Chapter 7: The Second Elder of the Hyuga Clan Appears

So, these brats are on the same team as that kid, Kawaki Aoba.

Oh, I recall now. I did hear that a young prodigy had invented a hand-seal-less Lightning Style jutsu right before graduation. However, because the jutsu’s power was limited in the hands of others and required an exceptionally high talent for chakra manipulation, few could master it. It was ultimately only begrudgingly rated as a C-rank technique. Beyond that, the boy’s talent was said to be quite remarkable, and he was eventually hand-picked by the Hokage to join the team of his youngest son, Sarutobi Asuma. It seems the prodigy from back then is none other than this Kawaki Aoba standing before me.

The three of them are on the same team, led by none other than Yuhi Shinku. But compared to their captain, Fugaku was more concerned about what Asuma had just said.

Well, Fugaku had to admit that Sarutobi Asuma’s status was quite useful. In this matter, the Third Hokage’s stance had to be considered. Moreover, as much as he hated to admit it, the truth was that the Third Hokage’s inner circle was not something the Uchiha could just dispose of at will. Aoba had been personally assigned to Asuma’s team by the Third; it looked for all the world like the Hokage was grooming a support network for his youngest son.

At that moment, having pieced the truth together, Fugaku’s expression darkened. The noble Uchiha had been used by a brat, and they couldn't even teach him a lesson—this was truly…

Helpless, Fugaku had no choice but to let the three brats leave the Uchiha Police Force. He had to consider the Third Hokage’s reaction; if he didn't let them go, who knew if the next people to come demanding their release would be the Anbu?

However, what Uchiha Fugaku did not know was that Sarutobi Asuma and Yuhi Kurenai had only come to the Uchiha Police Force because Kawaki Aoba had used a Shadow Clone to tip them off in advance. This had absolutely nothing to do with the Third Hokage.

***

"Aoba, why don't you come stay at my house for a while? My old man is the Hokage, after all. I’m sure the Hyuga clan wouldn't dare act recklessly there," Asuma said as soon as the three of them stepped out of the Uchiha Police Force headquarters.

"That's right, Aoba. You should stay at Asuma's place; it will definitely be much safer there than at your own home," Kurenai added.

Kawaki Aoba expressed his gratitude for his friends' kindness, but he declined Asuma’s proposal. One reason was that he didn’t want to owe such a large favor, but a more important factor was that he wasn't sure of the Third Hokage’s position. To put it bluntly, he didn't want to gamble. Even if he won, his situation would only improve slightly, and becoming a rat hiding in a hole was not what he wanted.

As for how to solve this massive trouble right now? Kawaki Aoba already had a plan. Hah, isn't it just a pair of Byakugan? As of now, no member of the Hyuga clan had actually seen his eyes.

On the other side, at the Uchiha Police Force, Fugaku had already selected two of his trusted subordinates and taken the two Hyuga chunin to "pay a visit" to the Hyuga compound. Fugaku had made up his mind: he would make the Hyuga clan pay for the frustration he suffered at the hands of that brat Aoba. After all, the root cause of all this was that damned Byakugan bloodline.

Just as Fugaku was preparing to make things difficult for the Hyuga, the Hyuga compound itself was far from peaceful.

"Second Elder, this is what I saw with my own eyes: that Kawaki Aoba, along with the Third Hokage’s youngest son and Yuhi Shinku’s daughter, walked right out of the Uchiha Police Force. Furthermore, based on the intelligence gathered earlier, it is highly likely that Tsubaki and Yu were indeed taken to the police headquarters by Aoba." A branch-family jonin of the Hyuga knelt before the Second Elder, reporting everything he had discovered.

It turned out that when the Second Elder realized his two subordinates hadn't returned, he feared something had gone wrong and immediately sent his personal guards to investigate. He hadn't expected such a report. While cursing his own carelessness, the Second Elder also felt a sense of impending doom. He, like Uchiha Fugaku, wondered: why was Sarutobi Asuma appearing by Aoba’s side at this time? Was it under the authorization of Sarutobi Hiruzen?

***

As for the incident where two Hyuga ninja attacked Aoba, wasn't that just a minor issue from the start? The worst-case scenario was that the Hyuga clan would be held responsible for poor discipline. Aside from a hit to their reputation, it was a mere trifle to them. As for the survival of those two wastes? If they couldn't even handle a small task like that, what use were they?

The Second Elder paced in his room, pondering his next move. Letting that brat go was impossible; the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan must never be leaked.

"I will go to the Hokage building myself to meet with Sarutobi Hiruzen and ask him what exactly this means. As for that brat Kawaki Aoba, you go and watch him yourself. Keep a close eye on him, but do not move against him until you receive my orders." The Second Elder soon had a plan.

With a wave of his hand, the kneeling ninja vanished with a whoosh. If nothing went wrong, he was now off to monitor Aoba as ordered. The Second Elder acted decisively, setting off immediately for the Hokage building to get to the bottom of things.

However, before he could even exit the Hyuga compound, he was drawn by a commotion at the front gate. Listening closely, it seemed like people were arguing at the entrance. Under normal circumstances, the Second Elder would have marched over with a stern face to teach them a lesson, but now, he wisely chose to take a detour. There was no helping it—the ones blocking the main gate were members of the Uchiha.

Although he didn't care about the lives of those two "wastes," the Hyuga were indeed in the wrong here, so the Second Elder chose to slip away. Fortunately, the Hyuga compound had more than one gate, or he would have really had to resort to climbing walls like a common ninja today.

The Second Elder couldn't even remember the last time he traveled like a ninja; it felt like a distant memory. Unlike the current clan head and the First Elder, who were seasoned veterans of real combat, the Second Elder possessed power but had never seen active duty on the battlefield. It was a pity that the clan head and the First Elder were currently away at the Land of Fire's capital, visiting the nobility, leaving him in charge of the Hyuga clan for the time being.