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Chapter 19

What the hell? How did Hiashi and Hizashi Hyuga get here? 

This guy... why does he look so familiar? Hiss, isn't this the elder's son, Bin-bin from the branch family? 

The three Hyuga members, Hiashi, Hizashi, and Bin-bin, exchanged awkward glances, completely ignoring the fact that Minato Namikaze had been challenged. 

Hmph, another idiot from the main family, just as I expected. 

Hiashi looked down on the branch family, feeling a deep disdain inside. 

"Uh? So, are we still going to fight?" 

Sensing the strange atmosphere, Yahiko stepped in at just the right moment to ease the tension. 

"Uh, oh right, let's fight! You must be Minato Namikaze, right? I'm Bin-bin Hyuga." 

Bin-bin turned away, forcing himself not to look at the two brothers, feeling uneasy despite having lived in the Root for some time. 

"Strange, I don't think I've ever seen them at school." 

Nara Shikaku curiously observed the group of kids at the Root. 

At this age, children from such backgrounds should be receiving education at a ninja school. 

But they— 

"That guy called Bin-bin Hyuga, I know him. He's the last hope of the elder of the Hyuga branch family. But that elder passed away a few years ago, didn't he?" 

"That girl is Mikoto Uchiha from the Uchiha clan. Fugaku should know her." 

Yamanaka Kaiji pointed at Bin-bin and introduced him to Nara Shikaku. 

"That guy standing there with his arms crossed and not saying a word is Jiraiya, who's related to Hokage's son, Naruto Uzumaki." 

Akido Tenzou recognized Jiraiya's identity. 

As for Shiburen and Konan, they had no idea who they were. 

"Byakugan, activate!" 

While they were discussing, Bin-bin and Minato had already finished forming their seals and officially began their fight. 

Whoa, not bad! This guy has actually learned to activate Byakugan? 

Seeing the veins bulging around Bin-bin's eyes, Hiashi and Hizashi were somewhat surprised. 

Being the sons of the main family, they were fortunate enough to have heard their father mention Bin-bin joining the Root. 

They had thought he would never return, possibly taken to have his eyes gouged out for research on the secrets of Byakugan. 

But they never expected he was not only alive but had also changed quite a bit. 

Ducking under a fierce side kick from Minato, Bin-bin felt as if a few strands of his hair had been kicked away. 

Minato, clearly unwilling to give him a chance to rise, struck down again with a whip kick. 

Rolling forward to avoid the hit, Bin-bin quickly sprang back to his feet. 

Before he could adjust his stance, Minato leaped into the air from behind, throwing a punch straight at his back. 

"Hmph, Eight Trigrams Palm: Return!" 

With veins bursting around his eyes, Bin-bin spun in place, creating a massive half-circle of chakra. 

How did Bin-bin learn this technique?! 

Hiashi and Hizashi were dumbfounded as they watched Bin-bin use the Eight Trigrams Palm: Return. 

What's going on? How could he possibly know this? Could it be his father? 

Danzo: Oh ho ho, guess what? Return is nothing, easily obtainable. 

"Oh? So that's how it is; Hizashi has used this technique before." 

Minato jumped back in time, increasing the distance between them as he considered his strategy. 

"Hiashi, pay close attention; that's the Return technique." 

Seizing the chance to talk to his older brother, Hizashi leaned closer to Hiashi, who was focused on watching the fight, trying to hold his hand. 

Having sensed Hizashi's intention, Hiashi distanced himself with an expression of disdain, giving him no opportunity, flicking his hand away and leaving Hizashi grasping at air. 

"Hizashi, remember your identity. This is a secret technique of the main family. It's a rare exception for our father to teach you." 

Hiashi coldly regarded his younger brother, who was merely fifteen minutes younger than him but had been marked as a caged bird, his tone unusually stiff. 

"I… I just wanted to…" 

Hizashi struggled to express his feelings. 

Ever since Hizashi had been marked with the cursed seal, his once doting elder brother had kept his distance, even changing the way he addressed him, no longer calling him "brother." 

"Enough, Hizashi. Remember your position; stop talking!" 

Hiashi avoided looking at his brother, though deep down, he knew their bond was much stronger than any distinction between main and branch family. 

Hehe, but what could he do? Even if one day he became the clan leader, he could no longer be close to his brother. Because even as clan leader, he couldn't break free from the cage built by the clan elders. 

His feelings for his brother could only remain buried in his heart, forever unexpressed; only by doing this could he protect him from the punishments imposed by the main family. 

Seeing everything with a heart as cold as ash, Hiashi said nothing more, ignoring the hopeful look in his brother's eyes, and distanced himself from him. 

On the other side, 

Minato had begun trying to break through Return. 

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" 

The defense of Return was closely tied to the chakra level of the user; if an attack used chakra significantly surpassing that of the opponent, it might just tear through this so-called absolute defense. 

And in fact, just as Minato had thought, 

Bin-bin, being young, hadn't fully mastered Return, leaving plenty of openings, and— 

Return was, strictly speaking, just a defensive ninjutsu; if left alone, it would eventually stop by itself. 

"Eh? Ahhh!" 

The Great Breakthrough easily blew Bin-bin away, who landed in a heap on the nearby sand mound. 

"Oh— so this is the Hyuga family? My Uchiha clan's eyes are definitely superior; Byakugan is just pathetic." 

Seeing this, Uchiha Fugaku couldn't help but switch to taunt mode. 

Konoha Village was home to only two clans who played with eye techniques, and their rivalry was quite amusing. 

Then he noticed that Hizashi was just standing there quietly, looking at his brother's back with a sorrowful expression. 

"Uh… what's up with those two brothers? Are they having a spat? Sigh…" 

Having performed for an audience that didn't clap, Fugaku felt somewhat embarrassed, but he also had some understanding of the brothers' situation. 

From his perspective, he should severely ridicule the two, but— 

Seeing the brothers' sorrowful figures, Fugaku ultimately softened his heart. 

Walking over to the Hyuga brothers, he hesitated for a long time before finally reaching out to pat both of their shoulders. 

"Sigh, enough you two. What's got you so down? Everything will be alright." 

"Um… thank you." 

"Mm." 

The two brothers replied in unison, their voices muffled. 

The relationship between the Uchiha and Hyuga clans seemed to have inadvertently improved a little, bringing them closer together. 

"Next, it's my turn—" 

Watching Bin-bin lose to Minato, Shiburen felt it was time for him to step in. 

"Wow, Minato, you're so amazing! You're truly strong!" 

"Ah, Minato-nii, you're so cool!" 

Before Shiburen could finish, Yahiko and the others swarmed around, endlessly praising Minato. 

Especially Mikoto Uchiha and Konan, whose eyes were practically sparkling with admiration. 

Kushina, watching from the shadows, couldn't help but admit that Minato was indeed impressive, and he would certainly be an obstacle in her competition for the Hokage seat. 

Thus, the knocked-out Bin-bin and the unfinished words of Shiburen were perfectly ignored by everyone.

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