Master

"Heh, hahahaha!" The elder burst into laughter, angered by Hyuga Hiashi.

"I don't understand, Hyuga Hinata is just a useless young lady, is she worth it?"

"I recall Elder-sama never had any children," Hyuga Hiashi shook his head gently. "While I wish Hinata could become the person I envision, no matter how she performs, she is my child, my daughter."

"What about Hanabi? Isn't she your child too? Or rather, she's more like your child than Hyuga Hinata!"

"Her talent far surpasses her elder sister, doesn't it?"

The elder pointed towards Hyuga Yue, who stood quietly to the side, holding Hyuga Hanabi.

"Hanabi, come down and serve tea to your Sister Yue."

Hyuga Hiashi frowned at this. He pointed to the teacup on the table, then looked back at the elder and said, "Elder-sama, you weren't here just now. Now, please bear witness to all of this."

"Absolutely not! You want the Main Family's young lady to be taught by someone from the Branch Family?"

The Hyuga elder immediately activated his Byakugan. He stared intently at Hyuga Yue, as if he would directly activate the Caged Bird Seal the moment she showed any sign of agreement.

However, Hyuga Yue merely set down Hyuga Hanabi and stood still, her expressionless face suggesting the events unfolding around her had nothing to do with her.

Hyuga Hiashi pulled Hanabi into his arms, gently lifting her. His rough hand ruffled her small head, and Hanabi, unbothered, comfortably narrowed her eyes.

Although I'm still worried about my sister, Father seems to be taking personal action now, so any difficulty will be easily resolved. My sister will surely return to me soon, and then I'll be able to defeat her again.

Hyuga Hiashi lowered his head, his rough face nuzzling Hanabi's small cheek. After receiving a couple of light slaps, he asked softly, "Hanabi, what do you think of your Sister Yue?"

"Sister Yue is both strong and beautiful!" Hanabi giggled. "She just gave me a little guidance, and I could easily defeat my sister."

"Then, do you want her to be your master?" Hyuga Hiashi continued to ask.

"Isn't Sister Yue my master already?" Hanabi blinked her big eyes, looking at her father, then turning her head to look at Hyuga Yue beside them.

Ever since Sister Yue's team was temporarily disbanded, she had been guiding Hanabi's training, for at least a month now.

"Haha, yes, Hanabi, you are absolutely right." Hyuga Hiashi was taken aback for a moment, then he remembered that he might have taught Hinata, but Hanabi didn't understand the concept of a master.

But it didn't matter; Hanabi had plenty of time to learn. However, Hinata's danger increased with every passing second she was missing.

"Fine, Clan Head, you are truly something else." The elder watched the father and daughter interact, feeling as if his internal organs were twisting into knots, his voice becoming distorted.

He could no longer bother with Hyuga Yue, who stood beside him, and roared.

"Do you know the current situation within the clan?"

"Because of Hizashi's death, the Branch Family is already extremely dissatisfied! Now your daughter has gone missing again, do you know what those Branch Family members are thinking?"

"Some believe you don't want to brand your daughter with the Caged Bird Seal, so you've hidden her. That reason is somewhat acceptable to them, after all, Hanabi is still young, and Hinata's performance hasn't been good."

"But some believe you intend to harm this genius who has already grown within the Branch Family, hmph, just like Hizashi was in the past." The elder snorted twice and pointed at Hyuga Yue. "If she also dies, the Main Family line will continue to flourish, and the Branch Family will finally breathe its last."

"Little Hyuga Neji, what kind of storm can he stir up?"

"You choosing to leave here now means the Branch Family will unleash a tempest!" His eyes widened in fury, as if he wanted to devour Hyuga Hiashi before him.

"They will force me to be branded with the Caged Bird Seal too! They will demand power, demand to learn the secret techniques only the Main Family can learn, they will demand power within the village, and like the fallen Uchiha Clan, drag our Hyuga Clan into the abyss of destruction!"

"What you care about is only being branded with the Caged Bird Seal, aren't you? If it weren't for the Clan Head's mercy, you would have been a member of the Branch Family long ago."

Hyuga Yue's cold voice reached the elder's ears, igniting his rage.

"You slut!" he cursed. "You've been waiting for this moment!"

"As soon as Hiashi leaves, you will immediately become the de facto head of the Hyuga Clan. Hmph, as for Hanabi? You'll drown her in a well the next second!"

Hyuga Yue, however, showed no anger, nor any flustered reaction to her supposed scheme being exposed. This made the enraged elder look like a mere buffoon.

She simply looked at Hanabi, held in Hyuga Hiashi's arms, and said softly, "I think Clan Head-sama should indeed not leave Konoha or the clan at this time."

"Miss Yue is still young, I can teach her to become a qualified ninja, teach her self-preservation, teach her to kill."

"But there are other things I find difficult to teach her. That is your job. Whether it's Hinata or Hanabi, they are both your children."

"You should rely on the power of the clan, and you should also communicate more with the Third Hokage. The intelligence brought back by Hatake Kakashi indicates that the other party did not directly kill Hinata or take her Byakugan, which means the young lady will not face any immediate danger in the short term."

"And as the head of the Main Family, you should indeed, as the elder said, try to avoid any danger, especially since Hanabi is still so young."

After listening to Yue's words, Hyuga Hiashi lowered his head and looked at Hanabi in his arms, gradually calming down.

He had indeed been too hasty. Upon hearing the news of Kakashi's severe injuries upon his return, he had wanted to abandon his younger daughter and leave the village to search for his elder daughter without a second thought.

He still had the clan's power to use, and the village as a backing. Moreover, the other party hadn't killed Hinata yet, so he might still have a chance to pay a "ransom."

But there was one thing he should do first.

He set Hanabi down again, only to see his younger daughter tugging at his clothes.

"Father, aren't you going to bring my sister back?" little Hanabi asked timidly.

He felt his heart clench again.

"Before we find Hinata, you need to do one thing," he said, handing the teacup back to Hanabi.

The tea was no longer scalding, only slightly warm.

"Kneel and serve this cup of tea to your Sister Yue," he said.