If Snow Eagle or Yukina is present, please do not continue reading.
Holding the letter in his hand, Chiba's gaze passed over that line again. It was because he had seen those words earlier that he had put the envelope away. Only now, after finding a moment alone, did he open it.
What kind of information... could neither Hyuga Yukyō nor Yukina see?
No! It was not merely that they could not see it. They could not even be allowed the possibility of seeing it.
What sort of information was this? That thought flashed through Chiba's mind.
Then, with a faint sense of surprise, Chiba read on.
Chiba, when you see this letter, it means my plan has failed. And so, I have no way to say these words to you in person.
I am sorry. I was not by your side when you were suffering.
Please forgive me. When you needed care, I took no action at all.
And please understand that, given the circumstances at the time, I could neither adopt you nor take you in as a disciple as I did Snow Eagle.
This was a matter of the Hyuga Clan. Maha had already sacrificed his life for me. I could not drag you into this vortex as well.
Moreover, as an orphan of Konoha—indeed, the son of a hero of Konoha—the Third Hokage would not mistreat you. Lord Third Hokage might have been unable to openly do anything because of the "traitor's name" Maha left behind, but in secret, he certainly would not have done nothing. He may even have done more than he could in the open.
The letter was only one page, yet it contained quite a lot. Every word was unembellished and undisguised. Of course, someone born into a great clan like