A puff of smoke erupted, Akira reappeared at the exact spot where the shuriken had landed. He quickly ducked his head as another shuriken flew from behind, thunking straight into the wall.
Roughly a third of his chakra was gone.
"Substitution Jutsu has basically become Flying Thunder God," Akira muttered. "Shame about the chakra cost though."
Before class advancement, his chakra only increased by 10 points per level.
He still had 2,000 experience points left.
He used 1,200 EXP to upgrade Gentle Fist to level 5. It took 400 to reach level 4 and 800 more to reach level 5.
A rush of knowledge about Gentle Fist flooded his mind, along with techniques like Eight Trigrams: Thirty-Two Palms and Sixty-Four Palms.
Most importantly, it brought a deeper understanding of the Gentle Fist style.
"Level 5 and I've already caught up with the main house?"
He didn't even need their transmission scrolls, he had already mastered secret techniques normally reserved for the Hyuga main branch.
These techniques were embedded within the Gentle Fist skill tree.
"Vacuum Palm and Rotation are separate skills," he noted.
Akira flexed his hands up and down, letting blue chakra swirl through his palms.
Only when he retracted it did the glow finally vanish.
"And now for the last thing..."
His eyes turned to Fire Style: Unknown Fire. This was the one he valued the most.
After all, if you can attack from range, why go up close?
With 925 EXP remaining, he poured 100 into Unknown Fire.
[Fire Style: Unknown Fire (Lv2) | EXP: 0/200 | Trait: None]
He kept going.
[Fire Style: Unknown Fire (Lv3) | EXP: 0/400 | Trait: None]
[Fire Style: Unknown Fire (Lv4) | EXP: 0/800 | Trait: None]
The full casting sequence of Unknown Fire settled in his brain. Now, Akira could start building derivative techniques based on it.
However, those wouldn't form into distinct new skills. They would still be nested within Unknown Fire's system.
By the end, he had just 125 EXP left, not enough to spend on anything meaningful.
He clenched his fist. Flames flickered to life over his knuckles, yet didn't burn him in the slightest.
"Burns 0.5 chakra per second... if I used it continuously, I could sustain it for about four minutes."
Leveling up skills raised their power, but also their chakra cost.
Still, he was no longer the same person he had been before.
As long as he kept earning EXP, he could keep growing stronger, no bottlenecks, no walls.
Tomorrow, he'd get back to work.
He hadn't drained all the Genin in Konoha yet.
But for now, it was time to sleep.
...
Inside the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a smoke ring and stared at his disciple with a mix of helplessness and exhaustion.
"Tsunade."
"What is it, old man?" Tsunade crossed her arms, clearly annoyed.
Dragged here in the middle of the night...
Given the pervy old man's reputation, she couldn't help but cast him a suspicious glare.
Hiruzen could feel the mistrust oozing from her eyes.
It kind of hurt. Just how bad had his reputation gotten in her mind?
"Ahem." He cleared his throat twice. "It's about your subordinate, Hyuga Akira. You really ought to keep him under control."
Hyuga Akira?
Tsunade's temple twitched at the name. "What's he done this time?"
Seriously.
If she'd known it would be like this, she never would've accepted the mission. She was supposed to support the Hyuga clan heir... but they handed her a wild beast instead.
And he just happened to be her little brother's so-called "big bro." She was getting suspicious about his real intentions.
Not that kind of intention.
Just the kind that made her want to murder him.
Hiruzen sighed. "He set up a public challenge ring today. Caused quite the stir."
Konoha wasn't like Kumogakure, it wasn't some violent village.
Akira's antics were kind of... ruining the aesthetic.
And the Uchiha Clan didn't even step in to stop him, for some reason.
Tsunade's brow twitched.
"That little brat..."
Hiruzen just wanted to shut this down. Public dueling rings were not Konoha tradition. If a foreign employer saw this, they might think Konoha was just a bunch of barbaric thugs.
Even if that wasn't far from the truth.
They still had to keep up appearances.
"Got it," Tsunade said irritably. She was already ready to beat that kid senseless.
Make him stay put for once.
Seeing her temper spike again, Hiruzen carefully added, "He's had a falling-out with the Hyuga clan and doesn't have much money. Maybe take him on a few missions, let him earn something."
Tsunade's gaze sharpened.
"What's your angle, old man?"
She smelled a conspiracy brewing.
Hiruzen simply shook his head. "Nothing. He's your subordinate. You should help him out. Leave the wounded to the hospital staff."
The Konoha Hospital wasn't made of slackers. Even if Tsunade invented medical ninjutsu, plenty of others had learned it by now.
Tsunade shot him one last glare, then turned and left the office.
As the door closed behind her, Hiruzen blew out another smoke ring, his expression growing darker.
"Hyuga, huh..."
The Hyuga clan was a monolith, Konoha's control over them was far too weak.
Most of the other major clans had already blended into the village structure. Only the Uchiha and Hyuga remained aloof, able to pull out at any time.
Well, the Uchiha had been pushed out.
But the Hyuga? That was entirely by their own choice.
To Hiruzen, the Hyuga clan were thorns in Konoha's side. Not as dangerous as the Uchiha... but still a threat. They couldn't be allowed to grow unchecked.
Shinobi clans existed to serve the village.
Yet the Hyuga clan contributed little, always squabbling amongst themselves.
In the past, when his authority was in question, Hiruzen had given away a lot of power to stabilize things. But now that his position was firm, he wanted to pull that power back in.
And Akira... might just be the wedge he needed.
A crack in the Hyuga's fortress.
From the shadows, Shimura Danzo stepped into the light.
"Hiruzen. The borders are tense. Other villages still eye us with greed. We need new power. If we can reforge a new God of Shinobi, we'll be able to protect Konoha."
Hiruzen adjusted his hat slightly. "Danzo, we're not disturbing the First Hokage's remains. Konoha is strong enough to face any threat."
His three disciples had all grown up, and Kakashi Hatake had emerged as a rising star. Add in the great clans, himself, and even Danzo,
Konoha was overflowing with talent.
One vs. Four? Advantage: us.
Danzo replied coldly, "Everything I do is for Konoha."
"And I'm still the Hokage." Hiruzen's voice turned steely.
"You'll regret this, Hiruzen."
Danzo muttered curses under his breath as he stormed off.
As for Hyuga Akira?
What did that brat have to do with him?
Danzo had a plan for nearly every clan in the village. But the Hyuga?
He didn't even bother.
That disgusting Caged Bird Seal made sure of it.
Hyuga Clan?
Not even worth the hassle.
<><>---------------------------------------
200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapters
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🚨 TL/N 💥
Hello guys Fanfic recommendation!
Check out my other work:
💥> Naruto: Mind Control (Highly Recommended)
💥> Bleach: Sephiroth Template
If you like smart and strong MC, this fanfic is for you.
It's Peak.