Almost the instant his voice faded, a figure in the crowd suddenly shot out like a white flash of lightning, covering over ten meters in the blink of an eye, and a pair of palms, imbued with immense power, suddenly reached out.
"Eight Trigrams Empty Wall Palm!"
In that moment, the raging wind suddenly pushed forward like a mountain towards the three people in front, stirring up a surging wave on the dirt road.
The super-fast palm technique, containing Gentle Fist Chakra, erupted with incredible power at this moment, and the piercing roar violently vibrated their eardrums.
"Boom—!"
Immediately, everything in front was engulfed by dust, its appearance indiscernible.
It wasn't until then that Hyuga Shin'ya, who had been frozen in place, finally reacted, gnashing his teeth and shouting loudly:
"Kinji! Well done."
"A few unknown ruffians dare to act presumptuously in front of my Hyuga Clan; they truly don't know what's coming to them."
Blocking Hyuga Shin'ya's path was Hyuga Kinji, who was second only to Hyuga Shinma among this generation of the Hyuga Branch Family and had achieved great military feats in the Third Great Ninja War.
If not for the death of the previous Branch Family head causing the Main Family's apprehension, this middle-aged man would probably have already taken over the position of Branch Family head.
In their expedition team, although the nominal leaders were several Main Family youths, everyone actually deferred to Hyuga Kinji.
"Please be careful, Lord Shin'ya."
However, Hyuga Kinji did not relax his guard immediately like him; his Byakugan eyes were highly focused, and Chakra circulated rapidly through his bulging meridians, clearly searching for the figures of the people in front, his expression serious:
"The opponent possesses a method to evade the Byakugan, which is unheard of even in the entire Ninja World. The vanguard team has likely met a tragic end."
"If things become insurmountable later, I ask all lords to immediately retreat and fire a signal flare."
"What are you talking about, Kinji!" Hyuga Shin'ya's excited expression froze, and he looked at him with an incredulous look, "We have over thirty people, and so many Jonin. Even if the opponent is a Kage renowned throughout the Ninja World, they probably..."
"They're here."
Hyuga Kinji's expression became stern.
He raised his hand, shielding Hyuga Shin'ya behind him.
A slender figure slowly stepped out from the depths of the smoke.
He also had long, black hair and wore a mask.
However, the pair of eyes revealed through the gaps in that mask made Hyuga Kinji pause.
They were pure white eyes.
Byakugan?!
Was there a traitor among them?
How could this be?
Hyuga Kinji looked at the opponent with an incredulous expression. No one knew the control capabilities of the Caged Bird Seal better than these Branch Family members.
"Lord Shin'ya!"
The moment he noticed this, Hyuga Kinji immediately warned.
"Hm? Right!"
The moment Hyuga Shin'ya noticed these Byakugan, he also seemed to suddenly gain confidence, abruptly joining his two fingers and exclaiming with a spirited expression:
"Caged Bird Seal!"
However, the instant his voice fell, it failed to elicit any reaction.
His spirited expression immediately vanished, and even his complexion appeared somewhat pale.
"I... I can't sense the seal... How could this be?"
"Who exactly are you?"
Hearing his voice, Hyuga Kinji stared intently at the person in front, then suddenly roared, his voice faintly trembling with a hint of fear.
Had the Main Family led a rebellion?
Or... had a Branch Family member broken the Caged Bird Seal?
Even he himself didn't know whether the tremble in his voice just now was more out of anger or excitement.
It wasn't just Hyuga Kinji.
Even the group of Main Family and Branch Family members behind them clearly saw the opponent's pure white pupils.
In an instant, everyone's expressions varied.
However, their only response was the opponent slowly drawing a blade inch by inch from his waist.
At this moment, Hyuga Kinji knew.
A fight today was inevitable.
Looking at the blade the opponent drew, Hyuga Kinji's lips slowly curved into a faint smile.
Just taijutsu, then?
When it came to taijutsu alone, their Hyuga Clan, throughout the entire Ninja World, truly had no one they feared.
The night wind blew, and the leaves rustled softly.
The two, standing opposite each other on the main road, met each other's gaze, standing still like statues, their breathing so faint and even.
Until a fallen leaf fluttered, suddenly drifting between them.
They moved abruptly.
"Bang!"
Ninja shoes stomped on the main road, kicking up fine dust and stones. Surging Chakra spread out, and immense force propelled Hyuga Kinji's figure, sending him shooting out at a blinding speed.
The fierce palm wind struck the air, his wide sleeves flapping tightly against his arms, aiming directly for the mask.
"Clap."
Hyuga Hizashi lightly raised his arm, casually deflecting the heavy palm strike, then stepped forward. The blade in his right hand was held inverted, close to his elbow.
He lowered his body, drilling straight into his opponent's embrace, the hidden blade tip aimed at the opponent's chest.
Hyuga Kinji, seemingly charging with all his might, spun and twisted his body the instant he was about to plunge into Hyuga Hizashi's embrace, almost brushing past Hyuga Hizashi's left side as he circled around.
His feet, always pressed tightly to the ground, scraped against the earth and stones, kicking up a swirling cloud of dust. His long black hair arced through the air, and another killing blow from his other palm, hidden beneath his abdomen, came from behind, reaching for Hyuga Hizashi's back.
Hyuga Hizashi, maintaining his forward lunge, forcibly halted his body in that instant with his forward step. Using his waist, he twisted his upper body, and the blade tip pressed against his elbow swung backward, slashing horizontally with a swift upward motion.
His palm directly faced the blade, but a hint of disdain flashed across Hyuga Kinji's face.
The Chakra contained within his palm surged out, coalescing into an air bullet containing explosive Chakra.
No matter what metal, it was useless against formless and intangible Chakra!
"Eight Trigrams Empty Palm!"
However, Hyuga Hizashi's expression beneath the mask was utterly cold. His pure white eyes clearly discerned the faint smile on Hyuga Kinji's face.
This was the arrogance of being stuck in one's ways, as Lord Aizen had said...
He thought to himself, but the blade in his hand did not pause for even an instant due to the opponent's momentum, cutting forward without hesitation.
"Hyuga Style: One-Strike Blade."
At this moment, the metal, which still showed no change on the surface, appeared completely different in Hyuga Kinji's Byakugan.
The Gentle Fist Chakra contained within the seemingly ordinary blade collided with the equally explosive Empty Palm, both consuming and breaking down each other.
Ultimately, due to the high condensation transmitted by the Chakra metal, it effortlessly sliced through the air bullet in his palm.
On the blade's surface, a clear arc of moonlight was reflected.
Hyuga Kinji's pupils suddenly constricted.
"Swoosh—!"
With a subtle soft sound, their figures crossed paths.
Thud.
Half an arm, fell heavily to the ground.
Hyuga Kinji clutched the still bleeding wound on his severed arm, looking at the opponent with an incredulous expression.
His meticulously trained palm technique had actually lost to a broken blade?!
That was the Gentle Fist, the pride of the Hyuga Clan, researched and developed for generations!
"Kinji, what are you doing?!"
Hyuga Shin'ya, whom he had protected behind him, was even more disbelieving.
How did you train your Gentle Fist? How could it not even break a mere blade?
Hearing the complaints from behind him, Hyuga Kinji's somewhat heated mind immediately cooled down, and he quickly gave orders to the people behind him:
"Matsu, Genchu!"
"Lead your squads to hold them off!"
"The rest of you, take the lords and retreat immediately! There must be no mishaps!"
Even he, the strongest among them, couldn't last a single exchange against the opponent. At this moment, Hyuga Kinji no longer held any hope of annihilating all these people here.
Now, returning to the clan compound with the Main Family lords and reporting the entire incident to the Clan Head was the safest plan.
There were three Main Family members here.
If anything were to happen, his entire family's lives would likely be forfeit.
However, just as his words left his mouth.
Hyuga Kinji suddenly sensed something, abruptly turned his head backward, and frowned.
Hadn't it been a bit too quiet behind him since earlier?
Almost the instant this thought arose in him.
Thump, thump... A series of dull thuds suddenly echoed in his ears.
One sound after another, like heavy hammers, struck hard at his heart, making him instinctively widen his eyes.
On the main road behind the two of them, the dozens of guards and Main Family lords had, at some unknown point, already clashed, their heavy Gentle Fists still landing on each other, shattering internal organs.
Sticky blood continuously flowed from their mouths and noses onto the ground, forming crimson streams.
"Pfft."
The next moment.
A crimson blade abruptly emerged from Hyuga Kinji's heart, wrapped in deep red blood.
Hyuga Kinji trembled as he turned his head backward, the voice echoing in his ears, familiar yet strange:
"My apologies, Kinji-kun."
Hyuga Kinji looked at his eyes with disbelief, his lips trembling:
"Hizashi... Lord?"
As the blade was withdrawn, all strength left his body, and he fell heavily to the ground.
In the entire scene, only Hyuga Shin'ya remained frozen in place, as if he hadn't fully processed everything that had suddenly happened, his expression bewildered and helpless.
All of this had happened too suddenly.
Even now, he didn't understand how everyone had died.
Finally, his gaze fell upon the tall figure who had first appeared before him.
On the man's face was still that gentle and serene smile, which made one unconsciously relax just by looking at it.
But this gentle face, now reflected in Hyuga Shin'ya's eyes, was like the most hideous and terrifying devil in the world.
"I... I can't..."
At this moment, he seemed to suddenly recall the most important duty of a Main Family member's life, a responsibility heavier than life itself.
He laboriously raised his two fingers, staring intently, his arm trembling, trying little by little to reach for his own eyes.
However, before he could destroy those most precious eyes himself.
The man in front had already gently extended his large hand, softly grasping Hyuga Shin'ya's palm.
Aizen Sōsuke lowered his head, looking at him with gentle eyes:
"Shin'ya-kun."
"Please don't make a decision you'll regret."
This single, non-threatening sentence immediately stopped Hyuga Shin'ya's attempt to gouge out his eyes.
He trembled as he looked at the man opposite him, then at the masked, unknown Hyuga Clan member behind him, with a faint glimmer of hope:
"Then, then can I...?"
"I'm sorry."
Aizen Sōsuke looked at him, a hint of sincere apology on his face:
"There probably won't be a chance."
He said with a sigh, holding Hyuga Shin'ya's head in his hand... Under the moonlight, blood covered the entire main road.
Corpses lay strewn everywhere.