"I..."
Hyuga Nigo didn't expect 'Hyuga Hiashi' to turn on him. Being questioned so directly made the old man's face flush with embarrassment.
He was, of course, aware that his methods were extreme and brutal, but years of living in a position of power had ingrained arrogance deep into his bones. He was accustomed to simply ignoring the discontent and anger of the Branch Family. In his eyes, no matter how unhappy they were, the Branch Family could never truly cause a revolution.
He had intended to use this opportunity to discipline Hyuga Kawa, whose reputation was growing daily and who was clearly becoming a leader among the Branch Family. He wanted to make this damned 'troublemaker' understand that no matter how strong he became, or how much respect he gained outside, he was still a member of the Branch Family and was still required to follow the orders of the Main Family!
Nigo even wanted to use this to make an example out of Kawa and forcefully suppress the growing discontent among the Branch Family. But he had never imagined that the Branch Family, who had always been timid in front of the Main Family, would choose to resist in such a brutal and decisive way.
What's more, the sudden appearance and forceful intervention of 'Hyuga Hiashi' had not only severely criticized his actions but had also left him in a difficult position, losing face in front of everyone.
"..."
Nigo opened his mouth to argue, but when he met Hyuga Kawa's calm Byakugan and the dozens of silent, determined gazes, and then saw 'Hyuga Hiashi's' cold face, all his words caught in his throat.
Hyuga Nigo suddenly understood. He had done something foolish today. His reckless and brutal actions had not only allowed Hyuga Kawa to gather support but had also angered 'Hyuga Hiashi' and completely destroyed his own authority.
Now, let alone suppressing Hyuga Kawa, he couldn't even continue the murder investigation. Anger, shame, resentment, and a strange fear clashed violently in his chest.
He stared intently at Hyuga Kawa, then at the silent Branch Family members, his face pale and his chest heaving.
"Good! Very good!" he spat out, the words squeezed through his clenched teeth, his voice hoarse and trembling from suppressed emotion. He didn't look at Hyuga Kawa again. Instead, he turned to 'Hyuga Hiashi' and said coldly, "Hiashi, if you don't kill this scoundrel now, you will regret it one day!"
"You better watch your back!"
With that, Hyuga Nigo flung his sleeve and turned to leave without a backward glance. The people who had followed him looked at each other, then hung their heads and scurried after him, not daring to look at the Branch Family members again. Their figures quickly disappeared into the night.
They had arrived with great arrogance and left in a state of utter disgrace.
The clearing remained eerily silent even after they had vanished. Only the whimpering of the night wind and the sound of blood dripping echoed in everyone's hearts.
"..."
Hyuga Hizashi looked at the Branch Family members still standing there. As the former head of the Branch Family, he felt powerless and vexed. Who would have thought that Hyuga Kawa would gain such authority in the Branch Family so quickly, doing things that even Hizashi himself hadn't been able to do?
But what was the cost?
The arm couldn't possibly win against the thigh. Hyuga Nigo still held their lives in his hands. It was only because Nigo still, at his core, cared about the Hyuga Clan that he hadn't gone completely mad and decided to kill all these rebellious Branch Family members, even at the cost of completely destroying the clan. But who could guarantee that Nigo wouldn't do something like that in a fit of extreme emotion? And even if he was held accountable and executed afterward, what good would that do? The Branch Family members would already be dead. You couldn't bring back the dead.
This was why Hizashi, in the past, despite his discontent with the Main Family's actions, had never taken such drastic measures and had only acted as a mediator. Even though he was grateful to Kawa for unintentionally solving Neji's problem, Hizashi truly couldn't understand why Kawa had done this. Didn't he know that such extreme actions could lead to extremely serious consequences? Or was Hyuga Kawa still immature and too emotional, acting on impulse?
With this thought, Hizashi felt a sense of helplessness. He looked at the Branch Family members and said in a deep voice, "Aren't you leaving? What more do you want to do? Isn't this enough?"
At this, Hyuga Kawa finally moved. He turned around and his gaze slowly swept over the faces of the Branch Family members. Looking at the blood flowing from their arms, he smiled slightly.
"Go back and take care of your wounds," he said. "Everyone here was magnificent tonight."
Hearing this, Hyuga Takashi stepped forward, his voice hoarse. "Kawa-nii-san, we thank you for standing up for us and sparing us from torture and pain."
"But what if that old man Hyuga Nigo goes back and comes after you...?"
At these words, everyone who had just breathed a sigh of relief felt their hearts tighten. Yes, if that old man decided to act in the shadows, not only Kawa but also those of them who had resisted would be in danger... And if Hyuga Nigo wanted to, he could have other clan members do his dirty work.
But in response, Hyuga Kawa just shook his head and said, "Then let him come. After I die, I hope one of you can kill that old man for me and avenge me."
"Similarly," he said, his gaze sweeping over their faces, "if anyone here today dies from the seal or has an unfortunate 'accident' in Konoha, I will go and kill that old man."
"Wait," someone blurted out. "What if he's not the killer?"
Hyuga Kawa smiled and said softly, "Does it matter?"
Hearing this, the Branch Family members, including Hyuga Hizashi and Hyuga Aoi, stared blankly at him, but they quickly understood the meaning of his words. Hyuga Kawa didn't care who the murderer was. As long as someone from the Branch Family died inexplicably from the torment of the seal, or any other cause that could be faked as an accident, he would immediately place the blame on Hyuga Nigo.
In other words, their lives were now tied to that old man.
Who cared if he was the real murderer? He was the most likely suspect, so he would be sent down to join the dead. Was this unreasonable? Was this brutal and extreme?
It was exactly that unreasonable, and exactly that brutal and extreme!
But, realizing this, the Branch Family members present felt a powerful and morbid excitement. A flush spread across their faces, and their eyes turned to Kawa with a fanatic gaze. Because they knew that their lowly lives, which had been so insignificant in the eyes of the Main Family, were now worth the same as a respected Main Family elder! So what if he killed one of them? Could he kill them all?
If he couldn't, then he should be ready to die!
"..."
Hyuga Hizashi hadn't expected Hyuga Kawa to give such an answer. In his position, he should have reprimanded him, but instead, he just stood there stunned. He was certain that if Hyuga Kawa's words reached Hyuga Nigo, the old man would be so angry he'd vomit blood.
But would Hyuga Nigo dare to act? No, from what Hyuga Hizashi knew of him, that old man absolutely wouldn't dare. Not only would he not dare to move against Hyuga Kawa, but he would also have to pray that nothing ever happened to him. Otherwise, all these Branch Family members would hold him responsible, and he might get killed one day.
"Everyone, from now on, please stand tall, because behind you is me, and us."
Meeting their gazes, Hyuga Kawa pointed to his arm and smiled. "As long as we stand together, they won't dare to do anything to us, nor can they."
"Maybe they can take our lives, but we can take their lives in return."
"Our blood is just as warm!"
"Our lives are just as important!"
"And they, besides the seal, have nothing. They are fragile and weak."
After he spoke, a dead silence fell. But this silence wasn't the kind from earlier—the kind filled with dread and fear. Their eyes now shone with a morbid but fiery madness. Their heavy breaths and pounding hearts seemed to echo in the dark.
Hyuga Hizashi and Hyuga Aoi were completely speechless. Looking at this group of Branch Family members whose eyes seemed to burn with fire, and at Hyuga Kawa standing in front of them, a tumultuous storm raged in both of their hearts. They knew that from this night on, some things were fundamentally different. This was no longer about patiently enduring their lot; it was about standing as equals.
Hyuga Kawa didn't say anything more. He just gently waved his hand. This time, no words were needed.
All the Branch Family members received the silent command. They took one last look at Hyuga Kawa, their eyes filled with the warmth of finding a pillar of support. Then, they turned and dispersed in an orderly fashion, silent yet with an unprecedented, proud bearing. In the moonlight, their departing backs were no longer hunched or humble but stood perfectly straight.
A moment later, under the pale moonlight, only puddles of dark red blood remained on the ground, silently telling the story of what had just transpired.
"It's getting late," Hyuga Kawa said to Hyuga Hizashi. "Hiashi-sama, please go back."
"..."
At these words, Hyuga Hizashi's eye couldn't help but twitch. In the end, he just sighed, and his figure vanished on the spot. Hyuga Kawa also turned and walked towards his own residence.
But at that moment, "Wait."
Hyuga Aoi's voice came from behind him. Looking at his back, she opened her mouth to say something but ultimately swallowed it back. Her voice was complicated and low as she said, "I will tell my father about your warning."
"Thank you, Aoi-san," Hyuga Kawa said, his tone neither warm nor cold. With that, his figure disappeared from Hyuga Aoi's sight, and the door closed behind him.
Creak.
Hyuga Aoi dragged her heavy footsteps into her family's impressive yet remarkably cold residence in the center of the clan compound. The living room lights were off; only the pale moonlight from outside the window cast cold patches of light on the floor. A figure with his back to the door was sitting in the shadows of the living room.
"You've finally decided to come home?" Hyuga Nigo's voice rang out, cold and hoarse, like the scraping of rusted metal.
Aoi's footsteps faltered. She stood in the shadows of the entryway and didn't speak. She could clearly feel the fury radiating from her father, a fury that seemed to burn everything in its path.
"Hmph!" Hyuga Nigo suddenly turned around. His old face, which looked especially sinister in the moonlight, was now filled with rage. "Aoi! Listen to me!"
He stared fixedly at his daughter, his voice trembling with anger. "From today on, you will stay away from that damned man. The farther, the better!"
"You are not to have any contact with him again!"
"And you are not to hold any more unrealistic fantasies about him!"
"He thinks he can incite a mob of rabble-rousers to stand against the Main Family? He thinks he can rebel against the fate of the Branch Family?"
"Wishful thinking!"
"He is looking for his own death! It won't be long before he pays the price for his arrogance!"
The more Hyuga Nigo spoke, the more agitated he became, as if he were trying to vent all the humiliation and frustration he had suffered at the hands of the Branch Family tonight by belittling and cursing Hyuga Kawa.
However, in the face of her father's almost roaring warnings and curses, Hyuga Aoi remained extraordinarily calm. She stood in the shadows, neither refuting nor agreeing, just silently watching her enraged father with her pure Byakugan.
In her eyes, the former reverence and obedience were gone, replaced by a complex expression that was hard to describe.
After Hyuga Nigo had finished his angry rant and was gasping for air, Hyuga Aoi spoke in a flat voice. "Father, Hyuga Kawa said some things after you left."