Clan grounds, Main Branch residence.
Continuous corridors, spacious ponds, and luxurious houses.
Compared to the Branch Family, whose grounds were filled with training areas, the Main Branch residence was not as vast but more exquisite and luxurious, with hardly any unsightly training equipment visible.
Inside the reception hall.
Tables and chairs were neatly arranged, and at the head sat a middle-aged man in exquisite robes, listening to the rustling conversations.
He was a top-tier noble from the Land of Fire's capital.
With the Chunin Exams approaching, a considerable number of nobles were making a grand entrance into Konoha Hidden Village, all eager to witness the spectacular ninja battles firsthand.
To his right, the Hyūga Clan Head, dressed in a kimono, accompanied the middle-aged noble with a warm smile.
"Neji, come over quickly."
Seeing Neji arrive, Hiashi smiled and gestured for him to sit at the lowest seat.
He solemnly introduced, "This is the Lord of Fire Country's younger brother, and he wishes to meet you."
The initial players, including Asuma, Naruto, and Hyuga Neji, were impossible for the village to keep secret, despite their attempts to do so.
After all, there were also players within the noble circles.
They envied and were jealous of the ninjas' rapid growth capabilities in the Reincarnation Game, so they all sought to recruit them, and Hyuga Neji was among them.
The Lord of Fire Country's younger brother, with an expectant look, asked, "Neji, how does one become a player?"
Neji shook his head and said, "It's all the Game Merchant's doing; I'm not sure how to become a player either."
"Is that so?"
The Lord of Fire Country's younger brother shook his head in disappointment.
The nobles who had become players said the same thing; he had assumed they were unwilling to reveal it, and since he was in Konoha Hidden Village, he thought he would ask the initial players if they knew a way.
A noble game where one couldn't die and could hunt to their heart's content was something even he coveted greatly.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries,
Four noble-looking, arrogant young men from the Main Branch entered the banquet hall, led by the Hyūga Clan Head to converse with the Lord of Fire Country's younger brother.
This was their Ninja Clan's way of survival; they not only needed to be stationed in Konoha Hidden Village but also could not cut off communication with the nobles. This was called preparing for both eventualities.
Neji, who had been overlooked, was soon sent out of the hall by the Clan Head with a flimsy excuse.
"My apologies, Young Master Chusuke."
After Neji left the hall, he encountered Chusuke, who was on his way to the banquet hall, and asked, "Perhaps there were guests, so the Clan Head did not inform me of the matters to be discussed."
Chusuke impatiently said, "Taking you to meet the Lord of Fire Country's younger brother, isn't that considered a matter?"
"So that's how it is."
Neji's expression remained normal, his voice showed no emotional fluctuations, and he exited the Main Branch residence with perfect courtesy.
Just for that reason?
Even knowing the escalating intensity of the Monster Siege, he delayed his training merely for a word from a noble lord.
In fact, the Hyūga Clan Head's gaze at the time seemed to say, this is your reward for contributing to the Hiashi Clan.
Neji gave a self-deprecating smile, thinking, "It's a bit like a dog, being ordered around."
He hastily returned to the game.
Indeed, after the Fourth Squad lost its command, they suffered repeated defeats, causing the Konoha troops to be suppressed by the Iwagakure forces, failing to earn sufficient merit points.
Asuma patted him on the shoulder and sighed, "Neji, I understand your difficulties."
The situation of the Hiashi Clan was no secret in the village.
As a member of the Branch Family, Neji had been indoctrinated from a young age with the idea of protecting the Main Branch and obeying its orders, along with the restraints and limitations of the Caged Bird, making it impossible for him to defy the Main Branch.
Asuma comforted him, "I will report Hyuga Chusuke's matter to the Hokage. This is not your fault; you don't need to blame yourself."
Neji felt a warmth in his heart and said, "Thank you, Captain Asuma."
Asuma laughed heartily, "It's nothing; you and I are both members of the village, like leaves growing on a tree branch, interdependent."
He instinctively reached for a cigarette, but his pocket was empty.
To train the Konoha troops, he couldn't bear to spend even half a reward point, and he was almost forced to quit smoking.
Neji opened the Game Store, exchanged for a pack of cigarettes, and handed them to him, saying, "These are for you, Captain Asuma."
"Ah… then I won't be polite."
Asuma didn't feign modesty and exhaled a stream of smoke with satisfaction, but almost choked.
An inconspicuous black ash clump was held in Neji's hand.
[Ashes of the Commander of Souls]: Can be exchanged for items at the City Guard.
Asuma took a deep breath and exclaimed, "No wonder they call you the glory of the Hiashi Clan; you actually hunted a Commander of Souls single-handedly?"
There were eight Commander-level Souls in total.
All were divided among other factions, and he had thought there would be no gains, but he didn't expect Neji to be able to hunt a Commander of Souls by himself.
Asuma took a breath and said, "The Ashes of the Commander of Souls can be exchanged for equipment or items."
City defense items.
Similar to a miniature version of the city wall's Ghost Cannon, a blueprint for a [Ghost Turret].
Once constructed, it only needed ammunition to continuously fire Ghost energy cannons, with excellent results.
The price was also one [Ashes of the Commander of Souls].
Asuma took the last puff of his cigarette, and the discarded cigarette butt disappeared. He sincerely said, "If you are willing to purchase the Ghost Turret, I will apply for a reward for you with the Hokage, and to the best of my ability, bypass the Hyuga Clan's interference to ensure all the rewards go to you."
It had always been the case that, no matter how great the contribution of the Hyuga Branch Family, the final rewards would be negotiated between the Main Branch and the Hokage.
Perhaps it was an allocation of funds, or Ninja Art scrolls, or ANBU qualifications… ultimately, it would all be divided among the Main Branch, with only a few scraps remaining.
Even so, those outside the Hiashi Clan had nothing to say.
For Asuma, as the Hokage's son, to say such a thing meant he would be accused of forcibly interfering in Hiashi Clan affairs, and even impeached.
It showed his sincerity.
Asuma didn't want to pressure Neji and said, "Of course, purchasing Ghost series equipment is also very good. You can become the strongest in the Konoha troops, and in reality, you can touch the threshold of an elite Jonin."
"Captain Asuma, you think too complicatedly. No wonder you still haven't managed to win over Yuhi Kurenai sensei."
Neji, for once, smiled and teased Asuma.
Asuma then realized that the other party was willing to show him the material, clearly intending to contribute it to the village.
He had indeed overthought it.
"Thank you, Neji."
Asuma hastily left, continuing to hold the front line of the Konoha troops.
At the City Guard.
Neji was about to exchange for the [Ghost Turret] as agreed when he was stopped by the belated Hyuga Chusuke.
"Neji, I heard everything you and Asuma said."
Hyuga Chusuke frowned and said, "How dare you! Have you forgotten the Hyuga Clan's ancestral teachings?"
"The Main Branch is crucial for the continuation of the bloodline. The Branch Family, as shields and swords, must always protect the Main Branch's safety and uphold its interests."
"You actually hand over precious materials to the village?"
"Don't you understand that Commander-level Ghost materials can be used as bargaining chips between the Hiashi Clan and the Hokage?"
Chusuke grew more and more enraged, his face filled with undisguised contempt and disdain.
"Since things have come to this…"
After Hyuga Chusuke vented enough, he thought of a win-win solution and said, "Exchange for the Ghost equipment, specifically the purple set of [Power of the Toad Commander] which enhances the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist, and then give it to me."
"Finally, take all the blame yourself and don't involve the family."
"If it causes a dispute between the family and the village, you should know the consequences, right?"
Hyuga Chusuke's lips curved into an exaggerated smile, and he pointed his thumb at his smooth forehead.
As a member of the Main Branch, he had the authority to activate the Caged Bird.
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