"Heh, hahahaha!" The elder laughed in fury at Hiashi.
"I don't understand. Hinata is nothing but a useless young lady. Is she really worth all this?"
"I remember you never had any children, Elder." Hiashi shook his head gently. "Though I hope Hinata will become the person I want her to be, no matter how she performs, she's still my child, my daughter."
"What about Hanabi? Isn't she your child too? Or is she more like your child than Hinata is?"
"Her talent far surpasses her sister's, doesn't it?"
The elder pointed toward Hinata Yue, who stood quietly to one side, holding Hanabi.
"Hanabi, get down and serve tea to your big sister Yue."
Hiashi furrowed his brows at that. He pointed to the teacup on the table, then looked at the elder and said, "You weren't here just now, Elder. So please bear witness to this."
"Absolutely not! You want the daughter of the main house to take a branch-family member as her master?"
The Hyuga elder activated his Byakugan and fixed his gaze on Hinata Yue, as if he would immediately activate the Caged Bird Curse Seal if she showed even the slightest sign of agreeing.
But Hinata Yue simply set Hanabi down and stood where she was, expressionless, as though none of this had anything to do with her.
Hiashi drew Hanabi into his arms and gently picked her up. His rough hands rubbed her little head, but Hanabi didn't mind at all. She closed her eyes contentedly.
She was still worried about her older sister, but Father seemed ready to take matters into his own hands. No matter how difficult things got, he would surely solve them. Her sister would be back by her side soon, and then Hanabi would beat her again.
Hiashi lowered his head and rubbed his rough cheek against Hanabi's. After she gave him two little slaps, he asked softly, "Hanabi, what do you think of your big sister Yue?"
"Big sister Yue is amazing and beautiful!" Hanabi giggled. "She only gave me a few pointers, and I was able to beat Big Sister so easily."
"Then would you like her to be your master?" Hiashi continued.
"Isn't Big Sister Yue my master already?" Hanabi blinked her big eyes, looking first at her father, then turning to glance at Hinata Yue.
Ever since Big Sister Yue's team had temporarily disbanded, she had been guiding Hanabi's training. It had been at least a month.
"Haha, you're right, Hanabi." Hiashi paused, then realized that while he might have taught Hinata what a master was, Hanabi didn't understand the concept.
But that didn't matter. Hanabi still had plenty of time to learn. Hinata, however, was in greater danger with every passing second she remained missing.
"Fine, clan leader. You're really something." Watching the father and daughter interact, the elder felt as if his insides had twisted into knots. His voice had already grown distorted.
He could no longer ignore Hinata Yue standing beside him and let out a furious roar.
"Do you know the state of our clan?"
"After Hizashi's death, the branch family is already deeply dissatisfied! Now your daughter has gone missing again. Do you know what those branch-family members think?"
"Some believe you hid your daughter because you don't want her to receive the Caged Bird Curse Seal. They can accept that explanation, after all, Hanabi is still young, and Hinata hasn't performed well."
"But others think you're trying to kill her—to kill this genius from the branch family who has already come into her own. Hmph, just as you did with Hizashi in the past." The elder snorted twice and pointed at Hinata Yue. "If she dies too, the main house will grow ever stronger, and the branch family's last breath will be snuffed out."
"What could little Neji possibly do to change that?"
"Now that you've chosen to leave, the branch family will erupt into a storm!" His eyes bulged as though he were about to devour Hiashi.
"They'll force me to receive the Caged Bird Curse Seal too! They'll demand power, demand to learn secret techniques reserved for the main house, and demand influence in the village. They'll drag the Hyuga clan into the abyss of destruction, just like the Uchiha clan!"
"You're only worried about receiving the Caged Bird Curse Seal yourself. If the clan leader weren't so merciful, you'd already be a member of the branch family."
Hinata Yue's cool voice reached the elder, and it set his anger ablaze.
"You wretched woman!" he cursed. "This is what you've been waiting for!"
"The moment Hiashi leaves, you'll become the Hyuga clan's true leader. Hmph! And Hanabi? You'll stuff her into a well and drown her the very next second!"
Hinata Yue wasn't angry in the slightest, nor did she look flustered at having her supposed scheme exposed. That made the furious elder look like a ridiculous clown.
She only looked at Hanabi in Hiashi's arms and said softly, "I believe the clan leader really shouldn't leave Konoha or the clan right now."
"Lady Hanabi is still young. I can teach her to become a capable ninja, and teach her to protect herself and to kill."
"But the other things will be difficult for me to teach her. That's your responsibility. Hinata and Hanabi are both your children."
"You should rely on the strength of the clan, and you should also communicate with the Third Hokage. The information Kakashi Hatake brought back shows that the enemy didn't kill Hinata or take her Byakugan. That means the young lady won't be in danger in the short term."
"And as the head of the main house, you should indeed avoid taking any unnecessary risks, as the elder said. Especially when Hanabi is still so young."
After hearing Yue's words, Hiashi lowered his head and looked at Hanabi in his arms. Gradually, he calmed down too.
He had been far too rash. After hearing that Kakashi had returned gravely wounded, he had actually considered abandoning his younger daughter and leaving the village to search for his elder daughter.
He still had the clan's strength to rely on, and the village as well. The enemy hadn't killed Hinata yet, either. He might still have a chance to pay the "ransom."
But there was one thing he should do first.
He set Hanabi down again, only to see his little daughter clutching the hem of his robe.
"Father, aren't you going to bring Big Sister back?" Hanabi asked timidly.
His heart clenched again.
"Before we bring Hinata back, there's something you need to do first." As he spoke, he handed Hanabi the teacup once more.
The tea wasn't scalding anymore. It was only slightly warm.
"Kneel and offer this cup of tea to your big sister Yue," he said.