Haruto Saito, like Tsunade, was utterly shocked. The Hyuga Clan, an ancient noble family with a thousand-year legacy, had always been known for their strict internal regulations. It was almost unheard of for their secret techniques to be leaked. Their Gentle Fist techniques were traditionally passed down orally—not because there were no written scrolls, but because these scrolls were only held by the main family.
"Eight Trigrams Palm: Rotating Moon?" Haruto quickly skimmed through the contents of the scroll in his hands. He was already familiar with the standard Eight Trigrams Rotation, a defensive technique he could use himself. But this Rotating Moon variant seemed to be a higher-level Gentle Fist technique—one that combined offense and defense. The original Rotation was considered an absolute defense, but the Rotating Moon allowed for both protection and counterattack.
Inside the coffin, there were numerous scrolls. Most of them were a dull gray-blue color, marked with symbols resembling the crest of the Meiji Clan. The old books, bamboo slips, and beast-hide manuscripts within also bore the same insignia.
However, the scroll in Haruto's hands was different—it was white, and the emblem on it strongly resembled the present-day Hyuga Clan crest, albeit with some subtle differences.
Tsunade sifted through the contents of the coffin, flipping through various scrolls, until she pulled out another white scroll and unrolled it.
"Gentle Fist Art: Crescent Moon Strike!"
Another Hyuga Clan Gentle Fist technique!
Haruto glanced at the scroll in Tsunade's hands before quickly searching through the coffin himself. In no time, he found three more white scrolls.
Eight Trigrams Mountain Shattering Strike!
Eight Trigrams Phantom Shadow Seven Forms!
Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!
Counting the first two, that made five white scrolls in total—all containing Hyuga Clan Gentle Fist techniques!
After thoroughly searching, the two confirmed that these were the only white scrolls in the coffin.
"Eight Trigrams Mountain Shattering Strike and Sixty-Four Palms are well-known Hyuga techniques," Tsunade said, her expression turning increasingly puzzled. "But I've never heard of the other three before."
If they had only found one or two scrolls, there might have been a chance that these techniques were mere imitations borrowing the Hyuga name. But that wasn't the case. Rotating Moon, Crescent Moon Strike, and Phantom Shadow Seven Forms all explicitly mentioned the use of Byakugan.
The Byakugan was the Hyuga Clan's unique bloodline limit. That alone confirmed the legitimacy of these techniques—there was no room for doubt.
But why, then, did the Hyuga Clan of today not know these techniques?
Tsunade had access to all sorts of high-level information. If the Hyuga Clan still possessed these techniques, she would have known about them.
"They must have been lost over time," Haruto speculated boldly. "The Hyuga Clan has existed for a thousand years. Their taijutsu techniques have been continuously developed, with new ones appearing over time. It's entirely possible that some were lost along the way. Maybe, at some point in history, a Hyuga warrior knew how to use Rotating Moon—but when he died, for whatever reason, no one else could carry it forward."
"If that's true…" Tsunade pondered for a moment before saying, "The Hyuga Clan and the Meiji Clan fought a brutal war in the past. From their first full-scale conflict to the final victory of the Hyuga, the war lasted for decades. During that time, it's very possible that the Meiji Clan managed to steal these techniques!"
This seemed highly plausible.
War wasn't just about direct combat. Even in modern conflicts, nations would send spies and assassins to infiltrate enemy lines and steal vital information.
"The documents are right here in the coffin," a voice suddenly chimed in. "Tsunade-sama, Haruto-sama, why don't you search for records that explain how these techniques got here?"
It was Minato Namikaze. The young ninja had silently approached the coffin and overheard their discussion.
"Smart thinking!" Haruto grinned, pointing at Minato approvingly.
Indeed, the primary contents of the coffin were historical records—essentially classified documents of the Meiji Clan.
"Haruto!" Tsunade's expression grew serious as she watched Haruto flip through the scrolls, his curiosity piqued. "The origins of these scrolls don't really matter. What matters is that they belong to the Hyuga Clan. You know what kind of clan they are. These scrolls need to be returned to them."
"Oh?" Haruto raised an eyebrow and swiftly snatched the white scroll from Tsunade's hands. Now holding all five white scrolls, he grinned slyly. "No way. Why should I give them back? What does the Hyuga Clan have to do with me? If I found them, they're mine!"
Tsunade sighed in exasperation. She knew Haruto's personality well—he was stubborn. More importantly, the Hyuga Clan had tried to assassinate him in the past.
"Fine, keep them if you want," she said with a shrug. "But if you're not returning them, then you need to destroy them. If the Hyuga Clan ever finds out, they'll hunt you down, and even the Hokage will probably pressure you to return them. So the best solution is to burn them now—problem solved."
Tsunade had come up with a compromise.
The Hyuga Clan was an extremely united and militant family. If they learned that Haruto had lost Gentle Fist techniques—especially some that were lost to their own history—they would absolutely lose their minds.
They wouldn't stop until they reclaimed the scrolls.
"Destroy them? No way!" Haruto shook his head firmly, then smirked. "But I do want to study them first. After I'm done, I'll decide what to do."
"What's the point?" Tsunade scoffed. "You're not a Hyuga. You don't even have the Byakugan—you can't use these techniques."
Who said I don't have the Byakugan?
Haruto smirked inwardly. He had already attained Jonin-level Gentle Fist mastery, and his Byakugan's observation range extended up to eight kilometers. But, of course, he couldn't reveal that to anyone.
"At the very least, I can read through them for reference," Haruto argued. "After that, I'll decide whether to destroy them."
With that, he untied the beast-hide bundle slung over his back, stuffed the five scrolls inside, and secured the pack again.
Tsunade didn't push the issue further. As long as the Hyuga Clan never found out, it didn't really matter.
"Minato!" Haruto turned to the younger ninja. "You didn't hear or see anything just now. Understood?"
"Oh, okay," Minato responded obediently.
"Hey, what else is in that bundle of yours?" Tsunade asked, suddenly noticing the other scrolls. "More secret techniques?"
"Yeah, those came from the statues over there," Haruto pointed at the back of the chamber. "They're all Meiji Clan jutsu."
Suddenly, a commotion erupted from the entrance.
"Hurry!"
"Over here!"
"I see light!"
The voices of multiple people echoed through the chamber.
The three turned toward the entrance just as a large black ninja hound—Kurumaru—dashed inside. Behind him were Inuzuka Ken, Umino Shaku, and a group of other ninjas.
As soon as they stepped into the treasury and saw what lay inside, they froze in place, their expressions filled with shock and awe.