Inside the emergency room of the Hidden Leaf Village hospital, Shizune was doing everything she could to save Neji, sweat beading on her forehead.
Outside the emergency room, Hyūga Hiashi stood with his arms crossed, his gaze fixed on the door, his concern evident. As his only nephew, Neji naturally meant a great deal to him.
At that moment, Rorin and Rock Lee entered the Hidden Leaf Village hospital. After asking around and learning where Hyūga Hiashi was, they headed straight upstairs. Soon, the two arrived before him.
Hyūga Hiashi recognized Rock Lee, but as he examined Rorin, his attention was drawn to the two red marks on his forehead, and he began to form a guess.
Rorin stepped forward, gave a respectful bow, and introduced himself.
"Hyūga clan head, greetings. My name is Kaguya Rorin. I am a survivor of the Kaguya clan."
Hyūga Hiashi showed interest. Staring at Rorin expressionlessly, he asked,
"How do you prove that you are from the Kaguya clan?"
Hearing this, Rorin extended his palm. The skin on his hand began to shift, and in the next instant, a bone grew out from it.
Seeing the sudden emergence of the bone—Shikotsumyaku, the Kaguya clan's kekkei genkai—Hyūga Hiashi believed him. However, the mention of being a "survivor" raised a question.
Had the Kaguya clan been wiped out?
Seeing that Hyūga Hiashi accepted his identity, Rorin secretly felt pleased.
The reason he came to the Hidden Leaf Village and sought out Hyūga Hiashi was because he remembered that the Hyūga and Kaguya clans had always maintained good relations. Right now, he needed a place to stay, and the Hidden Leaf Village was the best choice.
To live there, having the backing of a major clan was ideal, making the Hyūga clan his best target. Of course, that was only one reason—he had another objective in seeking out Hyūga Hiashi.
"System, check whether the Byakugan has any suppressive effect on my bloodline disease."
[Command received. Beginning analysis.]
[Analysis complete. The Byakugan does indeed have a suppressive effect on the host's bloodline disease. Transplanting a Byakugan will help restrain the condition. It is estimated that a single perfect Byakugan will suffice.]
Rorin nodded to himself. As expected, when viewed from another perspective, the relationship between the Kaguya and Hyūga clans was similar to that of the Uchiha and Senju clans.
If the Uchiha and Senju descended from Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, then the Kaguya and Hyūga descended from Hamura Ōtsutsuki.
Since the Uchiha and Senju had a mutual suppressive relationship, he had long speculated whether the Byakugan and Shikotsumyaku might function the same way.
As for why he hadn't asked the system to analyze this earlier while in the Hyūga compound, it was because those members were from the branch family—their Byakugan were flawed.
With this objective clarified, Rorin now understood the path he needed to take. Of course, stealing a Byakugan from the main Hyūga family was something he didn't even dare consider. Even if he succeeded, he would never be able to remain in the Hidden Leaf Village again.
After all, the Hidden Leaf Village was the center of the ninja world. Wasn't the Fourth Great Ninja War essentially just an internal conflict within the Hidden Leaf Village?
The other villages were merely supporting actors, waving flags from the sidelines.
As for the Byakugan, wasn't there already a non-Hyūga who possessed one outside the village?
Ao of the Hidden Mist Village—that was his target. Even though he only had one eye, the system had already confirmed it would be enough to suppress his bloodline disease.
Just as Rorin was planning how to obtain the Byakugan, Hyūga Hiashi's voice interrupted him.
"You mentioned being a survivor. What exactly happened to the Kaguya clan?"
Rorin was about to explain when the emergency room doors opened.
Shizune stepped out, her face filled with joy. She nodded at Hyūga Hiashi and said with a smile,
"The operation was successful. Hyūga Neji is out of danger."
Hyūga Hiashi gave a slight nod, a weight lifting from his heart.
After delivering the news, Shizune hurried off without noticing Rorin, rushing to Tsunade's office to report the good news.
After briefly checking on Neji inside the emergency room, Hyūga Hiashi turned back to Rorin, waiting for his answer.
Seeing Hiashi's expression, Rorin hesitated. Just as he was about to spin a story, footsteps approached from the side, drawing everyone's attention.
Seriously, can't I even tell my story properly?
Tsunade and Shizune arrived together. Tsunade had just finished treating Chōza and, upon leaving, received a report from the ANBU that Kaguya Rorin had come to the hospital and was currently with the Hyūga clan head.
So she came directly to Neji's emergency room, meeting Shizune along the way.
Upon seeing Rorin, Tsunade immediately asked, "You're the one who wanted to see me?"
Relieved by her sudden appearance, Rorin felt it saved him from having to explain everything twice. Better to settle it all at once.
He turned, bowed respectfully, and said, "Lady Tsunade, greetings. My name is Kaguya Rorin. I am a survivor of the Kaguya clan from the Hidden Mist Village—more precisely, I am the young clan head."
The Kaguya clan was already wiped out, so he could say whatever he wanted. After all, his Shikotsumyaku was the most developed—calling himself the young clan head wasn't unreasonable.
Both Tsunade and Hyūga Hiashi were taken aback. The boy before them was actually the young clan head of the Kaguya clan. When he introduced himself earlier, he had only said he was a member of the clan—Hiashi had assumed he was just an ordinary survivor.
But this…
Rorin observed their reactions, then slowly raised his head, closed his eyes, and let out a self-mocking laugh.
"Heh… what's the use of being a young clan head? One by one, my clansmen left me. Now I'm nothing more than the last survivor of a fallen clan."
"What exactly happened?" Hyūga Hiashi asked anxiously.
Rorin slowly opened his eyes, already brimming with tears, and spoke in a low voice.
"I will never forget… that night eight years ago. I had just returned from a mission. Sensing something wrong with the clan compound, I hid myself—and then I witnessed a scene I will never forget for the rest of my life. My clansmen were slaughtered one by one by the Hidden Mist Village's shinobi. Even the entire upper echelon of the village took part."
Tears streamed down his face uncontrollably, his voice choking.
"Only then did I understand why my father insisted I leave the village during that time. He had already foreseen that the village leadership harbored ill intentions toward our clan. Back then, I often overheard my father and others talking about how the Hidden Mist leadership feared us—feared our power, feared we would seize their authority. But all we ever wanted was to live peacefully with the rest of the village…"
"After that, I began a life on the run. Later, I heard that the Hidden Mist leadership shamelessly spread the lie that our clan had attempted a rebellion and was suppressed." His expression twisted with grief and anger, his fists clenching tightly.
"Afterward, I wandered the ninja world alone. But fate was cruel. As I grew older, my body was dragged down by the bloodline disease caused by Shikotsumyaku. Then I heard that the Fifth Hokage was the greatest medical ninja in the world… so I came to the Hidden Leaf Village seeking treatment."
After finishing, Rorin—his face streaked with tears—looked at Tsunade, Hyūga Hiashi, and Shizune.
Tsunade and Shizune gazed at him with sympathy, their eyes slightly moist—not only because of his tragic childhood, but also out of pity for his current illness. Hyūga Hiashi felt a deep admiration for the boy's resilience, his expression softening further.
As for Rock Lee, he was completely immersed in the story, unable to snap out of it for a long time.
Looking at Rorin, they all shared the same thought.
What a pitiful child… losing his entire clan at such a young age, forced to wander the ninja world alone.
And seeing the sincerity in his eyes—
What ill intentions could a boy like him possibly have?