Chapter 11 : Izaya Hyuga

"We primarily assist on vital fronts, providing free food, tending to the sick when we can, or simply giving them what they need," explained Yang Chengwu.

"We can't go against the soldiers since, on paper, they are under the Empire's command," added Xu Jié. "Moreover, don't assume there aren't powerful soldiers on their side. The mayor himself is a formidable individual."

"To what extent?" asked Akeno.

After a brief pause, Xu Jié looked Akeno directly in the eyes. "Rumor has it that he's reached the stage of Rebirth..."

Akeno froze at this information. Why would such a powerful person be stationed in a remote town? Small-scale battles at the border rarely progressed beyond the Body Forging stage, and even that was rare.

"Why would an expert like that be here?"

"No one knows, you'd have to ask him," said Yang Chengwu.

"Yeah, well, count me out of that," Xu Jié grinned. "On a more serious note, Akeno, if you want, you can come with us tomorrow morning to hunt in the vicinity and distribute food to the orphans."

Taking a moment to consider, Akeno nodded and accepted the offer. "Sure, why not. I need to do some physical training anyway."

"Great, we'll head out tomorrow morning. We wake up and go," said Yang Jun. "Do you perhaps want to train with us for now?"

"I'll pass this time. I have something to take care of. I'll be back at the sect tonight," Akeno replied.

"Don't forget what we told you. Don't create more problems than there already are," they cautioned Akeno.

Heading back towards the exit, Akeno raised his arm in acknowledgment. He didn't intend to complicate matters further. He had understood the situation very well, and now the most important thing was to gain more power.

"I need to understand how to obtain this Chakra. I need to be sure if the injuries I've had were indeed due to the Tenketsu. And I have the perfect candidate in mind to help me," Akeno thought. "A Hyuga."

Walking into a dark alley, Akeno looked around for any sign of people nearby to ensure he wasn't being observed. "System, transport me to the world of Naruto."

[Warning, the host will now be transported to the world of Naruto]

And as if a mountain had descended upon him, he fell into a deep sleep...

...

*** Naruto World ***

Situated in the Land of Fire, within the courtyard of one of the most powerful clans, two children barely aged ten were engaged in combat. Both children had long, black hair and were dressed in gray training outfits. The most striking visual detail was their eyes, as white as snow and without visible pupils.

The two exchanged blows with their palms, aiming for each other's vital points. The child on the left was Sakura Hyuga, exuding an unmistakable arrogance. Her hair was tied in a way that exposed her forehead without any mark or scar.

On the other side, the child on the right, Izaya Hyuga, was a boy with untied hair and a white forehead protector, concealing what seemed to be the mark of his shame.

Beside them stood two adults, both with white eyes, indicative of their identity as members of the Hyuga clan. Just like the children, one wore a white forehead protector while the other did not.

Careful observation of the duel between the young children revealed a slight advantage in favor of the boy, an advantage that seemed to displease the elder who was watching.

"Secret Technique: Gentle Fist - 32 Palms of the Eight Trigrams!" Sakura shouted.

As she propelled herself towards the young boy, she showered him with palm strikes aimed at precise Tenketsu points.

"Two Palms of the Eight Trigrams!"

"Four Palms!"

"Eight Palms!"

"Sixteen Palms!"

"Thirty-Two Palms!"

Propelled by the force and precision of her palms, Izaya had 32 of his Tenketsu blocked, cutting off his Chakra circulation and causing him to lose the duel.

Catching her breath, Sakura looked expectantly at the adult observing them. "So, how was I, Father?"

But only her father's displeased expression could be seen. He was certainly not angry about his daughter's performance, but rather about that of her combat partner. "Tell me, Izaya, did you give it your all?"

Getting up from the ground, exhausted and wounded, Izaya didn't answer. He merely stared coldly into the man's eyes.

"You won't answer me and you dare look at me like that? Should I perhaps remind you who you are?"

With a wave of his hand, the seal hidden under Izaya's forehead protector was activated, and excruciating pain engulfed him.

Amid Izaya's screams, as he clutched his head with all his might, the adult felt no sympathy for him. "Don't forget your destiny as a member of the Bunke!"

Within the Hyuga clan, there were two branches separated by the seal placed on the forehead of one of the branches. The main branch, the Sôke, ruled over the secondary branch, the Bunke, and could control it through the seal on their foreheads, which inflicted unimaginable pain, even fatal, upon them.

It was absolutely unacceptable for a member of the Bunke to be disrespectful towards a member of the Sôke.

Leaving Izaya writhing in pain for a full minute under the impassive gazes of Sakura and the other Hyuga in the room, he patiently waited for the young boy to stand up and be able to answer him.

"I'll ask you one more time, did you give it your all?"

Struggling to catch his breath after that minute of torment, Izaya didn't lift his head to avoid looking the man in the eyes anymore. "... no."

"Why not?"

"... she wasn't worth it. And besides, what would happen to me if I seriously injured her? Would I be forgiven as a member of the Bunke?" Izaya asked, his tone full of disgust.

Giving him one final furious glance, the man turned his gaze to the Hyuga at his side to issue orders. "Take Izaya home, I hope that in his case he'll behave better in the future."

"Yes, Patriarch," the man replied.

Gently helping the still suffering Izaya, he left the courtyard, leaving the patriarch and his daughter to continue their training.

"Damn it, Izaya, what possessed you to act like that in front of him!?"

Being carried on his back, Izaya kept his head lowered, his face hidden on the shoulder of the Hyuga. "I'm sorry, Uncle, but I can't help it. He disgusts me..."

"... It's our destiny to protect them with our lives. You've had this seal for seven years; you should accept it," his uncle said.

Entering their house, Izaya's uncle laid him down in his room on a futon and went to make some tea.

The two had lived together in this house since the death of Izaya's parents, for the protection of a member of the Sôke. Since then, Izaya had only grown to hate the Sôke.

Why should he sacrifice himself for a so-called main branch?

The Sôke had to protect the clan's secrets, and the Bunke was the main branch?

Closing his eyes, his head full of hatred for his clan, Izaya slowly fell asleep.

...

In the heart of the Hyuga clan, within one of the main buildings guarded by dozens of Bunke members, several Sôke members including the clan patriarch were gathered.

"... how's your daughter's training going, Ryohei?" an elder asked.

"Perfectly fine. Sakura has already mastered the 32 Palms of the Eight Trigrams technique and should be able to perfect the 64 Palms soon," the patriarch replied.

"Then why did little Sakura seem angry this afternoon?" an elderly Hyuga inquired.

Regaining his dissatisfied expression, the patriarch recalled the fight between Izaya and his daughter. "It must be Izaya's fault... this young Bunke member acts on his own whims and shows complete disrespect towards the main branch. But more annoyingly, I have to admit, he's far more talented than Sakura..."

Surprised by the patriarch's description of this young man, the elders had rather mixed looks. "Didn't your daughter eventually win the duel?"

"Indeed, but I saw it with my own eyes and I can feel it, he could have countered all of her attacks if he had wanted to."

Thinking about the gravity that Izaya could represent for them, the Sôke members gave their patriarch deep looks. "Has he learned the secret Gentle Fist techniques?"

"... I don't know, but with his talent and his hatred towards us, I believe he has indeed learned them," the patriarch said.

"Ryohei, I think you know what that implies. We can't afford to have such a volatile element, especially one with such pronounced hatred, so close to us."

"Isn't the youth training session scheduled for next week?" an elder asked. "Izaya will have to participate, and we could eliminate this potential source of chaos from our clan by feeding him false data about the strength of certain factions."

"Thus, he'll die in a regrettable intelligence accident, and we might avoid attracting more hatred from the secondary branch," another elder continued.

"So be it then. Everything must be executed perfectly. In times of war, we can't afford any more conflicts within the clan."