"..."
When the figure in a black robe appeared, lightly extending a hand to place a glowing orb into Hiashi's chest, Hyūga Hizashi's pupils involuntarily contracted.
Especially upon seeing Hiashi unable to resist at all, his entire body frozen stiff, incapable of moving — only the fear in his Byakugan showing he was still conscious.
Even Hizashi could not help but feel a chill at such a sinister technique.
"My lord."
He lowered his head respectfully, paused for a moment, moistened his dry lips and asked:
"May I ask, my lord, what do you plan to do with Hyūga Hiashi?"
The shadow before him, of course, was none other than Kumokawa, who had been lying in ambush here long ago.
The one outside was merely a shadow clone.
The plan had unfolded with no mishaps.
Under the onslaught of countless complicated emotions, Hiashi had not noticed him at all and had been effortlessly struck in the heart.
"It seems you still cannot bring yourself to kill him?" Kumokawa gazed deeply at Hizashi.
"No, not so!" Hizashi quickly shook his head and explained:
"I do not yet understand Lord Hiashi's habits and mannerisms, so I fear my disguise might reveal flaws. If that were to affect your plan…"
Kumokawa paid no heed to whether Hizashi harbored personal feelings.
Withdrawing his hand from Hiashi's chest, he ignored Hizashi's doubtful expression.
Instead, he untied the bandage on Hiashi's forehead and handed it to Hizashi, speaking in a calm tone:
"Remove your forehead protector and give it to him. Use this bandage to cover your Caged Bird curse mark."
At last Hizashi noticed the scar upon Hiashi's forehead, and countless speculations welled up in his mind, filling him with horror.
At that moment, Hiashi — still conscious — slowly realized what Hizashi and this black-robed man intended to do.
This fellow… actually wanted Hizashi to take his place?!
Hiashi's pupils trembled. A bone-deep chill nearly swallowed him whole.
When had this all begun?
Who exactly was this man? Was he from the Hidden Cloud? Or someone else entirely?
Could it be… that even that kunai slash across his forehead by the Cloud shinobi had been calculated into this?!
If that Cloud shinobi had not cut his forehead, he would not have wrapped the wound with bandages.
Without that bandage, Hizashi would never have been able to perfectly conceal the curse mark of the branch house…
The more Hiashi and Hizashi thought about it, the deeper their fear became.
But Hizashi's fear was mingled with relief — relief that he had chosen to submit when he did, recognizing the trend of events and taking the wiser path.
This was no longer mere conspiracy.
This was complete manipulation — treating them as nothing more than marionettes on strings.
The Hidden Cloud, Konoha's higher-ups, the Hyūga clan — every one of them was being toyed with in the palm of his hand.
"Rest assured. He will only enter a state of suspended death."
Once Hizashi had tied the forehead protector onto Hiashi's head, Kumokawa finally answered in a flat voice:
"His consciousness still remains, but his body is no longer under his own control. He has already become my 'puppet.'"
Hearing this, Hizashi — who had just wrapped the bandage over his curse mark — froze for a moment.
But then he thought of something, and his heart trembled with dread.
Did this not mean that, should he lose his usefulness, this lord could at any time personally control Hyūga Hiashi to replace him?
"But…" Hizashi hesitated. "What about the Hidden Cloud…"
"That is not your concern." Before he could finish, Kumokawa cut him off.
"You need only play your role."
With that, he extended two fingers. Chakra surged within his body, forming a Chakra Scalpel.
With a swift motion, he gouged out Hiashi's eyes.
Splurt.
Two bloody Byakugan were dug out, and Kumokawa tucked them away in his robes.
Thus, counting the eye of the main family shinobi he had once tricked Orochimaru into killing, Kumokawa now possessed three Byakugan.
The Caged Bird curse mark destroyed the optic nerves — the nerves connecting the Byakugan to the brain — but it did not directly obliterate the eyes of the branch house.
Once the curse mark was activated, the Byakugan would go blind, but the eyes would not vanish.
This was precisely why Hyūga Hideki and the others were confident that the Hidden Cloud would not notice anything amiss too soon.
To avoid exposure, Kumokawa brought out one of Orochimaru's "spares" — a pair of blind Byakugan from a branch family member — and transplanted them into Hiashi.
Watching the entire process, Hizashi's respect toward Kumokawa deepened further. At the same time, when his gaze fell upon Hiashi, there was even a trace of pity.
To think — the proud head of the main family, his Byakugan ripped out, forced to be replaced by him, a branch house member, and finally reduced to a puppet without freedom…
At this thought, a twisted flush of red spread faintly across Hizashi's face.
Brother… can you now understand the despair and suffering of the branch family?
Indeed, at this very moment, Hiashi truly felt it — the despair, helplessness, regret, and agony of having one's destiny wrenched away.
Everything that had occurred today had nearly broken the clan head's spirit.
Especially after hearing he would remain forever in this state, Hiashi was inwardly begging in silence, over and over: Kill me.
He would rather have died at the hands of the Hidden Cloud than become a puppet stripped of his will.
But that choice was no longer his to make.
The instant he, as clan head, chose to abandon Hizashi, it was no longer his right to regret.
Now, Hizashi was merely repeating what Hiashi himself had once done to him.
"My lord."
At that moment, Hizashi suddenly dropped to his knees, bowing until his forehead touched the floor. His plain robes spread out across the ground as he respectfully asked:
"Forgive my rudeness, but I have yet to ask your esteemed name…"
Unlike the false courtesy once forced upon him by the curse seal, his bow now was born of genuine reverence.
"Esteemed name?"
Kumokawa's eyes lowered slightly as he looked down at Hizashi kneeling before him. Slowly, he said:
"It has been long since I last used my true name. But as it happens, you Hyūga should also be counted among my kin."
At those words, Hizashi was startled. He had not expected this lord to be connected to the Hyūga.
"My surname," Kumokawa said softly, "is Ōtsutsuki."
A shiver seemed to ripple from the depths of Hizashi's bloodline, causing him to bow even lower, his mind flashing with thoughts.
Ōtsutsuki?
Was there truly such a shinobi clan in this world?
Could it be some hidden, reclusive bloodline?
He did not doubt Kumokawa's words for a moment.
Instead, he merely assumed his own knowledge was lacking, already resolving to search through ancient texts when the matter was over.
[Ding!]
[Your lie, "Ōtsutsuki Kumoshiki," has been judged as "Shifting Flowers and Grafting Trees." Hyūga Hizashi's emotional state has shifted, reaching "deeply convinced." You gain 1000 Truth Points.]
[Remaining Truth Points: 11,651]
Hearing the familiar chime within his mind, Kumokawa arched a brow slightly.
As expected of the "Ōtsutsuki" name.
Just borrowing the surname alone was enough to yield a thousand points.
It seemed this lie still had much untapped value.
— — —
Click.
The door opened.
Expressionless, Hizashi carried Hiashi's "corpse" out in his arms.
In his hands was a scroll, while Hiashi's body was covered with a white cloth.
Of course, in the eyes of Hyūga Hideki, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and the others outside, it appeared to be Hiashi carrying Hizashi's corpse.
"Hiashi, you've already used the curse seal to destroy the Byakugan?" Hyūga Hideki, ever cautious, still asked.
Hizashi gently laid the "corpse" down, head bowed, offering no reply. Hideki merely assumed he was overcome with grief.
So he bent down, lifted the cloth, pried open an eyelid, and saw the Byakugan already darkened.
The taut old face finally relaxed a fraction, and he turned to nod at the other main family elders.
Seeing this, everyone else let out a collective sigh of relief.