Hyuga Kumo came back to his senses, a hint of apology on his face. "My apologies, Lord Hizashi. I thought it was..."
"You have nothing to apologize for. I am the one who came uninvited."
Hyuga Hizashi, dressed in a black kimono, waved his hand. He paid no mind to Hyuga Kumo's actions, hiding his slightly trembling hand behind his back. He looked at Hyuga Kumo with a hint of appreciation in his eyes and smiled. "May I come in and sit for a while?"
"Please, come in." Hyuga Kumo naturally had no objection. He smiled and stepped aside.
"Pardon the intrusion." Hyuga Hizashi entered the foyer, his gaze sweeping over the simple and empty interior of the house, lingering briefly on another open door that revealed a room full of training equipment.
"I've already heard about what happened this morning. You were right to act cautiously when you saw someone infiltrate the compound."
The two went to the living room and sat down. Hyuga Hizashi sighed and spoke first. "I just didn't expect someone to dare to attack you in the village. How is your injury?"
Noticing Hizashi's gaze on his hand, Hyuga Kumo smiled. "I was lucky. It's nothing serious anymore."
"There are only the two of us here. You don't have to be so formal in private." Hizashi nodded. "Your father and I had a very good relationship before he passed. I have been negligent towards you. I'm relieved to see you're alright."
Speaking of which, this nominal head of the Branch Family actually had a pretty good reputation within the branch. For example, his current attitude towards Hyuga Kumo was very gentle, more like an elder than a family head.
Hyuga Hizashi inquired about Hyuga Kumo's recent situation, but as they talked, he suddenly paused. After a moment's hesitation, he did not, as the Main Family elder had instructed, reprimand Hyuga Kumo for his transgression at noon.
He looked at Hyuga Kumo's young face, thought of his deceased father, and recalled Neji's current attitude towards the Main Family. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
How could the Main Family's vicious actions and attitude not breed resentment? And all he could do was try his best to comfort them.
"You're the one who broke all those stakes outside, aren't you?" Hyuga Hizashi changed the subject, remarking with emotion, "I didn't expect you to have made so much progress, and even awakened the Byakugan as a blessing in disguise. But you must also pay attention to the intensity, don't injure yourself."
"You praise me too much, Lord Hizashi." Hyuga Kumo remained polite but did not agree with the other's words. Instead, he said calmly, "After all, I'm alone from now on. I can only rely on myself."
Hearing this, Hyuga Hizashi was stunned for a moment, and then feelings of guilt and pity rose in his heart again.
Seeing Hyuga Kumo's outwardly calm but inwardly sad appearance, Hyuga Hizashi felt that he couldn't ask the questions he had wanted to.
Ask what?
Was he going to ask him how he, who had clearly been a failure before, had suddenly become so strong?
Was there even a need to ask?
The death of his only relative, his father, was enough to make a cowardly child change.
"..."
Hyuga Hizashi subconsciously licked his dry lips, only then remembering that the boy hadn't even prepared tea.
There's still some resentment in his heart, after all.
All I can do is try to comfort him.
"Alright, if you have any difficulties in the future, you can come to me." Hyuga Hizashi stood up. "I'll be heading back now. You must be tired too, so rest early."
He didn't leave in a hurry. Instead, he took out two scrolls from his robe and placed them on the coffee table in front of him, saying gently, "Since you have already awakened the Byakugan, you should have also mastered the Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms. This is the advanced Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms."
Glancing at the scrolls placed before him, Hyuga Kumo's eyes flickered slightly. He knew that the other, out of guilt and pity, had really made an impulsive, high-stakes decision.
The Hyuga Main Family wanted the Branch Family members to be strong, so they could better protect them, but they didn't want the Branch Family members to be too strong.
Aside from the Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven, a secret technique passed down by word of mouth in the Hyuga Main Family, the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms was also one of the ultimate techniques that required the Main Family's permission for Branch Family members to learn.
Although it wasn't very significant against someone on the level of the Five Kage, when facing most Jonin in close combat, the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms was a very powerful technique.
At best, it would slow and block the flow of chakra; at worst, it would render one unable to use ninjutsu, leaving them to wait for death.
Only Branch Family members who did their utmost to protect the Main Family and showed loyalty and obedience had a chance to be allowed to learn this move.
As for the so-called Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms, Hyuga Neji had only used it once in the TV original story, and it was not shown in the manga, so the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms was likely the current limit of the Gentle Fist.
If the Main Family knew that Hizashi had secretly taught him the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, he would definitely be severely punished, most likely by experiencing the soul-deep pain of the Caged Bird Seal again.
The moment after he took out the two scrolls, Hyuga Hizashi had actually already begun to regret it, but before he could say anything, Hyuga Kumo had already picked up the scrolls.
"Thank you." Hyuga Kumo lowered his head, his face shrouded in shadow, his shoulders trembling slightly. "My father's ninjutsu scrolls and notes were all taken away. If it weren't for you, I really wouldn't know how to move forward."
"..."
Hearing this, Hyuga Hizashi closed his slightly parted, hesitant mouth. After a moment of silence, he could only sigh. "Don't resent the Main Family. This is our fate as the Branch Family. Your father would certainly not want to see you in such pain."
With that, worried that he would regret it again and ask for them back, Hizashi truly took his leave this time.
Hyuga Kumo sat in the living room with his head bowed. The sad expression on his face gradually became calm as he looked up at the deepening night sky outside the window.
[Ding! Your lie has been judged as [put on an act]. Hyuga Hizashi has experienced a strong emotional fluctuation, reaching the level of [self-doubt]. 300 Manifestation Points obtained.]
[Remaining Manifestation Points: 11093]
"Today's harvest was quite fruitful," Hyuga Kumo remarked to himself, looking at his points. "It would be great if a few more good people like Lord Hizashi and Senior Guy came along."
However, seeing his points gradually become more abundant, he couldn't suppress his restless heart.
To be cautious, he would leave himself ten thousand points for emergencies. The one thousand or so points were enough for him to stir up some trouble.
The first thing that came to Hyuga Kumo's mind was, of course, his most beloved Orochimaru.
"It seems I can do something with the scroll in Orochimaru's hands."
To him, Orochimaru was an experimental subject, a very useful one.
And Hyuga Kumo had a very bold idea right now.
He pondered for a moment, then recited silently in his mind: "Manifest—add subsequent content to the scroll in Orochimaru's possession, set it so that mastering the Living Corpse Reincarnation is required to break the seal and read it, the content is that the souls of ninjas who die with deep resentment will materialize..."
Hyuga Kumo roughly described his needs and quickly received a response.
[Cost: 100 Manifestation Points. Manifest?]
Because it was only manifesting some text and a simple seal, the cost was not very high.
"Manifest," Hyuga Kumo responded.
After confirming the manifestation was complete, his eyes flickered slightly as he thought of Hyuga Neji, whom he had seen today.
Orochimaru was too far away, after all. It would take time to see the results.
He couldn't just wait around foolishly. He could start with someone else. Hyuga Neji was a good choice.
After a moment of thought, Hyuga Kumo recited in his mind: "Manifest—clothes that can conceal identity, block Byakugan and other sensory perception, and will not be damaged."
[Cost: 800 Manifestation Points. Manifest?]
"How dark," his face darkened, but he still replied, "Yes."
[800 Manifestation Points deducted. Remaining Manifestation Points: 10193]
As the system's response came in his mind, Hyuga Kumo was still waiting for the physical object to appear when he suddenly saw his shadow change.
A black fluid surged out from the shadow beneath his feet, crawling up his ankles like a liquid, and then gradually covering his entire body. Hyuga Kumo raised his head and looked at himself in the mirror.
He was now wearing a hooded black cloak. The hem of the cloak billowed and flowed, not like fabric but like a living thing. His face was shrouded in a bottomless shadow.
[Shadow Cloak: A black cloak transformed from shadow. It can change shape according to the wearer's body type, can perfectly hide one's identity, interfere with most forms of scrying and perception, and will automatically repair itself like a liquid if damaged. It is normally hidden in the shadow (Bound).]
At this moment, Hyuga Kumo had only one thought.
This 800 Manifestation Points was worth it.