"…"
After hearing the panicked words from Hyuga Taka, Hyuga Kawa's gaze instantly became profound.
"Taka, calm down. Tell me, what exactly happened?"
His voice was calm and unwavering, yet it forced Hyuga Taka's heart, which was about to leap out of his chest, to settle down slightly.
In the time since he had returned to Konoha from the battlefield, Hyuga Kawa hadn't been idle.
In the past, whenever conflicts arose with the Main Branch, there was at least Hyuga Hizashi to mediate, and the Main Branch members wouldn't pursue the matter too aggressively.
However, since Hyuga Hizashi's "death," the Branch Family had been leaderless. Even if they were treated poorly by the Main Branch, they could only swallow their anger.
And as the person with the most prestige in the Hyuga clan today, Hyuga Kawa undoubtedly took over Hyuga Hizashi's position in the Branch Family.
During this time, he had frequently introduced himself to Branch Family members in Hizashi's name, saying it was Hizashi-sama's final wish before his death.
Then came a series of long sighs and gentle words of concern and comfort, naturally winning them over.
After all, unlike the Main Branch members who valued bloodline and status, most of the Branch Family members revered strength.
Moreover, these Branch Family members had not visited him while he was hospitalized due to the Main Branch's attitude.
Compared to the past, the Branch Family members naturally felt a sense of guilt and recognition toward him, and there was already a subtle trend of them gathering around him. People often came to him for advice on ninjutsu and taijutsu.
The young Hyuga Taka was the closest of them, which was why he ran to find Hyuga Kawa the moment he heard the news.
"Huff…"
Looking at Hyuga Kawa's calm eyes, Hyuga Taka took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed the fear in his heart, and continued, "The person who died was Hyuga Naosuke."
"That infamous guy who often beat and humiliated the Branch Family members in the clan?"
Hyuga Kawa frowned. "Given that guy's strength and character, it's not surprising at all that he was killed by someone."
Hearing this, Hyuga Taka choked up, but a hint of agreement surfaced in his heart.
It was undeniable that a portion of the Main Branch did have a gentle attitude toward the Branch Family.
But just like the human nature experiment conducted by the "Mother of Performance Art," Marina Abramović, in which she drugged herself and gave the audience all the power.
She allowed the audience to choose from items like roses, honey, or dangerous tools like scissors, daggers, crossbows, and pistols to have forced physical contact with her.
Throughout the process, the audience went from being timid at first to someone cutting up her clothes, then someone carving wounds on her body, and someone suddenly plunging a rose into her abdomen…
Finally, someone even picked up a pistol and put it in her mouth, ready to pull the trigger. Another audience member snatched the gun away, saving Marina's life.
The evil in human nature cannot withstand a test.
When a person holds power over the life and death of another, the malice in their heart will gradually grow. Not everyone can suppress the spread of this malice.
The existence of the "Caged Bird" undoubtedly tested the evil in human nature.
From its initial purpose of preventing the Byakugan from leaking, to maintaining the purity of the bloodline, and now to upholding the dominance of the Main Branch.
The boundaries of when the Caged Bird could be used, for what it could be used, and the consequences of using it recklessly were slowly becoming blurred.
The appearance of people like Hyuga Naosuke was an inevitable result.
"Hyuga Naosuke was missing for a day. The Branch Family searched everywhere but couldn't find him until his body was discovered. Hyuga Hiromi-sama and the others immediately rushed over, but the Byakugan had already been gouged out."
Hyuga Taka lowered his head and continued, "Based on the traces at the scene, the killer launched a sneak attack and fought with Hyuga Naosuke. Although they eventually escaped, they must have been injured."
"Hyuga Naosuke's father, one of the Main Branch elders, took out his anger on the few Branch Family attendants who were responsible for protecting Hyuga Naosuke and directly activated the Caged Bird seal!"
At this point, Hyuga Taka's voice became hoarse, filled with the sorrow and fear of a shared fate. "I… I watched from a distance as they were tortured half to death, rolling on the ground…"
"But they still pleaded innocence, saying they didn't do it and had no idea who the killer was. They said it was Hyuga Naosuke who told them to go back. In the end, they couldn't even speak and passed out…"
Hyuga Taka's body trembled violently, as if the sharp screams were still in his ears. He lowered his head and choked, "When I came, Hiromi-sama and the others had given an order."
"He ordered a thorough investigation of all Branch Family members, door to door, leaving no one out. Anyone with new injuries would be taken away for questioning immediately."
"No matter the cost, they must find out who the killer is. If the Caged Bird seal doesn't work, they won't hesitate to ask the Yamanaka clan for help."
With that, Hyuga Taka suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot and tearful. He raised his trembling arm, revealing a new wound that had recently healed, with a bloody scab.
"This… this is a wound I got on a mission not long ago, really!"
This wound was the root cause of Hyuga Taka's fear.
Hyuga Kawa just listened quietly, his face still devoid of any expression. He looked at the terrified Hyuga Taka and shook his head. "Do you think those old geezers will believe you?"
"Brother Kawa! What should I do? What… what should I do?"
Hyuga Taka's face turned pale. He quickly grabbed Hyuga Kawa's hand as if a drowning person had grabbed a piece of driftwood. He said in a panic, "I… I don't want to be like those people. I don't want to feel that pain again!"
That kind of pain, as if a red-hot iron rod had been shoved into his brain, a pain that felt like his soul was being ripped apart—once you experienced it, you never wanted to experience it again.
After understanding the whole story, Hyuga Kawa's eyes also flickered.
"Sure enough, Neji couldn't wait and made his move again?"
This wasn't good news for him either; it was even a major crisis.
Once the Main Branch members used the Caged Bird seal, his life would be in their hands.
What's more, with the personality of that old geezer Hyuga Hiromi, he would definitely use this incident to retaliate against him.
It was highly possible that he would use a little more force during the seal's activation, killing him "accidentally" out of personal vendetta.
Of course, Hyuga Kawa could use his points to forcibly erase his Caged Bird seal.
But he couldn't do that yet.
Once he erased the seal, he would inevitably become a target for the entire Hyuga clan, both the Main Branch and the Branch Family, because no one likes to be left out.
And now wasn't the time for him to step into the spotlight completely. This was not conducive to him continuing to manipulate things from behind the scenes. At the very least, he couldn't expose the fact that he could break the seal.
So, after a moment of thought, Hyuga Kawa made his decision.
"Taka." He looked at the frantic Hyuga Taka in front of him and said in a deep voice, "Go and gather all the members of the Branch Family. Come to me immediately."
"Gather…" Hyuga Taka was stunned. "Now?"
"Yes, everyone." Hyuga Kawa said seriously. "Tell them that if they want to live, they must come immediately, and they must arrive before the Main Branch members do."
Seeing the unquestionable determination in his eyes, Hyuga Taka, who was about to say something, instinctively closed his mouth and nodded hard. "I… I understand! I'll go now!"
With that, he turned sharply, his figure rushing into the night and disappearing into the darkness.
While Hyuga Kawa and Hyuga Taka were talking, the events in the Main Branch had already reached more people's ears. Lights in many houses lit up in the darkness.
And as Hyuga Taka pushed open door after door, more and more figures appeared in the night, the chaotic sounds completely breaking the silence.
Soon, an increasing number of people gathered in the open space in front of Hyuga Kawa's residence.
Their faces were filled with a mix of bewilderment and anxiety. Some of them looked panicked and terrified, clearly having suffered injuries recently, just like Hyuga Taka.
With the front lines tense, the village had often sent Branch Family ninjas on missions. Those without injuries were still at the front, and those who had returned at this time were naturally there because they were injured and needed treatment.
When they heard that the Main Branch was preparing to use the seal to interrogate injured clan members, the first thing these people felt was fear and panic.
After hearing that Hyuga Kawa seemed to be planning to help them, they all rushed over under immense fear and pressure, their gazes involuntarily falling upon the figure standing in front of the residence.
He stood there quietly, his posture tall and straight. The moonlight fell upon him, outlining a cold, sharp silhouette.
The crowd gradually fell silent, leaving only the whimpering of the night wind.
Hyuga Kawa scanned the anxious faces, the gaze in his pure Byakugan eyes calm and profound.
If those old geezers had conducted their investigation properly, he would have had no way to interfere, but it was Hyuga Hiromi's stupidity and arrogance that gave him an opportunity.
Good. Let's use this to solidify my position in the Hyuga clan.
With this thought, Hyuga Kawa spoke.
"Everyone."
His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.
"What are you afraid of?" he asked slowly.