You Bastards Who Stole the Byakugan Bloodline

Drip... drip...

No matter which world it is, the weather in early spring is always this fickle.

Konoha, which was just under a clear, cloudless sky a moment ago, changed its face in the blink of an eye.

Fine rain like silk fell incessantly, and the damp air, carrying the scent of soil and grass, rushed toward the face.

And this gloomy, rainy night happened to mirror the mood of the Great Elder at this moment.

The veranda was very quiet.

It was so quiet that only the sound of rain remained, along with the air between the two, which had nearly frozen solid.

The Great Elder sat on the edge of the veranda, his aged frame appearing even more hunched under the wrap of his gray kimono.

Those turbid Byakugan eyes stared fixedly at the willow tree in the courtyard, which was being drenched by the rain.

Branches and leaves drifted down, landing in the mud.

"Qinglan, it's so late; I hope I haven't interrupted your training?"

The Great Elder gazed at the drizzling rain under the night sky, his tone casual and flat.

"No... Great Elder, whenever you wish to come, it is always fine."

Hyuga Qinglan bowed three steps away, his attitude respectful and humble.

He just hadn't expected him to come faster than anticipated.

He had thought these old fogies would observe for a few more days; he didn't expect that right after Danzo's recruitment attempt ended, they would follow up immediately.

Hyuga Qinglan kept his head lowered, quietly waiting for what would come next.

"Very well..."

The Great Elder's tone suddenly deepened, the subject shifting abruptly without any transition.

"Do you know of the Tenseigan?"

Those turbid Byakugan eyes locked onto Hyuga Qinglan instantly, as if trying to see right through him.

"Tenseigan?"

Hyuga Qinglan blinked, a hint of confusion appearing right on cue within his pure white eyes.

"What kind of eyes are those?"

"Is it a new Kekkei Genkai?"

"..."

The Great Elder remained silent for a moment, his gaze lingering on Hyuga Qinglan for an instant before passing through the rain curtain and landing on the open door.

Does he really not know?

Or is it... a disguise?

"Qinglan."

"Yes."

"Can I... trust you?"

"Great Elder, as long as it is something I know, I would never dare to hide even the slightest bit."

Hyuga Qinglan's expression was solemn, his gaze candid.

But inwardly, he shook his head.

Danzo had already brazenly infiltrated the clan grounds to plant spies, yet these bigwigs of the Main Branch weren't thinking about how to deal with Danzo, the "culprit" who stole the scrolls.

Instead, they were here, questioning him, a member of the Branch Family, and playing power games.

Bullying the weak and fearing the strong... it really is fitting for the Hyuga Clan...

Hyuga Qinglan chuckled in his heart.

Since that's the case, then he would add more fuel to the fire.

Let this fire burn completely.

Thinking of this, his consciousness quietly drifted away.

"That is good..."

The Great Elder nodded slowly, his tense face seemingly relaxing for a moment.

"Qinglan, I hope you won't mind the proposal I am about to make."

"After all... this is all for the sake of the Hyuga Clan..."

But the moment those words fell!

An extremely biting killing intent suddenly whistled out from the darkness on one side of the corridor!

"This is?!"

The Great Elder's heart shook violently, the hair on his body standing on end, and his years of ninja instinct caused his pupils to shrink to pinpricks.

He whipped his head around to look at Qinglan, only to see the youth before him lunging straight at him!

Even the guards who were constantly keeping an eye on the Great Elder were stunned almost simultaneously.

"Does Qinglan intend to assassinate me?!"

Almost as a conditioned reflex, the Great Elder formed the Ram seal with one hand.

His Byakugan activated at the same time, his vision instantly transforming into a black-and-white world of x-ray perception.

It was in this very instant that the Great Elder finally saw the true source of the killing intent.

An energy sphere radiating blinding golden light was hurtling toward his face at an incredible speed!

And Hyuga Qinglan was lunging toward that energy sphere, using his own body to shield him from death.

"Oh no!"

"Qinglan is here to protect me!"

The thought struck like a bolt of lightning, but ultimately, the speed of his body could not keep up with the speed of his regret.

The Ram seal had already been formed.

"Eight Trigrams Palm: Kaiten..."

Massive amounts of chakra swirled frantically within the acupoints of Hyuga Qinglan's body, and a translucent chakra shroud rapidly took shape with him at its center.

But the moment it formed, the chakra shroud collapsed with a roar.

BOOM—!

The golden energy sphere detonated violently.

The shockwave from the explosion sent Hyuga Qinglan flying.

THUD!

His back slammed heavily against a pillar, emitting a low, muffled sound.

Fresh blood spilled from the corner of Hyuga Qinglan's mouth, and the expression on his face shifted constantly.

From surprise to disbelief, and finally, to a sense of relief.

"Great Elder... so that's how it is..."

"You still... refuse to trust me..."

Those pure white eyes slowly closed.

Finally, they fell into silence.

The Great Elder stood frozen by the shattered veranda, watching the junior who had been stripped of his defenses by his own hand while trying to protect him, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

"Qinglan... you..."

"What a truly breathtaking performance."

A voice rang out abruptly, carrying three parts mockery and seven parts playfulness.

The Great Elder snapped his head up, his heart leaping into his throat.

He saw a figure draped in a wide black robe sitting quietly atop the courtyard wall.

As the dense raindrops approached the dark figure, they seemed to strike an invisible semicircular barrier and bounced off silently, not a single drop wetting the ink-black robes.

The hood was pulled low, obscuring his entire face, with only a strange, pale blue glow flickering deep within the shadows.

"Chakra, which was meant to connect everyone, has been abused into weapons and shackles."

The man whispered to himself, his voice low and hoarse, laced with a bone-deep loathing.

"The Ninjutsu Sect founded by Hagoromo back then... was indeed a mistake from the very beginning."

"No, I should say it was Kaguya's mistake."

Kaguya?

Hagoromo?!

Ninjutsu Sect?!

As the words fell one after another, a stormy sea surged within the Great Elder's heart.

He did not know the name Kaguya, but he knew the Sage who founded the ninja way all too well.

The legendary founder of the Ninjutsu Sect... was none other than the Sage of Six Paths...

Could this person be related to the Sage of Six Paths?

No... the story of the Sage of Six Paths founding the Ninjutsu Sect was common knowledge; perhaps it was just a coincidence...

Though he thought this, the Great Elder still felt a faint sense of unease in his heart.

After all, to be able to infiltrate the clan grounds without a sound and launch a surprise attack...

This was the first time such a thing had happened.

The Great Elder forcibly suppressed the distracting thoughts in his mind, the veins around his Byakugan bulging as he assumed the defensive stance of the Gentle Fist:

"Who exactly are you?! You dare trespass on the Hyuga compound and injure a genius of our Branch Family!"

"Are you just another thief coveting the Byakugan?!"

His roar echoed through the rainy night, snapping the Branch Family guards who had been standing silently in the courtyard back to their senses.

They reacted quickly, flashing behind the Great Elder.

Some moved to provide aid, while others shifted into formation.

"Hehehehe..."

Atop the courtyard wall, the dark shadow began to chuckle softly.

The laughter was not loud, yet it carried a chilling sense of calm.

He made no move to stop the actions of the ninjas below, not even lifting an eyelid, let alone regarding their defenses as any sort of threat.

Beneath the shadow of his hood, that faint blue halo rippled gently with his laughter.

He looked down from his vantage point, gazing at the Great Elder below as if he were nothing more than an ant.

"Since when did the Byakugan become your private property?"

"And... shouldn't the word 'thief' be coming from me?"

His voice turned abruptly cold, laced with an innate arrogance and disdain.

"You lot who stole the scrolls... you mongrels."