"Stupid fox, why are you so happy seeing me get beaten up again?" Kushina growled in anger.
She turned to face Hyūga Hane, who was already rushing toward her once more, and decided not to hold back any longer.
As a member of the Uzumaki Clan, her specialty lay not in Taijutsu, but in Sealing Techniques.
[Adamantine Sealing Chains!]
Kushina shouted fiercely. Her aura suddenly shifted as chains made from golden chakra erupted from her body.
The glowing golden chains danced through the air, lashing out at Hyūga Hane and halting his attack.
"What is this?"
Using his Byakugan, Hyūga Hane twisted his body frantically, trying to dodge the flying chains.
Years of ninja experience told him that if those golden chains wrapped around him, nothing good would come of it.
"Tch, Hane is such useless trash. Hyūga Izumi, go help him!" Hyūga Mori snapped angrily.
He hadn't expected a young red-haired girl to last this long against the Hyūga Clan.
And now she was even showing signs of turning the tide.
Branch House members were just worthless scum.
Hyūga Izumi was one of his personal guards standing by his side.
Upon receiving the order, Izumi's eyes flashed and he sprang forward like a darting rabbit.
"Your opponent is me." Minato Namikaze stood in Izumi's path, his long golden hair flowing in the wind.
He stood like a golden sun—unwavering and resolute—as he blocked Izumi's path.
"Step aside, kid, unless you want a beating too," Izumi coldly warned.
He didn't want to harm these people, but orders from the Main House were absolute.
Minato took a fighting stance without backing down.
"Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you."
Hyūga Izumi shifted stance, activated the Eight Trigrams steps, and rushed straight at Minato Namikaze.
With a powerful sweep, his sleeve flaring in the wind, his palm struck directly into Minato.
Minato raised his arm in an Iron Fist stance to block the strike.
However, Izumi was clearly stronger, pushing Minato back two steps.
Blows exploded across the open plaza as both fighters' movements blurred with speed, leaving behind afterimages.
Minato had just begun mastering the Iron Fist style, learning to channel energy from every cell in his body. He could hold his ground for a while.
Moreover, Minato possessed strong combat reflexes and quick adaptability.
His strength and experience grew with every exchange.
If only he had more chakra, he might actually be able to match his opponent evenly.
As the two battles raged, Satori Hyūga felt no concern.
After all, Kushina and Minato were both geniuses.
They wouldn't run into trouble anytime soon.
"Now it's just you and me. Let me show you what the Iron Fist can do."
Satori charged forward like a blazing meteor, heading straight for Hyūga Mori.
While observing the fight earlier, he had paused his Feeding-Back Jutsu 2.0 to channel and refine his chakra, preparing himself for this moment.
Mori was a few years older than him, so Satori did not underestimate him—he intended to go all out.
Like a lithe and powerful panther, Satori lunged forward, throwing a powerful blow with the New Gentle Fist.
"Come on, use your Gentle Fist and let's see who's stronger!"
Fists shot through the air, charged with chakra from his palms, unleashing immense force.
As a Main House member, Hyūga Mori had rarely been in a real fight since graduating from the Ninja Academy.
Now, watching Satori Hyūga charge toward him, he hesitated for a moment.
Only when Satori's massive fist was right in front of his face did Mori snap out of his daze.
Letting out a shriek, he abandoned all pretense of dignity and decorum befitting a noble Main House member, scrambling away in panic.
Confronted by the ferocious Satori Hyūga, he couldn't even manage resistance.
"Satori! This is the Hyūga clan compound—fighting isn't allowed here! You're just asking for trouble!"
Before he could finish speaking, a sandbag-sized fist slammed down.
"Ow! I'm a respected member of the Main House! Satori, you're going too far! Just wait till I tell the elders and Clan Leader. You'll live to regret it!"
Satori shrugged indifferently.
"Go ahead. I'm part of the Main House too. What punishment could they possibly give me?"
The Main House enjoyed privileges, so Satori felt absolutely no fear.
Besides, Orochimaru was planning to take him as an apprentice.
At such a crucial time, he didn't believe the family would dare lock him up or punish him for fighting.
That would be a major slap in Orochimaru's face.
After all, this was the period following the end of the Second Great Shinobi War, when the Sannin had already become famous and were riding high on their prestige.
Plus, Orochimaru was one of the Third Hokage's personal disciples.
Even though the Hyūga were a powerful and prestigious family, they wouldn't lightly provoke someone like that.
Satori Hyūga moved extremely fast, raining blow after blow onto his opponent.
[New Gentle Fist] combined softness and strength—maintaining the traditional Gentle Fist's ability to strike pressure points while adding raw physical force.
With just punches alone, it hurt like hell.
Initially, Mori tried resisting, but after being hit around and crying out in pain, he quickly abandoned that idea.
Main House members? Spoiled brats, the lot of them.
Perhaps there were a few talented ones among them, but even those had likely lost their edge through years of comfort and ease.
"Branch House members! Hurry up and help me!" Mori shouted desperately at the watching Branch House members nearby.
"If you let me—a Main House member—get hurt like this, just wait till I tell the elders and Clan Leader! You'll live to regret it!"
His harsh tone caused hesitation among the Branch House members.
Mori had always been selfish and vengeful—those in the Branch House who didn't step forward might face retaliation later.
"Branch House members, I order you to leave right now in the name of the Main House! This is between him and me," Satori commanded firmly.
The Branch House members looked at each other uncertainly, unsure which way to turn.
"I'm just teaching them a lesson," Satori continued calmly. "Just some bruises and scrapes. I won't kill him. Don't worry."
Hearing this, the Branch House members immediately turned and left.
A brawl between two Main House members was none of their business as Branch members—they lacked the power to stop it anyway.
Time to get out while the getting's good.
Wait for the elders and Clan Leader to come handle it.
Moments later,
All the spectators had fled the scene, leaving behind only the six individuals still locked in battle.
"You damn cowards! Get back here and help me!" Mori bellowed, with one final scream, his eyes swollen shut and face a battered mess.
No one paid any attention, and the Branch House members increased their speed.
Satori Hyūga caught a brief glimpse of Hiashi Hyūga's figure from the corner of his eye, but it vanished in an instant.
This scene alone was enough to show how deeply disliked Hyūga Mori had become.
"Hyūga Hane, Hyūga Izumi! If you don't want anything to happen to Hyūga Mori, stop right now."
Satori Hyūga grabbed Mori and threatened the two men.
There was a reason the two had become Guard ninjas—their strength and battle experience were well proven.
Minato Namikaze and Kushina had held on this long, but they were beginning to feel the strain.
They were both geniuses, yet their training time and actual battle experience were still severely lacking.
"Let go of Lord Mori!" Hyūga Izumi shouted, stopping his attack.
Seeing this, Hyūga Hane also halted his assault and stepped aside.
Although the two had stopped fighting, Hyūga Mori was furious. He erupted into loud curses: "You useless fools, keep attacking! Capture them! I don't believe Satori won't let me go!"
Satori's expression darkened. With chakra-infused fingers, he ruthlessly pressed into several pressure points on Hyūga Mori's body.
"Ahh! It hurts like hell!"
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