Approved

"Since Danzo has taken issue with the Hyuga Clan... he's bound to make a move."

"Judging by the look in Danzo's eyes, could he be trying to recruit me?"

Hyuga Qinglan rubbed his aching shoulder as he walked alone toward the clan compound.

Although Danzo had committed countless misdeeds in the original story, there was no denying that he exerted a certain twisted influence over the various clans.

Take the aftermath of the Nine-Tails' attack, for instance. Shimura Danzo had used heavy-handed methods to suppress Uchiha Fugaku, forcing him to yield and make concessions. The Uchiha had not only given up their ancestral home but also moved as a clan to a remote corner of the village.

Of course, Danzo's personal hostility and prejudice toward the Uchiha had surely played a part.

"What if... Danzo brings his prejudice against the Uchiha to bear on the Hyuga?"

The thought surfaced without warning, making Hyuga Qinglan pause for a moment.

The Uchiha were being remarkably obedient these days.

Even with the extremist Uchiha Setsuna still alive, the Uchiha Clan, under Fugaku's leadership, had been dutifully doing its part.

They had finished fighting on the Mist Battlefield and then turned around to fight Iwagakure. Uchiha jonin had been dying one after another, and even Fugaku's four-year-old son had gone to war.

Even if Danzo wanted to pick a fight with them, he'd have little to go on.

But the Hyuga were a different story, what with all the trouble they kept stirring up...

Hyuga Qinglan paused, then resumed walking into the clan compound, nodding to a Branch Family member standing guard at the entrance as he passed.

"Could the Hyuga be the ones who get wiped out this time...?"

The absurd thought made him chuckle, the corner of his mouth lifting without a sound.

"Qinglan, you're back?"

Hyuga Tokuma appeared from somewhere and trotted over. He looked at Hyuga Qinglan with curiosity. "What are you smiling about?"

"Hm? Was I smiling?"

Hyuga Qinglan raised an eyebrow. His expression instantly smoothed over, as if the smile had never been there.

"Oh, all right."

Tokuma didn't seem to mind. He quickened his short steps to keep pace with Hyuga Qinglan and lowered his voice to complain. "Qinglan, you got to go out on a mission, but we've been suffering here."

As he spoke, he glanced around. Once he'd confirmed that the clan members nearby were all occupied, he leaned closer and continued. "Miss Yumi makes us practice with her every day. She's determined to find the culprit and get revenge."

"Then the clan head said to let the matter go, and she took all her anger out on us."

Tokuma grimaced, keeping his voice very low. "I don't even dare fight back..."

Hyuga Qinglan listened quietly without interrupting.

Although he and Tokuma were both from the Branch Family, they were distant relatives. Strictly speaking, Hyuga Tokuma was his younger cousin.

Tokuma had always gone on like this after Qinglan returned from a mission, but usually he'd run out of things to say before long.

He rarely rambled on and on like this.

Could it be...?

"By the way, Qinglan, do you remember that time you took me hunting in the hills behind the village when we were kids?"

Hyuga Tokuma suddenly slowed down, abruptly changing the subject.

Hunting?

Hyuga Qinglan's gaze shifted slightly. He glanced at Tokuma but still didn't answer.

"That time you said you'd teach me how to recognize an animal's tracks. We crouched in the woods all afternoon, and then you suddenly grabbed my shoulder and told me to stay quiet."

"Afterward, you told me that real prey never just sauntered right past you."

"You said... you had to watch for branches snapping in an odd way, notice when the birds suddenly fell silent, and feel whether the wind behind you had suddenly stopped."

"That was how you could figure out where the real prey was..."

"Is that so...?"

Feeling the gaze quietly settling on his back and noticing Tokuma's fingers trembling slightly, Hyuga Qinglan gave him a warm smile. "And now, do you understand the lesson?"

"Heh... I've grown up, after all..."

Hyuga Tokuma was clearly relieved. He scratched his head, his smile carrying a hint of embarrassment.

"I'll get going, then..."

He turned and waved to Qinglan before hurrying away.

Hyuga Qinglan stayed where he was until Tokuma's figure disappeared around the corner. Then he rubbed his shoulder again and continued toward his home.

"Clan head, elders, Hyuga Qinglan has returned."

Inside the meeting room, a clan shinobi bowed to the Main Branch elders seated in their chairs and quickly delivered his report.

"He met Hyuga Tokuma, a Branch Family guard, at the entrance to the compound, and they talked for a while. Hyuga Tokuma did all the talking, while Hyuga Qinglan listened."

"As usual, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The only thing worth noting was that Hyuga Tokuma brought up something from their childhood."

The elders listened in silence. Candlelight cast wavering shadows across the walls, and no one rushed to speak.

Silence spread through the meeting room and lingered for a long while.

"All right. You may leave."

Hyuga Hiashi, seated at the head of the table, spoke slowly and gestured for the clan shinobi to withdraw.

Only after the footsteps faded and the door closed did he look around at the elders.

"What do you think? We can probably ease our suspicions about Qinglan now."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across each face. "That boy Tokuma has always been a chatterbox, and Qinglan has listened to him before. It's hardly unprecedented."

"Besides, the people we sent to the Rock Battlefield have returned."

"Everything matched what Qinglan told us, down to the smallest detail."

As he spoke, Hyuga Hiashi took out the scrolls brought back by the clan shinobi who had investigated the ancient tomb in Iwagakure and passed them around for the elders to read.

"Even the traces of Qinglan's hurried departure are still there."

The Great Elder finished reading the scrolls and finally spoke, his voice aged but steady.

"Hiashi, we began watching Hyuga Qinglan to clear him of suspicion."

"His talent is exceptional, but there's no denying that Hyuga Qinglan was the first to come into contact with that scroll and the one who held it for the longest."

"Now that the scroll has fallen into the hands of the old fox Danzo, it's almost impossible for us to obtain the method for evolving the Byakugan."

"At this point, if we still want to reach that power, Hyuga Qinglan is our only remaining lead."

"Even if there's a ninety-nine percent chance that he knows nothing about the scroll's contents, we have to gamble on that last one percent."

"For the Hyuga Clan to advance further, sacrificing a gifted member of the Branch Family is worth it."

At that, the Great Elder's gaze suddenly sharpened.

"This half-hearted surveillance will never get us the answer."

"I propose we activate the Caged Bird and interrogate him!"

The moment he finished speaking, several elders lifted their heads at once.

"Seconded!"

Hyuga Hiashi was utterly stunned.

When he looked at the elderly faces of the Main Branch elders, all he saw was the same cold resolve as the Great Elder's.

He opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something in Hyuga Qinglan's defense.

But the words rose to his lips and stuck in his throat.

In the end, it was for the Hyuga Clan.

He agreed.

"Approved."