The courtyard was brightly lit, yet not a single soul was seen moving about.
Hiashi gave Neji a meaningful look, and the two of them dropped silently into the courtyard.
The sight before them caused their pupils to constrict sharply.
Under the eaves and across the courtyard, several corpses lay scattered in all directions.
Judging by their attire, they were the adult children and trusted guards of that elder.
Expressions of shock, fear, or attempts at resistance still lingered on their faces, but their lives had already frozen in time.
Even more striking was the manner of their deaths.
The wounds were not messy; instead, they were exceptionally "clean."
The fatal injuries were mostly in vital areas like the throat and heart. The wounds were smooth, their edges covered with a thin layer of white frost that had not yet fully melted, shimmering eerily under the lanterns and moonlight.
Scattered across the ground and nearby pillars were tiny fragments of ice crystals, and the air was filled with a faint, biting chill characteristic of ice and snow.
Hiashi crouched down and reached out with a black-gloved finger to gently touch the wound on a corpse's throat.
A bone-chilling coldness met his fingertip, along with the distinct, hard texture of ice crystals.
He carefully pinched a tiny bit of blood-stained ice shard, a flicker of suspicion and surprise crossing his pure white eyes.
"Is this... Ice Release?"
He muttered to himself, his brow furrowing deeply.
The Ice Release Bloodline Limit belonged to the Yuki Clan of the Hidden Mist Village, which had long since perished.
As far as he knew, the Yuki bloodline had been declared extinct.
Within Konoha, there had never even been a record of an Ice Release Ninja.
How could Ice Release appear here?
Moreover, judging by the technique, it was clean, efficient, and lethal in a single strike.
Is it an outside assassin?
But why would they infiltrate Konoha?
More importantly, why would they kill the descendants of these elders?
Is it a vendetta?
Or... an intentional move to disrupt the situation within the Hyuga clan?
Countless questions swirled rapidly through Hiashi's mind.
But right now, the most crucial thing was to check the status of those old geezers.
Hopefully, they aren't dead.
Hiashi intended to leave one or two elders for Neji to kill.
He stood up, a cold light flashing in his eyes as his earlier suspicion was replaced by a deeper severity.
No matter who did it, their appearance might have unexpectedly cleared some obstacles for him, but it also introduced new variables.
He had to seize the initiative immediately.
"Let's go!"
Hiashi barked a low command, no longer examining the bodies.
One hand gripped the hilt of the dainichi gatsukiri, while the other firmly grasped Neji's wrist beside him.
The two no longer hid their presence, transforming into two blurred shadows as they dashed at top speed toward the depths of the clan compound—to the tea room next to the Ancestral Hall, where the elders most liked to gather for discussions and were most likely to meet at night.
No matter who had struck first, he, Hyuga Hiashi, had to see those old bastards before everything was settled and finish what he had set out to do tonight!
The night wind whipped up blood and chill, trailing after those two resolute figures.
This night in the Hyuga Clan Compound was destined to be completely stained red by ice and blood.
The tea room next to the side hall of the Ancestral Hall, usually an elegant place where several elders sipped tea and discussed matters to display their authority, had now become the eye of tonight's storm.
When Hiashi arrived at a sprint with Neji and skidded to a halt in the courtyard outside the tea room, the scene before them shook their hearts once more.
The tea room doors were tightly shut, but a figure stood silently on the stone steps in front of them.
The person wore a loose black robe, their long black hair fluttering in the night wind, their form blending perfectly with the darkness. Their face was covered by an ancient and cold fox mask.
In their hand was a long, translucent Ice Crystal Sword radiating a biting chill. The tip pointed diagonally toward the ground; though not a single drop of blood dripped from it, it emitted a killing intent more piercing than blood itself.
They just stood there, like a lifeless sculpture, or like a long-waiting Shinigami.
The surrounding air was thick with the same lingering aura of ice and snow from the previous courtyard, adding a touch of grimness and mystery.
When Hiashi and Neji appeared at the courtyard entrance, the fox mask seemed to twitch slightly, its gaze turning precisely toward them.
To be more accurate, the two eye-holes in the fox mask "looked" at them.
There was no surprise, no wariness, only a flat sense of "you've finally arrived."
It was as if they had long anticipated their arrival and were specifically waiting here.
Hiashi instantly shielded Neji behind him, his pure white eyes locked onto the black-robed figure as he activated the full power of his Byakugan.
However, to his dismay, his vision hit an invisible and solid barrier, unable to penetrate the seemingly ordinary mask, let alone see the true face beneath it!
The opponent's mask was clearly reinforced with extremely sophisticated Sealing Techniques or Barrier Techniques specifically designed to counter the Byakugan's X-ray vision.
"Who are you?"
Hiashi's voice was cold as a blade. His grip on the dainichi gatsukiri tightened as the Chakra within his body began to circulate rapidly.
The Ice Release aura emanating from the opponent, their mysterious attire, and the sealing mask that could block the Byakugan all indicated that they were not friendly and possessed unfathomable strength.
More importantly, their presence here was definitely linked to the deaths of the elders' descendants.
The gaze behind the fox mask lingered for a moment on Hiashi's attire and the lifelike "Caged Bird Seal" on his forehead. A faint, nearly imperceptible ripple of emotion seemed to flash through, but it was too fast to catch.
Facing Hiashi's questioning, the black-robed figure didn't answer, only saying in a modified, low, and calm voice:
"You will find out later."
The moment the words fell, a sudden change occurred.
The black-robed figure didn't raise the hand holding the Ice Crystal Sword, but a soft yet powerful current of air suddenly swirled around them.
It wasn't an ordinary air current, but highly compressed and condensed Wind Release Chakra.
A faint cyan light flickered beneath their feet and around them. The invisible wind, like a most loyal servant, gently and steadily lifted their body, causing them to slowly leave the ground and hover in mid-air above the courtyard.
This scene caused Hiashi's and Neji's pupils to constrict once again.
Such effortless and exquisite Wind Release control was definitely not something an ordinary Ninja could achieve!
Able to use Ice Release and fly?
He had never heard of such a Ninja in history.
The black-robed figure hovering in the air took one last look at Hiashi and Neji below. Their gaze was calm and rippleless, as if they had merely completed an inconsequential observation.
The black-robed figure flew directly into the sky, leaving Hiashi and Neji profoundly shaken.
When did such a person appear among Ninjas?
"Better attend to the main business first."
Watching the black-robed figure disappear into the sky, Hiashi slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, veins bulging on the back of his hand gripping the blade.
He glanced at Neji behind him, who was equally shocked, then looked up at the night sky where the black-robed figure had vanished, his eyes turning incredibly deep.
No longer hesitating, he turned and kicked open the tightly closed doors of the tea room.