Hyuga Hizashi

On a sunny day, Satoru pushed open the door and took a deep breath, feeling refreshed. Thanks to the Life Magnetic Field, he felt energetic even though he didn't sleep much last night. As it was the last day of the vacation, Satoru intended to retrieve the custom-made metal arrows he had ordered earlier and test their power.

Yesterday's breakthrough had improved his control over the electromagnetic force, and with the added boost of the all-metal arrows, Satoru was eager to see the potential of his envisioned magnetic storm sniper.

He arrived at the custom shinobi tool shop feeling a bit apprehensive. After all, these custom-made arrows were not cheap, and he had also managed to trick the shopkeeper into providing him with five chakra-infused metal arrows for free.

Fortunately, the shop attendant, a young girl, didn't give him a hard time. As soon as she saw him, she handed over the custom-made arrows. This made Satoru appreciate Rin's trustworthiness, as she had kept her promise.

On the forest training ground, Satoru opened the wooden box and saw two bundles of metal arrows lying quietly inside. One bundle was polished smoothly, reflecting a faint metallic luster. The other bundle, containing only five arrows, emitted a soft blue light, like stars in the night.

"So, these are the chakra-infused metal arrows?" Satoru murmured to himself. He noticed that the chakra-infused arrows were slightly lighter than the regular metal arrows of the same size.

According to Newton's second law, acceleration is inversely proportional to mass under the same force. Therefore, with the same external force, the chakra-infused arrows would gain greater acceleration.

Satoru took out a scroll from his pocket, and with a white mist, a large bow appeared in his hand. First, he tested the regular metal arrows.

Nocking the arrow and drawing the bow, he manipulated the blue electrical current flowing through his arms, stimulating the muscles to contract more effectively. The bowstring reached full draw, and he constructed a propelling magnetic field, changing the metal arrow's magnetic field to make it positively charged, resulting in a stronger repulsive force for acceleration.

If he had done this with the electromagnetic force at LV1, it would have been much more difficult. However, with the boost of LV2 electromagnetic force, the process felt smooth and natural.

With his Byakugan active, he had a clear view of everything within a kilometer.

When he pushed the electromagnetic propulsion to its limit, he released the bowstring, and a sharp explosion rang out. The arrow vanished into the distance, piercing through two large trees hundreds of meters away and firmly lodging itself into a tree trunk behind.

"Such power! Even a high-level shinobi wouldn't have time to dodge and would be instantly killed!" Satoru exclaimed.

However, there was a drawback to such speed: a sonic boom. Since the arrow exceeded the speed of sound, there would inevitably be a sonic boom during the shot. Though it wouldn't significantly affect enemies since the arrow would reach them before they heard it, it could give away his sniping location.

Selecting a suitable sniping position would be crucial.

He then took the chakra-infused metal arrow and noticed that its response to the magnetic field was even more sensitive. This indicated that it could generate even stronger propulsion.

Following the same steps, he released the arrow.

Whoosh!

The arrow shot out like a bolt of lightning, almost reaching the limits of the Byakugan's sight. It buried itself deep into a tree trunk with a diameter of three people hugging each other.

"Within a kilometer, this arrow poses a great threat to any shinobi!" Satoru couldn't help but exclaim.

He estimated that due to the special properties of chakra-infused metal, the initial velocity of the arrow was close to three times the speed of sound. In comparison, a conventional anti-material sniper rifle bullet had an initial velocity of about 850 meters per second, still a considerable distance from reaching three times the speed of sound. The initial kinetic energy was far inferior to that of this arrow.

Regarding attack range, it was approximately 1200 meters, similar to that of a conventional anti-material sniper rifle. Beyond that range, both accuracy and power would decline.

Considering his current limitations, achieving this level was already impressive. With further advancement in his mastery of the electromagnetic force, he might be able to fly directly.

He might even control arrows to turn during flight, creating a tracking sniper rifle. Have you ever seen such a thing?

Shinobi were generally fragile, with high attack power but weak defenses. Under the threat of a super long-range sniper, even high-level shinobi, aside from someone like the Third Raikage, would likely have to temporarily avoid his sights.

Satoru let out a breath and carefully stored the arrow away. He wouldn't use this ability in the short term, but it could serve as a trump card.

On his way back, Satoru felt much more relaxed. The shadow of the previous three battles had been pressing on him, making him never let his guard down. Now that he had developed a very powerful ninjutsu with his bow, his survivability had increased significantly, and he could loosen up a bit.

However, as he was almost home, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. Standing by the empty entrance was a figure, as if they had been waiting there for a while.

Seeing the face, which bore a striking resemblance to that of the head of the main branch, Satoru's heart skipped a beat. He had a hunch about the person's identity.

The person smiled kindly at Satoru, revealing white teeth. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Hyuga Hizashi. Can we have a chat?"

Hyuga Hizashi… as expected. Satoru's heart tensed.

He walked past Hizashi, opened the door, and turned back to face him.

"Please come in."

Hizashi followed Satoru into the room, curiously surveying his surroundings. The room was filled with piles of old metal products, and apart from basic living utensils, there was no other furniture.

"Usually, I don't have time to tidy up the room due to training. I hope you'll forgive the mess," Satoru said, pulling out a chair and motioning for Hizashi to sit.

Seeing the unexpected maturity in Satoru's demeanor for his age, he couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy. Sighing, he said, "You must have endured a lot of hardship since your father's death."

Satoru's eyebrows twitched slightly. Hyuga Yunra, his father in the original timeline, had died tragically, and it seemed that Hizashi knew about it. However, Satoru memories of the original timeline were quite vague.

Seeing Satoru's silence, Hizashi thought he was immersed in the pain of his father's death and continued, "I heard from the clan members that you awakened a second kekkei genkai because of the deep grief over your father's death."

This was the lie he had made up in the main branch's hall to deceive others. He didn't expect it to spread, and even Hizashi had heard about it.

"Why have I never seen you training with other clan members?" Hizashi asked.

"I awakened a second kekkei genkai, which makes me different from others in the clan. It's better for me to practice alone," Satoru replied. This was indeed his true intention. He was on a different path from other clan members, so it was better to keep some distance.

Unexpectedly, just after he finished speaking, Hizashi sighed with a tinge of regret in his voice. "Do you think that awakening a second kekkei genkai makes you a freak? No, I used to think of the clan as stagnant water, never changing. However, that changed when I heard about you."

"You, who awakened a second kekkei genkai, are definitely not a freak. Instead, you are a variable, a sign that the decaying ancient tree of the Hyuga clan still has new vitality."

Satoru's expression became more serious as he listened to Hizashi's words.

"Lord Hizashi, do you have any specific reason for coming here today?" Satoru asked.

Hizashi's emotions gradually settled, and he shook his head, his voice much softer now. "No, I just wanted to see you, to see the new leaf that has sprouted on this decaying tree. Perhaps it's a bit abrupt."

He sighed and stood up from the chair. "I'll take my leave now. If you need anything for your training in the future, feel free to come find me."

As he watched Hizashi's figure depart, Satoru's gaze showed complex emotions. In the original story, Hizashi hated the main branch to the extreme, even revealing killing intent to Hinata, his own niece. In the end, he replaced the head of the main branch, Hyuga Hiashi and committed suicide in his place.

From any perspective, it was clear that he held deep resentment toward the Hyuga clan's decaying system.

Satoru felt that Hizashi would come looking for him again in the future. Whether it was for the "variable" he mentioned or something else, he had a hunch that their paths would cross again.