with his Byakugan that the Kumogakure had stopped pursuing, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Turning around, he saw bloodstains where Hyuga Ryosuke had walked.
Not only did he have no sympathy, but a venomous rage erupted in his eyes.
He stopped abruptly, turned, and roared at Hyuga Ryosuke.
"Trash!"
"What are you dawdling for?!"
"Bleeding so much, do you want to get us all killed?!"
Hyuga Ryosuke gritted his teeth, endured the intense pain, and spoke with difficulty.
"Lord... Lord Zetsu, my leg..."
"Shut up!"
Hyuga Zetsu cut him off roughly, his expression twisted with anger and fear.
"Scum of the Branch House are just garbage that drags down the Main House!"
"Today, I'll let you know the consequences of dragging down the Main House!"
As he spoke, his hands quickly formed hand signs.
It was a sign that all Branch House members had engraved deep in their Souls!
Hyuga Kamon, who was catching up, saw that hand sign, his pupils constricted violently, and he shouted out.
"Don't!"
Too late.
A flash of cruel pleasure crossed Hyuga Zetsu's eyes.
"Caged Bird Seal!"
Cursed Seal, activated!
"Ah—!"
A shrill scream, hardly sounding human, erupted from Hyuga Ryosuke's throat.
He suddenly dropped the Kunai in his hand, clutched his head tightly with both hands, and his body went limp, collapsing to the ground as if his bones had been removed.
His whole body twitched violently, veins bulging on his forehead, as if countless red-hot steel needles were frantically churning in his brain.
The indescribable pain made even breathing a luxury.
He could only roll and struggle on the ground, letting out animalistic cries of agony.
The surrounding air froze instantly.
All the Branch House Ninjas stopped in their tracks.
They stared blankly at Hyuga Ryosuke struggling in pain on the ground, the color draining from everyone's faces.
An emotion mixed with humiliation, anger, and cold despair gripped their throats.
Hyuga Kamon stood where he was, his body as stiff as a stone.
He watched his comrade, his brother, twitching on the ground like a dog, while the perpetrator was the Main House they swore to be loyal to until death.
So that's how it is... so this is the fate of the Branch House that the elders spoke of.
The persistence they were proud of was worth less than a dog in the eyes of the Main House.
He clenched his fists tightly, his nails sinking deep into his flesh, blood dripping from between his fingers, yet he felt no pain.
An unprecedented humiliation and rage exploded in his chest!
Hyuga Kamon clenched his fists, his knuckles making faint cracking sounds from the excessive force.
Blood dripped from between his fingers onto the dry ground, blooming into a small dark red patch.
He looked at Hyuga Ryosuke, who was convulsing in pain on the ground with blurred consciousness; the emotion called rage in his chest almost broke through his reason.
Among the surrounding Branch House Ninjas, some had trembling hands, others were gritting their teeth hard; everyone's gaze had changed.
It was a dead silence mixed with despair, hatred, and a hint of madness.
They truly understood today.
The so-called fellow clansmen, the so-called Main House—in the other's eyes, they weren't even as good as a dog.
If a dog does something wrong, it might be scolded.
But they would have their Cursed Seals activated without hesitation, their wills destroyed and dignity trampled in the most cruel way.
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