Hyūga Hizashi was the first to react, stepping in front of Hyūga Hiashi without hesitation.
Hiashi's face turned iron-dark as he stared at Hyūga Akira.
If Tsunade weren't here, he would have already taught this brat a brutal lesson.
A member of the branch family daring to release killing intent toward the main house—
That was outright treason.
Akira let out a short laugh and shot Hiashi a disdainful glance.
"Trash."
"You—!" Hiashi raised a trembling finger, fury flashing across his face. Just like the rumors within the clan, this man had absolutely no respect for the main house.
Bang!
The ground beneath Tsunade's feet shattered.
Green chakra erupted violently from her body, rolling outward like a crushing wave.
Even Akira felt his breathing grow heavy.
"This is not the Hyūga clan compound," Tsunade said coldly.
"I apologize, Lady Tsunade," Hiashi replied immediately, bowing with perfect etiquette.
Flawless manners. Not a single fault to pick apart.
Hizashi followed Hiashi's lead and stepped back behind him.
Akira took a step back as well, deliberately widening the distance between himself and the brothers, his posture screaming don't come any closer.
Tsunade's expression darkened.
She knew it. She knew she shouldn't have accepted this assignment.
Originally, she'd thought Hyūga clan members would be easy to manage. But glancing at Akira—who wore an utterly indifferent expression—she felt a headache coming on.
Who would've thought the Hyūga clan could produce a problem child like this?
"I don't care how you behave inside your clan," Tsunade said sharply.
"But right now, you are my subordinates."
Under her pressure, Hiashi and Hizashi pressed their lips together and said nothing more.
Akira sucked in a sharp breath. "Jōnin-level pressure… terrifying indeed."
This guy really wasn't afraid of her at all.
Tsunade's eye twitched. She shot Akira a vicious glare, while he casually whistled and looked away.
Suppressing her irritation, Tsunade pulled out a scroll and held it up.
"This time, I've accepted a C-rank mission. We'll be clearing out a group of mountain bandits. Consider it a chance for your team to build coordination."
To put it bluntly, she was here as a babysitter.
She didn't truly acknowledge this three-man squad yet. Hiashi and Hizashi had already graduated two years ago but had never once left the village on a mission.
As the treasured heir of the main house, Hiashi had been protected a little too well.
Now the Hyūga clan wanted to temper their next clan head—but without risking his life.
That was why Tsunade had been assigned.
As for Hizashi, he had already completed many missions and was a fully qualified genin. His role this time was clear: protect Hiashi.
Akira, on the other hand, had only graduated this year. He was originally meant to be assigned to a standard genin squad.
Instead, the Hyūga clan forcibly inserted him into this newly formed team—
As a death guard.
If Hiashi or Hizashi encountered danger, Akira was expected to fight to the death to get them out alive.
Akira flashed Hiashi a grin, revealing cold white teeth.
He'd make Hiashi understand something very clearly.
Sometimes, the most dangerous enemy… was your teammate.
"Any objections?" Tsunade asked, sweeping her gaze across the three of them.
"If not, we leave immediately."
Akira raised an eyebrow.
He hadn't known they were heading straight into a mission. That old bastard Hyūga Dema hadn't mentioned a word about it.
He glanced at Hiashi and Hizashi.
Neither looked surprised.
So he was the only one left in the dark.
Catching his reaction, Tsunade said sternly, "A ninja must always be prepared for combat. If you maintain a careless attitude, you won't even know how you died."
"Still, if you're not ready, we can wait here for you."
This time, even Hiashi and Hizashi didn't object. They silently agreed with Tsunade.
"You guys are surprisingly considerate," Akira said with a cheerful smile.
Clearly, none of them intended to force him.
"I always keep the Ninja Handbook in mind," Akira said, patting the ninja pouch at his waist. "Ready for battle at any time."
Naturally, it was just for show.
Everything he actually needed was stored in his inventory—stackable up to ninety-nine.
Tsunade nodded in satisfaction. "Then let's move out."
At the village gate, Tsunade submitted the mission documentation to the guards, and their squad was granted immediate passage.
Any ninja leaving the village required an official mission record—both to prevent defection and to stop spies from slipping away.
Besides the two visible guards, numerous ANBU lurked unseen.
Akira swept his gaze over the gate guards.
Didn't recognize them at all.
As expected of the two future gate gods—even Madara Uchiha would fear these guys.
Akira chuckled quietly.
The others glanced at him in confusion, unsure what he found so amusing.
The squad quickly exited the village and began moving through the forest.
Chakra really was an incredible thing—it directly enhanced the human body.
Akira stayed at the rear of the formation, leaping from branch to branch with ease.
Beast roars and bird calls echoed through the forest, masking the sound of their movement.
Since they barely knew one another, no one bothered making conversation.
Akira, meanwhile, was deep in thought about chakra itself.
Its versatility was astonishing.
It enhanced physical ability, reinforced defense, transformed into elements, distorted space, and could even be solidified into tangible force.
On his game interface, chakra was merely a numerical stat.
But its true manifestation lay elsewhere—
In ninjutsu and innate abilities.
Techniques like throwing weapons or setting traps were considered technical skills. They didn't form skills on the interface and required real practice.
But abilities that did become skills could be upgraded directly using experience points.
The cost varied depending on complexity.
For example:
[Substitution Technique (Lv.5)]
Once expanded, it became:
[Substitution Technique (Lv.5) | EXP (0/500) | Trait: None]
Any skill that reached max level would unlock a trait.
Similar skills could even merge into advanced abilities later on.
Unfortunately, he didn't meet the requirements yet.
Before entering the game's beta, he had memorized nearly every strategy guide.
Take the Byakugan's evolution into the Tenseigan, for instance.
The requirements were simple:
Max-level Byakugan, plus the item Ōtsutsuki Chakra.
But therein lay the problem.
Ōtsutsuki Chakra only dropped from Ōtsutsuki clan members.
And every single one on this planet was far beyond his ability to handle.
The Sage of Six Paths in the Pure Land.
The hidden boss Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.
Any encounter would be instant death.
That left only one option.
The Ōtsutsuki clan on the Moon.
Kaguya was sealed—no point even thinking about her.
But the lunar Ōtsutsuki…
The issue was simple.
He had no way to get to the Moon.
"Tch. Byakugan really has no future," Akira cursed inwardly.
"Better to find a way to farm an Uchiha and get a Sharingan."
Lost in thought, he noticed Hizashi slowing slightly, drifting closer until they were side by side.
Akira shot him a sidelong glance.
"What? Something you want to say?"
He had zero interest in a Byakugan bound by the Caged Bird Seal.
At best, it would drop [Damaged Byakugan].