With Hyūga Hiashi and Hyūga Shin, the two main house leaders, having successively led the Hyūga clan elites to the battlefield, the compound that was once bustling now felt deserted due to the departure of so many clan members.
The warm winter sun shone on the courtyard, slowly melting the snow piled up from the previous days. The chilling wind made the already desolate main compound even more forlorn.
After waking up that day, Hyūga Shinichi, as usual, "locked" himself in the dojo. The successive upheavals in the Hyūga clan had not disrupted his schedule. An intense sense of "calmness" emanated from him.
Inside the dojo, Shisui Uchiha, acting as Shinichi's sparring partner, was engaging him with an unsharpened kunai. In one corner of the dojo, Kakashi Hatake sat cross-legged against the wall, quietly watching Shinichi and Shisui practice.
Kakashi had observed all the recent events concerning the Hyūga clan. Through this period of escort duty, he gained a deep understanding of this bloodline limit clan, and he knew the heavy burden resting on Shinichi, who was currently training.
With Hiashi and Shin absent, Shinichi had to shoulder the responsibility of the entire Hyūga clan. For a child his age, the pressure was immense. As an outsider, Kakashi felt breathless just thinking about it, yet Shinichi remained as calm as ever. This composure and calmness made Kakashi regard Shinichi highly.
Shinichi's path of growth was completely different from Kakashi's. Kakashi's early life was enveloped in loneliness, but the word "loneliness" did not exist in Shinichi's life; instead, it was filled with "responsibility" and "expectations." However, the pressure and troubles brought by these "responsibilities" and "expectations" far exceeded the so-called "loneliness." Kakashi grew up enduring loneliness, while Shinichi was growing up shouldering the "responsibility" and "expectations" of the entire Hyūga clan.
After an unknown length of time, the dojo door was pushed open.
Hyūga Hizashi led Hyūga Neji into the dojo. They did not disturb Shinichi, who was sparring. After a simple bow to Kakashi, they quietly sat down in a corner of the dojo.
Hizashi was one of the people closest to Shinichi in the Hyūga clan and had been entrusted by both Hiashi and Hyūga Shin to be a vital force in protecting Shinichi's growth. He and Shinichi were uncle and nephew.
With the Main House leaders absent, he wanted to fulfill his duty and accompany Shinichi as he matured. To prevent Shinichi from being too lonely, he also brought Neji along, hoping Neji would follow suit, train diligently, and grow into an important force for the Hyūga clan in the future.
Unlike Hinata, whose Caged Bird seal was delayed, the one-year-old Neji had already been branded with the Caged Bird last year. Although young Neji knew what the Caged Bird was, he had no real understanding of the curse mark's power, having never witnessed it. Without understanding, there was no resentment.
Neji's underlying character was kind and proactive. Watching Shinichi fight Shisui in the dojo, Neji's eyes were full of aspiration. Influenced by Hizashi, he had a strong sense of identity with the clan, and Shinichi's excellence had early on set a goal for his efforts. His dream was to become a genius ninja as outstanding as Hyūga Shinichi.
This dojo seemed to have formed its own world. The external public opinion and Konoha's political atmosphere did not affect the people within the dojo. Regardless of what happened outside, Shinichi single-mindedly focused on what he needed to do.
And Shinichi's "calmness" was subtly influencing the other Hyūga clan members. Despite the departure of the clan's elites, the remaining members were initially bewildered about the Hyūga's future. With the two Main House leaders on the battlefield, the Hyūga inevitably felt anxious and uncertain about what impact the young Shinichi's control of the clan would bring.
To everyone's surprise, the departure of a large number of elites did not disrupt their normal lives, nor were there any incidents like foreign intrusions in the Hyūga compound. This gradually put the Hyūga clan members at ease.
The fact that the Hyūga clan was stable was somewhat surprising to certain individuals.
In a hidden base of the Root organization, Danzō Shimura was sitting behind his desk, furrowing his brow as he reviewed scrolls related to the Hyūga clan.
From the various materials on the Hyūga clan collected over the past few decades, he discerned one piece of information: there were severe internal conflicts within the Hyūga clan. This was the clan conflict arising from the Main House and Branch House system, and it was a crucial part of Danzō's plan to weaken the Hyūga clan.
He hoped the Hyūga clan would fall into a pattern of "strong Branch House, weak Main House." In this way, the Hyūga would be preoccupied with their internal issues and lack the energy to help the Fourth Hokage compete for power within Konoha's larger framework.
The development of the situation was moving in the direction Danzō desired, but the effect had not met his expectations. After analyzing many documents, Danzō pinpointed the source of the problem.
"The Hyūga Main House... is still too strong after all!"
"Even with Hiashi and Hyūga Shin out of the village, with that boy's presence, the Hyūga clan won't descend into chaos."
"Such a large clan... is bound to disrupt the village's balance and sow the seeds of future calamity for the village."
"I absolutely cannot sit by and allow such a thing to happen."
"Unkai, I'm entrusting this mission to you."
"I heard Hyūga Hiashi has a daughter? I think that child would be much better. Letting her become the Hyūga clan heir... would be beneficial for the village!"
In the dimly lit office, a ninja wearing a Shinigami mask emerged from the shadows and approached Danzō's desk. As Danzō spoke, he handed the Anbu a portrait marked with a red "X," speaking solemnly.
"If you fail... You know what to do."
Danzō's gaze was deep, fixed on the man before him. The latter nodded silently, took the portrait, and firmly memorized the person in the picture.
The person in the portrait was none other than Hyūga Shinichi...
Although Konoha Village was not small, the power structure was already clearly divided. The existing power structure could not accommodate a rapidly rising major clan. Compared to the proud but mediocre Uchiha, the new-generation Hyūga who had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique was a greater concern for Danzō.
"Rest assured, Lord Danzō."
The Anbu, known as Kurama Unkai, responded, and his figure vanished into the darkness. Unkai was one of Danzō's most trusted and relied-upon Root ninja. In Danzō's view, only he had the potential to complete this arduous mission!
Night. A cold wind blew gently.
A spark fell without warning onto a side annex of the Hyūga Main House. The flame ignited the paper window screens, and a blazing fire began to spread. Not until the fire had consumed half the empty room did the Hyūga ninja discover it and sound the warning wooden clapper.
The Hyūga residences were built in the traditional wooden interlocking structure. Once a fire started, it spread quickly and was difficult to put out. The Hyūga guards who noticed the fire quickly converged on the site to participate in the firefighting efforts.
The Taijutsu-specialist Hyūga were somewhat clumsy when facing such a blaze, only able to repeatedly fetch water to douse the flames.
On the rooftop of a tall building a hundred meters outside the Hyūga compound, a gray-haired youth held a sketchbook in his left hand and a pair of binoculars, observing the fire at the Hyūga compound from above. The paper in his sketchbook featured a drawing of a "fire disaster."
"Twelve guards, not counting the hidden defensive forces..."
"And... that reaction speed is too fast. The first group arrived at the scene in just two minutes."
"It would be too difficult to take out a Hyūga Special Jonin in such a short time..."
Muttering to himself, the gray-haired youth silently put down the binoculars, quickly pocketed the sketchbook, and then flashed away from the rooftop.
Through the tireless efforts of the Hyūga clan members, the fire was quickly brought under control.
Hyūga Shinichi also heard the commotion and quickly rushed to the scene. By the time he arrived, Kakashi and Shisui had already arrived moments before him, and Kakashi even used his Water Style Ninjutsu to help the Hyūga accelerate the fire suppression.
The Branch House members, seeing Shinichi arrive in his sleepwear, quickly approached to greet him and explain:
"Lord Shinichi, we sincerely apologize for disturbing your rest."
Although Shinichi was young, the Branch House still referred to him as "Lord."
"What happened?"
While asking, Shinichi quickly used his Byakugan to examine the fire scene. This empty room was a guest room, constantly vacant. Logic dictated that without an open flame, a fire should not have started. Shinichi suspected arson.
However, under the Byakugan's scrutiny, Shinichi could not find any source of ignition. As for whether someone intentionally started the fire with Fire Style Ninjutsu, Shinichi also ruled this out. While searching for the ignition source, Shinichi had already checked the compound and found no trace of any unfamiliar individuals.
The answers from the clan members confirmed Shinichi's assessment.
"We don't know... the fire suddenly started."
"We haven't found the cause of the fire yet, but we can confirm that it was likely an accident."
"Our squad has been monitoring the entire compound and detected no anomalies!"
This clan member's answer was echoed by others. The fire happened suddenly, and they did not know the reason.
Shinichi nodded slightly, looking at the charred side annex, feeling a headache. Repairs would take some effort. This was the first time in his life he had seen a fire break out in the Hyūga compound. With Hiashi and Hyūga Shin currently absent, such an incident might lead to rumors within the clan, which Shinichi did not want to hear.
"Kazutaka, thoroughly investigate the cause of the fire."
"This area will be sealed off for two days. After finding the cause, hire artisans from the village to carry out repairs."
"The weather is dry these days; everyone should be careful with open flames."
Shinichi waved his hand, called his guards, and gave his instructions, not dwelling on the incident. After thanking everyone for their hard work, Shinichi politely thanked Shisui and Kakashi for their assistance.
Just as he was about to return to his quarters to rest, Shisui Uchiha seemed to sense something. He took a few steps closer, scrutinized the fire scene, and frowned deeply. Only after Kakashi called out to him did Shisui slowly follow them.
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