"..."
Upon hearing the solution proposed by Hyugo, the other main house elders' eyes flickered. They all simultaneously began pondering the feasibility of this method.
It seemed... this approach might indeed break the deadlock.
Regardless of whether the Land of Lightning's Daimyo had misunderstood Kumogakure's demand, they had made it very clear they wanted the culprit's "corpse."
Even if Kumogakure discovered the "corpse" had no eyes, so what? Would they dare to righteously continue demanding the Byakugan?
There was no such logic.
Even if Kumogakure wanted to start a war, they needed a justifiable reason. Without one, the Land of Lightning's Daimyo would never agree.
If they couldn't occupy the moral high ground, firstly, it would damage the Land of Lightning's reputation in the ninja world; secondly, it would impact Kumogakure's economy, significantly reducing the number of mission requests they received.
Apart from missions coming from within the Land of Lightning, the rest came from citizens of other small nations without their own ninja villages.
Unless a village grovelled at the Daimyo's feet like Sunagakure, facing abolishment of ninja if funding was cut, mission requests were essentially the foundation of a ninja village's existence.
It could only be said that the rules of the ninja world were truly twisted.
Ninja villages and nobles coexisted interdependently while remaining wary of each other.
Ninjas brought killing and trouble to the people, yet the people had to entrust ninjas to solve their problems.
Ninjas, who didn't engage in production, relied on the people's mission requests to survive.
The entire ninja world existed in a strange and fragile balance.
Although the Hyuga main house elders couldn't think this deeply, they understood that Kumogakure needed a reason to start a war.
"Hiashi, it's time to face reality. Our ancestors preserved the Hyuga clan's Kekkei Genkai until now precisely through such means."
Hyugo looked at the conflicted Hyuga Hiashi and said solemnly, "For the sake of the Hyuga clan, even brothers must be resolutely abandoned. This is the destiny of the Hyuga main house, and the fate of the Hyuga clan!"
"..."
It was very quiet, quiet enough to hear the sizzling of the burning candle. Melted wax flowed silently, refracting the nearby flame.
No one present spoke a word, all silently waiting for Hizashi to make his decision.
Given Hizashi's former personality, since he had already decided to die in his brother's place, he would not have forced Hiashi to bear the burden of being the villain. At this moment, he should have spoken decisively.
But now, his emotions were complicated. He stared at his elder brother without a word, the words of that person echoing in his ears.
"It seems you are not yet prepared. In that case, let's make a bet."
That person had chuckled lightly, his tone teasing. "You have already chosen to be a father. So let's see whether Hiashi Hyuga chooses to be an elder brother, or continues to be the main house head who prioritizes 'the bigger picture.'"
It was because of these words that Hizashi chose to remain silent.
Everything that had happened so far was, incredibly, unfolding just as that person had said.
The Land of Lightning, Kumogakure, Konoha's high council, the Hyuga main house, even himself...
They were all like pieces on that person's chessboard, manipulated and moved into their destined positions.
This ability to orchestrate and control people's hearts made Hizashi even more awed by him.
He just wanted to see now, if things developed as they originally would have, without that person's intervention, whether his own death would ultimately be worth it.
"..."
The atmosphere in the room grew heavier and heavier, like breathing in a muddy swamp, every lungful thick with sludge.
Hiashi's mind felt like a blur. He looked at Hizashi's calm expression but couldn't fathom his thoughts. The conflict on his face gradually turned to pain.
Fear of death, guilt towards Hizashi, responsibility to the clan, reluctance to part with Hinata, anger at Kumogakure...
He wasn't truly cold and heartless. Just like with Hinata, he had feelings for Hizashi. It was just that these feelings were buried, deeply hidden beneath a hard, cold exterior.
Now, countless emotions interwove into a vast net, like a ball of yarn with no loose end, binding his heart tight, stagnating the blood in his veins.
"Hiashi!" Hyugo urged in a low voice.
"I..."
Hiashi's body suddenly trembled, his chest heaving violently, like a broken bellows. His voice was hoarse: "I... I am the main house clan head. I..."
He couldn't finish the sentence. His whole body hunched over, his head drooping, unable to look at Hizashi. A profound sense of powerlessness washed over him.
For the first time, he felt such self-loathing. For the first time, he truly understood how heavy and nauseating the casually spoken word "destiny" really was.
At the same time, a look of relief appeared on Hizashi's calm face.
After Hiashi spoke those words, all hesitation and doubt within him were severed.
He had lost.
Hyuga Hizashi had lost too.
"Elder Brother."
Hizashi even smiled faintly, looking at Hiashi's hunched figure, as if he wished to sink into the earth in humiliation. He spoke: "I have some final words concerning the two children, Neji and Arata. May I speak with you alone?"
Hiashi's body trembled again before he slowly nodded. Hyugo and the others naturally had no reason to stop them.
Arata remained where he stood, making no move, watching this so-called great clan's "ugly" side unfold before him.
Click.
Hizashi walked in front, Hiashi following behind, as they entered another soundproofed room.
The sound of rain outside was suddenly cut off. Only their uneven, heavy breathing remained.
Hiashi, who had kept his head lowered, seemed to regain a sliver of courage. He looked up at Hizashi standing before him, pursed his lips, and said, "Hizashi, I'm sorry. Neji and that boy, Arata... I will definitely take good care of them for you."
But as soon as he said this, he saw Hizashi slowly shake his head, a relieved smile still on his face.
"Lord Hiashi."
Hizashi no longer addressed him as brother, but used the formal title of the past. His tone was calm: "Do you know? Even now, you are still far too arrogant."
"..." Hizashi was stunned. "What?"
"Actually, among the solutions Hyugo mentioned, there was one you all ignored."
Unfazed by his shock, Hizashi slowly continued, "If you truly had the resolve to die, the courage to pay for your own impulsiveness, you could have gouged out your own eyes and then committed suicide. The effect would have been the same. No loss of the Byakugan, no war provoked."
"But from beginning to end, you never even considered it. Such arrogance."
Looking at Hizashi, whose expression was eerily calm, Hiashi suddenly felt a wave of unease. He instinctively opened his mouth to speak.
But the next moment.
Shlorp!
A blurry black figure appeared behind him. Hiashi only felt a sudden chill in his chest.
All his strength seemed to drain away in an instant. He stiffly, slowly lowered his head to look at the source of the chill.
He saw a loosely clenched hand protruding from his chest. There was no blood at his chest, only ripples like water spreading out.
Hiashi's body grew rigid. A look of bewilderment and confusion spread across his face.
'What... is this?'