Deliberation

"Riko's feedback is excellent. I have to say, choosing her to be part of the plan was a truly brilliant move."

Hizashi Hyuga offered fair affirmation for his son's choice. In truth, when Yuzuru Hyuga decided to include Riko in his plans, he had some reservations. After all, a normal person had a far higher chance of accidental exposure compared to a seasoned ninja. Once exposed, they likely wouldn't have any countermeasures against interrogation, and it was highly probable the plan would fail.

But now, Riko Hyuga, this ordinary maid, had become an extremely crucial source of information at this very moment.

She had worked for the Hyuga Branch Family since childhood and had good relationships with most of its members. As fellow sufferers of hardship, the Branch Family ninjas wouldn't look down on her for lacking talent in ninjutsu or for serving as a maid. Instead, they were more tolerant and gentle with her because of it.

This meant almost no one was wary of her.

One could directly discern the true feelings of the Branch Family ninjas from their words and actions.

"Hiashi's 'Divide the Hyuga' plan is proceeding very smoothly, or rather, too smoothly."

Hizashi Hyuga took a sip of his warm tea. Like Yuzuru Hyuga, he kept his Byakugan active during their conversation to prevent eavesdropping.

"He merely had his confidants start things off 'well.' The rest of the Main Family ninjas, as if they received some kind of summons, have intensified their bullying of the Branch Family ninjas."

Hizashi Hyuga let out a cold laugh and said with a tone of mocking exclamation, "I honestly never imagined that some Main Family ninjas would actually consider the Branch Family ninjas as 'servants.'"

"If Hiashi hadn't intervened in time to stop some of the excessive actions, the current situation would be difficult to resolve."

These few sentences allowed Yuzuru Hyuga to guess many unpleasant scenes.

He sat on the desk in front of his father, his short legs dangling in the air, and loosened the forehead protector on his brow. "This is a good thing."

"Indeed."

Hizashi Hyuga's words still carried a hint of mockery, targeting those Main Family ninjas.

"Take a look. This is the recently compiled information worth noting."

He retrieved a scroll from a locked drawer. Yuzuru Hyuga took it and studied it carefully.

Most of what was recorded inside were details about the Branch Family ninjas, with a particular focus on their private conversations.

The words Riko had secretly observed and recorded were, in essence, their true feelings.

Among them, dissatisfaction and doubt towards the Main Family were clearly written.

"Quite a few people have even indirectly urged me to speak up for the Branch Family."

Hizashi Hyuga shook his head with a half-smile and reached out to pat Yuzuru Hyuga's trouser leg. His son had been on missions, resting and traveling in the wilderness, so it was impossible for them to not get dirty.

After Yuzuru Hyuga finished reading all the messages, he casually tossed them aside. "Father, it would be best to process these words."

"I know. I only compiled them to show you," Hizashi Hyuga nodded.

"Continue to follow up. Among the Five, except for Kaoru, she should remain as hidden as possible. Let her accumulate some strength first and not expose herself to the public. As for the others, they can play their roles at the appropriate time. Take advantage of the current opportunity to win over suitable targets and thoroughly investigate their usability."

"By the time I return, the number of the Five might have increased severalfold."

Hizashi Hyuga reminded him, "It shouldn't be too large. My suggestion is, ten people at most."

Yuzuru Hyuga pondered for a moment and agreed. The fewer people there were, the easier it was to monitor them and the easier it was to select the best and minimize risks.

After observation, if this batch of people proved trustworthy, then the next batch could be recruited in larger numbers, as there would be more personnel available for monitoring.

But truthfully, Yuzuru Hyuga had quite high confidence in the trustworthiness of the Branch Family members.

Who would be willing to remain kneeling and act like a dog forever, rather than stand up and hold their head high as a person?

If there were indeed individuals accustomed to kneeling and unable to stand, such people wouldn't even make it onto the list for consideration. They would simply enjoy the fruits of victory at the end, as long as they didn't become a hindrance.

Even if only fifty percent of the Branch Family members joined Yuzuru Hyuga's cause, it would still be an unstoppable force, sufficient to complete the plan Yuzuru Hyuga envisioned. The Main Family wasn't necessarily monolithic; there were also Main Family ninjas who harbored good intentions and disliked acting arrogantly. One couldn't broadly categorize enemies simply based on the distinction between Main Family and Branch Family.

After all, the Hyuga Clan had always liked to promote the idea that "everyone is family."

There were always some people willing to believe this and ignore the influence of their environment.

Those who must be eliminated, those who can be killed or not, the neutral and wavering, those who can become friends.

People in this world were always complex. Yuzuru Hyuga wouldn't condemn them all with a single blow, nor would he foolishly believe that everything could be changed solely through killing and deterrence.

Yuzuru Hyuga didn't just collect intelligence on the Branch Family; in fact, information pertaining to the Main Family was also of utmost importance.

"Father, don't neglect intelligence on the Main Family. Perhaps, while we find it difficult to trust Main Family ninjas at this moment, some individuals who serve the Main Family and are from the Branch Family, like maids with Riko's status, can also become crucial figures in our plan."

Hizashi Hyuga pondered Yuzuru Hyuga's words. After a moment of thought, he said softly, "I understand."

Afterward, Yuzuru Hyuga briefly summarized the matter of the Iburi Clan to Hizashi Hyuga.

Upon hearing this, Hizashi Hyuga merely nodded, not showing any particular concern.

"If they send news later, tell them to wait until I return. If they choose to leave, then let them leave."

Hizashi Hyuga had no objections.

With Yuzuru Hyuga proposing the ideas and Hizashi Hyuga resolving the details, and then jointly checking and implementing the plan, it had gradually become the father and son's customary approach.

"How has Kaoru been recently?"

Yuzuru Hyuga relaxed a bit, no longer thinking about those complicated matters.

Hizashi Hyuga chuckled softly, "Her progress speed is quite fast. But, to be honest, having witnessed your progress speed, even a genius like her seems unremarkable."

"There is just one thing I need to tell you," he said, becoming serious, his voice deep. "Perhaps because you have performed too excellently, the pressure on this child is too great. Kaoru always sets training plans for herself that far exceed her current capabilities."

"I don't think your level of diligence is something an ordinary person can learn."

"I tried to talk to her, but she's a very opinionated girl."

"In that case, it would be best for you to pay a little more attention to her situation."

Hizashi Hyuga paused before saying earnestly, "After all, to Kaoru, your words mean much more than mine."

Yuzuru Hyuga looked at his father's smiling eyes and shook his head helplessly, softly saying, "I understand. I'll go see her tomorrow morning."

He mused for a moment, then suddenly smiled, "Coincidentally, after this trip, I've also come up with some ideas on how she should develop in the future."

Kaoru Hyuga's talent was considerable, especially her learning ability, which was particularly outstanding. She excelled at understanding the general principle from a specific example and had a thorough grasp of details. The only thing that might be holding her back was purely biological reasons.

In this cruel world where bloodlines are pitted against bloodlines, and those without them rely on cheats, a ninja's talent often doesn't depend on their brain or effort.

Regrettably, Kaoru Hyuga only possessed the latter, not the former. Although the Hyuga Clan's ancestors were supposedly well-off, this advantage wasn't reflected in Kaoru Hyuga.

If she were in the Uchiha Clan, Yuzuru Hyuga was certain that this girl would be excellent material for awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan. She had a biased personality yet firm beliefs, could endure hardship, and wasn't rigid. If the two of them had been born Uchiha, he felt he could have awakened the Mangekyo for her just by stabbing himself.

However, in the Hyuga Clan, especially the Branch Family, her bloodline and body destined her to reach only the peak Jonin level at best, no matter how hard she trained. Perhaps she would be slightly stronger than Neji, but that would be the extent of it – above average but not exceptional.

For the formidable opponents Yuzuru Hyuga would inevitably face in the future, such talent meant she could only be considered a decorative flourish.

Previously, Yuzuru Hyuga didn't know how to arrange for her or offer suitable advice. But now, after going out, he finally realized what kind of talent he needed most and where his current shortcomings lay.

Research.

He needed someone like Kabuto Yakushi, someone like Orochimaru.

He needed a talent who could research Curse Marks, Sealing Techniques, and Bloodline Limits, absorb the knowledge he possessed, which had been transformed and mastered through the system, and perfectly replace him to develop new Ninjutsu, secret techniques, and forbidden techniques.

It was only after the appearance of the Iburi Clan that Yuzuru Hyuga realized he likely had no time to calm down and integrate the knowledge he possessed, to break through and research. This was undoubtedly a huge waste.

You might ask, if the Flying Bird Seal Technique can seal the Caged Bird, is it useless against the Heavenly Cursed Seal?

If this Sealing Technique can target Curse Marks, can't it target other Sealing Techniques?

Since the Caged Bird can be deciphered, can its components be analyzed to develop a Hyuga Clan exclusive Curse Mark Technique to deal with enemies or enhance oneself?

With just a little thought, Yuzuru Hyuga felt that he possessed a lot of knowledge that could be extended, even breakthroughs in Ninjutsu and techniques. They seemed within reach, yet he lacked the focus and time to develop them.

Therefore, he needed a versatile research talent, someone who understood Ninjutsu, possessed extremely high comprehension and learning abilities to keep up with his progress, and could grasp the knowledge he acquired through system breakthroughs.

Was such a person easy to find? In fact, when he thought of this, the only people Yuzuru Hyuga could quickly think of were Orochimaru and Kabuto.

But, isn't it ironic – such a talent was far away, yet right before his eyes.

"It's good you have it figured out," Hizashi Hyuga said, shaking his head helplessly as he watched Yuzuru Hyuga's smile.

After hesitating, he still felt compelled to remind him, "Kaoru's feelings for you are unusual. If you don't reciprocate, you should state it clearly as soon as possible. My son, Hizashi Hyuga's son, is not the type to…"

Hizashi Hyuga struggled for a moment before settling on a gentler adjective: "A frivolous man who makes girls sad."

"Mm…" Yuzuru Hyuga felt a slight headache regarding this matter alone.

He tilted his head back and let out a long sigh, "At only five years old, I already have to worry about these things. If I grow any older, who knows what will happen? This damn charm of mine ultimately hinders my progress in getting stronger."

"Go on, go take a bath, and then go to sleep," Hizashi Hyuga said with a dark expression, showing his disdain for his shameless joke.

Yuzuru Hyuga smiled and hopped off the table, "Goodnight, Dad."

"Goodnight." The father and son parted ways.

Who knew when they would meet again.

However, upon returning to his room, Yuzuru Hyuga prepared himself for an all-nighter.

He picked up paper and a pen and wrote furiously until dawn. Only then did he manage to catch a few winks before heading out, yawning.