Hearing this, the cowering Ryoma jerked his head up in disbelief. His proud and noble father was actually saying such humiliating words, even offering to serve Iroha Hyuga.
"Father, how can you say this to a branch family member…" he blurted out. Before he could finish, Elder Riwugo's expression changed violently.
"Shut up, idiot!"
With wrath and fear tangled together, Elder Riwugo kicked Ryoma hard. The blow cut off his words and made him cough up a mouthful of blood.
Elder Riwugo did not care. Was serving the point? The point was staying alive to serve. He glared at Iroha Hyuga again, bending low and forcing a flattering smile.
"Lord Iroha Hyuga, what do you think? If there is anything else you want, say it. Just leave us our miserable lives."
Iroha Hyuga looked down at him as if at a venomous snake pretending to be pitiful. After a moment, a smile slowly appeared on his blank face.
He reached out and, with deliberate humiliation, lightly patted Elder Riwugo's pale cheek that was full of flattery. Elder Riwugo felt endless shame and killing intent boiling inside, yet his smile only grew humbler.
He had hope. This fool had taken the bait.
"As long as I can live, I can…"
The smile on Elder Riwugo's face suddenly froze. Iroha Hyuga pulled his hand back, took out a cold glinting Kunai from his Ninja Tool pouch, and casually tossed it at Ryoma's feet.
The metal struck stone with a sharp sound that echoed in the silent cell. Ryoma shuddered violently on the ground.
"What I want is simple," Iroha Hyuga said, his smile turning cold and cruel as his gaze moved between father and son. "The two of you. Only one can live."
Iroha Hyuga's cold words fell into the cell.
The bloody air turned into a suffocating stillness. It felt as if the space itself had stopped moving, pressing down on every mouth and nose. Only the oil lamp on the wall made a faint crackling sound, and the drip of blood from Elder Riwugo's severed wrists seemed painfully loud.
Elder Riwugo's pupils shrank hard as he stared at Iroha Hyuga, as if trying to confirm he had not misheard. His lips trembled for a moment before a hoarse voice finally came out. "You… what are you saying?"
"I am saying this." Iroha Hyuga spoke calmly, like he was stating a fixed rule. "Out of the two of you, the one who lives will not be attacked by me."
As if he had heard the most cruel joke, the forced smile on Elder Riwugo's face twitched. He pushed down the surge of wrath in his chest and spoke in a pleading, almost pitiful tone. "Do not joke like this."
As he spoke, his gaze dropped slightly, seeming to casually sweep past Iroha Hyuga toward Ryoma slumped on the ground behind him. "I am Ryoma's father."
His voice slowed, carrying a faint hint that only the two of them could understand. "Father and son killing each other, how could that be possible?"
The words "father and son" were stressed just a little, almost impossible to notice. Ryoma's body trembled faintly, as if he had caught the meaning. His bandaged face turned slightly toward his father, and his hands slowly felt across the ground in silence.
At last, his fingertips touched the cold, hard Kunai. His fingers clenched tightly around it, as if grasping his only chance to live, and he raised his head to "look" toward Iroha Hyuga's back, which seemed completely unguarded.
Yes. Just like that.
A flash of wild joy crossed Elder Riwugo's eyes. Iroha Hyuga was right in front of him. Before this madman noticed, he needed to use all his strength and drive the Kunai into his body.
Even if it did not kill him in one blow, as long as it seriously injured him, father and son would still have a chance to turn things around.
Under Elder Riwugo's expectant gaze, Ryoma slowly stood up. However, he did not rush at Iroha Hyuga like a snake. Instead, he spoke with a shaking voice.
"What you just said… is it true?" His gaze seemed fixed on Iroha Hyuga's back, and fear made his voice rough. "As long as I do what you say, you will let me leave?"
The moment those words came out, Elder Riwugo's expression froze. The joy in his eyes was doused as if by ice water, replaced by shock and disbelief. He stared at his son.
"Of course." Iroha Hyuga did not even turn around. He did not care that Ryoma had twisted "will not attack" into "let me leave."
A fierce, pleased smile appeared on Iroha Hyuga's face as he spoke seriously. "I swear on the name of the Ryoma Clan."
Those words crushed Ryoma's last hesitation. His throat bobbed as he made a desperate decision and stepped forward.
"Ryoma!"
Elder Riwugo stepped back without thinking, his voice rising sharp with shock and anger. "Idiot, are you insane? I am your father!"
Ryoma stopped where he was, his body shaking violently. "I am sorry, Father. I know what you mean."
He shook his head again and again, his voice breaking with tears. "But I do not have Pure Byakugan, and you have no hands. We cannot kill him. We will both die here."
"Fool!" Elder Riwugo trembled with rage, almost coughing up blood. "I have no hands, but you do. You do not have Pure Byakugan, but I do. If we work together…"
His words suddenly stopped, his teeth knocking together as he shook. He saw Ryoma's ear twitch slightly, and the bandaged face turned toward him.
This idiot was not hesitating about whether to attack Iroha Hyuga. He was using his remaining hearing to judge position and distance.
The thought sent a sharp chill through Elder Riwugo's body. Before he could react, Ryoma moved.
Ignoring his severe injuries, Ryoma forced his Chakra and used Body Flicker. His movement was unsteady from pain and fear, but the speed was still fast as he slammed straight into Elder Riwugo.
With a heavy crash, Elder Riwugo was caught completely off guard. He slipped on the blood on the floor and fell flat on his back, his head hitting the ground with a dull thud that made his vision go dark.
When he felt one of his legs being grabbed, he snapped awake. "Let go. Let go of me."
Seeing Ryoma clinging to his leg on the ground, Elder Riwugo was shocked and furious. He lifted his other leg and kicked hard at Ryoma's face.
After several kicks, the bandages on Ryoma's face were soaked with blood, mucus, and tears. Even so, he clung on like something dragged out of hell, gripping Elder Riwugo's other leg. No matter how Elder Riwugo kicked and struggled, he would not let go, his nails digging into flesh as he dragged himself forward.
"Father. Father. Stop struggling." Ryoma screamed in a crazed, slurred voice. "If we both die here, nothing is left. Let one of us live."
"I will avenge you after I get out. I swear I will avenge you."
As soon as he finished speaking, he tightened his grip on the sharp Kunai and stabbed it down hard into Elder Riwugo's struggling leg.
Blood burst out with wet sounds. Elder Riwugo screamed in terror and pain. Having lost both hands and been stabbed again and again, his cry echoed through the cell.