"Impudent!"
Hyūga Hideki's eyes turned cold, fixing a deadly glare on Hyūga Kumokawa as he barked in a deep voice:
"The Byakugan concerns the Hyūga clan's hundred-year foundation. This is a matter tied to the destiny of the clan. How could you presume to interfere!"
"Clan destiny, is it?"
Hyūga Kumokawa's gaze swept across the faces of each elder present.
His pale eyes reflected the golden shimmer of candlelight and the flickering black shadows, as he sneered coldly:
"My father was tortured to death by you all with the cursed seal in the name of 'clan destiny' as well, was he not?"
At that, several of the main family elders jolted slightly in unison.
Their hands, resting on their knees, tightened with tension, and their gazes subconsciously flickered toward the silent Sarutobi Hiruzen.
This was not something pleasant to hear.
Some matters weigh nothing when left unspoken, but once exposed, they become heavier than a thousand catties.
After all, Kumokawa's father was a jōnin officially registered in Konoha.
So regarding the cause of his death, the Hyūga clan had always declared to the outside world that he had sacrificed himself to protect the main family.
It was precisely for this reason that Kumokawa was entitled to certain "welfare benefits."
But now, with Kumokawa suddenly speaking of it before Sarutobi Hiruzen himself, the elders could not help but feel a shameful fury — as if their disgrace had been laid bare before an outsider.
"A branch family protecting the main family is their duty! The main house is the root of the Hyūga clan. Your father died a worthy death!"
Hyūga Hideki's expression grew terribly dark, his sense of being challenged burning through, and the arrogance of one in power was revealed without restraint.
"A worthy death?" Kumokawa said coldly. "I, my father, Lord Hizashi — in our bodies flows the same blood as yours, yet we are denied even the chance to learn the clan's inherited jutsu. But when it is time to throw our lives away, suddenly you remember we share the same roots and origin?"
"Impudent!"
"Arrogant!"
Two hot-tempered main family elders rose to their feet in anger.
If not for Sarutobi Hiruzen's presence, they would already have activated the cursed seal to punish him harshly.
Facing their enraged shouts, Kumokawa held his head high, refusing to back down even a step — but deep in his eyes, his gaze flickered faintly.
Of course, he wasn't truly acting without regard for his life.
He knew very well that if the next part of his plan went smoothly, the Hyūga clan would no longer be able to contain him.
Even without today's display, the main family would sooner or later come to fear him — and there was a very high chance he would one day "commit suicide" under mysterious circumstances.
Naturally, Kumokawa could release the Caged Bird seal.
But now was not the time to reveal that.
So what he needed was simple — to make the Hyūga main family too wary to touch him.
He needed a new backer. One stronger than the Hyūga main family.
He needed a new platform. One greater than the Hyūga clan itself.
With that thought, Kumokawa cast a glance at Sarutobi Hiruzen, who sat as still as stone, silent and pensive.
At that moment, a flash of realization passed through Hiruzen's clouded eyes.
His gaze lifted slightly, sweeping across Kumokawa's sorrowful face behind Hizashi's figure.
"So, he is speaking out for his father and for Hizashi?"
This child… truly a boy of loyalty and righteousness.
But his walls are too shallow — he cannot hide his emotions.
Yet, is that not precisely the kind of subordinate most favored by those in power?
"Alas, what a pity." Hiruzen sighed inwardly. "If only his strength were a little greater."
Lately, the Hyūga clan's arrogance and the Uchiha clan's growing discontent had stirred a faint sense of unease in the Hokage's heart.
His grip over these two great clans of Konoha was still too weak.
Therefore, he had already resolved to cultivate subordinates from within both clans.
One way or another, he needed to drive some nails into these houses, so that if either clan stirred in the future, he would not be left blind to it.
This was an almost instinctive wariness of one in power.
From the Uchiha, after much investigation, he had already set his eyes on Uchiha Kagami's descendant, Uchiha Shisui.
But from the Hyūga, he had yet to find a suitable candidate.
The main family would never obey him, and the branch family would not dare rebel against the main house.
The servility etched into their souls by the Caged Bird seal had long since taken root.
Most of the branch had already accepted the main house's superiority as a matter of course.
But now, Kumokawa seemed most fitting of all — though his strength was still lacking.
"All right, Kumokawa, enough."
Hyūga Hizashi spoke in a calm tone, neither heavy nor light, while his peripheral vision caught Kumokawa's reddened eyes and the grief-stricken, indignant expression on his face.
Kumokawa had come along only because he had returned a scroll of jutsu to Hizashi not long ago, just when Hyūga Hideki had been visiting Hizashi's quarters.
At that time, Hideki and Hizashi had been discussing the matter of Hizashi dying in Hiashi's place.
With his superior battle experience, Hizashi had immediately noticed the sound of urgent breathing outside the room.
Finding an excuse to dismiss Hideki, he stepped outside and discovered Kumokawa standing there, stricken as though by a bolt from the blue.
Fortunately, he had stopped Kumokawa in time. Otherwise, in his emotional outburst, the boy might have rushed straight in and even lashed out in fury at Hideki.
"Sigh…"
Recalling Kumokawa's breakdown then, and now seeing the boy's face still clouded with resentment, Hizashi couldn't help but feel moved in his heart.
He had never imagined that his small gestures of care for the orphaned child would cause Kumokawa to see him as family.
Learning that Hizashi was to die in his brother's stead, Kumokawa could no longer contain his grief and fury.
This boy was simply too loyal, too righteous… and whether that was good or bad, Hizashi could not say.
"Wait, wait!"
Hyūga Hiashi snapped back to his senses, as though suddenly realizing something, and hurriedly stood up:
"What do you mean, 'final journey'? What do you mean, 'a man already doomed to die'? You…"
Hyūga Hideki forced down the anger he felt from being defied and, refusing to look at the boy who disgusted him, said coldly:
"We will hand over Hizashi's corpse as your substitute."
"Hizashi has already agreed."
Those words made Hiashi stare at his brother in disbelief.
How could this be? Hizashi agreed?
Did he not despise me as his elder brother?
"But… but…" Hiashi stammered, almost incoherent from shock. "The Land of Lightning and the Hidden Cloud want the Byakugan, don't they? Once Hizashi dies, his Byakugan will be destroyed. If that happens, the Land of Lightning and the Hidden Cloud will never accept it."
"From the Cloud ninja's attempt to kidnap Hinata, it is indeed clear the Hidden Cloud wanted exactly that." Hideki's eyes flashed with shadow. "But the condition put forth by the Land of Lightning was that we hand over 'the corpse of the culprit, Hyūga Hiashi.'"
"As long as we pretend to accept their demand, then hand over Hizashi, whose appearance is identical to yours, the Hidden Cloud will have no grounds to press the matter further."
At this, Hiashi opened his mouth, but no words came out. Almost involuntarily, his gaze turned toward Hizashi, who had remained silent all this time.
Hizashi's expression was calm, as though he had completely accepted his fate.
But in truth, he was waiting.
Waiting for an answer. Waiting for a choice.
Waiting to see if his elder brother, his "good brother," would give the same answer and choice as foretold by that great man.