"Clan Head!"
Several Hyūga clan members cried out in alarm, rushing forward to catch their falling leader.
"You bastard! How dare you humiliate our clan head like this! I'll fight you to the death!"
"Everyone, together! I don't believe we can't take down this brat!"
Each Hyūga looked furious, itching to tear Rukawa into a thousand pieces.
Of course… how many of those emotions were genuine, and how many were just for show—it was hard to say.
After all, most of them were from the Branch Family.
Some even secretly enjoyed watching Hiashi get knocked down a peg—though they dared not show it.
"Stop! Everyone, back off! You're not his match—you'll only get hurt for nothing!"
Hiashi quickly shouted to hold them back, preventing more casualties.
"Tch. Weaklings, but at least you know your limits."
Rukawa actually gave him a genuine compliment.
Hiashi: "..."
That Evening
After dinner, with nothing to do, villagers began wandering outside to chat with neighbors.
Mostly it was the usual small talk… until someone dropped a major bombshell.
"What?! A Hyūga was doing that in public?!"
A bald uncle gaped in disbelief.
"Shh! Keep your voice down—don't bring trouble on us. Those big clans aren't people we commoners can afford to provoke."
Another quickly hushed him.
"Ahhh, what a shame! Such a rare sight and I missed it!"
The bald man sighed in regret.
"But I heard… apparently the guy was under a Genjutsu. They say the culprit was someone from the Uchiha clan. The Hyūga clan head himself went to confront them!"
"Seriously?!"
The bald man's eyes lit up, visibly excited.
"If Hiashi himself is getting involved, the Uchiha are in for it now!"
"Hmph! I hope he gives those arrogant jerks a proper beating!"
The uncle scowled—clearly he had his own grudge.
"Yeah! It's about time those Uchiha jerks got what's coming!"
"Last time the Uchiha police knocked over my fruit stall and took everything! I've been mad about it ever since!"
One by one, the crowd agreed, all rooting for the Uchiha to get humbled.
"Hey! What's going on over there? Why are there so many people?"
Suddenly the bald man pointed in a direction.
They turned and saw a massive group approaching from the main road.
As the crowd drew closer, everyone's faces shifted into utter shock.
Leading the group, Rukawa casually dragged Hyūga Makino by one arm like a sack of trash.
Behind him, the Hyūga clan wore dark, gloomy expressions.
The Uchiha looked smug and amused.
Fugaku looked... exhausted.
And trailing behind were all the villagers and bystander ninja who had come to gawk.
As they neared the village gate, Hiashi barely contained his fury and growled:
"That's enough, Uchiha Rukawa! You've dragged Makino all the way from the Uchiha district."
"You've completely trampled our clan's pride. Isn't that enough to vent your anger?"
"So stop this now!"
As he spoke, Hiashi struck, aiming to rescue Makino.
"Scram."
Rukawa casually caught Hiashi's wrist—and flung him aside like a ragdoll.
Boom!
Hiashi crashed into a utility pole on the side of the road.
"Damn it! Clan Head!"
"Everyone! Go! Get Makino back!"
Dozens of Hyūga shinobi charged.
"Hmph. Ants will always be ants."
—Conqueror's Haki!
Boom!
Suddenly, a terrifying pressure exploded from around Rukawa.
The Hyūga warriors froze—like an invisible hand clutched their hearts, suffocating them.
Their chests tightened, faces contorted in pain. It felt like they were about to die!
Rukawa swung Makino's limp body like a baseball bat.
Smash!
A whole group of Hyūga shinobi were sent flying like bowling pins.
A few casual swings, and Rukawa cleared the area.
Every enemy lay sprawled out, groaning, coughing up blood.
"Heh."
Rukawa let out a soft chuckle and continued walking toward the gate, dragging Makino behind him.
That move just now had been the legendary Conqueror's Haki, a power that only a select few could awaken in the One Piece world.
He'd just earned it from his last system sign-in.
And the effect? Not bad at all. Rukawa was pleased.
Of the two sign-in chances he earned, this one was great.
The other?
A sock that hasn't been washed in twenty years.
No words.
The system always had a way of throwing in some bizarre nonsense.
If it weren't for the timing, he would've tossed it out of his inventory already.
As Rukawa continued dragging Makino forward, several masked figures suddenly appeared to block his path.
They wore cloaks and had masks—clearly members of Konoha's Anbu Black Ops.
"Stop right there!"
"You dare attack your comrades inside the village?! Are you trying to rebel?!"
"Let him go and come with us to the Anbu headquarters to receive punishment!"
The leader wore a dog-faced mask, but the silver hair gave away his identity immediately.
It was none other than Kakashi Hatake, Konoha's infamous "Copy Ninja"—also known as "Mr. Five-Fifty" for his tendency to fight everyone to a draw.
Today was his duty shift.
He'd been thinking about heading to the bookstore after work to check out the latest Icha Icha Paradise.
Then he caught wind of chaos on the main street and went to investigate.
What he saw nearly blew his mind—
A kid, not even ten years old, flattening dozens of elite Hyūga shinobi in seconds!
A total monster.
Despite his shock, Kakashi didn't forget his duties.
No matter who this kid was—he had to bring him in.
"This is Konoha!" Kakashi declared. "No one gets to act like a tyrant here just because they're strong!"
He pulled a kunai from his pouch, ready for combat.
The other Anbu members followed suit, drawing their weapons.
This kid was dangerous.
They had to go all-out.
Rukawa glanced at them briefly—expression cold, steps unbroken.
He didn't even acknowledge them.