Chapter 9 — I Came to Rebel
The sky darkened as heavy clouds rolled in from the east, blotting out the fierce sun. The air remained stifling and humid, clinging to skin and making movement sticky and unpleasant — a sharp contrast to the dry weather many in Konoha preferred.
For Hyūga Ritsu, though, the discomfort meant nothing. Two years of fighting along the eastern coast against the Mist had trained him to move in damp, clinging air. The oppressive hush that comes before a storm matched the mood in his chest perfectly.
The stagnant calm of the Hyūga clan was about to be ripped apart by a storm it had never seen.
The four of them ran fast through near-empty alleys, keeping low and urgent.
"Ritsu, if we go much further it'll be hard to stay hidden," Takuma warned. The buildings grew denser ahead; the open yards and trees thinned out. They were approaching the compound's center.
In the Hyūga estate, the Main-house families clustered at the center while Branch families spread outward. The closer to the center, the heavier the foot traffic and the more eyes. The clan had rules: don't open your Byakugan casually in public; only in training grounds shielded by barriers was it permitted. But rules could only do so much. In crowds, even without opening the Byakugan, movement and faces were easily noticed.
"It doesn't matter," Ritsu said without slowing, his voice flat. "Even if we're seen, it won't ruin things. Takuma — when Arima found you and told you I was looking for you, what did you think I'd come back for?"
"Uh… I— I didn't know," Takuma answered honestly. Then, as if a thought hit him, his eyes widened. "Oh! I get it now." He'd been blank for a moment, unnerved, but realized he did understand their purpose. The other clan members didn't. And, crucially, the Main House hadn't formally accused Ritsu yet; he wasn't a universally recognized criminal. Being seen would prompt questions, perhaps gossip — not an immediate arrest. That made detection tolerable.
They turned a corner. Someone saw them.
"Hyūga Ritsu?"
A man leaned over a second-floor balcony, smoking. He stared down the alley and recognized the prodigy at a glance. He hadn't even noticed the cigarette drop from his mouth as shock registered.
"When did you get back? The clan head and elders haven't punished you… Wait—what's wrong with your forehead? Where's your seal? Your Caged Bird mark?" the man blurted, panic cracking his voice.
Ritsu didn't answer. He simply pushed forward and urged the others on.
Rules against opening Byakugan in public weren't enough to stop people from prying in private; many residences posted clan wards — five barrier talismans placed on every side of a house and the roof — to block Byakugan surveillance and protect domestic privacy. In public people kept decorum; at home, lonely, twisted voyeurists or petty gossips could be ruthless. So the ward practice existed: a modest fortress around each home that denied prying eyes even from within the clan.
They moved through the outer layer of residences and into streets lined with those ward talismans. The hustle of daily clan life went on around them — shopfronts, courtyards, children running to training — and yet the heart of the estate pulsed with tension. Ritsu could feel it: each step brought them nearer to the faces he intended to change forever.
Even with his Byakugan open, Ritsu couldn't see inside the clan houses. Each residence was shielded by the clan's privacy wards, and the smoke-backed man on the balcony had been inside that protected zone — which is why Ritsu hadn't spotted him earlier and had literally walked into the man's line of sight.
The middle-aged man stared in stunned outrage. "What the hell is going on?" He hesitated for less than three seconds, then vaulted over the railing and gave chase down the alley. He didn't know exactly what he would do if he caught them — only that staying behind would leave him sick with worry.
Ritsu didn't stop. He strode straight to a white-walled, black-tiled residence flanked by pines. Two young Branch guards stood at the gate.
"Is Elder Hyūga Shunsuke home?" Ritsu asked.
The guards opened their mouths, but before they could finish their question, Ritsu struck — a single, brutal palm blow that sent one man sprawling and out cold. The second guard managed one choking syllable before he too collapsed into instant sleep.
Ritsu looked over at Arima. "Stay out here. Open your Byakugan and watch the estate. If anyone from the village enters, tell me at once."
"Yes, Ritsu-nii!" Arima yelled, immediately widening his vision to the farthest reach and monitoring every entrance.
Ritsu pushed through the gate and into the courtyard. Once inside the warded perimeter, his Byakugan could pierce the interior. He scanned the compound and located the Main-house elder practicing Gentle Fist in the indoor arena — Hyūga Shunsuke.
Shunsuke, mid-exercise, felt the intrusion. He stopped, frowned, and hurried out of the training hall. Ritsu halted in the yard and waited for him.
Thirteen seconds later, Shunsuke stormed into the courtyard surrounded by eight Branch guards, voice booming with righteous fury: "Hyūga Ritsu! How dare you—! You sabotaged the Main House on the front lines and let the Byakugan be stolen by the Mist. Now you've broken into my home. Are you rebelling?"
Ritsu smiled, calm as iron. "Yes. I came to rebel."
Shunsuke's voice rose, trying to cow him: "If you don't want to drag your parents into disgrace, surrender now—"
Ritsu repeated, louder and with deliberate clarity, "I said I came to rebel. I have returned to the clan to smash this slave-like Main-and-Branch system."