Neji Is Taken

"Clean this up."

Someone immediately stepped forward to dispose of Hizashi's body.

The four men remained expressionless as they continued waiting for the next step of their plan.

Not long after, a Branch House ninja entered the hall, dragging Neji Hyuga along beside him.

"Let me go! I want to find Brother Kei!"

"Neji, stop making trouble!" Hiashi barked.

Seeing that it was his uncle, Neji had no idea that the people before him were the murderers. "Uncle, he insisted on dragging me here."

"It's fine. Your uncle will stand up for you."

"Why aren't you gone yet?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" The Branch House ninja swiftly left the hall.

"Uncle, where is my father?"

The Second Elder put on a theatrical act. "Sigh, he's in the inner room. Go see him. He has Bloodline Disease and doesn't have long to live. Before he dies, he entrusted—"

"He entrusted me with taking care of you." Hiashi cut him off, intending to raise Neji himself.

"What?!" Neji cried out in disbelief. He rushed into the inner room and saw his father lying weakly on a sickbed.

Overwhelmed with worry for his father, Neji threw himself beside the fake Hizashi.

"Father, Father, what happened to you?"

"I'm fine..." the fake Hizashi said weakly, his words halting.

"You were perfectly fine just now. Why are you like this already?"

"I took a secret medicine so I could spend more time with you, temporarily suppressing the illness. Now it has flared up. I came here to entrust you to my brother."

"Remember, Neji. You must listen to your uncle."

The fake Hizashi knew that the more he said, the more likely he was to slip up. He tilted his head and feigned death. Neji immediately broke down in tears, then collapsed unconscious to the floor in his overwhelming grief.

September 1, Year 57 of Konoha

Hyuga Kei finally hurried back to the Hyuga clan. The moment he entered the outer Branch House territory, he saw white funeral cloth hanging everywhere. Someone had clearly died.

When he arrived outside Uncle Hizashi's residence, it had already been sealed off. He anxiously smashed through the gate, only to find the place empty. Even the servants had all left.

Hyuga Kei immediately suspected that the Main Branch had harmed them. Without another thought, he ran straight toward the residence of Hyuga Hiashi, head of the Main Branch.

"Do not come any closer! This is not a place you are allowed to enter!"

In an instant, countless Byakugan opened at once, trapping Hyuga Kei within an Eight Trigrams Array.

Hyuga Kei activated Lightning Release Body Technique: Lightning Armor and drove a fist into the stomach of the Hyuga clansman before him.

That clansman was instantly sent flying straight back.

Along the way, many blind Hyuga clansmen came to stop him. Hyuga Kei activated Lightning Release Body Technique: Lightning Armor, taking on a hundred alone and sweeping through them all. He forcibly suppressed the urge to devour every one of them with the Ghost Blood Seizing Technique.

"What kind of power is this?"

"Move. Stop trying to block him."

Hyuga Kei sent the last Hyuga clansman in his way flying with a punch enhanced by the Fire Ninja Body Technique, then barged directly into the Main Branch head's residence.

The moment he entered, he saw Hyuga Hiashi seated high in the place of honor alongside the three Hyuga Elders. More importantly, Neji was at Hiashi's side.

Hiashi rested a hand behind Neji's head. He appeared to be stroking the boy's hair, but in truth, he was threatening Hyuga Kei every moment.

Hyuga Kei's eyes turned bloodshot. Lightning burst from his Lightning Armor and shattered the stone tiles beneath his feet. "Where is my uncle?"

Hearing that, Neji instantly began to cry. "Father... Father, he... sob..."

Neji tried to rush toward Hyuga Kei, but Hiashi pressed him down.

At that moment, Hyuga Kei understood everything. The Hyuga clan had not given up their schemes. They wanted to use Hizashi and Neji to control him.

And now, it seemed their plan had succeeded. Neji was in Hyuga Hiashi's hands. Hyuga Kei had to hold back for fear of harming the hostage; no matter how great his strength was, he could not use it.

Hiashi let out a hypocritical sigh. "Sigh! Hizashi suffered from Bloodline Disease and passed away a few days ago. Before he departed, he entrusted you and Neji to me and asked me to take good care of you."

Hyuga Kei's eyes nearly split open in rage. It was all an excuse. When he had left, Uncle Hizashi had been perfectly fine. How could he have suddenly died of illness?

Hyuga Kei did not dare make a single move. They knew that with Neji in their hands, he would not dare attack.

"Great Elder, take Neji away."

The Great Elder looked at Hyuga Kei's expression, as ugly as if he had eaten shit, and revealed a smug smile.

The Great Elder grabbed Neji, who was crying himself nearly unconscious, stopping him from running to Hyuga Kei. He forcibly led Neji out of the hall.

"If you dare harm a single hair on Neji's head, I swear that even if it kills me, I'll drag the entire Hyuga clan into hell." Hyuga Kei gritted his teeth.

"I'm Neji's uncle. Why would I do anything to harm him? You're overthinking it."

Hiashi spoke with righteous dignity. "Besides, with you, Yazi, outside, how could I possibly do anything to him?"

The Third Elder had no concern for appearances and openly threatened him. "As long as Hyuga blood flows through your veins, you will forever be a member of the Hyuga clan. You must contribute to the clan. Do you understand?"

Hyuga Kei clenched his teeth, forcing out two words through the gaps. "I understand."

"Tell us about Konoha's recent movements."

Suppressing his rage, Hyuga Kei recounted the entire course of the mission in full detail.

"Not bad. Supporting a new daimyo is a good thing."

"You may leave. Remember your status."

Watching Hyuga Kei's departing back, the men exchanged smiles. This was far more useful than the Caged Bird.

Hyuga Kei left the Main Branch with his head lowered and returned to his courtyard. When he entered his old room, he discovered signs that it had been searched.

He suddenly remembered something. Hyuga Kei crouched down and reached beneath the bed.

He immediately found Uncle Hizashi's farewell letter.

To my nephew Hyuga Kei...

The letter described how the Main Branch had summoned Uncle Hizashi, how Uncle Hizashi had discovered their plot and wanted Neji to leave first, and finally entrusted Hyuga Kei with taking good care of Neji.

Seeing the letter, Hyuga Kei was overcome with grief and fury. His eyes flushed crimson, and his black pupils turned red as rotating tomoe emerged within them. The Uchiha bloodline he had absorbed had awakened.

One Tomoe, Two Tomoe, Three Tomoe.

Three ceaselessly rotating tomoe spun within his eyes.

"Hyuga clan!" Hyuga Kei stuffed the farewell letter into his mouth and swallowed it in a few bites, determined to memorize every word within.

If Hyuga Kei had once planned to kill only part of the Main Branch and Branch House out of consideration for Uncle Hizashi, then reform the Hyuga clan...

Now, he was determined to annihilate the Hyuga clan.

They had killed his blood relatives one after another. If he did not avenge this hatred, he would not be human.

Perhaps Hyuga Kei was not strong enough yet. He needed to wait for an opportunity, and he immediately thought of a point in time one year later.

The Night of the Uchiha Clan Annihilation. At that time, Konoha would surely focus all its attention on the Uchiha. He could take that chance to wipe out the Hyuga clan and rescue Neji.

But Hyuga Kei felt that he could not wait until next year. That time had to be brought forward. He had to intensify their conflict and bring the Night of the Clan Annihilation ahead of schedule.