I, Konoha’s Sage of Life

Gekko Hayate forced a smile.

Though he had disguised his voice, Kyoichi’s attitude made it clear that his identity was already exposed.

"I brought your team here for many reasons. One of them is that you’ve just been reassembled and haven’t gone through the full ANBU training regimen."

Kyoichi didn’t elaborate further, but anyone in ANBU would understand what he meant.

As for Asuma and his group...

They were just sitting in, so Kyoichi didn’t feel the need to accommodate them too much. They’d understand as much as they could.

After a brief pause, Kyoichi continued, "Your team has a good range of abilities. I have a specific requirement: All of you must master the Hidden Mist Jutsu and the Silent Killing technique."

"Yes!"

Gekko Hayate nodded.

In their group, only he knew the Hidden Mist Jutsu, but it wouldn’t be hard to get everyone used to fighting in the mist. It just needed practice and training.

"You are responsible for learning this technique."

Kyoichi handed over a ninjutsu scroll.

It contained the Earth Spear technique, and he gave it to a ninja named Sarutobi Hiroki, not the Third Hokage’s son, but still a Sarutobi clan member proficient in Earth Release.

Kohinata Mukai's eyes gradually lit up.

Hidden Mist Jutsu, Silent Killing Technique.

Earth Spear...

Unless they encountered a Lightning Release ninja, this was practically the perfect combination for assassination.

"These are some techniques I’ve summarized for the Body Flicker Jutsu and assassination methods."

"This is the First Activation of the Seven Heavens Breathing Method..."

Kyoichi took out scroll after scroll.

Everyone was stunned.

Kohinata Mukai stole a glance, his heart filled with shock.

He had originally thought that Kyoichi's appointment as the ANBU team leader might have involved some favoritism. But seeing him casually tossing out techniques they had never even heard of, he immediately understood...

This Jonin, who was only a few years older than him, had truly earned his rank!

"You can start practicing together. For the First Activation, it’s voluntary unless you're in ANBU." Kyoichi said indifferently.

The Seven Heavens Breathing Method only had the First Activation, but it was still much stronger than the regular Breathing Activation Technique.

For the ANBU squad, this was mandatory.

"Yes!"

Everyone responded in unison.

And so, the entire day was spent training in the Seven Heavens Breathing Method.

Kyoichi observed from the shadows.

He vaguely remembered...

This Kohinata Mukai seemed to have awakened the Byakugan.

The Kohinata branch family had separated from the Hyuga clan generations ago. By normal standards, it should have been almost impossible for a Byakugan to manifest.

But just like how Moegi Kazamatsuri awakened the Wood Release, a diluted bloodline could still produce a rare awakening.

Therefore...

After his secret observation, the next day, Kyoichi conducted some tests and continued their training. Then...

"Mukai, come with me."

"Yes!"

Although Kohinata Mukai was confused, he still followed Kyoichi’s orders.

After walking for a while, he realized they were far from the rest of the team—what exactly did this Jonin want?

He was pondering when a single sentence sent a chill through his entire body.

"Has there been a case of generational awakening in the Kohinata clan?"

"Ah!!"

Mukai shivered.

His biggest secret was his Byakugan. Not even the Third Hokage had discovered it when he joined ANBU, but this man in front of him...

How did he know?!

He was bewildered, his mind in a chaotic panic.

"So, it turns out you also had a generational awakening, just like me." Kyoichi said calmly.

"I don't understand what you mean, my lord." Mukai replied cautiously.

"You learned the First Activation of the Seven Heavens Breathing Method in just one day. You’ve never studied the Breathing Activation Technique or the Eight Gates, and you’ve had no training in medical ninjutsu. The only explanation is that you have an exceptional understanding of the human chakra network."

Kyoichi’s voice remained even.

Mukai lifted his head. Behind the "Cat" mask, his movements paused.

Though his expression was hidden, it was clear he must be feeling shocked and regretful. At this point, his Byakugan was already activated.

Only one eye, but it was enough for Gentle Fist and the Eight Trigrams Palms.

The stance he assumed was exactly the Hyuga clan’s traditional starting form.

Kyoichi said nothing, his gaze cold and indifferent.

After a long silence...

Mukai's hands fell, dejected.

"I'm not your match."

"I thought that by training hard, I could earn some praise. I didn't expect it would expose my secret... It's so frustrating. The curse of the branch family will fall upon the Kohinata clan."

Tears dripped from beneath his mask.

Kyoichi remained silent, staring at Kohinata Mukai for a few moments. His memory gradually cleared up.

"Do you hate the Hyuga clan?"

"Who wouldn’t hate them? I may not be part of the branch family, but why must those outside the main family bear the mark of shame and serve the main family like slaves?"

Mukai's voice was filled with bitterness.

Kyoichi sighed.

The conflict between the main and branch families of the Hyuga clan was well-known among the Konoha Jonin.

Unlike the Uchiha clan...

The Hyuga clan was obedient, giving Konoha no reason to act against them. Even Kyoichi couldn't easily intervene.

He thought for a moment and said, "Take off your mask."

"Yes!"

Mukai removed his mask.

He was only a year or two younger than Kyoichi, and his left eye was distinctly the Byakugan while his right eye remained normal.

"Are there others in your clan like you?"

"I'm the only one. As you can see, even I only have one Byakugan."

Kyoichi nodded. "Have you ever betrayed the village?"

"What?"

Mukai was stunned.

After a few seconds of silence, he shook his head and said, "I've thought about becoming stronger and selling information to other villages, but I haven't done it yet."

He had already resigned himself to his fate.

After all, hiding the Byakugan, harboring resentment toward the Hyuga clan, and feeling discontent with Konoha—all of these were enough to mark him as a traitor. Even if he lied, he might face interrogation by the Yamanaka clan or the Torture and Interrogation Department.

He didn’t want to endure such torture.

"I'll have Yamanaka Inoichi verify this. If it checks out, I’ll help you."

After speaking, Kyoichi disappeared.

Mukai stood there, dazed.

He had been prepared to commit suicide, yet Kyoichi hadn’t killed him—instead, he offered help?

This...

Why?

Mukai couldn’t understand.

He knew that Kyoichi’s strength must be terrifying. Killing him would have been as easy as breathing.

But Kyoichi left without a backward glance.

Mukai slowly put away his kunai, donned his mask, and followed in confusion.

But...

He was really curious—what kind of help did Kyoichi mean?

Would he help him keep his secret?

...

"You want him to learn the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique in exchange for the Hyuga clan not marking him with the Caged Bird Seal?"

Tsunade frowned. "Why?"

"The Kohinata clan is barely a clan. They're just a family that split off generations ago, with an extremely low chance of producing a Byakugan."

Kyoichi explained.

"But what about his descendants?"

"The Hyuga clan won’t agree to this."

"Descendants? We'll deal with that when it happens."

Kyoichi smiled.

Tsunade was momentarily stunned.

Was Kyoichi hinting at taking action against the Hyuga clan in the future?

She thought for a while.

It might actually work. The main conflict in the Hyuga clan was between the main and branch families. But in reality, it was the branch family that primarily served Konoha.

As long as the main family wasn’t wiped out completely, removing the Caged Bird Seal wouldn’t significantly weaken Konoha's strength. The only concern was preventing the Byakugan from falling into enemy hands.

She ruffled her hair.

This brat... giving her another headache.

...

The next day.

Kyoichi didn’t immediately reveal the results to Mukai. Instead, he secretly sought out Yamanaka Inoichi, asking him to conduct a covert investigation on Kohinata Mukai. After half a day of thorough checking, they confirmed that Mukai hadn’t had the opportunity to betray the village.

Only then did Kyoichi share the outcome with him.

Mukai was overjoyed, almost to the point of disbelief.

He hadn’t expected there to be such a technique. If so, he might really avoid the Hyuga clan’s oppression.

"Thank you, Kyoichi-sama!"

He knelt in gratitude.

This outcome was more than he could have hoped for. He thought he would either lose his Byakugan or be forced to accept the Caged Bird Seal. He never imagined there was a third path.

What more could he ask for?

Children?

It wasn’t even certain if his offspring would inherit the Byakugan.

"Have you mastered chakra nature transformation?"

"No, I've mainly been secretly training in Taijutsu and Gentle Fist. I haven't really delved into Ninjutsu."

Mukai was honest. This was typical of most Hyuga clan members.

"You need to train in Ninjutsu, Kenjutsu, and Genjutsu release techniques. With only one Byakugan, focusing solely on Gentle Fist will lead nowhere. You need a variety of methods to fully maximize your strength."

Kyoichi advised.

One of Mukai’s weaknesses was Genjutsu. Kyoichi did not want an Anbu captain with a glaring vulnerability to illusions.

Mukai nodded earnestly.

In the days that followed, Kyoichi continued training this Anbu squad, while the village kept a close eye on their progress.

Half a month later...

Kyoichi was in the middle of teaching Team Three about Taijutsu and team coordination when Tsunade brought news—Kumogakure had truly made a move.

Unlike previous skirmishes, this time it was the renowned A and Killer B leading the charge.

Even the Third Raikage was rumored to have left the village.

Of course...

With Orochimaru stationed in the north, there was less to worry about there. The real pressure would fall on Jiraiya’s side.

If Kumogakure was making moves, could Iwagakure be far behind?

Kyoichi understood that his peaceful days were over. However, he didn't feel he'd wasted his time—these last ten days of training had yielded several Earth Release techniques and boosted his proficiency.

Techniques like Earth-Style: Wall were standard, but Kyoichi was more excited about Hiding in Rock Technique and Earth Flow River.

The former allowed him to travel through solid rock.

The latter, which he had initially learned from the Third Hokage, now had its proficiency maxed out, greatly improving his hand seals and casting speed.

As for Earth Flow River...

A mudslide to sweep foes away, followed by Ice Release to freeze the terrain.

Wasn't that the perfect combo for control and crowd manipulation?