Orochimaru's invitation had been dangerously risky, but it resulted in a significant breakthrough in Hyuga Kei's diagnosis of Hyuga Haru. What delighted him even more, however, was the reward he received from Haru, Twin Lion Fists.
For the longest time, both the general public and even Kei himself had considered Gentle Fist a soft and flexible fighting style that relied on finesse and subtle redirection.
But Kei never quite agreed with that notion.
When it came to Gentle Fist, Twin Lion Fists, both in method and nature, had absolutely nothing "gentle" about them. Instead, they exuded a powerful, violent aura of pure force.
This technique didn't merely involve chakra control, it required chakra nature transformation and then layered on top of that, a form transformation. Its strikes were ferocious, built for absolute offense and devastating impact.
To Kei, if the Eight Trigrams Palm represented the "gentle" side of Gentle Fist, then Twin Lion Fists undoubtedly represented the "fist" in its name.
Only when both were combined could one grasp the true meaning of the Gentle Fist, to either subdue with four ounces against a thousand pounds, or dominate with overwhelming strength. That was the real essence!
More importantly, Twin Lion Fists were of great significance to Kei at this point.
With his Byakugan's abilities still dormant, no matter how refined his sensing skills were, he couldn't perceive the enemy's chakra pathways or internal flow.
That rendered the Eight Trigrams Palm, reliant on visualizing chakra networks, largely ineffective.
But Twin Lion Fists were a different story. With them, he could bypass the limitations of vision entirely and defeat foes with brute force alone, compensating for his inability to use the Byakugan.
He didn't have much time to ponder it further. For some reason, today had been especially busy, patients were pouring in one after another. Kei could only focus on his work as time quietly slipped by.
By the time the sun had fully set and night covered the village, the Hokage Tower remained brightly lit.
Based on the evidence provided by Shisui, Hiruzen Sarutobi had confirmed Orochimaru's human experimentation on villagers. That very evening, he issued the order, arrest Orochimaru.
Shisui had requested to join the operation, but his request was denied. Now, all he could do was wait beneath the tower for news.
Two hours later, Hiruzen returned to the Hokage Tower with the ANBU in tow, his face weary and lined with exhaustion.
Shisui noticed the ANBU carrying a mountain of research notes, but no sign of Orochimaru. His heart skipped a beat.
"Hokage-sama, where is Orochimaru?" he asked.
Hiruzen coughed at the question, then sighed. "We were so close to succeeding, but… in the final moments, he managed to escape."
Shisui stared, unable to believe it. The explanation, that the failure was due to a last-minute misstep, sounded absurd.
Hiruzen placed a hand on Shisui's shoulder and said, "This is my fault. I accepted Orochimaru as my student, yet failed to guide him properly. That's what led him down the wrong path."
Shisui hesitated before replying, "This is Orochimaru's fault. You don't need to blame yourself, Hokage-sama."
"No… I still bear the responsibility for my poor oversight." Hiruzen reproached himself, then shifted tone. "You've worked hard these past days. Go rest for now."
"Hokage-sama, perhaps I should be the one to pursue Orochimaru…"
Shisui still wanted to press for more details and request the mission to chase him down. But Hiruzen had already turned, disappearing into the tower with his ANBU. Shisui could only fall silent.
Staring at the grand building that symbolized Konoha's authority, Shisui couldn't shake the heaviness in his chest.
Just then, a memory surged in his mind, of the bet he'd made with Hyuga Kei three days earlier.
Kei had told him to open the slip of paper containing the wager only when the time felt right.
Fumbling with urgency, Shisui pulled the slip from his pocket and unfolded it.
Just one line was written, but reading it sent a chill down his spine.
[The arrest operation will not be initiated immediately. Orochimaru will escape.]
Shisui stood frozen. He couldn't believe it. How had Kei foreseen this outcome, word for word, before any of it happened?
Could psychology really predict the future?
Unable to comprehend, he decided to confront Kei directly.
Back at the clinic, Kei was still treating patients when Shisui stormed in.
"I need you to explain something to me," he demanded, his voice brimming with suppressed agitation.
"I can tell you're in a hurry, but calm down," Kei replied coolly. "There are still patients here. You're not more important than they are."
Shisui clenched his fists and took a deep breath. After a long moment, he turned and walked out, standing quietly on the street outside.
Once Kei finished treating his final patient, he turned toward the door. Seeing Shisui still waiting outside, occasionally peering in, he spoke to Haru, "Looks like he won't leave unless I talk to him. Want to come along?"
Tilting his head toward her, he waited for her reply.
Haru hesitated, then moved to sit on a nearby chair. "I'm not your servant. I have the right to rest."
Kei chuckled and didn't argue. Taking up his cane, he stepped outside and walked with Shisui into a secluded alley.
Before Shisui could speak, Kei cut him off. "If you've got questions, ask quickly. But let me make one thing clear, I have no obligation to explain anything to you."
"Why did you know the operation wouldn't start immediately, and that Orochimaru would escape?"
"Does it matter now? The result's already happened. What use is knowing the process?"
"Of course it matters! You knew everything yet said nothing! If you'd told us earlier, Orochimaru might not have escaped!"
"And are you sure that if I had told you, Orochimaru would've been caught?"
"If we had known in advance, we could've been better prepared, "
"I didn't warn you in advance?" Kei tilted his head. "I gave you the prediction. You chose not to open it."
"That's because you told me not to."
Kei let out a soft, mocking laugh. "I also told you the choice was yours, didn't I? In the end, you made your decision, not me."
"Besides, even if I had told you directly to open it… would you have believed it?"
"Let me think, what did you say back then?" Kei mimicked Shisui's confident tone. "Of course! With Hokage-sama leading the ANBU, even Orochimaru couldn't possibly escape."
"You were already convinced of the outcome. And now you want to blame me? Isn't that a joke?"
Shisui gripped the slip of paper tightly, remembering the scene vividly. As he reflected, his shoulders slumped, and he lowered his head, at a loss for words.
Kei lightly tapped his cane against Shisui's chest. "Don't come to me with accusations. If you really want answers, go home and think hard about the bigger picture."
"If you can see through the truth behind all this, then maybe there's still hope for you."
"But if you can't…"
He didn't finish the sentence. Turning away, Kei left the alley.
He had already decided, tomorrow, he would begin purchasing the equipment for human experimentation.
<150 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter>