In the Hyuga clan, nearly every branch member was assigned a "retainer" role to a member of the main house. Although the word suggested duty, in truth, it was little more than servitude.
And not every main house member was as gentle as Hinata. If you were unlucky enough to serve one with a bad temper, then being a "retainer" also meant being their personal punching bag.
As for the man in front of him? Just a dog, well-trained and loyal.
The smile on Hyuga Sho's face faded slightly. He ignored the gatekeeper's obvious provocation and simply continued walking forward.
The man hadn't expected the usually docile "failure" to completely disregard him, and his expression darkened.
"Hyuga Sho! I asked you a question!"
Sho still didn't respond. Might Guy merely shrugged and followed.
"You worthless trash! I told you to stop!"
A furious shout rang out behind them, followed by the sound of rushing wind, he had actually lunged at Sho's shoulder, with zero regard for holding back.
Guy stopped, frowning. He was just about to intervene,
But the instant the man's hand landed on Sho's shoulder, Sho's entire body gave a sharp jolt, like a pine tree shaking off snow. A surge of raw force rippled through his frame and into the contact point, leaving the attacker's palm numb.
Before he could even react,
Sho didn't even turn his head. His arm bent back. Left foot stepped forward. His body shifted in a smooth arc, and the hem of his white clothes swirled as he rotated, revealing firm, lean abs, and slammed his palm outward.
Anyone from Sho's past world would've immediately shouted two words: Tai Chi.
To the other Hyuga, it looked like this: first his own arm was knocked away, then Sho vanished with near-"Body Flicker" speed. Dropping low, his palm pressed directly against the man's abdomen.
Then came the flood.
A force far beyond comprehension surged like a tide from that single touch.
Boom!!
The power exploded within a hair's breadth, slamming into the man like a battering ram and folding him over with crushing impact.
Just as a mouthful of blood surged up his throat,
"Let's not make a mess," Sho said casually.
His right palm lifted lightly under the man's chin, elbow lowering gently.
Crack.
The blood that had reached his throat was forced back down. The man's body collapsed, choking and coughing violently as pain contorted his face. He clutched his throat and stomach, dropping to his knees before Sho.
"You dare, !"
His Byakugan activated, veins bulging, eyes glaring upward in disbelief at Sho.
But as he met Sho's calm gaze… his voice caught.
A chill ran through him. Something primal, irrational. Like a snake crawling over his skin, pressing down with a cold, silent dread.
He was afraid.
Afraid of this failure?
Impossible,
"That was for earlier." Sho looked down at him with a smile. "Lady Aoi's special training is in the afternoon. Next time, don't throw your weight around in front of me."
He gave the man's trembling shoulder a light pat and walked off with Guy as if nothing had happened.
"…Didn't think you'd go that far!"
Guy's tone remained casual as they walked. Though surprised by what he saw, he wasn't upset. If anything, he seemed intrigued.
He had heard stories about Sho's "past," of course. But Sho was someone he recognized as a friend, not the waste others claimed.
That technique, a seamless fusion of Strong Fist and Gentle Fist… Guy thought it surpassed the rigid forms of the Hyuga elites.
What he didn't understand was why Sho had let those rumors stand for so long.
"Sorry you had to see that, senpai," Sho said apologetically. "He is still one of my clan. I didn't want to go too far."
Guy shook his head with a grin. "You did nothing wrong. Youth must never be defiled."
Sho smiled wryly. "I'll admit, I've had enough of their crap."
[Ding. Your lie has been judged as [Smooth Talking]. Might Guy experienced minor emotional fluctuation. Trust Level: [Fully Convinced]. You have gained 200 Wish Points.]
It was, of course, a lie.
Why hadn't he retaliated before?
Because his plan to manipulate Orochimaru hadn't yet succeeded. Maintaining the image of a harmless "failure" was far more useful.
Besides,
"When the village dog barks, all the others bark too. They don't even know why they're barking."
"If I stopped to throw a stone at every mutt that barked at me, I'd never get anything else done."
Sho scoffed inwardly.
That no-name extra meant nothing to him.
He acted for two reasons: first, to test a new technique. Second, to lay the groundwork for his next phase.
A rat that hides in the dark is never trusted. No one believes a whisper from the gutter.
When Danzo speaks, the villagers call him a senile fossil. When Hiruzen speaks, no matter how absurd, people question themselves for not understanding.
Lies only become truth when spoken by those with power.
His bloodline had reshaped him inside and out, from his senses to his talent, to his physical form.
Naturally, this transformation should've been gradual, occurring over years as the blood slowly assimilated his body.
But Sho didn't have that kind of time.
To gain more Wish Points, he needed to approach higher-value targets, and to do that, he needed to display just enough ability to seem useful.
That "retaliation" was merely step one.
Soon, rumors of him being one of Orochimaru's surviving experimental subjects would spread.
By now, Hiruzen had likely taken in "Code-named Alpha" Yamato. Sho, as the other survivor, would definitely draw interest from both Hiruzen and Danzo.
Sho's eyes gleamed at the thought.
Visualize: A purified Byakugan that, when fused with Ōtsutsuki blood, unlocks the Tenseigan.
[Cost: 10,000 Wish Points. Proceed with materialization?]
"It's exactly enough?"
He hesitated. To be safe, he tried something else first.
Visualize: A method to awaken the Tenseigan through the fusion of a purified Byakugan and pure Ōtsutsuki bloodline.
[Insufficient points.]
"…"
Sho's face darkened instantly.
"Knew it. I'm still missing something."
Thank god he hadn't trusted this damn system.
If he had spent everything on a Byakugan he couldn't even use, he'd have no one to cry to.
"Looks like Plan B is safer after all," he muttered.
The Byakugan of the Hyuga should, in theory, be purer than the lunar Ōtsutsuki's. The only issue… was quantity. The lunar clan had millennia of stockpiled eyes. He had maybe a few dozen.
Would it even be enough to fuse a Tenseigan… if I harvested the entire clan?
"Ahem."
Sho coughed, startled by his own thoughts, and quickly whispered penance in his heart.
Digging out all the eyes? That was way too evil. He wasn't Uchiha Itachi.
…Just the ones who've already awakened their Byakugan would do. The rest were useless anyway.
Of course, he wouldn't do it himself.
He had someone better in mind.
Now, all he needed… was for those old bastards to show their ugly faces.