Permission (Please Follow)

"Since Danzō has developed an opinion on the Hyuga Clan... he will inevitably take action."

"Looking at that gaze of his, could he be thinking of recruiting me?"

Hyuga Qinglan rubbed his slightly aching shoulder, walking alone on the path back to the clan grounds.

Although Danzō was a villain who committed all sorts of evil in the original story, with a long record of misdeeds.

It cannot be denied, however, that this man Danzō does indeed exert a certain twisted deterrent force over the various major clans.

Just like after the Nine-Tails Rebellion, Shimura Danzō was able to use hardline tactics to directly suppress Uchiha Fugaku, forcing the latter to bow his head and make concessions—not only giving up their ancestral home but moving the entire clan to the edge of the village.

Of course, this was certainly mixed with Danzō's personal hostility and prejudice toward the Uchiha.

"What if... Danzō brings his prejudice against the Uchiha to the Hyuga?"

This thought surfaced in Hyuga Qinglan's mind without warning, causing his footsteps to falter slightly.

The Uchiha of today are actually very well-behaved.

Even though the extremist Uchiha Setsuna is still alive, under Fugaku's leadership, the Uchiha Clan can be described as diligent and conscientious.

After finishing the Mist Battlefield, they turned around to fight Iwagakure; Uchiha jonin died one after another, and even Fugaku's four-year-old son followed them to the battlefield.

Even if Danzō wanted to find fault, he would likely have nowhere to start.

But looking at the Hyuga, who are constantly stirring up trouble in contrast...

Hyuga Qinglan paused, resumed his stride, and walked into the clan grounds, nodding to the Branch Family members on guard duty along the way.

"If that happens... could it be the Hyuga who end up being wiped out?"

He was amused by his own absurd association, the corners of his mouth lifting silently.

"Brother Qinglan, you're back?"

Hyuga Tokuma popped up from somewhere, trotting over to his side, looking at Hyuga Qinglan with a hint of curiosity in his eyes, "What are you smiling at?"

"Hm? Was I smiling?"

Hyuga Qinglan raised an eyebrow, the emotion on his face instantly vanishing, as if that trace of a smile had never existed.

"Oh, alright then."

Hyuga Tokuma didn't mind, taking quick, small steps to keep up with Hyuga Qinglan's pace, lowering his voice to complain: "Brother Qinglan, you got to go out on a mission, but we've been suffering terribly."

He looked left and right as he spoke, confirming that the surrounding clansmen were busy with their own affairs, before leaning in closer to continue: "Miss Yumi has been dragging us to spar all day, obsessed with finding the culprit to take revenge."

"Since the clan head said to let the matter drop, she's been taking all her frustration out on us."

Tokuma pulled a bitter face, his voice dropping to a whisper: "I didn't even dare to fight back..."

Hyuga Qinglan listened silently, not interrupting.

Although he and Tokuma both belonged to the Branch Family, they were somewhat related within the clan; if one were to count carefully, Hyuga Tokuma was his cousin.

In the past, Tokuma would mutter like this after he returned from missions, but usually, he would stop after a while.

But it was rare for him to ramble on incessantly like he was today.

Could it be...?

"By the way, Brother Qinglan, do you remember that time you took me hunting in the back mountains when we were kids?"

Hyuga Tokuma suddenly slowed his pace, the topic shifting abruptly.

Hunting?

Hyuga Qinglan's gaze flickered, and he glanced at Tokuma, still not responding.

"That one time, you said you'd teach me to track prey. We crouched in the woods for an entire afternoon, and suddenly you pressed down on my shoulder and told me not to make a sound."

"Later, you told me that real prey never walks right in front of you in the open."

"You said... to watch out for the sound of branches snapping that doesn't feel right, to notice when the birds suddenly stop chirping, and to feel if the wind behind you has suddenly died down."

"Only then can you know where the real prey is..."

"Is that so..."

Hyuga Qinglan felt the gaze falling quietly on his back and caught sight of Tokuma's slightly trembling fingers, then a gentle smile surfaced: "So, do you understand the logic behind it now?"

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

Hyuga Tokuma was clearly relieved, scratching his head with a somewhat embarrassed smile.

"Then I'll be going now..."

He turned around, waved at Qinglan, and walked away quickly.

Hyuga Qinglan stood in place until Tokuma's back disappeared around the corner of the alley, then he rubbed his shoulder again and continued walking toward his own home.

--

"Clan Head, Elders, Hyuga Qinglan has returned."

Inside the meeting room, a clan ninja bowed to the Main Branch elders seated in their chairs, reporting the matter quickly and finishing one by one.

At the entrance of the clan grounds, he met the Branch Family guard Hyuga Tokuma, and the two spoke for a while. The entire time, it was Hyuga Tokuma doing the talking while Hyuga Qinglan listened.

Just like usual, nothing unusual occurred; the only thing that could be considered out of the ordinary was that Hyuga Tokuma brought up things from their childhood.

The elders listened quietly as the candlelight cast flickering shadows on the walls, and no one was in a hurry to speak.

Silence spread throughout the meeting room for a long time.

"That will be all, you may leave."

Hyuga Hiashi, sitting at the head of the table, spoke slowly, signaling for the clan ninja to withdraw.

Not until the footsteps faded away and the door closed did he slowly look toward the elders present.

"Well? The suspicion surrounding Qinglan should be lightened somewhat now, shouldn't it?"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over every face: "That boy Tokuma loves to ramble, and Qinglan listening—this sort of thing has happened before."

"Furthermore, the people sent to the Rock Battlefield have returned."

"Everything is exactly as Qinglan described, down to the last detail."

As he spoke, Hyuga Hiashi took out the scroll brought back by the clan ninja from the investigation of the ancient tomb in Iwagakure and handed them one by one to the elders to circulate.

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

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

"Hiashi, monitoring Hyuga Qinglan was intended to clear his name from the start."

"His talent is indeed outstanding, but it cannot be denied that the first person to come into contact with and possess that scroll for an extended period was Hyuga Qinglan."

"Now that the scroll has fallen into the hands of that old thief Danzo, it is almost impossible for us to obtain the method for the Byakugan to evolve."

"At present, if we still wish to touch that power, the only remaining clue is Hyuga Qinglan."

"Even if there is a ninety-nine percent chance he is unaware of the scroll's contents, we must bet on that remaining one percent."

"For the sake of the Hyuga Clan taking another step forward, even sacrificing a Branch Family member with exceptional talent is worth it."

At this point, the Great Elder's gaze suddenly turned sharp.

"This kind of half-hearted surveillance will never yield an answer."

"I propose we directly activate the Caged Bird and conduct an interrogation!"

The moment the words fell, several elders looked up in unison.

"Seconded!"

Hyuga Hiashi was completely stunned.

When he looked at the aged faces of the Main Branch elders, what met his eyes was a cold sternness and resolve identical to that of the Great Elder.

He opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to defend Hyuga Qinglan.

But the words surged to his lips only to get stuck firmly in his throat.

In the end, it was for the sake of the Hyuga Clan.

He still agreed.

"Granted."