More than a dozen members of the Hyūga clan lunged at Senju Haruto from every direction.
Even though they were from the branch family, they had all activated their Byakugan. With just a glance, they could clearly see every one of Haruto's chakra points.
None of them held back. Each strike targeted his vital tenketsu, aiming to give him a harsh lesson.
To them, Haruto had brought this upon himself. He was simply getting what he deserved.
Even Hiruzen Sarutobi and Hiashi Hyūga found themselves caught in hesitation.
After all, the one who had stirred up this conflict was Haruto himself.
Especially Hiruzen — he had originally planned to use this meeting to build a stronger alliance with the Hyūga clan. But things had clearly spiraled far beyond what he expected.
And yet, no one realized — this was exactly what Haruto had planned all along.
From the moment he stepped into the room, he had one goal: to provoke the Hyūga clan and push them into attacking him first.
And the more aggressive their attack, the better.
Because if they struck first, anything he did would be in self-defense.
No matter how harsh his words were, they were still only words — a "friendly verbal exchange," at most.
They could've argued back with words.
But once they chose violence, the situation changed completely.
And more than one of them had rushed at him — nearly all the younger generation present had surged forward.
"Get out of the way!" Hiashi barked, finally making a decision despite his internal conflict.
After all, Haruto was just a child. And it was ultimately because of Hiashi that this conflict with the main family had escalated.
If he was already doomed, then at the very least, he could try to toss Haruto out of harm's way.
But what Hiashi never expected was what he saw with his own Byakugan — the chakra flow within Haruto's body.
For a thirteen-year-old, this amount of chakra was simply impossible.
And not just Hiashi — all the Hyūga clan members who had activated their Byakugan noticed it too.
Their eyes flickered with surprise.
But in the very next moment, that surprise turned into complete shock.
Haruto, calm and unhurried, radiated a composed, unshakable presence. He brought his hands together in a firm seal — the Ram seal.
This scene alone was enough to make Hiruzen Sarutobi, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado all simultaneously freeze in disbelief.
Especially Hiruzen — even at a glance, there was no way he could mistake this jutsu!
His eyes widened. He sprang to his feet.
"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"
With Haruto's thunderous shout, the polished wooden floor cracked and splintered. Trees erupted from the ground at an astonishing speed, their thick branches snaking outward in all directions, instantly entangling every Hyūga attacker.
Boom!Boom!Boom!
The trees smashed into the ceiling one after another, sealing every last Hyūga who had moved against Haruto.
"I'm holding back as much as I can..." Haruto said casually, his voice calm.
And he wasn't bluffing.
The "Deep Forest Emergence" technique was far more overbearing than this. If he hadn't restrained his chakra flow so quickly, within just a few breaths, the entire building's roof would've been shattered — the Hyūga estate completely transformed into a primal forest.
And Haruto knew that no one understood this better than the Hyūga clan.
With their Byakugan, they could clearly see the terrifying chakra circulating through his body.
Even the stunned expression of the Hyūga elder seemed to confirm his thoughts.
"H-He just used the same Wood Style jutsu… as the First Hokage…"
"It's like the God of Shinobi has returned to life in this era…"
Homura Mitokado swallowed hard. The moment he saw the technique with his own eyes, he staggered backward in complete panic.
And more importantly, despite his age, his hearing was still sharp.
He had clearly heard what Haruto said:
"I'm holding back as much as I can."
Not — this is the extent of my power.
In other words, Haruto was telling everyone present: I've already done everything I could to minimize the destruction.
And he wasn't the only one stunned.
Even Hiruzen — who had witnessed both the First and Second Hokage in action, and was known as the "Professor" for his mastery of all jutsu — stood frozen.
His mind buzzed, completely blank.
Even though he had considered this possibility before, seeing it with his own eyes — the same Wood Style that only the legendary Hashirama Senju had mastered — the shock was simply overwhelming.
It made Hiruzen not only stunned… he even wanted to drag Danzo in here to witness it himself.
Look! This is true Wood Style!Not that artificial stuff your experiments scraped together with Yamato!This is the real deal!
"W-Wood Style…"The elder of the Hyūga clan gasped. After the shock wore off, his face looked like he had swallowed something foul.
Everyone knew that it was through this very bloodline limit — Wood Style — that Hashirama Senju ended the Warring States Period and founded the Hidden Leaf Village.
And now…
Even a fool could see the current situation clearly.
If Haruto had even the slightest killing intent, he could've wiped out every member of the Hyūga main and branch families in this room.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say — this young man might be the one to completely reshape the future of the ninja world.
Haruto slowly lowered his hands and swept his eyes across the stunned crowd.
He knew it — he had achieved his goal.
Every single person here was overwhelmed by his display. Silenced by his power.
If he had unleashed Deep Forest Emergence right from the start, they would've treated him like a second coming of Madara Uchiha — a monstrous threat.
But because he had orchestrated this entire confrontation, the effect was entirely different.
It now gave the impression that…
I didn't want to fight. I just wanted to live quietly as a member of the Senju clan.I'm just a sunny, cheerful young man.But you people forced me to act.
"…Lord Hokage."Haruto let out a deep breath, shook his head with a helpless smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Just now… when I saw dozens of jōnin charging at me… I was absolutely terrified."
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "???"Koharu Utatane: "???"Homura Mitokado: "???"Hiashi Hyūga: "???"Hyūga Elder: "???"Every Hyūga in the room: "???"
"Terrified"?You were terrified?!We were the ones shaking in our boots!!
We're the ones still stuck in these trees, unable to move a muscle!!
Hiruzen opened his mouth to speak… and stopped.
What was he even supposed to say?
Reassure Haruto? Tell him "It's okay, I understand"?
But in this moment… it felt like the Hyūga clan were the ones who needed comforting.
And yet…
Hiruzen didn't dislike what Haruto had done. In fact, after the initial shock wore off, he was quietly thrilled by this unexpected development.
Koharu and Homura exchanged glances behind him — both of them equally excited.