Chapter 166: Hizashi, Have You Heard of the Overton Window Theory?

Mass Release 5 Chapters! --- Kaguya Ippei touched it. It really was! The crack was small, perhaps difficult to see with the naked eye. However, in battle, such damage could affect flexibility and impact combat performance. "Amazing!" This wasn’t Hebi Ame’s first contact with Kyohiko. She had heard that Kyohiko’s hearing was extremely sharp, capable of hearing very faint sounds. But seeing is believing. Only after witnessing it firsthand did she realize how terrifying it was; she couldn’t hear such a sound at all. "The material needs further searching for something better. Also, the iron used needs a material upgrade..." As Kyohiko spoke, he looked at Kaguya Ippei. "How does it feel to use? Does the stump of your hand hurt?" Kaguya Ippei’s right hand had been severed at the root. Therefore, a normal prosthetic limb was completely useless and could only be for show. But this type of prosthetic was different. Although controlling it with chakra was more troublesome and difficult, it was at least usable. As for the difficulty and pain of installation and strapping it on, it was nothing to Kaguya Ippei. "Tell me the truth, I need further feedback," Hebi Ame said from the side. Kaguya Ippei nodded. "In my situation, it hurts a little to use, but being able to use it for combat is already very good." "You can’t say that." Hebi Ame shook her head. She scratched her head, then sighed. It seemed... it still needed more improvement. Kyohiko thought for a moment and said, "Could we create artificial bones, and then cultivate some muscles from the shoulder?" "This... I’ll have to do experiments to know," Hebi Ame replied. Kaguya Ippei didn’t hesitate. "Use me for the experiment!" "Ha, how could that be? We don’t do human experiments in Konoha, and this kind of experiment doesn’t need to be done on humans," Hebi Ame covered her mouth and chuckled lightly. A prosthetic limb wasn’t like other experiments; any animal with a skeleton could be a substitute. They could even put it back on after the experiment was done. It was just that the process was very painful for the test subject. Kaguya Ippei was bewildered. After listening for a while, he finally understood that Konoha had a relatively sound experimental system and had long abandoned that old set of practices. At this moment, Kaguya Ippei felt like a country bumpkin who had come to the city. It wasn’t until he took off the prosthetic limb and left the research institute with Kyohiko that he came back to his senses. "Is everyone in Konoha like this now?" "Like what?" "In our Kirigakure, human life is the least valuable. Anyway, without us, there are other ninjas, and the next generation..." Kaguya Ippei sighed, his expression complicated. "Your Konoha is very different in this aspect." "We are mercenaries, employed by the country and clients, and ninjas are tools, weapons. This is the consensus of the shinobi world..." Kyohiko said casually. Then, he paused slightly and said, "But that was in the past. At the end of the day, ninjas are still people and shouldn’t be treated like tools." After hearing this, Kaguya Ippei was silent. He didn’t say a word even after returning to the hospital building. Compared to Konoha, Kirigakure was still under the rule of the "Bloody Mist," not treating ninjas as human beings at all. Moreover, the Kaguya clan of the past had no similar education. Isn’t Konoha afraid that no one will be willing to fight desperately? He was filled with doubt and pondered all the way. Everything in Konoha was a huge shock to his worldview. Perhaps coming to Konoha was not a bad thing for them, but a great blessing. If something were to happen in the Land of Water, the Kaguya clan might have to rely on them to reproduce and pass on their bloodline. --- Outside the Konoha Hospital, Hyuga Hizashi had been waiting for a long time. "Hizashi-senpai." Kyohiko walked out and greeted him from afar. Hizashi nodded lightly, a slight smile on his face. "The family head has invited you." --- Arriving at the Hyuga clan’s territory again, Kyohiko was already mentally prepared. Regarding the Kaguya clan, a conclusion would have to be reached sooner or later. Hiashi sat in the courtyard, with tea laid out in front of him, having waited for a long time. Seeing Kyohiko arrive, he sighed lightly. "Our Hyuga family has had fewer and fewer people since we sent some to become medical ninjas. Please forgive us if our hospitality is lacking." Is he being passive-aggressive here? How could Kyohiko not hear that Hiashi was showing off his contributions and sacrifices to gain bargaining chips for the upcoming negotiation? "Great effort brings great rewards. The Hyuga clan’s prestige in the village is much higher than before." "Not necessarily a good thing." Hiashi sighed. The Senju, the Uchiha, how high was their prestige back then? Needless to say what the situation of these two clans was now. He only wanted the Hyuga clan’s powerful legacy to be passed down; he didn’t want those empty titles. After a slight pause, Hiashi said, "Kyohiko-kun, the Kaguya clan and we have old ties. In any case, we should know the village’s arrangements for the Kaguya clan." "The Iburi clan is a precedent. For the Kaguya clan to settle down, they will definitely need to pay. The village plans to waive two years of rent. After that, whether they buy or rent will be up to them," Kyohiko replied. Hiashi said, "The Hyuga clan still has some land and houses that can be given to them to live in." "If the nine members of the Kaguya clan are willing, the village certainly won’t have any objections. The assistance and rewards for them will be converted into other forms," Kyohiko smiled. "Of course, although the Kaguya clan and we have blood ties, we are ultimately two families. What they decide to do is still up to them," Hiashi slowly exhaled. He understood. Kyohiko’s conditions were not excessive, even more lenient than he had expected—the Kaguya clan’s rights would be independent, not under the jurisdiction of the Hyuga clan. Given the Kaguya’s personality, they would be difficult to manage and restrain anyway. Hiashi had been having a headache about how to negotiate this. Since Kyohiko had his own requests, he could just go with the flow, and he would have an explanation for the clan. After the brief meeting, Kyohiko did not stay long. He was very busy. Although the nine members of the Kaguya clan had been taken over by Tsunade and he didn’t need to receive them, there was a pile of things to do at the Anbu. He hadn’t checked for several days and didn’t know how Kakashi was handling things or if he could adapt. Hiashi stood up and smilingly asked Hizashi to see him off. Hizashi naturally agreed. At the gate, Hizashi showed no sign of turning back, instead indicating he would walk him a little further. It wasn’t until they left Hyuga Town and reached a more secluded spot that Hyuga Hizashi spoke. "Kyohiko-kun, you have always been smart and capable. There is something I would like to ask for your help with." Ask? Kyohiko was a little surprised. Hizashi rarely used such a word. However, he and Orochimaru had long seen that Hyuga Hizashi had something on his mind. He just hadn’t expected Hizashi to finally choose to confide in him. Kyohiko pondered for a moment and said, "This isn’t a convenient place. Come directly to the Anbu headquarters tomorrow." "Alright." Hizashi thought about it and realized it was true. Even with the Byakugan’s surveillance to ensure no one was eavesdropping, it was ultimately not as safe and secure as the Anbu headquarters. He nodded in agreement. Kyohiko bid farewell to Hizashi, his gaze already shifted back to the system panel. [Under your guidance, some members of the Kaguya clan have joined Konoha and become a part of it.] [Konoha has obtained a new Kekkei Genkai inheritance.] [Reward: Bloodline Enhancement] A flash of eagerness appeared in his eyes. A simple and unadorned reward. But at his level, improving the basics was becoming increasingly difficult. This kind of improvement was far better for him than a normal ninjutsu reward. However, he would have to test the specifics of the improvement. One of the reasons Kyohiko didn’t want to chat much with Hizashi just now was that he was eager to go back and try it out. Returning to the Anbu headquarters, he didn’t rush to the office but secretly tested it. Unfortunately, this kind of bloodline enhancement showed no immediate effect, and the panel didn’t display much change. The only thing Kyohiko could sense was—his strength had increased! Also, his body seemed a little more flexible than before. It was difficult to perceive anything else at the moment. Compared to the Senju bloodline, these two subtle improvements were more like the characteristics of the Kaguya clan. Theoretically, the Senju, Uchiha, Hyuga, and Kaguya were all descendants of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki... Could it be that it had enhanced a latent part of his bloodline? Kyohiko fell into deep thought. --- The next day, at the Anbu base. Kyohiko had been processing documents all night. Although Kakashi helped a lot, he was not the Anbu captain after all, and lacked many permissions. At most, he could help forward some key matters to Tsunade. As for Orochimaru, that guy didn’t care about administrative affairs at all, now immersed in training and research, seemingly still trying to research the path to immortality. Of course, besides his own research, he was also delving into Hashirama’s cells, Wood Style, Sage Mode, and the Smoke Transformation Jutsu. Orochimaru was interested in all unknown mysteries! Especially after cooperating with Kyohiko, he had a steady stream of research topics and test subjects, keeping him extremely busy. Kyohiko had originally wanted to go see Pakura, but after thinking about it, he decided to wait for Hizashi to arrive. In the early morning, Hizashi paid an early visit. Kyohiko invited him to sit down, then released his chakra, raising a barrier in the room. "There is a secret barrier here. You can say whatever problem you have." "First is..." Hizashi hesitated for a moment, then said, "First is the Gentle Fist. You should understand the Gentle Fist, right?" "I know a little," Kyohiko nodded. Hizashi smiled after hearing this. This guy’s "a little" meant he understood it quite well. Otherwise, how could he have thought of combining pressure point strikes with the Wild Lion’s Mane Technique? He said, "You said before that for the Gentle Fist to develop further, it either needs to add more techniques or make the chakra stronger and more condensed. Have you already come up with some ideas?" "Is it important?" Kyohiko glanced at Hizashi. Hizashi hesitated for a moment. "It’s important, but also not really that important." Kyohiko understood. This was not the other’s main problem. Hizashi usually helped him a lot, and he also helped out a lot at the Anbu. Although it was mutually beneficial, but... after a moment’s thought, he answered. "You have a technique called Vacuum Palm, but in the Senju’s secret techniques, there is also a secret technique that utilizes chakra in a similar way." As he spoke, Kyohiko flicked his finger. A powerful stream of chakra shot out from his fingertip, making a "bang" sound. "The principles of many techniques are interconnected, so..." Kyohiko circulated chakra in his palm, incorporating some of the techniques and characteristics of Gentle Step and Beast Wave Palm, and suddenly struck the ground. Boom! With one palm, a small hole was blasted into the ground. "What do you think?" "This..." Hizashi was utterly shocked. Such power and technique were in no way inferior to the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm, and even surpassed it by a lot. His feelings were complicated. It turned out that the secret technique they treasured in the Hyuga clan was actually nothing remarkable in the other’s eyes, just another type of ninjutsu or taijutsu. He felt more and more that the Hyuga clan’s closed-off tradition, while protecting the Hyuga’s legacy, also made the Hyuga family self-contained and difficult to improve. However, he was just the head of the branch family and had no say. As for his elder brother, forget it! Hizashi gave a bitter smile, shaking his head without speaking, looking deeply affected. Kyohiko said, "Actually, the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm still has its merits. I can do this only because I know more difficult techniques." With master-level Gentle Step and Beast Wave Palm, wasn’t it simple to merge and create a similar technique? But the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm, that was pure taijutsu! Moreover, the ultimate version of this technique, the "Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack," was a Kekkei Mōra, which even Six Paths Naruto couldn’t block. The Hyuga clan certainly couldn’t reach the level of the Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack, but they could still improve on it. There was no need to have a mental breakdown. Hizashi shook his head. "It’s not because of that... sigh!" He was silent for a moment, then changed the subject. "Kyohiko-kun, can I trust you?" From their past interactions, Hyuga Hizashi had a very good impression of Kyohiko. The two of them had a feeling of friendship that transcended age. But the matter of the main and branch families concerned his life and safety; he had to be cautious. "I can guarantee that what we say today, unless you say it yourself, no third person will know," Kyohiko replied seriously. The Byakugan was very useful. Hizashi was also a good helper. Besides, he also wanted to know what kind of reward he could get for gaining Hizashi’s complete trust. Hizashi was silent for a moment, then said, "What do you think of the main and branch family system?" "The main and branch families, without a doubt, the Hyuga clan’s inheritance to this day owes a great deal to this system," Kyohiko said without hesitation. Hizashi sighed. "Yes, so, rationally, I think the Hyuga clan’s system is very good. But as a member of the branch family, I cannot accept my own child also..." As he spoke, he couldn’t help but give a bitter smile. "To be honest with you, I’ve been having a nightmare recently. I dream that my child is crying to me, asking me why I gave birth to him?" "I can’t answer." Hizashi sighed deeply. As a younger brother, he was willing to be driven by Hiashi, but as a father, he could not accept it. Kyohiko was silent. Even he didn’t have a good solution for the Hyuga clan’s situation. After all, he was not a Hyuga. No matter what he said, there was still a barrier, and many solutions could not be spoken aloud. Having said this, Hizashi felt a sense of relief, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He asked in a low voice, "Do you think it’s feasible to divide the main and branch families in other forms?" "Divide the main and branch families in other forms?" Kyohiko was stunned. Wasn’t this just reallocating resources and status? How could the main family possibly agree! No, wait. If there were no signs, Hizashi wouldn’t have come to him for discussion. This meant that there was already some progress on this matter, at least on Hiashi’s side. The difficulty lay with the other members of the main family. Although the Hyuga clan’s direct line had only one main family member, the Hyuga clan was not just one line, so there was in fact more than one main family member. For example, Hyuga Kisai was an elder from the main family. They would not agree. Therefore, adjusting the distribution system became Hiashi’s current problem. Kyohiko unconsciously licked his lips, then quickly stopped. "It’s very difficult! After all, if a branch family member moves up, a main family member will have to step down. The main family members won’t agree. What you need to consider is not making it acceptable to both sides, but how to make the main family members willing to cooperate and step down gracefully," Kyohiko reminded him. Hizashi nodded repeatedly, a look of joy in his eyes. That’s right! That’s the logic! He had thought so too, but just couldn’t think of a way! Kyohiko smiled and said, "This matter concerns the interests of the entire branch family. You should unite the entire branch family, settle the matter first, and then negotiate step by step." If you want to open a window, you must first propose to tear off the roof. "What do you mean?" Force the issue! Hizashi’s heart pounded, his lips trembling slightly. "What if, what if..." "Previously, Hiashi-senpai used experiments as a pretext to centralize a wave of power, which was a big blow to the other lineages. This matter still needs to be discussed with Hiashi-senpai. If he doesn’t agree, you shouldn’t do it," Kyohiko reminded him. "The branch family is not in a desperate situation. If you act directly without strong support, you will never succeed." Hizashi nodded repeatedly. Hiashi... He quietly let out a breath. Although it might be his brother just making empty promises, he was only giving suggestions, not persuading too much, so it wouldn’t arouse the other’s suspicion. Feasible!