"...We have the Branch Family; we can let Hizashi die in your place to deal with those people."
Sōshu's words made Hiashi's pupils contract slightly. He hadn't expected the Great Elder to propose this method.
"Konoha is not prepared to go to war with our Hyuga Clan."
"As long as the price we pay is heavy enough, Konoha will stop pursuing the matter."
A scene of him playing with Hizashi when they were children suddenly flashed through Hiashi's mind, but it vanished instantly.
He didn't ask if Hizashi would agree.
Just like earlier today, when he merely sensed a trace of killing intent leak from Hizashi, he punished Hizashi using the Caged Bird Seal.
Having been the Clan Head for so long, the familial affection he once held for Hizashi had long vanished without a trace.
"Since things have come to this, Hizashi cannot die in vain. We need to guide the Branch Family's emotions."
"We must shift all their dissatisfaction with the Main Family onto Konoha and strengthen our control over the Branch Family."
"There is still some time until sunrise, and we have many things to do."
"Before Hiruzen Sarutobi comes here again, we must ensure that every member of the Branch Family knows about today's incident."
"And, subtly reveal your intention, Hiashi, to sacrifice yourself."
"Jubee (Second Elder) and Fujio (Third Elder), tomorrow you will be responsible for persuading Hizashi."
"You must make Hizashi 'willing,' understood?"
Second Elder Jubee belongs to the Militant Faction and frequently uses the Caged Bird Seal to punish Branch Family members, while Third Elder Fujio is skilled in psychological strategy.
The two going together to persuade Hizashi represents a perfect combination of strategy and force.
They will have him completely controlled.
The Second Elder and the Third Elder exchanged glances, both feeling as if they had found their backbone. "Yes, Great Elder."
The Great Elder stood up and patted Hiashi's shoulder: "We will encounter many issues. Even if they are difficult, you must remain calm."
"Do the best you can in other areas, and minimize the losses."
"If the matter is handled well enough, Konoha might even compensate our Hyuga Clan."
"Yes, Great Elder."
...The Hyuga Clan has many secrets within the clan. Under non-combat conditions, usually no one activates the Byakugan.
After all, you never know when or where the information you want might appear.
But today was different.
All the conversation content of the Hyuga Main Family,
was witnessed entirely by Hizashi, Hayato, and Aoran.
The Main Family had never expected anyone to monitor them using the Byakugan.
Or rather, due to years of arrogance, they didn't believe any Branch Family member would dare defy them.
Hyuga Hizashi abruptly deactivated his Byakugan. The bulging veins around his eyes slowly receded, but the tremor in his pupils refused to subside.
His body swayed, and he instinctively leaned backward, hitting the edge of the bed behind him with a dull thud.
The color drained from his handsome face at a visible speed, leaving him deathly pale.
That was not fear, but the extreme pain and coldness of having his heart pierced by the coldest, cruelest blade, wielded from behind by the relatives he trusted most—the Main Family he had sworn to protect until death.
"...Heh."
An extremely faint, almost leaking sound of laughter escaped his pale lips, filled with boundless self-mockery and despair.
"So... that's it...'Willing'... what a 'willing' sacrifice!"
Hizashi's body trembled slightly, as towering grief, indignation, and powerlessness battered the dike of his rationality.
He wanted to rush out and confront the elder brother and the Elders he once respected!
But the next second, the invisible Caged Bird Curse Seal on his forehead seemed to suddenly tighten, bringing a sharp, warning phantom pain that instantly crushed all his impulses.
This invisible cage not only locked away his life but had long ago ground his dignity and spirit of resistance into dust.
He didn't even have the right to choose how to die; he could only be "willingly" sacrificed for a setup, and even become a tool for the Main Family to unite the Branch Family and divert conflict.
Hayato's teeth ground together audibly, and anger and despair surfaced on his face.
Immense sorrow overwhelmed him. He slowly closed his eyes, and a cold liquid seemed to spill from the corners, but he forcefully held it back.
"Bastards!!!"
Hayato squeezed the two words through gritted teeth, veins bulging on his forehead. He slammed his fist hard against the nearby wall, letting out a dull "dong."
"How dare they! How could they!!" Hayato's voice trembled with extreme rage.
"Lord Hizashi, you risked life and limb for the Hyuga Clan, surviving countless perilous missions!"
"Now... now they actually want you to die in someone's place?! And they want you to be 'willing'?! They even want to use your death to control our Branch Family?!"
His eyes were bloodshot, burning with the flames of humiliation and bone-deep hatred.
He had witnessed too many scenes of the Branch Family being ruthlessly sacrificed by the Main Family, but never before had it been so blatant, so despicable, so heart-wrenching!
Looking at Lord Hizashi, who seemed to have had all his strength drained away, that fury was quickly replaced by a bottomless sorrow and sense of powerlessness.
"Why... why is it always our Branch Family..."
Hayato's voice dropped, thick with a desperate sob and nasal tone.
"Are we born... destined to be the Main Family's shields and scapegoats?! Even death... has to be calculated down to the last detail..."
He lowered his head weakly, his shoulders slumped. The hand that had punched the wall was now trembling slightly.
Following the anger was an even more suffocating reality: they could do nothing.
Any thought of resistance would be mercilessly crushed by that damned Curse Seal on their foreheads.
Hizashi slowly opened his eyes. Those originally gentle Byakugan now held only the dead grayness of stagnant water and a nearly shattered calm.
He glanced at the grief-stricken Hayato, his voice hoarse and hollow:
"Hayato... calm down."
"Anger... changes nothing. This... is the fate of the Branch Family."
He spoke this sentence with immense difficulty; every word felt like swallowing shards of glass.
He said this not just for Hayato, but for himself, forcing himself to accept this cruel, predetermined outcome.
The room fell into deadly silence. Outside the window, the deepest darkness before dawn was spreading, as if intending to swallow the endless grief and despair within the room.
Although Aoran had anticipated this, the suffocating atmosphere still made him feel stifled.
He shook his head, ridding himself of this empathetic feeling.
"Uncle Hizashi, I told you before that my consciousness was trapped inside my mind for many years."
"I once formulated how I would save myself if I encountered this kind of problem."
"Therefore, I have a way."
...