"Heh, it seems I chose the right person."
Faced with Hyuga Hizashi's determination, 'Shadow' let out a low chuckle. "Alright, before I tell you how to break the seal, Hyuga Hizashi... do you know why Hyuga Neji would go so far as to attack the Main Branch?"
Hizashi was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected this question.
"Isn't it because Neji resents the Main Branch?" Hizashi frowned. "He resents this twisted system, the bondage of the cursed seal..."
"Yes, and no," 'Shadow' nodded, then slowly shook his head. "If it were simply out of resentment, why would he take the Byakugan of the Main Branch members?"
Hizashi's heart sank, and his throat suddenly felt dry.
That's right. Neji knew that for the Hyuga Clan's Main Branch, taking their Byakugan was a far more serious consequence than just killing the clan member. It was shaking the very foundation of the clan.
Moreover, if the Caged Bird Seal wasn't removed, stealing the Byakugan would be meaningless. He had always assumed Neji was acting out of pure anger, but now, listening to 'Shadow,' could there be a reason for Neji to risk stealing the eyes?
"Why?" Hizashi's voice trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly.
"Because..." 'Shadow's' gaze returned to Hizashi, and he smiled. "The Hyuga Clan's Byakugan is just like the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan."
"The Sharingan can evolve into the Mangekyō Sharingan, and the Byakugan can also reach a higher level."
Hearing this, Hizashi's eyes widened. Hyuga Hiashi's pupils contracted.
"Impossible!" Hiashi's voice was distorted by shock, and his face was full of absurdity and fury. "If the Byakugan could really reach a level like the Mangekyō Sharingan, how could I not know about it?! There has never been any such record in the Hyuga Clan's history!"
In the past, no matter how much the Hyuga Clan members trained their Byakugan, its only improvements were in sensory range and perception. It was impossible for it to undergo a fundamental change, even after a lifetime of effort.
A Byakugan like that had no ability to directly confront a being like 'Shadow'; it could only serve a supportive role! And now, this man was saying that the Byakugan could evolve just like the Sharingan, which completely subverted everything the Hyuga Clan knew about their own eye.
"A frog in a well yearns for the blue sky but doesn't know the sky's true vastness," 'Shadow' said nonchalantly, ignoring Hiashi's outrage and Hizashi's shock. He took out a scroll from his sleeve, made a hand sign, and a puff of white smoke erupted, stirring the cold air.
As the smoke cleared, a corpse lay on the icy ground. The body didn't seem to have been dead for long. Its pale skin wasn't shriveled, and its long, bluish-white hair wasn't dry. Its clothing was ancient and unfamiliar, but the material was clearly exquisite and completely different from the fashion of the ninja world's nations.
And those eyes...
"A Byakugan?!" Hizashi's voice was hoarse and filled with shock as he stared at the eyes that were no different from the Hyuga Clan's.
Hiashi looked like someone had grabbed his throat; all his protests were instantly caught in his throat. His face was a blank mask of disbelief as the corpse and its eyes were reflected in his pupils.
This body had a Byakugan, and a very pure one, but its appearance was not that of a Hyuga Clan member, and it didn't have the Caged Bird Seal on it!
How is this possible?!
"I imagine you've heard that a meteorite once suddenly fell on the battlefield in the Land of Rain, killing a large number of Konoha and Sand ninja, haven't you?" 'Shadow's' low voice slowly cut through the silence. "You all thought that meteorite was a coincidence, but you didn't know that the meteorite was something this person summoned with their last breath."
Undoubtedly, this corpse was the father of Ōtsutsuki Toneri. His soul had already been extracted, and now only the body remained.
"...So you're saying," Hizashi's voice was raspy as he unconsciously licked his dry lips. "...that meteorite was a result of..."
"Exactly," 'Shadow' said with a hint of a smile. "He relied on the power of the Byakugan after it evolved."
Hearing the implications of 'Shadow's' words, Hizashi was lost in a long moment of stunned silence. A person from a foreign clan who also possessed the Byakugan had displayed a terrifying power that far surpassed that of the Hyuga Clan. And such a powerful being, who could summon a meteorite to kill countless Konoha and Sand ninja, had died at the hands of 'Shadow.'
"What is the name for the evolved Byakugan?" Hizashi asked. "And who was this person?"
"The evolved Byakugan is called the Tenseigan," 'Shadow' explained casually. "You can consider his clan to be the same as the Hyuga Clan a thousand years ago. However, they moved to the moon a thousand years ago, escaping the later wars. They've preserved their ancestor's original surname, and their Byakugan legacy is more complete than yours."
"Their bloodline is purer than the Hyuga Clan's, but the purity of their Byakugan is not. They have only two choices to evolve the Byakugan to a higher level. One is to fuse hundreds or even thousands of low-purity Byakugan with a high-purity bloodline. The other is to find a single pair of high-purity Byakugan and combine it with their high-purity bloodline."
He glanced at the two men who were speechless from shock, and his gaze finally settled on Hizashi. He smiled softly. "So, which do you think he chose when he came to the ninja world from the moon?"
"..."
Hizashi's throat bobbed. He had already guessed the purpose. Even if there were hundreds of Byakugan users on the moon, it would be difficult for anyone to be so insane as to dig out the eyes of hundreds or thousands of their own clansmen.
Therefore, the only option was to find a pair of high-purity Byakugan, which only the Hyuga Clan, who had always valued the continuation of their eyes, possessed...
"So," Hizashi slowly looked up and asked, "Does Neji know the way to evolve the Byakugan, which is why he took the Main Branch's eyes?" He remembered that the first Main Branch member had died in the Forbidden Scroll Library.
It was likely that while searching for a way to remove the seal, he had accidentally found a piece of information about the Byakugan's evolution. In a moment of fear and impulse, he had killed Hyuga Kurozuka.
"'Shadow' pretended to sigh regretfully. "He must have also found a way to absorb the power of the Byakugan. But unfortunately, the method he knows isn't complete. Given the purity of your Main Branch's Byakugan, he doesn't need hundreds of pairs to have a high-purity Byakugan, but he still lacks the necessary high-purity bloodline."
"If he doesn't have a high-purity bloodline, it won't matter how many Main Branch members he kills or how much Byakugan power he absorbs to get a pure Byakugan."
"..."
Seemingly realizing something, Hizashi's voice trembled slightly. "So, the way you speak of to remove the Caged Bird Seal is to evolve the Byakugan into the Tenseigan?"
"That's right," 'Shadow' nodded. "Once the Byakugan evolves into the Tenseigan, it can break the bondage of the Caged Bird Seal."
Could it really be this way? Hizashi took a deep breath, forcing himself to suppress the surge of ecstasy in his heart. He stared at 'Shadow' and asked, "Will you help Neji?"
"'Shadow' gave a light laugh. "I will. This body is very well preserved. I can extract his bloodline and transplant it to Hyuga Neji. Although it won't be enough to directly activate the Tenseigan, there is still hope if the purity of his Byakugan is high enough."
Hearing this, Hizashi's eyes flickered, and a hint of ruthlessness appeared in his gaze.
"How many Byakugan will it take to raise Neji's Byakugan purity to the standard of activating the Tenseigan?" he asked.
"The more," 'Shadow' said with a smile, "the better."
[Your deception has been judged as [Sweet Talk and Daggers in the Heart], [Drive a Tiger to Devour a Wolf], and [Half-True and Half-False]. Hyuga Hiashi and Hyuga Hizashi's emotional states have had a strong fluctuation and have reached a state of [Undoubted Belief]. You have gained 1,000 truth points.]
As soon as these words were spoken, Hiashi's face changed instantly, and he yelled, ignoring all formalities, "Bullshit! Hyuga Hizashi! Do you know what you're saying and doing?! This guy is just deceiving you! Are you going to dig out all of the Main Branch's Byakugan and destroy the foundation of the entire Hyuga Clan just based on his words?!"
Hizashi's lowered eyes slowly lifted, and he turned to face the shocked and angry Hiashi. Meeting his gaze, Hiashi felt a chill creep from his bones and take over his body.
"No," Hizashi's voice was hoarse and low. "I won't just take their Byakugan. I'm also going to kill every Main Branch member who possesses the Caged Bird Seal!" He didn't know if Neji would be able to activate the Tenseigan after getting all the Byakugan, but if not, the surviving Main Branch members could activate the cursed seal and kill him. He couldn't take that risk.
Therefore, everyone who possessed the Caged Bird Seal had to die! That way, even if Neji couldn't activate the Tenseigan this time, he would have time to find another opportunity to do so! As long as Neji could activate the Tenseigan in the future, he could break free from the cage and the destiny of the Caged Bird!
Upon hearing his words, the shock on Hiashi's face gradually turned to a daze, and then quickly to fear and horror.
"You're crazy?" Hiashi yelled hoarsely. "You're crazy! Hyuga Hizashi! Do you know the consequences of what you're doing?! The entire Hyuga Clan will be dragged into a situation of certain death and decay by you!"
But Hizashi and 'Shadow' no longer paid him any attention. The latter used a scroll to seal the body and then melted into the shadows, clearly not intending to interfere with what Hizashi was about to do to the Main Branch. The former turned and walked away, his face cold, preparing to help Neji obtain the necessary Byakugan.
"No, no, no!" Hiashi begged as he watched Hizashi's back. "Hizashi, I beg you, don't do this! The example of that clan on the moon is right in front of you. Once the Main Branch's pure bloodline is lost, the Byakugan will soon completely disappear from the Hyuga Clan! Without the Byakugan, the Hyuga Clan will soon be wiped out of this world!"
Hearing this, Hizashi, who had already opened the iron door, stopped and turned his head slightly.
"Don't you all love to talk about destiny?" His voice held a hint of either mockery or self-deprecation. "This, too, is the Hyuga Clan's destiny, right?"
"Hyuga Hizashi!!"
With that, Hizashi walked out of the secret room and closed the door behind him, completely silencing the angry roars coming from inside.
As Hizashi walked out of his room, he didn't expect to see an unexpected figure.
"Good evening, Head of the Clan Hiashi."
Danzo Shimura emerged from the shadows, leaning on a cane. His cold, narrow eyes stared at Hizashi. "No, perhaps I should call you Hizashi?" he asked, testing him.
"I don't understand what you mean," Hizashi said coldly, looking at the man with the dark aura. "May I ask what brings you here, Lord Danzo?"
He felt no fear or tension, as he knew very well that 'Shadow' was nearby. However, this very attitude only confirmed to Danzo that the person in front of him was definitely not Hyuga Hiashi.
Before executing his plan, he had habitually sent people to gather intelligence. When checking the intel, he had noticed 'Hyuga Hiashi's' odd behavior. Hyuga Hizashi had made too many mistakes in his initial attempts to impersonate Hyuga Hiashi. Separately, a few small mistakes spread out over a few years would not have raised suspicion, but putting them all together made it easy to spot the anomaly. For Danzo, suspicion was enough to be certain.
"Don't worry, I'll pretend you're Hyuga Hiashi," Danzo narrowed his eyes and said in a hoarse voice. "But our goals may be the same."
In the shadows farther away, 'Shadow' watched silently, with no intention of stopping anything. Or rather, Danzo's discovery and arrival were exactly what he had guided.
After all, no one was better at this kind of thing than Danzo.