Kiyoshi spoke plainly, the three-tomoe Sharingan in his sockets spinning restlessly.
When dealing with Hiashi Hyuga, he couldn't simply use [Sharingan: Genjutsu] for direct hypnosis as he had with Ryuzetsu. This was the heart of the Hyuga clan compound; any member using the Byakugan could see through a standard illusion in an instant.
Instead, Kiyoshi injected a precise, minimal amount of ocular power—just enough to induce a heavy slumber for the duration of the procedure. Once Hiashi woke, the energy would be spent, leaving no trace behind.
Kiyoshi's calm explanation dispelled Hinayuki's immediate doubts. If Hiashi were to cry out in agony during surgery, it would indeed be a devastating blow to his image as the Clan Head.
A moment later, Hinayuki's brow furrowed slightly. For some reason, an ominous premonition flickered in her heart. Gazing into those crimson eyes, she felt an inexplicable sense of dread.
"Your turn, Lady Hinayuki," Kiyoshi said, stepping toward her.
Hinayuki suppressed her unease, the veins at her temples gradually receding. Seeing her comply, Kiyoshi reached out. As warm [Yang Release] chakra permeated her frail body, she felt a sudden, comforting heat.
Kiyoshi had her turn over, his fingertips moving steadily across her back. Wherever he touched, chakra seeped deep into her tissues. Her stiff, defensive posture began to relax. A strange, numbing sensation washed over her.
"Can you truly cure my illness... and Hiashi's injury?" Hinayuki asked suddenly.
Kiyoshi's brow twitched. "Does the Lady not trust my medical skills? Or is it... that you don't *want* to be cured?"
He began to observe her closely. Hinayuki's features bore a striking resemblance to the future Hinata, but she possessed a softer, more mature aura—reminiscent of Mikoto Uchiha's "Yamato Nadeshiko" grace.
"Kiyoshi-kun... you're joking."
"Am I?"
Kiyoshi smiled faintly and suddenly unleashed his ocular power.
"!"
Hinayuki's white eyes flashed with a red tint before becoming vacant. Against a master like Hiashi, Kiyoshi had to wait for total relaxation to ensure success. But against Hinayuki, a mere genin, his ocular power—which far exceeded a standard three-tomoe—was absolute.
"Tell me everything that has happened within the Hyuga clan recently," Kiyoshi commanded.
"The Main House elders approached Hiashi and me. They demanded that we..."
Within minutes, Kiyoshi unraveled the entire sequence of events. He could only marvel at how bizarre the shinobi world truly was. Yet, for the sake of bloodline purity and clan prestige, such "great causes" made these twisted decisions seem almost logical.
After all, in the neighboring Land of Iron, samurai still committed ritual suicide for far lesser slights.
"What... what did you do to me?" Hinayuki gasped, her eyes snapping back to clarity. Her body refused to obey her will, and she had been unable to stop the words from pouring out of her mouth.
"How tragic, Lady Hinayuki," Kiyoshi said, looking at her with feigned pity.
He thought of Fugaku Uchiha—a man who would eventually choose to let his wife, Mikoto, be slaughtered alongside him by their own son because he "understood" Itachi's pain. Were these women truly wives, or merely ancestral property?
As he spoke, Kiyoshi's hands did not stop. He turned Hinayuki over so she faced the ceiling. He began to channel chakra into the most concentrated areas of her meridian system—specifically around the heart and the...
The intrusion of unfamiliar chakra and the intensity of the "massage" caused Hinayuki to pale, her breath hitching.
"Do you intend to start a war between the Uchiha and the Hyuga?" she hissed, her heart pounding. No one had ever dared to treat her with such insolence. He was a complete outlaw! Countless Hyuga ninjas were right outside the door; any one of them could peer in at any moment.
"I suspect they wouldn't dare spy on what the Clan Head and his wife are doing in private. Furthermore..."
A small white snake slithered from Kiyoshi's sleeve, a barrier talisman clamped in its mouth. While Hidden Leaf's Barrier Team maintained a village-wide perimeter, this specific talisman was Kiyoshi's own creation. Though his barrier skills were average, his mastery of [Senjutsu] compensated for it.
The underlying logic of any seal is chakra. Kiyoshi's charm was more accurately a [Senjutsu: Barrier Talisman]. This wasn't a new invention; a thousand years ago, the Great Toad Sage had given the Sage of the Six Paths a [Sage's Amulet] infused with nature energy to revive his brother.
Because so few could master Senjutsu, common charms like [Explosive Tags] or [Sealing Charms] dominated the market.
By adding nature energy, Kiyoshi turned a mundane barrier tag into a powerful anti-scrying shield. The Byakugan was powerful, but it couldn't see through everything. Even Neji Hyuga had once been unable to see inside the barrel containing Sasuke due to the power of a sealing charm.
"You..."
As the pressure of his fingertips and chakra increased, Hinayuki's distress grew. She couldn't comprehend how this refined, talented youth could be so brazenly reckless.
'Uchiha! The inherently evil Uchiha!' she screamed internally.
"Besides, Lady Hinayuki, you wouldn't want Lord Hiashi to suffer the shame of a man and spend the rest of his life as a eunuch, would you?" Kiyoshi said calmly.
In truth, Hiashi's condition was nearly impossible to heal through conventional means. Even Tsunade had eventually used Hashirama's cells—biological technology—to replace Naruto's lost arm.
Hinayuki stared at him in disbelief.
'Wasn't this man sent by Tsunade? Why the sudden change in tone?'
"Mmm..."
Amidst the tension, Hiashi's eyes fluttered open slightly. Hinayuki's heart skipped a beat, terrified of how to explain the situation. In his haze, Hiashi saw Kiyoshi standing by the bed, performing a "massage" on Hinayuki.
Before Hiashi could speak, Kiyoshi glanced back. A fresh wave of ocular power sent Hiashi straight back into a deep slumber.
"Hinayuki..."
In his sleep, Hiashi began to dream. He dreamed he was the Fourth Hokage, hailed by all as the leader who brought the Hyuga to their peak. He dreamed his "dignity" had been restored, allowing him to live a full, masculine life with a happy family.
Seeing the blissful smile on Hiashi's face, Hinayuki felt a momentary sense of relief.
"What do you actually want?" she asked again.
"I don't think Lord Hiashi loves you all that much. Why tie yourself to a dead tree?" Kiyoshi's voice was low and seductive.
Originally, he planned to slowly extract the [Gentle Fist] techniques through Ginka Hyuga. But a much better option had presented itself. The wife of the Clan Head held far more secrets than an ordinary Main House member.
"Hmph." Hinayuki turned her head away, refusing to speak further.
"How about this? Let's conduct an experiment together, Lady Hinayuki. Let's see if Lord Hiashi loves the clan, his status, or... you."
It was the classic, emotionally manipulative question of "who would you save first?" and as a sensitive woman, Hinayuki couldn't help but be swayed. Sensing her internal conflict, Kiyoshi struck while the iron was hot.
His ocular power seeped out slowly, subtly influencing her thought patterns. Direct hypnosis would be detected within a day, but guiding her to reach her own conclusions was far safer.
Slowly, Hinayuki grew drowsy. As she fell into the dreamscape, she saw the same crimson light Hiashi had seen.
***
After an indeterminate amount of time, Hinayuki opened her eyes. She saw Hiashi's pale face leaning over her.
"How do you feel, Hinayuki?" Hiashi asked. He had expected to wake up in pain, but instead, he felt unusually light.
"I have gathered the necessary information. Further treatment will require time to formulate a proper plan," Kiyoshi said casually. "Isn't that right, Lady Hinayuki?"
He looked at her, the meaning in his eyes clear. Hinayuki instinctively wanted to reveal his disrespectful behavior, but in that split second, she thought of her fate. If Hiashi truly viewed her only as a tool for reproduction, should she remain loyal?
She looked at Hiashi's expectant gaze and felt a deep, hollow sadness. Ultimately, her heart softened; they had been together for too long to watch him live such a pathetic life.
"Yes," she nodded.
Before she could stand, the air seemed to shatter like glass.
"It seems Lady Hinayuki has agreed to the terms," Kiyoshi's Sharingan spun slowly.
He had left several safety measures. If she had chosen to betray him, the scent of the incense—a byproduct of his experiments with Moryo's power—would have muddled her memory.
Combined with genitusu, she would have forgotten everything that just happened, allowing him to try a different approach later.
Hinayuki realized with a start—that last moment had been an illusion! But was *this* reality or another dream? She couldn't tell. Fragrant sweat broke out across her back.
'This evil Uchiha... is far too strong.'
The scene shifted once more. Kiyoshi clicked his medical case shut and said:
"Lord Hiashi, Lady Hinayuki has awakened. The consultation was a success."