The System replied immediately:
[Oh, by the way, Master, I'd like to remind you that you have the Goro Goro no Mi Fruit.]
'Goro Goro no Mi Fruit bearer...' Satoru quickly realized. As its user, combining with Observation Haki would amplify effects.
In One Piece, Enel tracked everyone on Skypiea badmouthing god in real time. It showed Goro Goro no Mi Fruit's synergy with Observation Haki.
Plus, Satoru had Sharingan, Byakugan, sensory skills, etc. Mastering Observation Haki would make him unbeatable in battle.
Satoru mentally pondered Observation Haki's advantages thoroughly.
Unsure how much time passed, but sky darkened. Yoshime used Four Pillars House Technique again for shelter.
They took turns guarding. When Satoru's turn came, he immersed fully in mastering Observation Haki.
'Focus—even eyes closed, see and hear... dodge opponent's moves instinctively...' Satoru was engrossed, quickly grasping Observation Haki theory.
'For practice, need dedicated training time!' Satoru could now make many shadow clones. Using them for training was undoubtedly fastest.
Just as Satoru planned more seal practice, he sensed a group approaching within two kilometers.
Satoru examined them closely. They had intense eye energy.
'Who are they? Hyuga Clan? Or Uchiha?' Satoru momentarily couldn't identify.
Satoru turned, glanced at Four Pillars House, made one shadow clone, and rushed toward the group.
Satoru closed in fast and hurled shuriken.
*Clang-clang-clang!!*
Satoru learned supreme shuriken throwing from the Third. All hit vital points on three foes.
"Impressive indeed—not for nothing Third's student," he said as the three shuriken-pierced foes boomed into large wooden logs.
'Body Replacement Technique?' Satoru hadn't expected instant kills.
Though his shuriken skill was masterful, foes quickly pinpointed him.
*Clang!*
A kunai with explosive seal flew at Satoru.
Satoru used Body Flicker Technique to dodge. The seal activated—boom!—shattering nearby branches and trunks.
The three ninja finally appeared.
"So that's it. I wondered why your observation was so good. You're from Hyuga Clan?" Satoru looked up at the three Byakugan-activated ninja.
"We're from the same village—why persist? Your target is me too, right? Didn't expect Danzo to send so many to kill me," Satoru smiled faintly, utterly calm, ignoring Danzo's threat.
The opposing Hyuga finally spoke:
"Danzo? What does this have to do with Lord Danzo? Brat Satoru, we didn't come on Danzo's orders. We just want to teach you a lesson."
"You remember insulting my little brother?" This made Satoru recall the recent clash with another Hyuga.
Sweating, Satoru said,
"This matter's settled, right? Just kids' squabble—why interfere?"
"Simple!" the Hyuga said. "Because! My little brother is main branch Hyuga Clan, and we're all branch family!"
"You outsider might not grasp it, but branch family exists to protect main. That kid lost spirit after your hit! So I must help him vent!" the Hyuga Clan ninja before him declared.
"What? Even as Third's student, no respect?" Satoru stared intently at the Hyuga.
Satoru didn't want to ruin his relationship with the Hyuga Clan. After all, the Hyuga Clan was one of the great and noble clans of Konoha, as well as the only prominent clan that could rival the Uchiha.
If Satoru wanted to become Hokage in the future, he'd have to gain the support of the Hyuga Clan.
"Since you want to avenge your younger brother, I'll give you that chance. What about the other two?" Satoru looked at the other two.
"They won't interfere. My Hyuga clan won't use numerical superiority to bully the minority," said the branch family Hyuga member.
"I didn't expect you to have your own principles. In that case, I hope you can defeat my Shadow Clone," Satoru immediately used the Shadow Clone. A Shadow Clone, identical to him, stepped forward, ready to fight this youth from the Hyuga branch family.
"A Shadow Clone?! You're insulting me that much?!" The branch family Hyuga member's face changed drastically.
"A Shadow Clone has the original's power. Defeat it, and then we'll talk!" Satoru said. "Tell me your name."
"Fine! You're underestimating me! I'll make you pay! My name is Hyuga Seika!"
"Go!" In Satoru's mind, the theory of Observation Haki raced by. He'd just wanted to practice, and unexpectedly, someone delivered a pillow right to him.
"An elite Hyuga clan member—this is a perfect test subject!" Satoru decided to fight this Hyuga Seika purely to hone his Observation Haki. Defeating a Hyuga wouldn't be much trouble for him.
The Hyuga Clan mainly specialized in close combat. To finish them off, Satoru just needed to keep using long-range ninjutsu.
Moreover, Satoru knew perfectly well that the Byakugan of the Hyuga branch family didn't have 360-degree vision.
They had a one-degree blind spot right behind the first thoracic vertebra. That one degree of blind spot might seem insignificant.
But for a ninja, it was extremely dangerous.
If that blind spot were exposed, it would become the greatest weakness of the Hyuga branch family.
Still, it was strange. The power of branch family Hyuga members was usually higher than that of the main branch. Perhaps because of the "Bird in a Cage," branch family members were more willing to risk their lives.
The Hyuga Seika standing before him had already assumed a fighting stance. Satoru's Shadow Clone, on the other hand, closed his eyes.
He strained to capture that sensation—the sensation of Observation Haki.
Satoru wasn't defending at all; he was fully immersed in Observation Haki.
But Hyuga Seika roared:
"Underestimating me is one thing, but now you've closed your eyes! You don't consider us Hyuga humans at all?!"
"Eight Trigrams: Mountain-Crushing Strike!" Hyuga Seika immediately unleashed an air wave. As the name implied, this Mountain-Crushing Strike used the Gentle Fist to create an air wave powerful enough to shatter a mountain.
It was one of the Hyuga Clan's few long-range attacks.
But none of that mattered. At the perfect moment, Satoru did a nimble roll and dodged what seemed like a powerful Mountain-Crushing Strike!