Natsu, who had been kneeling silently to the side the entire time, immediately brought a medicinal dish meant for nourishment to the table in front of Tanaka after seeing him finish his business and dismiss the other clan members.
"Tanaka-sama, you seem to be in a very good mood. Is it because of the intelligence leak?"
Seeing Tanaka smiling so genuinely, without a hint of pretense, Natsu hesitated for a moment before mustering the courage to ask.
"Natsu, when did you start having the illusion that my intelligence was leaked?"
Tanaka picked up the spoon and took a sip of the deer antler soup.
"Why couldn't it be that I wanted the clans of Konoha to know?"
He dropped a bombshell.
"Huh?"
Natsu froze on the spot.
She had never expected such a response from Tanaka.
After all, ninjas have always strictly guarded information about their own techniques, sometimes even from their own families. No one would publicize their abilities the way Tanaka just did.
"A sword unused in hand is, at times, no different from having no sword at all," Tanaka silently mused as he saw Natsu's slightly open mouth and her adorably dumbfounded expression.
As expected, the Uchiha clan produces handsome men, and the Hyūga clan produces beautiful women.
Natsu might not be on the level of adult Hinata or adult Hanabi, but that didn't mean she lacked beauty.
Even in all of Konoha, she was among the most attractive.
"But, Tanaka-sama... If your space-time ninjutsu is exposed, it won't just be the ninjas in the village who know—it will also be the spies from other villages stationed here."
"They will definitely develop targeted strategies against you."
Natsu's gaze flickered slightly.
"Back when I was still a servant of the main house, I overheard some things. Some of the higher-ups in the village have deep prejudices against bloodline clans like ours, the Hyūga and the Uchiha."
"I'm afraid that if your space-time ninjutsu is exposed, some people in the village with ulterior motives might try to harm you."
Her words were shocking.
"Then let me ask you this: When did you start assuming that I only know two types of space-time ninjutsu?"
Tanaka looked at Natsu with great interest.
His Op-Op Fruit abilities weren't limited to just spatial transfer and cutting techniques.
For example, even with spatial transfer alone, the only ability he had shown in front of others so far was moving himself to another location.
He had never demonstrated an ability similar to Amenotejikara, which could swap places between people and objects.
Those ninjas who had obtained the intelligence he had deliberately leaked thought they could counter him with targeted tactics.
But in the end, they would only meet a miserable death.
"..."
Natsu's eyes widened as her pupils slowly shrank.
That was right!
When did she start assuming that he only knew two types of space-time ninjutsu?
"A ninja should know how to conceal their strength—but sometimes, it's necessary to reveal one's fangs," Tanaka said meaningfully.
Playing the fool to deceive others was indeed a form of wisdom. But if you played the fool for too long, you became the fool.
At that point, everyone would think they could come and take a bite out of you.
The Uchiha clan next door was the perfect example of this in the future.
During Fugaku's rule, at their peak, they had at least two pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan users.
Yet, father and son stubbornly concealed their strength, until they hid themselves all the way to extinction.
As for Shisui, he didn't hide his strength, but he never got a chance to use Kotoamatsukami.
This only encouraged the Konoha Council to probe further, pressing the Uchiha clan step by step. In the end, even as they were annihilated, not a single Mangekyō Sharingan ability was ever used against the council.
In Tanaka's view, had Shisui simply used Kotoamatsukami on Hiruzen, all their problems would have been solved.
Would his eyes have been stolen?
Would he have had to throw himself into a river?
And as for Fugaku, there was even less to say. If he had just abstained from celibacy instead of alcohol, or if he had simply pinned Itachi against the wall and put him in his place, the Uchiha memebers could have easily extended their clan's lifespan by another twenty years.
It was like holding a royal flush, only to play it terribly.
Even in his past life, he had seen how the United States had to occasionally conduct missile tests or deploy aircraft carrier strike groups to strategic regions to maintain deterrence and project power to potential adversaries.
But the Uchiha? They were clearly an absolute powerhouse, yet they hid their strength so tightly that they ended up as nothing more than a meal for the council.
If only the Uchiha had learned a thing or two from from the US...
If only they had occasionally activated Susanoo right in front of the Hokage's office…
If only they had roasted some meat with Amaterasu at the Sarutobi compound from time to time…
If only they had randomly selected a lucky winner from the Konoha Council and given them a taste of Kotoamatsukami...
Even Danzō would have looked at the Uchiha clan with respect. And Hiruzen would even have been the first to step forward and offer them a handshake.
"I slaughtered the entire main house right in front of Hiashi Hyūga—so he fears me."
"I displayed my space-time ninjutsu in front of the entire branch house—so the entire Hyūga clan knows I have the potential to reach Kage-level."
"Now, I lay out 35 corpses from the main house, alongside the fact that I wield space-time ninjutsu, right on the table before Konoha's leadership and the ninja clans from other villages. I want every single ninja in Konoha to understand, the Hyūga clan is not easy to deal with."
"Whoever dares to stand in my way, I will wipe them out."
"This applies to the main house. It applies to other clans. It even applies to Konoha itself."
Tanaka spoke slowly, emphasizing every word.
His voice wasn't loud. His tone wasn't heated.
But the sheer calmness of his words carried a bone-chilling, commanding presence.
Hearing this, Natsu felt her entire body heat up, as if her blood were boiling.
A sense of pride and belonging—something she had never felt since birth, since the cursed Caged Bird was placed upon her—rose uncontrollably within her.
"Tanaka-sama!"
Natsu stared at Tanaka in a daze, her white eyes.
The boy in front of her rekindled the glory of the Hyūga name.
And now, he was taking this burdened clan and pushing it step by step to heights it had never dared to dream of.
She had witnessed it all with her own eyes.
For the first time in her life, she felt a fervent admiration for a peer of her own clan.
Just as the Uchiha once revered Madara in the Warring States period, just as the Senju once worshipped Hashirama…
It might not have reached that level yet, but within the Hyūga clan, the seeds had been planted.
She was not alone in her reverence for Tanaka.
Many within the clan had already begun viewing him as the Hyūga's equivalent of Hashirama.
Thank the heavens for allowing me to be born into this era of the Hyūga.
Natsu knelt on the ground and bowed deeply to Tanaka—not out of obligation, not out of fear, but out of pure, unshakable conviction.
Once, she had loathed being born into the Hyūga clan. She had resented being part of the branch house.
But now, those thoughts had completely vanished. Now, she felt only gratitude—that she was born in the same era as Tanaka.
That they shared the same clan.
That they were both part of the branch house.