Hatake Sakumo

"They're talking about Sakumo Hatake, right? Kakashi's father?"

Anko also saw this scene, her eyes were filled with concern.

"Yes," Satoru frowned slightly, "Take a look around."

Anko scanned the area and noticed that it wasn't just the grocery store; other places had the same situation. Villagers were gathered in groups, whispering as if they were condemning something.

"It seems that the impact of this incident is much greater than I imagined. My worries deepened," Anko said.

"Why did Sakumo give up a mission? And why are so many people condemning him?" Rin sighed. "Sakumo is a powerful man, and I've always admired him. I never expected something like this to happen."

"Have you noticed something?" Satoru suddenly asked.

"What?" Rin looked at him curiously.

"According to their descriptions, Sakumo abandoned a mission that caused significant losses to the village. But all the descriptions about the loss are vague, using words like 'huge' and 'significant impact,' but no one can provide specific details about the loss."

"Are you saying... there's something suspicious about this?" Rin furrowed her brows, deep in thought.

Although she was a battle enthusiast, that didn't mean she lacked intelligence. Upon careful consideration, she indeed noticed some issues.

In addition to the vague description of the loss, she passed by this area two days ago when there weren't so many people expressing disdain. This indicated that the situation escalated within these two days.

A matter of such magnitude, escalating to the point of countless villagers condemning it within two days, and she hadn't noticed until now, this speed was clearly abnormal.

Anko didn't think as much; her worry grew deeper. Though she didn't interact with Kakashi much, they were still classmates, and she didn't want to see his father end up like this.

Satoru sighed and shook his head, saying, "Let's go. This isn't something we can get involved in."

He discreetly glanced at the tree behind him and thought to himself, Moreover, this isn't the place to discuss such matters.

On a treetop, over a hundred meters away from Satoru, a black-clothed shinobi lurked silently in the shadows, as still as a statue.

For the past few days, Satoru had noticed that an ANBU was monitoring him. The person had a strong ability to hide their presence, a typical skill among ANBU that excelled in tracking.

It seemed they mastered some kind of technique to briefly suppress chakra flow, temporarily evading the Byakugan's detection.

The ANBU probably thought Satoru hadn't noticed them and silently observed him from the shadows. But little did they know, Satoru had discovered their presence shortly after they began monitoring him.

Satoru could sense the unique life magnetic field of different organisms, and he suddenly felt the presence of a high-level life magnetic field nearby, maintaining a stationary position as if shining a spotlight.

However, the person hadn't entered the Hyuga clan's territory. Monitoring Hyuga clan members was dangerous, let alone entering their territory. With so many Byakugan watching, if someone were found, it would inevitably lead to resentment among the higher-ups of the Hyuga clan.

Satoru made such considerations.

"Such a hassle," he muttered to himself, glancing at the tree. With a voice only he could hear, he said, "Using Magnet Release to conceal electromagnetic forces was my idea, but it takes too long to reach full development. Being monitored was expected, but I'll have to be more cautious now."

...

In the Hokage's office.

Listening to the ANBU's report, the stern expression on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face relaxed, and he showed a hint of a smile.

"He has a much larger appetite than an ordinary person. He ate thirteen bowls of ramen in one go, and he seems to have a close relationship with Uchiha Rin. This Hyuga Satoru is indeed surprising."

He was familiar with Rin, the genius of the Uchiha clan. Their family was wealthy, and based on the ANBU's report, Satoru had a close relationship with her. It was worth noting because the Hyuga and Uchiha clans had a history of conflict.

Hiruzen was truly astonished.

The ANBU lowered its head and continued reporting.

Seeing the serious expression on Hiruzen's face, he said in a low voice, "The internal conflict of the Hyuga clan has not been resolved yet. They are truly a group of stubborn old-timers."

Satoru was the first Hyuga member to awaken Magnet Release, and in the entire Konoha, no one had ever awakened this Kekkei Genkai before. The fact that he had Hyuga blood was beyond doubt, indicating he was... a First Bloodline Possessor!

Just silently thinking about this term made Hiruzen's breathing become fiery.

Kekkei Genkai was generally divided into two types: one was developed and cultivated through training and combining two different types of chakra, while the other was awakened without any prior bloodline training, suddenly gaining a completely new ability due to certain reasons.

This was what they called a First Bloodline Possessor!

The kekkei genkai of a First Bloodline Possessor could usually be inherited, which meant that given time, there would be many Hyuga ninjas with Magnet Release.

Magnet Release was not to be underestimated, and based on current information, Satoru's Magnet Release ability allowed him to control metal projectiles, far surpassing the Third Kazekage's Iron Sand Magnet Release in practicality.

The Third Kazekage was hailed as the strongest Kazekage throughout history, just like Hiruzen was dubbed the strongest Hokage. However, both of these titles were more like a mutual boost for the respective villages' businesses, but there was no denying the damage caused by the Third Kazekage to regular ninjas.

When he thought of the Iron Sand Magnet Release, he couldn't help but feel annoyed. Recently, ANBU reported that a B-class student from the shinobi school, Gekko Hayate, awakened the kekkei genkai Transparent Escape. Hiruzen was quite excited about this, but then he found out the true ability of this kekkei genkai: it could turn the user invisible when stationary but become visible again when moving.

What kind of nonsense ability was this?

Hiding one's presence was a basic skill for ninjas. What use was this bloodline when you couldn't move while remaining invisible?

And Gekko Hayate's body had become sickly due to awakening the kekkei genkai, cutting off the possibility of developing the Transparent Escape.

Compared to that, Magnet Release was much more formidable. Judging from the current information, Satoru could control metal projectiles, a practical ability that easily surpassed the Third Kazekage's Iron Sand Magnet Release.

Hiruzen's face showed a trace of a frown. He said solemnly, "The internal conflict within the Hyuga main family has not been resolved yet? They are truly a group of stubborn old-timers."

The Hyuga clan's thoughts were too rigid. An awakened double kekkei genkai user should have been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them, but they always seemed to go against the mainstream, arguing about tradition, heritage, and other nonsense.

The Hyuga clan should not decline like this; it was against the natural order.

He wouldn't just watch a precious First Bloodline Possessor go to waste. If necessary, he would pay the price to break some traditions within the Hyuga clan and ensure that Magnet Release's bloodline continues to thrive.

No matter how high the cost, could it be compared to adding another bloodline family to Konoha?

With three bloodline families, Konoha would reach unprecedented prosperity!

As for that family, there was absolutely no way they would be named Hyuga. Hiruzen had already decided that much.