Chapter 177: Excessive Force is Necessary!
Neji Hyūga's words made the faces of Jinsuke Hyūga and the Main House Tokubetsu Jōnin turn grim.
Who would have thought that the person who dragged Uchiha Ikeizumi into this was a Hyūga junior still attending the Ninja Academy?
The brat, Neji Hyūga, had spoken with high-sounding righteousness, as if he occupied the moral high ground.
But they believed Neji was simply filled with hatred and resentment toward the Main House because of his father's incident.
That was why he was attempting to exact revenge on the Hyūga Main House through this behavior.
'That little white-eyed wolf is biting the hand that feeds him! Has he forgotten what his surname is?!'
'How did Hizashi instruct him before his death?'
'If he can betray the Main House today, he can betray Konoha tomorrow!'
After cursing under his breath, Jinsuke cautiously watched the emotionless Uchiha Ikeizumi. His pre-existing fear intensified into full-blown panic, and cold sweat broke out across his wrinkled face.
A strong will to survive prompted him to speak first, addressing Ikeizumi, "Uchiha Ikeizumi, are you going to listen to the ravings of a brat who hasn't even graduated from the Academy? Your eyes, which can see the evil in others, must clearly see that this old man harbors no evil, right?"
Jinsuke spoke quickly, "The Branch House elder who died last night, Hyūga Kōgari, was already very old and suffered from a chronic illness. We investigated his primary cause of death."
"He was one hundred percent killed by his internal illness!"
"He..."
As Jinsuke tried to continue, Ikeizumi's cold voice abruptly cut him off: "Hyūga Jinsuke, fifty-seven years ago, you were involved in the rape and murder of a Hyūga Branch House female member, and the simultaneous killing of her husband. You then dismembered both bodies and threw the pieces into a river for the fish to consume."
The icy tone recounting the evil of the past hit Jinsuke like a bolt of lightning.
He suddenly remembered that he had done something like that back then.
But Konoha Village had not even been founded at that time. The entire ninja world's order was chaotic and unregulated. His actions back then were not considered a crime at all, barely even a moral failing.
"Uchiha Ikeizumi, the times were different! Morality and the concept of justice must be viewed in the context of the era!"
Jinsuke shouted anxiously, "Besides that incident, this old man has never committed evil since, and I have always striven for the benefit of the Hyūga clan and Konoha!"
However, every word he spoke was merely background noise to Uchiha Ikeizumi.
"Last night, you tortured the victim, Hyūga Kōgari, using the Caged Bird seal. When Kōgari explicitly begged you to stop, assuring you he would no longer research how to break the Caged Bird seal, you did not stop the technique. You tormented him for half an hour."
Ikeizumi looked at Jinsuke with absolute apathy.
It was not the look one gives a living person, but a corpse.
His words caused the victim's grandson's eyes to widen.
The young Branch House junior stared at the shocked Jinsuke Hyūga with an incredulous expression.
"So..."
He murmured, "You tormented my grandfather for a full half an hour."
Cold sweat now drenched Jinsuke Hyūga's back. He attempted to defend himself, "How was this old man supposed to know if he was trying to deceive me at the time? Furthermore, a ninja's physique is much stronger than an average person's. Even being elderly, a half-hour punishment from the Caged Bird seal is bearable! If he couldn't bear it, he would have collapsed sooner!"
Half an hour...
Bearable?
Neji suddenly found the claim absurd. When Hiashi Hyūga activated his father's Caged Bird seal, it only lasted for a mere minute, yet his father endured immense pain and was drenched in cold sweat.
Neji couldn't imagine the agony of a half-hour Caged Bird seal it would be worse than death!
This absolutely exceeded the scope of punishment for violating a family rule!
This was deliberate torture!
This was the Main House showing its arrogance and not treating Branch House lives as human lives!
Uchiha Ikeizumi shattered Jinsuke Hyūga's defense and delivered the final judgment on his actions: "Half an hour later, you ended the technique. However, the half-hour of agonizing torture caused Hyūga Kōgari's old illness to flare up, leading to a sudden death from myocardial infarction. Your actions have cast you into the abyss of evil."
Jinsuke's pupils trembled.
"The final verdict of 'Absolute Justice' for your two malicious acts is: A life for a life!"
Jinsuke trembled uncontrollably.
His aged, frail body suddenly erupted with the last potential of his life. He shoved the Tokubetsu Jōnin out of his path and frantically bolted toward the Hyūga compound behind him.
"Save me! Save this old man!!!"
"Hiashi! Clan Head!!!"
"Come quickly and save me!!!"
Jinsuke's desperate, despair-filled cries quickly alerted many clan members within the Hyūga compound.
Startled Branch House ninja rushed out, only to find the one screaming for help was Jinsuke Hyūga!
Alarmed Main House ninja also hurried forward, asking kindly, "Elder Jinsuke, what's wrong?"
Hiashi Hyūga, the Clan Head, also stepped out of his residence without hesitation.
"Senior Jinsuke..."
Just as Hiashi frowned, intending to approach and question why Jinsuke hadn't left yet... he suddenly saw a few people striding straight into the Hyūga clan compound.
Hiashi froze.
His steps and the words about to leave his mouth all stopped in that moment.
"Ikeizumi..."
"Hiashi! He says this old man must pay with my life!" The moment Jinsuke saw Hiashi, he ran toward him as if he had found a savior, completely oblivious to the sudden tension in Hiashi's face.
"Hiashi! That Neji brat is a white-eyed wolf of the Hyūga clan, he betrayed our Main House!"
"Hiashi! Uchiha Ikeizumi wants to..."
Just as Jinsuke shrieked this far, he suddenly felt the ground beneath his feet tremble slightly, as if something strange was about to erupt from the earth.
As he looked down, several tree roots abruptly burst out of the ground and rapidly wrapped around his legs.
"This is..."
Hiashi, less than ten meters from Jinsuke, had his pupils contract. He immediately activated his Byakugan and saw that the only person whose chakra was behaving abnormally was Uchiha Ikeizumi!
The tree roots binding Jinsuke rapidly climbed up to his neck at a visible speed.
In less than a breath, the thick, python-like roots completely encased Jinsuke.
"Hiashi... save..."
Jinsuke's desperate, choking voice was violently cut short.
All the members of the Hyūga clan heard a single, dull thud!
The thick roots rapidly tightened, instantly crushing Jinsuke's body from the neck down! It was a literal 'explosion'! Splattered blood and torn flesh rained down on the surroundings, many drops splashing onto Hiashi Hyūga's robes.
The thick roots, now stained crimson and dangling with flesh, stood like a gruesome, chilling 'architectural wonder' in the open space of the Hyūga compound.
Jinsuke's intact, large head rolled onto the ground, tumbling several times before finally stopping. The face, frozen in an expression of despair and agony, was stained completely red with blood.
The entire Hyūga clan compound fell into absolute silence.
The only sound was the dripping of blood from the thick tree roots.
...
"Wood Release..." Kakashi, who had secretly infiltrated the Hyūga compound at some point, couldn't help but widen his dead-fish eyes.
Kakashi was certain he wasn't under a Genjutsu. He had definitely witnessed Uchiha Ikeizumi use Wood Release.
In addition to the Sharingan and Lava Release, he possesses the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai?
"That makes three special Kekkei Genkai, doesn't it?"
"And they are all extremely powerful Kekkei Genkai!"
Kakashi was inwardly astonished. In his memory, Uchiha Ikeizumi had never used Wood Release. At least, from what he had personally witnessed, this was the first time.
The question was, where did Uchiha Ikeizumi get the Wood Release bloodline?
This question baffled not only Kakashi.
Hiashi Hyūga was equally perplexed.
Hiashi couldn't help but lightly wipe the side of his cheek, then lower his eyes to gaze at the blood stain on his fingertips. He then glanced at the severed head on the ground, and finally fixed his sight on the bloody, flesh-covered "wooden spectacle."
The shock in his heart was impossible to quell.
Furthermore.
What stunned Hiashi even more was that Uchiha Ikeizumi had actually executed one of their venerable Main House elders right in front of the Hyūga Clan Head!
And all of this had been witnessed by dozens of other clan members!
At least twenty or thirty clan members were currently in the field!
And more were rushing over!
It was then that Hiashi noticed Uchiha Ikeizumi looking his way. The indifferent gaze made him uneasy.
Before Hiashi could figure out what to say to break the silence, a sudden, mournful shriek rang out.
"Father!!!"
Jinsuke Hyūga's second son came sprinting over frantically, but he suddenly stopped just before stepping onto the blood-soaked, fragmented ground. His entire face was blank as he stared at the large severed head on the ground.
Only ten minutes ago, his father had been giving him and his Branch House older brother instructions.
But ten minutes later, all that remained of his father was a head!
"Oh? An unexpected 'harvest'!" But just then, Uchiha Ikeizumi's cold voice suddenly rang out.
Jinsuke's second son hadn't processed the comment.
Hiashi Hyūga's pupils tightened instantly.
...
Simultaneously.
The cold glint of the Kubikiribōchō's blade was vaguely reflected in the eye of a Kirigakure ANBU ninja, growing larger until, in a flash, it sliced across the side of his face.
Puch
The heavy body and sharp edge of the blade easily severed half of the Kirigakure ANBU ninja's head.
Jūzō Biwa looked toward the other side, where Uchiha Ikeizumi's Wood Clone was surrounded by two other Kirigakure ANBU.
Concealed by the thick layers of mist, the two Kirigakure ANBU, wielding different strange ninja tools, attacked the Wood Clone.
"Damn it!"
Jūzō could only vaguely make out three figures. Just as he slammed the Kubikiribōchō into the ground and rapidly formed hand signs to go to the rescue.
A scroll suddenly emerged from the Wood Clone's left wrist.
The scroll was instantly pulled open. The Wood Clone leaped into the air, simultaneously slamming its hands onto the scroll.
"Fire Sealing Method: Release!!!"
In an instant, scorching hot lava erupted from the opened scroll, pouring down like a torrent and instantly swallowing one of the Kirigakure ANBU.
The ninja didn't even have time to scream. His body and the weapon in his hand were instantly consumed and vaporized by the lava!
When the lava hit the ground, it even ignited flames.
The other Kirigakure ANBU's pupils contracted. The scorching heat in the air forced his eyes to squint. He hurriedly stopped and quickly retreated backward in horror.
"Water Release: Water Bullet Technique!!!"
Jūzō Biwa finally finished his hand signs. He opened his mouth and spat. Several water droplets shot out like bullets, instantly piercing the Kirigakure ANBU's body and spraying blood.
The Kirigakure ANBU grunted, dropping to his knees. A mouthful of blood he coughed up stained the inside of his mask.
Before he could scramble to his feet, a heavy Kubikiribōchō was resting on his shoulder.
Jūzō Biwa's cold voice sounded from behind him.
"Did the Fourth send you to hunt me?!"
The surrounding mist slowly dissipated. The half-kneeling Kirigakure ANBU ninja coughed heavily. His mask fell off, revealing a bloodied face twisted into a sneer.
......................
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