"…"
Hearing the solution Hyūga Higo proposed, the other main house elders' eyes flashed. Almost in unison, they began weighing whether the plan could work.
It seemed this method could truly break the deadlock.
Whether or not the daimyō of the Land of Lightning had misunderstood Kumogakure's demands, they had made it perfectly clear that they wanted the culprit's "corpse."
Even if Kumogakure realized the body had no eyes, what could they do? They could hardly continue demanding the Byakugan with righteous indignation. There would be no justification for it.
Even if Kumogakure wanted to start a war, they would need a valid reason. Without one, the daimyō of the Land of Lightning would never agree.
Lacking the moral high ground would damage the Land of Lightning's reputation in the shinobi world and hurt Kumogakure's economy, as the number of mission requests would plummet.
Most missions came from civilians within the Land of Lightning itself, with the rest from smaller countries that had no hidden villages of their own.
Unless a village was willing to grovel at their daimyō's feet like Sunagakure, a cutoff in funding would force them to reduce their shinobi forces. Mission requests were the very foundation that allowed hidden villages to exist.
One could only say that the rules of the shinobi world were truly twisted. Hidden villages and the nobility depended on each other while remaining wary and distrustful. Shinobi brought slaughter and trouble to civilians, yet civilians had no choice but to hire shinobi to solve those problems. Shinobi who produced nothing relied on civilian commissions just to survive.
The entire shinobi world existed in a strange, fragile balance.
While the Hyūga main house elders might not have considered things so deeply, they understood that Kumogakure would need a legitimate reason to wage war.
"Hiashi, the time has come to face reality. It is through such sacrifices by our ancestors that the Hyūga clan has preserved its kekkei genkai to this day."
Hyūga Higo looked at the visibly conflicted Hyūga Hiashi and said in a deep voice, "For the sake of the Hyūga clan, even blood brothers must be cast aside without hesitation. This is the fate of the main house, and the destiny of the entire Hyūga clan!"
"…"
The room was deathly quiet—so quiet that the faint hiss of burning candle flames and the soft trickle of melting wax could be heard, reflecting the nearby firelight.
No one spoke. Everyone waited silently for Hiashi to make his decision.
In truth, given Hizashi's former personality, once he had decided to die in his brother's place, he would never have forced Hiashi to play the villain. He would have spoken up to settle the matter once and for all.
But at this moment, complex emotions filled his heart as he stared silently at his elder brother. The words that man had left behind before departing echoed in his ears.
"It seems you are not ready yet. In that case, let's make a bet."
That person had chuckled lightly, his tone teasing. "Since you have chosen to become a father, then bet on whether Hyūga Hiashi will choose to become a true brother—or continue being the main house head who always puts the 'greater good' first."
It was because of those words that Hizashi had chosen to remain silent.
Everything that had happened so far had unfolded exactly as that man had predicted.
The Land of Lightning, Kumogakure, Konoha's upper echelons, the Hyūga main house—even himself…
They were all like chess pieces in that man's hand, moved precisely where he wanted them.
This level of strategic foresight and ability to manipulate people filled Hizashi with even deeper awe and wariness.
Right now, he simply wanted to see whether, if events had followed their original course without that man's interference, his death would truly have been worthwhile.
"…"
The atmosphere in the reception room grew heavier and heavier, making it feel as though one were trying to breathe through thick mud—the air that entered the lungs felt viscous and suffocating.
Hyūga Hiashi's mind was in complete chaos. He stared at Hizashi's calm expression but couldn't read what his brother was truly thinking. The conflicted look on his face gradually twisted into raw pain.
Fear of death, guilt toward Hizashi, responsibility to the clan, reluctance to leave Hinata, rage toward Kumogakure…
He wasn't truly cold and heartless. Just as he felt affection for his daughter, he also had feelings for Hizashi. Those emotions were simply buried deep beneath his rigid, cold exterior.
At this moment, countless emotions intertwined into a massive net, like a hopelessly tangled ball of yarn, squeezing his heart until the blood in his veins seemed to stop flowing.
"Hiashi!" Hyūga Higo snapped in a low voice.
"I…"
Hyūga Hiashi's body shuddered violently. His chest heaved like a broken bellows as he rasped hoarsely, "I… I am the head of the main house, I…"
He couldn't finish the sentence. His entire body hunched forward as he lowered his head, unable to look at Hizashi. An overwhelming sense of powerlessness washed over him.
For the first time, he felt such deep self-loathing. For the first time, he truly understood how heavy and repulsive the word "destiny"—which he had always spoken so lightly—actually was.
At the same time, a look of quiet relief appeared on Hyūga Hizashi's calm face.
After Hiashi uttered those words, all hesitation and uncertainty within him were severed.
He had lost the bet.
And so had Hyūga Hiashi.
"Elder brother."
Hizashi even showed a faint smile as he looked at his hunched brother, who seemed ready to sink into the ground from shame. "I still have some final words regarding Neji and Kumokawa. Could I speak with you alone?"
Hiashi's body trembled once more before he slowly nodded. Naturally, neither Higo nor the other elders had any reason to object.
Hyūga Kumokawa remained standing in place without moving, quietly observing this so-called "ugly" side of the great clan.
Click.
The two men entered a separate soundproof room—Hizashi leading, Hiashi following behind.
The sound of rain outside was abruptly cut off. Only their heavy, disordered breathing could be heard.
Hiashi, who had kept his head lowered the entire time, seemed to regain a trace of courage. He lifted his gaze to the man standing before him, pressed his lips together, and said, "Hizashi… I'm sorry. I will make sure to take good care of Neji and that boy Kumokawa for you."
However, after he spoke, Hizashi slowly shook his head, a relieved smile still on his face.
"Lord Hiashi."
Hizashi no longer called him "elder brother." Instead, he used the formal address from the past. His voice was calm as he continued, "Do you realize that even now, you remain arrogant?"
"…" Hiashi was stunned. "What?"
"In the solution that Hyūga Higo proposed, there was actually another option that all of you ignored."
Paying no mind to Hiashi's shock, Hizashi spoke slowly. "If you truly had the resolve to die, if you truly had the courage to pay the price for your own impulsiveness, you could have gouged out your own eyes and then taken your life. The result would have been the same—no Byakugan would be lost, and there would be no risk of war."
"But from beginning to end, that thought never once crossed your mind. How arrogant."
Looking at Hizashi's eerily calm expression, Hiashi suddenly felt a wave of unease. He opened his mouth instinctively, wanting to say something.
But in the next instant—
Squelch!
A blurry black shadow appeared behind him. Hyūga Hiashi felt a sudden, piercing chill in his chest.
All the strength drained from his body in an instant. Stiffly, he slowly lowered his head toward the source of that coldness.
A loosely clenched hand had pierced straight through his heart. There was no blood—only ripples spreading across his chest like water.
Hiashi's body went completely rigid. A look of bewildered confusion appeared on his face.
What… is this?
***
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