Chapter 254 — Hyuga Inaka
"Hatake Yusuke, what do you think you're doing? This is the Hyuga clan's territory!" the Grand Elder barked, his face still pressed beneath Yusuke's foot, eyes burning with fury.
"Be quiet."
Yusuke pressed his foot down even harder.
"Old man, sitting on a high seat for too many years has made you forget how to show respect to someone stronger."
Yusuke clasped his hands behind his back, not even bothering to look at the Grand Elder. Instead, his gaze shifted toward Kakashi, who was already surrounded by Hyuga clan members.
Kakashi's eyes held their usual dead-fish expression, but cold sparks flickered deep inside them. Someone had insulted his older brother—there was no way he wasn't angry.
"To deal with all of you… I guess this is enough."
Kakashi pulled out a small, sleek blade—something that looked more like a finely crafted fruit knife than a weapon meant for battle.
"Don't underestimate us!"
Hyuga ninja rushed forward.
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
"You're too weak."
Kakashi turned and swung once. A crescent-shaped slash of energy burst forth, sweeping toward the attackers.
"Rotation!"
A Hyuga clan member hurriedly activated the technique.
But the so-called ultimate defense didn't just fail to stop the attack—it shattered instantly. Hyuga Tensei's body was cleaved in half, and the force of the slash continued onward, slicing a large portion of the Hyuga clan's ancient buildings cleanly into two.
Seeing this, Hyuga Hiashi showed no anger. Hyuga Tensei was one of the Grand Elder's loyal followers. To the clan, someone like that wasn't worth mourning, even if he was considered a genius.
"W-What…?"
Everyone was stunned. A slash that Kakashi had treated as a casual swing held power like that?
The Hyuga who were surrounding Kakashi wavered, fear taking over their expressions. Even if they were willing to give their lives for the Hyuga clan, facing an enemy they clearly couldn't defeat made them hesitate. And more importantly—they knew dying over something so trivial wasn't worth it.
Even the Grand Elder was shaken. He hadn't expected Kakashi to be this strong, nor that Kakashi would kill someone openly in front of so many people.
Kakashi himself didn't spare the Hyuga ninja a second glance. He put the small blade away—clearly, they weren't worthy of seeing his swordsmanship.
"Lightning Release: Thunder Tiger Killing Formation."
A tiger made of pure lightning roared to life and lunged toward the Hyuga ninja.
"Rotation!"
"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"
"Black Lightning."
Kakashi watched the Hyuga ninja who managed to survive with only minor injuries. The blue lightning around his body shifted—turning completely black.
"Black Lightning? Isn't that the unpassed-down secret technique of Kumogakure?"
The Hyuga clan understood Kumogakure's inner workings extremely well.
Otherwise, the Fourth Raikage would never have risked provoking Konoha just to obtain the Byakugan. The remaining elders stared in disbelief—why was a Konoha shinobi using Kumogakure's Black Lightning?
"Kakashi, stop showing off. Hurry up and finish this," Yusuke said, sounding annoyed.
"Huh? Nii-san, I'm not showing off. If I used swordsmanship like before, they'd all die by accident," Kakashi replied with a troubled sigh.
Yusuke had forbidden him from killing, and as a fellow Konoha shinobi, Kakashi didn't want to commit a massacre. What happened to Hyuga Tensei earlier had simply been the result of Kakashi losing control due to anger—his strength had slipped out a little too forcefully.
"So troublesome. Just finish it already. If they die, they die. People this weak are useless to Konoha anyway," Yusuke said bluntly.
"Hatake Jōnin!"
As clan head, Hiashi couldn't help but speak up. Even if these shinobi weren't from his faction, they were still Hyuga clan members. If all of them died here, the clan's strength would collapse instantly.
"Oh? Clan Head Hyuga, you must understand that this isn't a trivial matter you can just gloss over. I need to teach all of you a lesson. You must realize one thing—your Hyuga clan is far too weak."
Yusuke smiled faintly.
"Stop… stop! Aren't you afraid the village will find out?" the Grand Elder shouted desperately.
His face wasn't the only thing broken—his entire faction was on the verge of being wiped out by Kakashi. Regret began flooding his expression.
"Do it, Kakashi," Yusuke said, ignoring the elder's screams.
"Yes."
Kakashi grinned and once again drew the small blade. A series of slashes followed, each one cutting down the Hyuga shinobi who dared to move.
"Afraid? Don't joke around, old man. When has Hatake Yusuke ever been afraid? Not to mention, the current Hokage is my wife. Even if the Third Hokage were still alive, he wouldn't dare interfere with my actions. You seem to have forgotten something during all your years of sitting at the top. Even the Uchiha clan's elders—I killed them in front of the village's leadership. The Hyuga clan… do you really think you're comparable to the Uchiha?"
Yusuke stared at the Grand Elder with pure contempt.
Hearing that, the Grand Elder fell silent. Everyone knew about that incident—Yusuke had been incredibly young at the time, yet he'd killed Uchiha elders before the village leaders.
Even though the higher-ups disliked the Uchiha, they still hadn't dared to act. And more importantly—the Uchiha back then had been incomparably stronger than the Hyuga were now.
And that Yusuke wasn't even at his peak yet. How could the Hyuga possibly defy someone who was now vastly stronger?
"I…"
The Grand Elder was drowning in regret. How could he have been so foolish?
"Alright, it's done."
Kakashi patted his small blade lightly as if brushing off dust.
He hadn't even moved from his spot during the entire battle. If he hadn't been worried about damaging the Hyuga clan's buildings, a single slash would've been enough.
Seeing the courtyard filled with corpses, the Grand Elder's heart tightened with unbearable pain. People he'd trained for years—including his own son—now lay dead on the ground. His eyes trembled with grief.
"Well then, old man. Let me ask you—when will Hinata's engagement to my nephew be officially decided?"
Yusuke pressed harder with his foot, forcing the Grand Elder and the Second Elder to remain conscious from the pain.
"Master Yusuke, we agree to everything!"
The other elders immediately changed their stance, their faces filled with obsequious submission.
"Oh? Why didn't you say so earlier? Honestly… I can't tell whether you're stupid or if you just needed to be beaten first," Yusuke said flatly.
"Right? Just agreeing would've solved everything. Man… I guess I won't be getting my Icha Icha Paradise today," Kakashi muttered regretfully.
"And you? Clan Head Hyuga?"
Yusuke shifted his gaze to Hiashi.
"If my daughter has no objections, of course I will support it," Hiashi answered.
"Good. Then it's settled. Kids, go inform Hinata and Naruto," Yusuke said.
After that, Yusuke left with Kakashi and Sakumo, disappearing from everyone's sight. Toneri and the others also departed soon after.
"My child… I've wronged you… I've wronged the Hyuga clan…"
The Grand Elder sobbed as he stared at the courtyard full of bodies. The Second Elder and the remaining elders also cried in despair.
"Someone, clean this place. Dispose of all the bodies. Remember—consider them all traitors. Their ashes are not to be placed in the Hyuga clan's ancestral chamber," Hiashi ordered.
"Hiashi, you mustn't!"
The old elders cried out again. Many of the dead were their own followers, including their sons and daughters.
"Elders, remember well: their deaths were not my doing. I tried to stop them, but they refused to listen. They defied the clan head—and offended Hatake Yusuke. I have already shown great mercy," Hiashi said coldly.
Yusuke had wiped out nearly the entire elder faction. With so few people left, how could they dare oppose Hiashi now?
"I…"
The Grand Elder lowered his head, drowning in regret. He no longer had the qualifications to negotiate with Hiashi at all.
"Hmph. Escort the elders back to their residences. Without my permission, do not let them leave." Hiashi ordered.
"Yes, Clan Head," a gentle voice responded.
"Good."
Hiashi nodded with satisfaction and returned to his home.
"As expected of you brothers… you really are monsters, Fang," said a woman of the Hyuga clan.
She was Hyuga Inaka—Yusuke's former teammate.
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