Chapter 5


    "Lord Hikaru, when did you return?" Neiki sheathed his short de, smiling at the neer.


    Hikaru, a member of the Hyuga central family, had a simr background to Ryo, who bullied Neji at the Ninja Academy. Hikaru’s father was an elder in the Hyuga n. Hikaru himself was exceptionally talented andposed. He was three years older than Neiki and had recently be a Konoha Jonin.


    Neiki and Hikaru exchanged looks. Although Hikaru had never offended Neiki, he couldn’t help but feel hatred towards him due to his highly pure Byakugan.


    "I just got back," Hikaru replied, pausing slightly without noticing the malice in Neiki’s eyes, only feeling a bit puzzled.


    Havingpleted a three-month mission, Hikaru reported to the Third Hokage first and then was directed to find Neiki before proceeding to the n leader, Hiashi. While Hikaru acknowledged Neiki’s extraordinary talent and the title of one of Konoha’s Twin Prodigies, who made the young generation of the Hyuga central family bow down with his strength, he couldn’t understand why the n leader needed Neiki for his report.


    Hikaru admitted Neiki was exceptional, but after facing numerous life-and-death crises on missions, Hikaru valued life andrades more. He harbored no ill will towards Neiki, who was bound to make a name for himself.


    Still, Hikaru felt uneasy. As a Jonin of higher rank and seniority, why did he need Neiki’s presence to report to the n leader?


    Does the n leader value Neiki that much?


    Walking side by side, Hikaru asked directly, "Do you know why Hiashi-sama called you?"Because there''s a new pair of Byakugan for me to absorb… Neiki thought, but he said, "It might be about the recent disappearances of n members."


    Hikaru was taken aback, not expecting this answer, and his resentment vanished.


    Having been on a mission, Hikaru wasn’t aware of the recent tragedies in the branch family. He quickly asked for details, and Neiki summarized the events:


    "Someone is targeting the Hyuga n."


    "This month, three bodies were found in the vige Tokuma, Tsubaki, and Tsukune, all branch family members. Tokuma and Tsubaki were part of the Hokage’s ANBU unit and had no missions when they died."


    "More n members are missing, and I suspect they’re dead but their bodies haven’t been found yet."


    "The enemy is cruel and cunning. We don’t know when they started targeting us. Do you remember years ago, when many Hyuga n members went missing? Simr to now, even the bodies weren’t found then…"


    "These incidents have resurfaced, drawing the Hokage’s attention. Hiashi-sama probably thinks we can’t wait for the investigation and need to handle this ourselves."


    Neiki pretended to analyze the situation.


    "Even Tokuma…" Hikaru was shocked at how serious it had be. Although Tokuma was a branch member, he had high-purity Byakugan and was second only to Neiki among the family’s young generation.


    "So, the n leader wants us to find the culprit together?" Hikaru frowned, recalling the Kage''s subtle expression upon his return: "Why didn’t the Kage tell me about this?"


    Neiki remained silent, and Hikaru quickly realized why.


    All the victims were branch family members.


    For some reason, the Hokage did not fully trust this family member.


    But I was on a mission with a perfect alibi.


    Could it be…


    The Hokage distrusts the Hyuga central family itself.


    Why?


    Hikaru needed rification.


    The air was tense as they entered the Hyuga n leader’s mansion through a side door.


    "This way." Neiki led the way.


    The mansion was vast and well-equipped. The lights along the path were dim, even less bright than the moonlight, but they tried to pierce the bleak and unreal moonlit haze.


    A strange atmosphere filled the air. Hikaru paused as if entering another world, forgetting his previous thoughts.


    Shaking his head, he decided not to dwell on it.


    "You seem more familiar with this ce than me, a main family member." Hikaru muttered.


    "You just haven’t returned enough, Lord Hikaru." Neiki’s face, half-covered in shadow, showed a bright smile.


    Hikaru noticed the newly nted trees and nodded:


    "I didn’t notice before. It’s been three months, and the ce has changed a lot."


    "The courtyard is getting more trees, but it feels more deste."


    Hikaru’s polite description of the courtyard’s eerie atmosphere made Neiki respond with a meaningful remark:


    "Yes, the n leader has recently taken an interest in garden art."


    Nearby, a guard seemed to hear their conversation, turned, and greeted Hikaru with a frantic wave, face unreadable:


    "Lord Hikaru… is that you?"


    "Run… run away… it''s all an illusion…"


    "The man beside you… is… a demon."


    Hikaru heard every word and responded with a smile:


    "Long time no see, Senma. You look as beautiful as ever."


    After they passed the guard, Hikaru quietlymented to Neiki:


    "Senma was assigned as my guard when I was a child. We’re very close, but I didn’t know she painted her eyes ck. It’s ugly…"


    He didn’t realize anything was wrong, mistaking Senma’spletely ck eyes for some sort of cosmetic choice.


    Neiki raised an eyebrow, a hand behind his back, signaling to the woman. Senma’s fearful expression gradually returned to calm. She stopped trying to warn Hikaru and stood still, expressionless.


    "Don’t look back. It’s rude to be caught gossiping about someone." Hikaru reminded, and Neiki nodded, feigning politeness.


    In the nearby woods, more servants worked, choppingrge tree stumps into pieces and burying them, preparing for new growth. Hikaru couldn’t help but marvel at the n leader’s love for gardening.


    They entered the eastern wing, and a figure became clear ahead as they walked. Hikaru called out:


    "Koharu, what are you doing?"


    The maid Hyuga Koharu scrubbed at a blood-red stain on the floor outside the study and replied softly without turning:


    "Tokuma identally spilled paint. I’m cleaning it up."


    "Tokuma is always careless," Hikaru nodded, not giving it much thought, pointing to the study, "I brought Neiki. Is the n leader inside?"


    "Tokuma identally spilled paint. I’m cleaning it up." Neiki heard, but Hikaru, deep in genjutsu, heard something different.


    "Oh, in the main hall. Thanks, Koharu." Hikaru pulled Neiki toward the main hall.


    The door opened to a dimly lit hall with only one flickering candle. Dark drapes hung from the walls like spider webs, waiting for the next prey to enter the trap.


    A man seated at the head raised his head slowly, candlelight illuminating half his face in stark contrast.


    Hiashi looked gaunt, his frame thin, eyes sunken, as if he hadn’t slept for days. His eyes were bloodshot, and his robe was filthy with grime and mold. His hands seemed broken, hanging limply on the table.


    "Long time no see, n leader. You look as distinguished as ever." Hikaru, oblivious to the eerie surroundings, praised as he sat.


    Hiashi nced at Hikaru and Neiki, his pale eyes showing pain and deep hatred.


    Grit.


    Grit.


    The sound of teeth grinding together.


    "Yes, I’ve sessfullypleted the infiltration mission and obtained the information we needed. This mission…" Hikaru began his report in the quiet room, thinking the n leader had praised him.


    Hiashi’s gaze shifted to Hikaru, his expression deeply sorrowful. He opened his mouth, his voice hoarse:


    "How many more… must you kill… to be satisfied?"


    Interrupted, Hikaru looked up nkly at the n leader, then quickly lowered his head, stammering:


    "No, I… I… I’ve already eaten ramen, no need to dine together."


    "That’s not up to me," Neiki replied coolly.


    When I collect enough Byakugan essence and reach the final stage, I won’t care about the Hyuga n anymore.


    Neiki wasn’t strong enough to confront the entire Hyuga n or Konoha alone. Like the historical Qin general Bai Qi, who ughtered 400,000 Zhao soldiers out of necessity, Neiki’s ruthless actions were a means of survival. If word got out about his n hunting, he’d be forced out of Konoha, and his Byakugan evolution would be a distant dream.


    Neiki had long targeted the central family, not just the branch family. However, the consequences of prominent family deaths were much more severe, requiring careful methods to obtain their Byakugan essence.


    As he told Neji earlier, the Hyuga n was one of Konoha’s top ns. Even with the Caged Bird’s lethal debuff, Neiki had limited options for rebellion. His only viable strategy was using genjutsu to weaken and eliminate his targets systematically.


    Despite sessfully controlling the n leader’s mansion, Neiki’s position is precarious. If his actions were exposed and the leading family elders activated the Caged Bird seal, Neiki would face utter ruin.


    Hiashi’s legs and shoulders were pierced with hinges, keeping him bound to the chair. He struggled to


    Lift his broken arms, but they kept slipping, bones scraping against the wood with a sickening sound.


    After several failed attempts, Hiashi propped himself up with his elbows, leaning forward, ring at Neiki, his voice a guttural curse:


    "You killed my wife…"


    "You killed Tokuma, you killed Homura…"


    "You gouged out all their eyes…"


    "You control Koharu, you’ve set up a genjutsu barrier around the mansion…"


    "You’ve imprisoned me, all the elders… and now, you want to kill Hikaru…"


    "You… monster… kill me!"


    With a bang, Hiashi, attempting to stand, was yanked back by the tightened hinges.


    "Hey, the n leader asked if you’ve eaten," Hikaru whispered, unaware of Hiashi''s actual state and deeply trapped in genjutsu.


    Neiki ignored Hikaru, shaking his head, rejecting the false usations:


    "I haven’t imprisoned all the elders. You haven’t given me the list."


    The elders’ whereabouts were known only to Hiashi, and extracting that information was no easy task.


    "Dream on…" Hiashi spat blood, "Kill me!"


    Hiashi’s stubbornness was expected. Neiki pressed on with another matter:


    "The Uchiha n is showing signs of rebellion."


    "To handle this potential civil war, the Hokage is secretly recalling most of the ninjas, including all Hyuga members. This is the perfect time to take their eyes. I don’t want to wait any longer."


    "So, I hope you can organize a n meeting next week, gather all Hyuga members under the pretext of discussing the recent disappearances. What do you think, Hiashi-sama?"


    Imprisoned for almost a month, Hiashi knew nothing of the outside world. His Byakugan couldn’t see through the genjutsu barrier, and everyone around him was under Neiki’s genjutsu. Hiashi’s only source of information was Neiki, and each visit meant another Hyuga leading family member would suffer.


    "You want to destroy the Hyuga n… to be satisfied?" The hinges creaked as Hiashi raged.


    If the Uchiha rebellion drew Konoha’s focus, Neiki could massacre the Hyuga n at the meeting. Hiashi saw the n’s potential and couldn’t stay calm.


    He had hoped Konoha’s leadership would notice the Hyuga n’s plight, but with the Uchiha stirring trouble, no one would care about Hiashi’s seclusion. By the time the n meeting urred, all attendees would be killed, their eyes taken, and the Hyuga n annihted—an uneptable oue for Hiashi.


    Will the Hyuga’s thousand-year legacy end with me?


    "Hiashi-sama, you exaggerate. As long as I live, the Hyuga n won’t perish." Neiki corrected softly.


    Hiashi closed his eyes.


    The n’s destruction might be inevitable.


    "Such a pity," Hiashi muttered, shaking his head.


    "Pity what?" Neiki asked.


    "Hizashi died toote," Hiashi replied. Once feeling guilt and sorrow for his brother’s death, he now med Hizashi for the n’s impending doom.


    Why didn’t he die sooner?


    Neiki chuckled, understanding Hiashi’s implication—that Hizashi’ste death led to Neiki, the n’s bane.


    Neiki didn’t respond, instead steering the conversation back:


    "The n meeting is set. Don’t be too pessimistic. I only need a certain number of Byakugan. Give me the remaining elders’ information, and I’ll spare Hinata and Neji. How about that, Hiashi-sama?"


    Hiashi remained silent for a long time before giving a just assessment:


    "…You’re worse than an animal."


    "A tiger doesn’t eat its cubs… but you won’t even spare your own brother."


    "Neji is indeed my brother and hates the Caged Bird and the main family, but he’s a will of fire bearer. He’d never agree with my actions." Neiki shrugged, looking helpless.


    "But he’s my brother."


    "I still love him."


    "I’ve put himst on my list of Byakugan targets."