Uchiha orphan, so what if I'm ruthless?

Seeing him approach, the two Hyuga ninjas hurriedly spoke up, "Taiga-kun, we mean no harm!"

The one who spoke was the older of the two. His voice was rushed, carrying obvious tension.

"Please, just hear us out."

The other man had subconsciously placed his hand on his ninja pouch, his fingertips brushing against the drawstring. His body arched slightly, as if ready to respond to an attack at any moment.

But the moment his hand touched the pouch, his companion grabbed his wrist.

"Don't move."

The older man shook his head at him, his eyes filled with warning.

The latter froze, then quickly realized his mistake. A layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead.

He finally remembered that the person standing before them was Uchiha Taiga.

The man who had fought the Nine-Tails during the night of the attack, severed an enemy's arm with Susanoo on the training grounds, and spat right in front of the Hokage Advisors.

Reaching for a weapon in front of someone like that?

That was no different from courting death.

He released his grip, his palms already slick with sweat.

Watching this unfold, Uchiha Taiga slightly raised an eyebrow.

"Heh, let's hear it then."

He stopped in his tracks and stood before them, his hands tucked into his sleeves. He seemed somewhat intrigued and didn't rush them.

The older Hyuga ninja took a deep breath, not daring to delay.

"The Main House takes the changes in your eyes very seriously, Taiga-kun. We came here to invite you to the Hyuga compound to discuss the matter regarding your eyes."

He paused, seemingly weighing his words.

"After all... the Byakugan is the Kekkei Genkai of our Hyuga clan. Such a change occurring in you is a major event for both you and us. The Main House hopes to speak with you face-to-face to understand the cause behind this."

He spoke politely, but his meaning was crystal clear: your eyes have turned into the Byakugan, this concerns the Hyuga, and you must come with us.

Taiga listened without interrupting. Only when the man finished did he slowly speak, "Two birds locked in a cage, only capable of obeying their master's orders."

His voice wasn't loud, but every word was heard clearly.

"How pathetic."

The expressions of the two men instantly changed.

Birds in a cage—he was talking about the Branch House.

The Caged Bird, the curse mark passed down through generations of the Hyuga Branch House, an inescapable shackle for life. Beneath the bandages on their foreheads lay that very brand.

The older man's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, no words came out.

Humiliation, anger, and helplessness flashed across his face, ultimately settling into a numb calmness.

The other man clenched his fists at his sides, his knuckles turning white.

But they didn't retort, because it was the truth.

"Taiga-kun..."

Suppressing his emotions, the older man spoke with a hoarse voice, "We are merely following orders. We cannot defy the commands of the Main House. Please, Taiga-kun, for the sake of..."

"For the sake of what?"

Taiga interrupted him.

"For the sake of you being from the Hyuga Branch House? Or for the sake of you meaning no harm?"

He shook his head.

"Whether you mean harm or not has nothing to do with me. Your mission also has nothing to do with me."

With that said, he stepped forward to leave.

The two exchanged a glance and stepped forward simultaneously, blocking his path.

"Taiga-kun, we don't mean anything else, we just want to invite you to..."

"Move."

Taiga's voice was calm, but that calmness made their hearts tighten.

They did not move.

Bracing himself, the older man continued, "Please, Taiga-kun, do us a favor for our sake. If we fail to bring you back, once we return..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the implication was obvious.

Once they returned, punishment would be waiting for them.

Taiga, however, laughed.

"Whether you are from the Hyuga Branch House or not has nothing to do with me."

His smile faded.

"I was quite satisfied that you could state your intentions with a humble attitude. But using this kind of attitude to try and morally blackmail me makes me very unhappy."

The moment his words fell, he moved.

The two men only saw a blur, not even registering how he had attacked.

The older man felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, doubling over and falling to his knees. The other man felt a numbness in his chest, lost his balance, and crashed heavily onto the ground.

Two strikes, one after the other, clean and decisive.

Sprawled on the ground, the two struggled a few times but couldn't stand back up.

Taiga hadn't used much force, but he had struck their vital points with perfect precision, completely incapacitating them.

Taiga stood before them, looking down.

"Go back and tell the people of the Hyuga Main House to stop pulling these stunts."

His voice was calm. "Whether these eyes of mine are the Byakugan or not is none of their business. If they dare to yap about it again, I'll kill them."

With that, he stepped around the two men on the ground and continued walking forward. His pace was neither fast nor slow, exactly the same as when he had arrived.

Behind him, the two men could no longer hold on. After hearing those words, their vision went black, and they fell unconscious.

People on the street watched from afar, none daring to approach.

Not long after, several ninjas wearing the same Konoha flak jackets arrived at the scene. Their eyes were all pure white, and bandages were wrapped around their foreheads.

Members of the Hyuga clan.

Seeing the two men lying on the ground, their expressions turned grim.

One of them crouched down to check and breathed a sigh of relief upon discovering that the two were merely unconscious and not in any life-threatening danger.

"Take them back."

The group hastily carried the two men away, disappearing at the end of the street.

***

Hyuga compound.

In the Main House's assembly hall, a gray-haired elder sat in the seat of honor.

His eyes were like those of all Hyuga clan members, but the white was deeper, heavier, and cloudier, like frost accumulated over many years.

His identity was that of a Main House elder, assisting the clan head in managing clan affairs.

The two unconscious Branch House ninjas were carried in and placed on the floor. Someone splashed cold water on them to wake them up.

Opening their eyes and seeing the elder's gloomy face, their bodies began to tremble involuntarily.

"Speak."

The elder's voice wasn't loud, but it carried authority.

The older man struggled to his feet, knelt on the ground, and recounted the entire sequence of events in detail.

From how they found Uchiha Taiga, to how they explained their intentions, to how he refused, and finally, how they were knocked out.

He spoke in great detail, hiding nothing.

After listening, the elder's expression turned exceedingly ugly.

"So, not only did you fail to bring him here, but you also allowed him to humiliate our Hyuga clan?"

"Soma-sama, we tried our best..."

"Tried your best?"

Hyuga Soma sneered.

"When working for the Main House, there is only success or failure; there is no 'trying your best.' Upholding the glory of the Main House is your boundless duty!"

He raised his hand and formed a hand sign.

The faces of the two Branch House ninjas instantly turned deathly pale, and their bodies began to shake violently. The veins bulging on the sides of their eyes throbbed as if something were writhing beneath the skin.

"Ah!!!"

Agonized wails echoed through the assembly hall.

The two collapsed to the floor, clutching their heads with both hands. They curled into tight balls, their entire bodies convulsing.

That pain was not of the flesh, but erupted from the depths of their brains, from their nerve endings. It was like the ultimate torture, utterly unbearable.

The other Hyuga Branch House ninjas standing by lowered their heads. None dared to look, and none dared to speak. They stood in the shadows, their expressions obscured and unreadable.

The wailing lasted for over ten seconds before gradually subsiding.

The two Branch House ninjas lay sprawled on the floor, gasping heavily for air, their bodies completely drenched in sweat.

Hyuga Soma lowered his hand, his expression still dark.

"Get out."

The two struggled to their feet and, supporting each other, limped out of the assembly hall.

Hyuga Soma sat in the seat of honor in silence for a moment, then stood up and headed toward Hyuga Hiashi's residence.

Hyuga Hiashi had only been the clan head for a couple of years and was in the prime of his life. He sat in his study, frowning as he read an intelligence report sent back from the border spread out before him.

When Hyuga Soma entered, he looked up.

"What is it?"

Hyuga Soma recounted the incident, then said in a deep voice, "Clan Head, this matter concerns the Byakugan and cannot be treated lightly. The changes in Uchiha Taiga's eyes are clearly the awakening of the Byakugan. Our Hyuga clan's Kekkei Genkai appearing in an Uchiha—this must be investigated thoroughly. I request that the Clan Head step forward to discuss this with Lord Hokage and have the village resolve the matter."

After listening, Hyuga Hiashi did not immediately express his stance.

He set down the intelligence report and remained silent for a moment.

"You handle this matter."

Hyuga Soma's expression shifted slightly.

"Clan Head..."

"You are a Main House elder. At a time like this, you should set an example."

Hyuga Hiashi's tone was calm. "If I, the Clan Head, have to step forward for everything, what use are you elders?"

Hyuga Soma's face looked very unpleasant. He opened his mouth to say something, but meeting Hyuga Hiashi's calm gaze, he ultimately swallowed his words.

"Understood."

He acknowledged the order and turned to leave the study.

Hyuga Hiashi watched his back disappear through the doorway, showing no negative emotions on his face.

He picked up the teacup from his desk, took a sip, and then smiled slightly, muttering to himself, "This is fine too. After all, that is a youth who possesses the Mangekyo Sharingan."

He set the teacup down, his gaze falling outside the window.

"I just wonder if you all, in your desire to uphold the glory of the Main House, will be able to get past him."