harleyscars Chapter 164 The Birth of a Pack of Ungrateful People
Chapter 164 The Birth of a Pack of Ungrateful People
Chapter 164 The Birth of a Pack of Ungrateful People
The Third Hokage calmly picked up his pipe again, took a deep drag, exhaled a smoke ring, and said slowly, "Kazuma-kun, as you can see, the Land of Fire is no longer a match for the combined forces of the four great nations."
"If this continues, it won't be long before all the ninjas in Konoha Village are dead, and not even the children will be left."
Do you think the Land of Fire will still exist by then?
After hearing this, Kazuma frowned. He had been involved in the war for a long time and was well aware of the disparity in strength between the two sides. He was very pessimistic about the outcome for Konoha.
And once Konoha is destroyed, then the Land of Fire—
The third generation continued, "If we follow my plan, it will at least give us a buffer period."
"Konoha Village has the most comprehensive education system in the ninja world. Given enough time, we can quickly return to our peak condition."
"At that time, we can get everything we've lost back."
"I promise that there will be no more Hokage after me, and all the ninjas of Konoha will henceforth obey the Daimyo's orders and be directly under his command."
"Isn't this exactly what you and the nobles behind you want?"
"Now, if you can make this happen, then you will be the ones to write a new chapter for the Land of Fire."
"Your names will surely be recorded in history books."
These words stirred up Ma, a political novice, and he immediately agreed.
"Lord Hokage, please rest assured, I will definitely persuade the nobles to make this happen."
"After being brought under the direct control of the daimyo, Kyoto will definitely provide more resources and support to Konoha Village."
"Konoha Village will not perish; the Land of Fire will only grow stronger!"
He carefully put the letter away, then left the Hokage's office to consult with his supporters and prepare to personally lead a team back to the capital to deliver the letter.
Watching Kazuma's departing figure, the Third Generation curled his lip, picked up his pipe again, and continued to puff away.
This time, however, his expression was much more relaxed, no longer so tense.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A fierce wind swept in, and the dense forest was instantly cut down to the roots, leaving only low stumps, just like trimmed flowers and grass.
Seeing such a powerful attack approaching, all the Hyuga ninjas turned pale, gripped their kunai tightly, and did their best to defend themselves, awaiting their fate.
But suddenly a figure stepped out from the crowd, wielding two crossed swords and slashing downwards, shouting, "Wind Release: Wind Reversal!"
With his roar, the gust of wind that had rushed towards him suddenly reversed, changed its direction, and blew towards the Sand Ninja team that had unleashed the ninjutsu.
"How could this happen?"
The Sand Ninja hadn't expected their attack to be reflected back, and were caught completely off guard.
The wind was like a knife, sweeping through the formation in an instant.
"ah----"
A series of screams rang out as more than a dozen ninjas were caught off guard and sliced into sashimi, which were then evenly poured onto the ground in an exquisitely presented dish.
The battle situation took an instant 180-degree turn. Everyone who had survived the ordeal cheered and looked at the great hero who had turned the tide.
"Ah, it's Neji!"
"He truly is the most talented genius among those who split up the family!"
Even without the white eye—
Everyone couldn't help but admire, but as soon as the topic of eye-rolling came up, everyone fell silent, and no one was in the mood to speak.
This group of people were all from the Hyuga branch family.
Originally, the Byakugan of the branch family was an important part of Konoha's combat system, serving as an irreplaceable scout on the battlefield, and almost every squad had to have one of them.
Similarly, for the sake of efficient deployment, apart from teams that include members of the main clan, there are never two Hyuga ninjas in a single team.
But the situation is different now; these members of the Hyuga branch family have been assigned to a team to carry out missions.
Because their only common point is that they no longer have white eyes; their eyes are those of ordinary people.
Previously, because of this self-inflicted damage to their fighting strength, the Third Hokage had specifically gone to talk to the main family.
The branch families, unwilling to accept the cold shoulder of "sacrifice," had once held high hopes that the village could stop the main family's perverse behavior, but the final result greatly disappointed them.
Because the main branches of the family are very discreet in their actions, they have not yet targeted elite ninjas such as Jonin and Chunin; all the branch family members they have chosen to target are Genin.
The strength of a genin is just so-so. After replacing the Byakugan with a normal eye, their combat power is indeed reduced, but the loss is not actually that much.
Furthermore, Hinata's absorption of the Byakugan's power was not instantaneous; it required time to digest. The "loss" to the branch family's genin was gradual and acceptable to the village.
With the powerful lure of the "Tenseigan" hanging in the air, the Third Hokage, after careful consideration, ultimately acquiesced by turning a blind eye to the matter, citing the reason that "the village should not interfere in the internal affairs of the Hyuga clan."
This greatly disappointed the branch family ninjas with the village, but at the same time, it also made them increasingly desperate about their own family's fate.
"Alright, everyone, don't be so discouraged."
Seeing that the team's morale was about to collapse, the young ninja leading the team hurriedly spoke up to encourage everyone and give them pep talks.
"Our glares were not wasted, but contributed to the clan; they were a necessary sacrifice for the village's victory."
"This is a necessary sacrifice for victory in the war."
"And actually, we're safer now that we're no longer getting those disapproving looks!"
"Even on the battlefield, we don't need to worry about the enemy specifically targeting us to steal our white eyes—"
"Alright, shut up!" Neji walked over with a gloomy face. "Once you're on the battlefield, you're the enemy. Whether you have Byakugan or not, the enemy will kill you."
"The so-called 'protection' is nothing but a fabricated lie by the main family to enslave the branch families!"
"What?!" The team leader was immediately shocked and pointed at him, shouting, "Neji, how could you say such treasonous words?"
"I'm just stating the facts!" Neji's gaze swept across everyone's faces as he coldly said, "I know our fates are in the hands of the main family, so I have no desire to rebel against them."
"But at least, I won't be treated like a slave, yet I won't have to be grateful to the slave owner, or give them excuses to enslave me!"
"I will continue to fight on the battlefield, but not for the main clan, nor for Konoha!"
"I'm living now, and everything I do is for myself, nothing more!"
"If anyone is willing to fight for themselves like I do, then you are welcome to join my team."
"But if anyone is still fighting with some foolish idea of glory or sacrifice, then you are not welcome here."
""
"Go ahead and wag your tails at your patriarchs and see if they'll give you a bone to eat, or if they'll return the disdain they took from you."
After saying that, Neji turned and left.
The people present looked at each other in bewilderment. After a moment, several people emerged from the group and followed Neji's departing figure, disappearing into the dense forest.
"Damn it!" the team leader cursed angrily, "A bunch of ingrates!"
"They show absolutely no gratitude for the family's upbringing!"
"Not even a trace of the will to fire!"
"This kind of trash ninja is a disgrace to our Hyuga clan. Don't follow his example!"
The remaining Hyuga ninjas watched Neji and his group depart, bowing their heads and nodding in agreement.
"Yes, we shouldn't follow his example."
"What kind of genius of the Hyuga clan is he if he has no sense of honor whatsoever?"
"What a waste of his talent! He's talented but lacks virtue!"
Whether that's truly what they think is anyone's guess.