7, A Treacherous Scheme

Inside the Hyuga Clan Compound, many people had gathered outside a room.

"Lord Hiashi is here!"

Someone shouted, and the crowd quickly parted to make way, bowing in greeting to the young man approaching.

"Lord Hiashi!"

Hyuga Hiashi walked to the door with a frown. His expression darkened as he looked at the corpse lying on the floor inside.

Before arriving, he had already received word that Jinyu Hyuga had been murdered in his own room.

"Lord Hiashi, Jinyuu..."

"Lord Hiashi, we must find the murderer!"

"Lord Hiashi!"

The voices of the surrounding clansmen rose and fell in furious succession.

One of their own had been murdered within the clan grounds. It was undoubtedly a slap in the face of the Hyuga Clan. Who would dare be so brazen?

There were no signs of a struggle in the room. Jinyuu had only one wound: his throat had been slit by a sharp object.

Hiashi stood there and thought for a while before promising the clan that he would find the murderer and avenge Jinyuu.

After calming everyone down, he sent them away.

Some who had been very close to Jinyuu in life were reluctant to leave, but they did not dare defy the clan head's order.

Once everyone had left, only Hiashi and Hizashi remained.

Hiashi took a deep breath. "Look for the key."

Hizashi was already searching the corpse, but he did not find what he wanted. He then activated his Byakugan and inspected the entire room for a long while before silently shaking his head at Hiashi.

Hiashi suddenly felt dizzy, and Hizashi hurried forward to steady him.

"Lord Hiashi!"

"They came for us! They came for the Hyuga Clan!" Hyuga Hiashi said through gritted teeth.

"Jinyuu was a jonin, one of the strongest in the clan. Anyone who could kill him without anyone noticing was no ordinary person," Hizashi said.

Hyuga Hiashi's expression shifted as countless thoughts raced through his mind.

"Let's check the Byakugan Stock first."

With that, he turned and vanished from the spot with the Body Flicker Technique. His urgency was obvious, and Hizashi could only hurry after him.

In an instant, the two arrived before the secret chamber where the Byakugan were kept. Few ever came to this courtyard, so no one had noticed that its lock and seal had been broken.

Looking at the half-open door, Hiashi almost did not dare step inside.

The Byakugan had been stolen. The Hyuga bloodline had leaked out. In a daze, he could already foresee an aberrant faction possessing the Byakugan rising in the future to overthrow their Main Branch!

He did not want to open the door, but a cool breeze drifted in, slowly pushing it open with a creak.

The sight inside was fully revealed to them. The wooden boxes that had once been arranged on the shelves and tables had all been cleared away. Nothing remained.

Watching this scene, Hiashi felt his chest tighten and struggled to breathe.

Hizashi silently stepped forward, closed the door, and locked it again.

"Lord Hiashi, this matter should not be made public for now," Hizashi said.

Hiashi snapped, "Even if we do not publicize it, do you think no one will know? Jinyuu was in charge of the key. Which of the elders in the clan does not know that?"

He no longer possessed his usual steady, imposing bearing. He was only a young man barely over twenty. Though he commanded such a large clan, today's upheaval had left him unable to remain calm.

Soon, he regained his composure. "Arrange Jinyuu's body first. Do not tell anyone about the stolen Byakugan, and thoroughly investigate the murderer."

Hizashi asked, "What about the Hokage?"

Jinyuu was a member of the Hyuga Clan, but he was also a Konoha shinobi. Since he had been murdered in his own home, the village would certainly investigate.

Hiashi merely said, "I will report it."

Konoha's recent entry and exit records, as well as visiting personnel, all needed to be thoroughly checked. They would need the Hokage's help as well.

Hiashi felt as though his mind was in complete chaos. In the end, he waved his hand and ordered, "Go quickly."

Yet Hizashi did not leave immediately. He remained standing where he was, motionless.

"What is it?"

"Lord Hiashi, what about Shinichi's surgery?"

Hyuga Hiashi recalled the boy who had dined with him the day before. The more he thought of those black eyes, the more grating they seemed.

"This matter... can be discussed later."

Hizashi returned to Jinyuu's residence. The body was still lying on the floor, and the blood had already dried.

As a fellow clansman, Hizashi did not feel good about Jinyuu's death. Unlike Hiashi's anger, his feelings came from seeing Jinyuu as a friend.

Nothing in the room had been disturbed, which meant the murderer might have succeeded in an instant, leaving Jinyuu no chance to resist.

He could not help activating his Byakugan and carefully inspecting the room. Everything around him became clear, even the specks of dust on the table.

At last, he noticed something unusual. Beneath the bed, where the area was likely rarely cleaned and a layer of dust had accumulated, he could see a winding trail.

He deactivated his Byakugan, walked over, and bent down to inspect it. It was indeed a peculiar trace, as though a snake had crawled across the ground.

"Did you find something?" Hiashi's voice suddenly sounded behind him, making Hizashi's heart skip a beat.

His expression did not change. Still appearing to examine the area carefully, he casually blew away the trail on the floor in one breath, then rose with a cough.

Hizashi waved the dust away from his face and said calmly, "No. I was checking the scene for clues."

Hiashi stood at the doorway and looked toward the space beneath the bed from afar. It was indeed empty.

"Do not leave the body there for too long," he said.

"Understood."

Shinichi stayed in his room all day and did not go out.

Not long after hearing that scream in the morning, he saw clansmen passing along the nearby road from time to time, talking among themselves.

It was not until the afternoon that Hizashi suddenly came to visit.

"Lord Hizashi!" Shinichi looked surprised, then smiled and welcomed him inside.

"What brings you here?"

After entering the room, Hizashi casually looked around. While outside, he had used his Byakugan to see that the child had been reading in his room the entire time.

"You did not go out today?" Hizashi asked casually as he sat down.

"No. Perhaps because I got caught in a little rain yesterday, I have not been feeling well today."

Hizashi nodded. "Your body has not fully recovered yet. Take care not to fall ill again during this time."

"Thank you for your concern, Lord Hizashi."

Hizashi asked again, "Something major happened in the clan today. Do you know about it?"

Shinichi said in confusion, "This morning, I did see quite a few clansmen gathered together and discussing something."

"Jinyuu is dead. He was murdered in his home last night."

"Jin... Senior Jinyuu..." Shinichi froze at first, then his face filled with shock.

"How could that be?!" he cried in disbelief.

Hizashi had been watching Shinichi's reaction the entire time. Nothing in his expression seemed fake.

"Wasn't Senior Jinyuu a jonin?! How could he have been killed?!" Shinichi could not help asking.

"There are many people in this world stronger than jonin," Hizashi said.

"Then who was the murderer? What kind of person killed Senior Jinyuu?!" Shinichi asked again, his face now filled with anger.

Hizashi instead asked, "Are you very angry?"

Shinichi said indignantly, "That person dared to murder someone within our Hyuga Clan Compound. Isn't that a slap in the face of our Hyuga Clan?!"

His relationship with Jinyuu had been quite ordinary. Whenever they met, even if Shinichi respectfully greeted him, Jinyuu could not be bothered to respond. Hizashi knew this very well.

"We will certainly find the murderer," Hizashi said.

"We must make whoever killed Senior Jinyuu pay with their life!" Shinichi said through clenched teeth.

"Mm." Hizashi merely responded faintly. Then he stood up and casually reminded him that the clan would be conducting a strict investigation over the next few days, so he should not go out recklessly.

"Take care, Lord Hizashi."