Chapter 2: Action Is Inevitable

Kawaki Seiyu considered himself quite polite; at the very least, he had used the word "please" and had not assumed the overbearing attitude displayed by the two Hyuga clan warriors standing before him.

He had extended his utmost goodwill to them, yet it was clear from their demeanor that they felt otherwise.

Upon hearing Kawaki’s words, the two Chunin from the Hyuga clan looked as if they had seen a ghost—they simply could not believe what they had just heard.

This half-breed bastard in front of them actually dared to speak to them with such insolence.

“Kawaki Seiyu, what did you just say? How dare you talk to us like that!” one of the Hyuga Chunin snarled with rage, his expression threatening to lash out at any moment to teach Kawaki a memorable lesson.

“Uh, was I not clear enough? Let me say it again—you're blocking my family’s gate. Could you please move aside?” Kawaki’s tone was calm, but his words were like kindling to a fire.

Indeed, he was doing it on purpose.

Kawaki was toying with them, deliberately provoking their anger. Did this benefit him? Not really—but it also did no harm. In fact, after revealing his disdainful glare, things had already deteriorated to the worst possible state.

Since the situation had already reached rock bottom, why should he continue to endure? Why keep suppressing himself and hope for a turnaround that was so faint it was nearly impossible?

One stroke of misplaced optimism was more than enough.

“What’s the matter? Judging by your expression, are you two itching to fight? Attacking Konoha ninja inside the village? Could it be that you’re enemy spies from a rival clan?” Before the two Hyuga ninjas could respond or make a move, Kawaki preemptively slapped them with a heavy accusation.

“Bastard.”

“Are you blind? How could we Hyuga clan ninjas possibly be enemy spies?”

Both shouted almost simultaneously—one’s face flushed a deep purple-red, the other’s forehead veins bulged. Note, this was not a sign of activating the Byakugan, but pure fury.

Their reactions were fierce, yet Kawaki’s response was even more intense.

As they cursed loudly, Kawaki instantly used Body Flicker Technique to retreat far back, drawing out his brand new kunai and assuming a combat stance.

“You still dare to deny it? The Hyuga clan is a top noble family of Konoha. Even when dealing with ordinary villagers, they never act arrogant—but your reactions are clearly different. Tell me, how did you fake those Byakugan eyes of yours?”

Without a hint of hesitation, Kawaki spoke with the intent to claim the moral high ground—he needed to establish himself as the justified party. Only then, with his current strength, would he have the right to negotiate with the Hyuga clan.

And this loaded statement instantly silenced the two Hyuga ninjas.

Kawaki was right. As one of Konoha’s noble families, the Hyuga clan’s house rules were very strict. When dealing with outsiders—whether from the main family or branch family—Hyuga members were expected to exhibit sufficient decorum.

But that was only when dealing with outsiders.

Clearly, these two Chunin had never considered Kawaki, who carried Hyuga blood, as an outsider from the start. Although this wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

The Hyuga clan was a family that embodied the phrase “hostile within their own nest” to the fullest.

It was precisely this trait that made these two Hyuga Chunin so brazen as to block the gate to his home.

Yet, this was also one of the few not-so-bad aspects Kawaki could grasp amidst this dire situation.

After all, the Hyuga clan’s house rules did not apply to him. He was officially registered in Konoha as a mere commoner ninja.

No matter how noble the Hyuga clan was, forcibly abducting a civilian ninja with the qualifications of a Jonin was unthinkable. Did they take the Third Hokage’s authority for granted?

“Hmph, you really are a sharp-tongued brat.”

“Brat, stop spouting useless nonsense. Since you’ve activated the Byakugan, that means you’re one of us Hyuga. This is our clan’s private matter—even the Hokage wouldn’t interfere.”

Though somewhat foolish, after their initial clash, the two ninjas’ intelligence visibly improved.

What Kawaki suspected, they naturally deduced from his words.

“You’d better come back with us to see the elders first. As for the Hokage, our clan leader will explain everything.”

“You little punk, how dare you slander us as enemy spies? Now we’ll show you whether our Byakugan is real or not!”

At that moment, the two Hyuga ninjas reached a unanimous decision and simultaneously activated their Byakugan, preparing to subdue Kawaki on the spot.

Kawaki was not entirely wrong. Even as a noble family of Konoha, they had no right to arbitrarily seize an ordinary civilian ninja in the village.

Nor did they have the authority.

But Kawaki was special—he was the brat the elders had expressly ordered to be brought back, even by force if necessary.

As long as they brought him back to the Hyuga clan, and as long as he truly had activated the Byakugan, the ensuing incident could be framed as a private family matter during negotiations with the village.

In that case, even the Hokage would have little say.

The two Hyuga Chunin’s thoughts were simple and rigid: complete the elders’ orders without hesitation, regardless of whether they might be sacrificed afterwards as part of the clan’s explanation to the Third Hokage.

“So, in the end, it all comes down to strength,” Kawaki murmured, then swiftly used Body Flicker Technique to dodge the two’s Gentle Fist attacks.

He weaved back and forth, distancing himself from his home’s gate, while the two relentlessly pursued him with Gentle Fist strikes. Once he had put enough distance between them, a faint smile appeared on Kawaki’s lips.

“That’s enough. The battle marks clearly prove you two attacked first.”

Whether one initiates an attack or defends reluctantly was crucial for Kawaki, who was still weaker at this point.

Since the necessary evidence had been established, it was time to deal seriously with these two Hyuga “guard dogs.”

“Gentle Fist: White Thunder.”

A subtle upward curl appeared at the corner of Kawaki’s mouth. As a transmigrator, how could he lack a standard gold finger?