The Twists of Fate

"You...!"

Mukai Hyuga's voice caught in his throat, turning into a faint, indistinct sound.

The cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth slipped free and bounced twice on the stone path.

His pupils gradually lost focus, like two candles extinguished by a draft. His gaze drifted, and his consciousness followed.

"Pfft..."

Hyuga Qinglan slowly withdrew his hand from Mukai's abdomen. There was no blood on his palm, only a faint, pale-green glow.

He lowered his eyes toward where the Spirit Orb had disappeared and murmured,

"The ability to acquire other people's thoughts and control their will and bodies..."

"It's remarkably similar to Nagato's ability to use chakra receivers to create the Pain Six Paths."

The Rinnegan and the Tenseigan shared many overlapping powers.

The Rinnegan focused more on defense and versatility, while the Tenseigan's power leaned more toward offense and specialization.

With a thought, Hyuga Qinglan released his control over Mukai Hyuga.

Mukai Hyuga's pupils slowly refocused. His gaze shifted from vacant to calm, then empty.

"How did Danzo arrange things with you?"

"Lord Danzo plans to invite you to become an affiliated member of Root so you can monitor the Hyuga Clan..."

Mukai Hyuga recounted everything to Hyuga Qinglan, word by word: the details, the mission, and how they would communicate afterward...

He left nothing out.

When he finished, he stood rigidly in place, arms at his sides, quietly awaiting his next order like a wax statue.

Hyuga Qinglan listened, then fell silent for a moment.

An affiliated member of Root... to monitor the Hyuga Clan...

He narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking to himself.

"So Hiashi Hyuga really has been making moves behind the scenes—and big ones, too. He's forced Danzo to plant a spy inside the Hyuga Clan himself."

In Hyuga Qinglan's memories, the privilege of having "an insider planted to monitor the clan" should have belonged to the Uchiha Clan...

But now the Hyuga Clan had drawn that attention instead.

Hyuga Qinglan suddenly chuckled, his voice tinged with self-mockery.

"Could the Hyuga Clan really end up rebelling one day?"

He hadn't expected a joke he'd made offhand to line up with the way things were unfolding.

His laughter faded, and his expression settled back into calm. The faint amusement in his eyes vanished as well.

Still, this was for the best.

Even if the Hyuga Clan and Danzo had never come into direct conflict, he would gradually sow discord between them, stoking their differences little by little until the clan that devoured its own began to crack from within.

"In that case," Hyuga Qinglan said, returning to the matter at hand. He instructed Mukai, "Go back and report for duty."

Live as you always have.

Don't let anyone notice anything unusual.

With a thought, he sent the command deep into Mukai Hyuga's consciousness.

"Yes!"

Mukai Hyuga bowed, bent down to pick up the Monkey Mask from the ground, and put it back on, hiding his expressionless face.

With a swish, he vanished from the estate.

Moonlight bathed the stone path in the courtyard, as if a thin layer of silver frost had settled over it.

Hyuga Qinglan stood alone, letting the moonlight wash over his face.

Then he opened his eyes. His gaze was calm once more, and his hands swiftly formed Hand Seals.

"Summoning Technique."

Meanwhile, in the grandest building in the clan compound, moonlight slipped through the window lattice on the breeze and fell across the long corridor. But just before it could reach the desk, the flickering candlelight swallowed it up.

In the candlelight, Hiashi Hyuga sat in a plain-colored kimono, pen in hand, dealing with the clan affairs that had piled up lately.

He reviewed one official document after another, his expression calm and focused.

Then a letter from the Hokage's office appeared before him.

A surge of anger rose from deep within him, impossible to suppress.

"The fighting on the front lines is this desperate, and that old rogue Danzo knows perfectly well that the Main Branch of our Hyuga Clan barely goes to war. Yet he's still hounding us. Is he trying to uproot our clan?"

Hiashi Hyuga snatched up the letter, wishing he could tear it to shreds.

But in the end, he stopped. Years of rigid convention had taught him to keep his composure.

"Taking our scrolls wasn't enough... Now he wants the Hyuga Clan to risk its lives for him. If the Third Hokage were still—"

He paused, then shook his head with a bitter smile.

"No. The Third Hokage is old, too. Even if he were still in power, he might not favor the Hyuga Clan."

"Only if the Fourth Hokage takes the position... can the Hyuga Clan recover from its current decline."

"Then maybe we can get our scrolls back, too..."

Hiashi Hyuga drew a deep breath and pulled out the letter from Hizashi Hyuga from beneath the others.

He wrote to urge his younger brother to help Namikaze Minato earn merit on the front lines, and to win over the small clans there that were on friendly terms with the Hyuga Clan.

Once he finished writing, Hiashi Hyuga finally let out a long breath. Weary, he rubbed his brow and gazed out at the bright full moon.

The night breeze stirred the candle flame, and light and shadow shifted across his face.

"Hiashi, still lost in thought?"

An elderly voice sounded behind him.

Hiashi Hyuga turned around. His throat tightened, and he called out with a complicated expression,

"Great Elder... I..."

"There's no need to explain..."

The Great Elder didn't rush to speak. He simply looked at the clan head before him, once so full of youthful confidence.

After a long while, he finally spoke, his tone even but firm. "I know... you have reservations about what I proposed earlier. The fighting on the front lines is this fierce. If the Main Branch members aren't going to battle, then the Branch Family must take their place."

"And Qinglan is one of the finest of the younger generation. He should have been the one to lead the others into battle. If nothing unexpected happened, then after a few more years, he would surely become a pillar of the Branch Family, just like Hizashi."

He paused. His cloudy eyes widened, fixing on Hiashi Hyuga.

"But something unexpected did happen. Fate smiled on Qinglan and gave him the hope of reviving the Hyuga Clan. Since Qinglan has opened the path to the clan's revival, I believe that with his talent, he will eventually understand his ultimate fate."

"After all... it's all been arranged by fate."

"I understand..."

Hiashi Hyuga lowered his head, humbly listening to the Great Elder's counsel.

"Good."

The Great Elder nodded slowly, then braced himself against the chair and stood. His movements were slow but steady. He turned and walked deeper into the corridor, though his voice still carried clearly back to them.

"A great deal has happened lately, but Hiashi, you cannot falter."

"Remember, you are the head of the Hyuga Clan first, and Hiashi Hyuga second."

"These were your father's words, and they are the lesson I leave with you."

He paused, as if gathering his final thoughts.

"For now, just placate Danzo. Since he wants the Hyuga Clan to send people, then send up a few more children from the Branch Family... Send Tokuma Squad."

"As for Hyuga Qinglan..."

The Great Elder's voice grew heavy, then finally settled back into calm.

"You needn't interfere. I'll be the villain..."

"It's one of the last things these old bones can still do for you."