Hyūga Main House.
Hiashi sat quietly in the courtyard, watching Neji spar with Hinata.
Hinata was completely focused.
But—
Even without activating his Byakugan, Neji's strength still far exceeded hers. He continued to suppress her without mercy.
"Cough—cough!"
Hinata staggered, coughing violently as a trace of blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.
Hiashi immediately called a halt to the match.
Partly because Hinata had reached her limit—
And partly because…
Souma had arrived.
Hiashi couldn't sense Souma's presence at all, but his Byakugan clearly tracked his movements.
"Neji, good work," Hiashi said.
"It was nothing. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
Neji bowed calmly.
"Very well."
Neji left the clan compound without hesitation.
Once, he had harbored deep hatred toward the main family.
Now, that hatred was gone.
What remained was resentment toward his own weakness—his inability to break fate and overturn the clan's system.
If he were talented enough…
If he could shatter the Caged Bird Seal himself—
That would be the greatest revenge.
Of course, there was another option—
To completely seal the Byakugan.
Or even remove it.
As Neji walked away, he pondered his future.
Perhaps…
ANBU would be a good choice.
"Neji, you're here too?"
"I came to accompany Hinata's training. And you are…?"
Neji looked up and saw a pale, expressionless man standing beside Souma. He froze slightly—the man gave him an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
"Kaguya Kimimaro," the man said, bowing lightly.
Neji paused, then nodded quietly.
"Nice to meet you. I have other matters to attend to."
"Mm."
Souma and Kimimaro nodded as Neji departed.
Kimimaro glanced back at Neji.
"What is it?" Souma asked curiously.
They'd barely exchanged a look, yet Kimimaro still turned around.
First-meeting resonance?
"He's very similar to me," Kimimaro said after a brief pause.
"Every bloodline clan has its own problems," Souma said softly.
"Small clans band together because they're weak. Large clans… don't always do that."
Kimimaro nodded in agreement.
When people grow numerous, internal conflict becomes inevitable.
Each clan handles it differently.
The Kaguya clan's solution had been the most brutal.
So what about the Hyūga?
Kimimaro pondered this quietly—and realized Souma hadn't brought him here to build connections.
They entered the compound.
"Elder Hiashi," Souma said politely, "this is Kaguya Kimimaro, whom I mentioned earlier."
Hiashi looked at Kimimaro, surprise flashing through his eyes.
That Shikotsumyaku… far stronger than any he'd seen before.
An exceptional Kaguya.
Then his brow furrowed.
That aura of impending death—
Kimimaro truly didn't have long to live.
"Greetings," Kimimaro said, bowing lightly.
"It's been a long time since I last saw Shikotsumyaku," Hiashi replied solemnly.
"I was fortunate," Kimimaro answered calmly.
Without Shikotsumyaku, he would never have met Orochimaru.
He felt no resentment toward the bloodline itself—only regret that his body had failed him.
After speaking, Kimimaro fell silent and looked to Souma.
He didn't know how to continue.
Souma cleared his throat. "Elder Hiashi, shall we speak inside?"
"Of course."
They sat down indoors. After tea was served, Hiashi asked:
"Kimimaro's condition…?"
"A bloodline disease," Souma said directly.
"I was hoping you could examine his situation."
"Then you two speak privately. I'll step out."
Hiashi activated his Byakugan and examined Kimimaro carefully.
A moment later, his expression changed.
How is he even alive?
"Cells near your bones are gradually dying," Hiashi said gravely.
"And judging by the signs, it was far worse before. Many cells appear newly regenerated."
Kimimaro remained silent.
Hiashi's words confirmed Souma's theory.
"Is there a solution?" Kimimaro asked.
"I don't know," Hiashi said, shaking his head.
"I've visited the Kaguya clan several times. I've never seen a condition like this."
Kimimaro nodded, stood, and bowed.
"Thank you for your help."
"You don't have much time left," Hiashi hesitated.
"Have you considered leaving behind an heir? Our clans—"
"I'm sorry," Kimimaro replied calmly. "I haven't considered that."
He turned and left decisively.
Hiashi sighed.
What exactly did Souma promise him… to make Orochimaru's subordinate submit so completely?
Only one answer made sense.
Extended life.
Outside the compound.
"Well?" Souma asked.
"He confirmed it. The cells near my bones are dying. Your guess was correct."
Souma nodded. "Your bloodline is simply too strong."
"Will your method work?"
"We'll try. If it fails, we'll change plans."
Souma had no intention of implanting Hashirama's cells directly.
Those cells were far too dominant—even Shikotsumyaku might not suppress them.
Unless Kimimaro also had Sharingan.
Danzo's arm would've been perfect.
Thanks, Danzo.
Souma led Kimimaro toward the outskirts of Konoha—toward the Forest of Death.
"This place…"
"Correct. Kikaichū that absorb curse-mark power live here.
Your curse mark is sealed, but residual erosion remains."
Then Souma added bluntly:
"And this also allows us to monitor you."
"I understand."
Meanwhile, Konoha's streets were packed.
Ninja crowded around a notice board.
"Asuma-sensei, what's going on?"
"Is the announcement real?"
"How do we sign up?"
Asuma's head was about to explode.
Why was it always him?
Last time he played promoter—now he was customer service.
The worst part?
Jiraiya was hiding nearby, and Asuma couldn't drag him into it.
"It's all true," Asuma said patiently.
"The rules are still being finalized, but there will be at least two training batches this month."
In reality—
Tsunade, the Third Hokage, and the two advisors were still arguing about how many phases to run.
Rumor had it a desk was destroyed.
Jiraiya inhaled deeply.
Thank god Asuma's here.
This whole mess started because Souma wanted ANBU training.
Then Tsunade added ninja tournaments and internal competitions.
"Damn it…"
After some thought, Jiraiya decided to talk to Souma.
Teaching a few people was fine.
Teaching a crowd? Pure suffering.
Entering the Forest of Death, Jiraiya sensed something unusual.
At first, he thought an enemy had infiltrated—
Then he remembered.
Souma had filled the forest with special kikaichū.
Who else would dare enter this place?
Even he barely dared.
These bugs were highway robbers—especially to senjutsu users.
So—
One of our own?
Jiraiya went deeper and saw a pale, handsome man building a house by himself.
Not a Konoha ninja.
"Who are you?" Jiraiya demanded.
"Kaguya Kimimaro," the man replied politely.
"You're here to see Lord Souma, correct? This way, please."
Jiraiya nodded thoughtfully.
Dangerous… That's why he lives here voluntarily.
He followed.
Kimimaro resumed construction, pondering the man's identity.
After a moment—
One of the Sannin. Jiraiya.
"So this is what Jiraiya looks like…"
He shook his head and kept working.
Jiraiya continued—and was immediately intercepted.
"Bzzzz—!"
The Insect King arrived with a swarm.
Jiraiya went numb.
"Fine, fine! I'll extract some chakra!"
After paying the toll and surviving three more ambushes—including giant ants—
He reached the research facility nearly drained.
"Souma, you bastard!"
"What happened?" Souma asked innocently.
After hearing everything, Souma coughed lightly.
"Independent kikaichū behavior. Has nothing to do with me."
"They attacked in three waves!"
"They're very business-savvy now," Souma said seriously.
"Honestly, not my fault."
"…Forget it," Jiraiya sighed.
"Help me make teaching materials. I don't even know what to teach."
Souma smiled brightly. "Sure."
"…That was too fast," Jiraiya muttered. "But?"
"You want a but?" Souma said cheerfully.
"Then leave a Shadow Clone in the Forest of Death while you're in Konoha."
"…Are you trying to kill me?"
"Not that bad."
"…Fine."
Souma casually picked up a book.
"Just wrote it. Ink's barely dry."
Jiraiya cursed silently—but as he read, his expression turned serious.
The core idea was specialization.
Not theory—practice.
Average chūnin: teamwork.
Elite chūnin: refine strengths.
Special jōnin: targeted enhancement.
Examples included Shiranui Genma, Raido Namiashi, and Aoba Yamashiro.
For Aoba—
He was already well-rounded.
What he needed was a decisive specialty.
In short—teach according to aptitude.
Jiraiya closed the book slowly.
"…This kid is terrifying."
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