Not long after, Guy, having deactivated the Eight Gates Released Formation, slowly walked back into the small forest.
Seeing that Guy had deactivated the Eight Gates, Hyuga Kyo felt a wave of relief wash over him. But he kept his tone cold, “Against the perfect defense of my Revolving Heaven, any attack is useless. You should have realized that by now.”
Panting, Guy said, “Kyo, the Byakugan and Gentle Fist of the Hyuga Clan are indeed formidable. I felt like you could see through my every move!”
Under the state of the Fourth Gate, Guy’s two full-strength attacks were seemingly effortlessly blocked by Hyuga Kyo, making Guy realize that continuing the fight would be pointless.
Hyuga Kyo remained expressionless, “Of course, all your attacks were seen through by me.”
Guy sat down on the ground with a thud, “Ah, I still lost.”
“To force me to use Revolving Heaven, your secret technique is indeed commendable,” Hyuga Kyo said before adding, “Rest well today. Meet me at the mission center tomorrow morning.”
Guy was taken aback, then exclaimed in surprise, “You… you’re willing to team up with me for missions?!”
“I don’t like waiting for people. Don’t be late!”
With that cold remark, Hyuga Kyo turned and quickly walked home. His whole body felt like it was about to fall apart; if he didn’t leave now, he might not be able to hold it together.
Oblivious to the strain, Guy cheerfully bounced home, exclaiming joyfully.
Shortly after Hyuga Kyo and Guy left, a squad of Anbu arrived at the forest where they had fought.
After a quick inspection, one of the Anbu members said, “No signs of Ninjutsu, nor any use of ninja tools. It was purely a Taijutsu confrontation.”
The squad leader of the Anbu asked, “Have you identified the combatants?”
Another Anbu member responded, “Yes, one is a Chunin from the branch family of the Hyuga Clan, named Hyuga Kyo. The other is Might Guy, the son of Might Duy. From the traces left, it seems the Hyuga boy won.”
Surveying the toppled trees and the craters of various sizes scattered around, the Anbu squad leader said, “To cause such commotion with just Taijutsu… report this to the Hokage. These two kids are worth monitoring!”
Meanwhile, back home, Hyuga Kyo found Rin cleaning his house, which warmed his heart.
Rin quickly greeted him, “Kyo, welcome home!”
Hyuga Kyo smiled, “Thanks for your hard work!”
In front of Rin, Hyuga Kyo dropped all pretense and caution. If there was anyone in the village he could trust unconditionally, it was this pure-hearted girl.
Noticing Hyuga Kyo’s swollen arms, Rin exclaimed, “How did you get hurt? Let me bandage you up.”
“It’s nothing, just a minor injury from sparring.”
Pulling Hyuga Kyo over to the tatami mat, Rin began applying medicine as she spoke, “Kyo, Hizashi-sama asked me to convey his apologies and ask for your forgiveness.”
Hyuga Hizashi was the twin brother of the clan head, Hyuga Hiashi, and was responsible for assisting his brother in managing the branch family members.
Hyuga Kyo was puzzled, “Forgiveness? For what?”
Rin explained, “Aren’t you angry? Everyone thought you were upset with the clan and that’s why you haven’t returned to the clan grounds for a while.”
Upon hearing this, Hyuga Kyo immediately understood.
The clan had misunderstood.
The clan likely thought Hyuga Kyo harbored resentment because the clan didn’t speak up for him when he got involved in Orochimaru’s defection incident, and thus distanced himself from them.
But in reality, Hyuga Kyo had never resented the clan.
He understood very well that prestigious clans like the Uchiha and Hyuga, despite their apparent power in the village, had very limited influence over the village’s decision-makers.
The future death of Hizashi was a prime example. Even under circumstances of justified self-defense, the clan couldn’t protect their head and had to sacrifice the clan head’s twin brother, Hizashi, to barely pass the crisis.
Considering this, Hyuga Kyo didn’t blame the clan because he knew they were genuinely powerless to help.
Distancing himself from the clan was merely a way to protect the secret of his Tenseigan. However, he could use this misunderstanding to his advantage, as distancing himself without a reason might arouse suspicion from the higher-ups in the village.
Rin, in her innocence, didn’t notice Hyuga Kyo’s distraction and continued, “Hizashi-sama also said that Jiraiya-sama praised you at today’s meeting, commending your composure in the face of the Cloud Village’s Two-Tails Jinchuriki, saying you upheld the village’s honor!”
Seeing Rin’s proud smile, Hyuga Kyo gently smiled back, “Jiraiya-sama has returned to the village?”
Rin nodded, “Jiraiya-sama returned today.”
Hearing this, Hyuga Kyo thought, “If Jiraiya gave up on chasing Orochimaru and returned to the village, it means the village is facing greater troubles than I anticipated.”
In the Third Shinobi World War, Konoha had already lost its overwhelming advantage against the other major villages.
If not for the Fourth Hokage’s extraordinary performance turning the tide on several battlefronts, the war might still be at a stalemate. So, when the other major villages learned of Orochimaru’s defection and the Fourth Hokage and his wife, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, dying unexpectedly, it was impossible for them not to harbor malicious intentions.
After applying medicine to his swollen limbs, Hyuga Kyo retired early.
His battle with Guy had been the toughest since obtaining the Tenseigan, but it also brought him valuable experience and insights.
Guy, as a sparring partner for Taijutsu, was unparalleled.
The next morning, Hyuga Kyo wrapped his arms and legs with bandages before heading to the mission center.
A single night’s rest wasn’t enough to completely heal the bruises on his body. For the sake of his pride, Hyuga Kyo didn’t want Guy to see him covered in injuries.
Guy was already waiting at the mission center’s entrance and waved enthusiastically when he saw Hyuga Kyo, “Kyo, over here! Over here!”
Seeing Guy’s exuberance, Hyuga Kyo felt a bit embarrassed.
Entering the mission center, Hyuga Kyo went straight to the A-rank mission list.
Guy whispered, “Kyo, aren’t A-rank missions only for Jonin?”
Hyuga Kyo casually replied, “I just completed an A-rank mission as the team leader a few days ago, so I have special permission to take on certain A-rank missions.”
The guy was shocked, “What?! You’ve completed an A-rank mission?”
For Guy, who was used to C-rank and D-rank missions, completing an A-rank mission was a distant dream. Hearing that Hyuga Kyo, a Chunin, had led a team to complete an A-rank mission left him in awe.
Hyuga Kyo glanced at Guy, “What’s so surprising? With me and a Uchiha kid on the team, isn’t completing an A-rank mission normal?”
Guy scratched his head and laughed, “That’s true. You are a genius, after all!”
Hyuga Kyo nodded with satisfaction. He wanted to establish a strong image in Guy’s mind, even though he believed he didn’t quite fit the ‘genius’ label…
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