Breaking Out of the Cocoon to Become a Butterfly

The moment those words fell, the clamor of arguing in the hall came to an abrupt halt.

Seven or eight pairs of Byakugan eyes turned in unison toward the young man, some filled with terror, others revealing a hint of madness.

"The village's combat strength is hollow right now anyway, our Hyuga Clan..."

"Enough!"

Hyuga Hiashi slammed his hand onto the table, the majesty belonging to the head of the clan finally erupting in that moment.

"We are currently at a critical juncture of life and death for the village. As members of the greatest clan in Konoha, instead of thinking about how to solve the problem, you spout such reckless, wolfish words?"

"But Clan Leader, Danzo has been pushing us..."

Hyuga Hiashi raised a hand to signal for silence, his voice steady yet tinged with a trace of exhaustion.

"Early this morning, the Third Hokage already held a private talk with me."

"Although I could sense he still harbors doubts about the explanation we provided, he has already given his word that he will officially list Qing as an S-rank wanted criminal."

"Compared to that treacherous villain Danzo, Sarutobi Hiruzen's credibility is at least reliable for the time being."

He scanned his surroundings and lowered his voice.

"You must understand, the scroll is currently in Danzo's hands. That Qing will never let this matter rest."

"You all witnessed the power of that golden light last night with your own eyes..."

Hyuga Hiashi did not finish his sentence, but everyone present felt a chill in their hearts.

Since the item was in Danzo's hands, it was highly probable that Qing would continue to attack Root to strike at Danzo's forces.

The Hyuga Clan could then hide in the shadows, using the Third Hokage's hand to eradicate the source of this danger.

Once both sides were left battered and exhausted, the Hyuga Clan would not only have the chance to retrieve their secret treasure but could also reap the rewards of the fisherman...

"Clan Leader..."

A clan ninja gently knocked on the sliding door of the conference room. After receiving permission, he walked in quickly, leaned into Hiashi's ear, and spoke in an extremely low voice: "Clan Leader... Hyuga Qinglan, he has returned from the hospital."

"Qinglan?"

A flash of obvious surprise crossed Hyuga Hiashi's eyes.

He had not expected this severely injured youth to recover so quickly.

According to the testimony of the guards from last night, Hyuga Qinglan had almost used his own flesh and blood to withstand a fatal blow from Qing.

Moreover, in that desperate situation of life and death, this Branch Family child had almost managed to instinctively unleash the technique that was only passed down orally within the Main Branch... Rotation.

Although it was forcibly interrupted by the Great Elder in the end...

Thinking of this, the light in Hyuga Hiashi's eyes dimmed slightly, replaced by a complex and indescribable emotion.

It was ironic, truly too ironic.

He and the Great Elder had been suspicious of Hyuga Qinglan in every way while the elder was alive, even planning to use the Caged Bird seal to interrogate him last night.

Yet, Qinglan had been loyal to the end, choosing to protect the Great Elder at the critical moment, and had even comprehended Rotation...

That child, at the brink of life and death, had no resentment, no betrayal, and not even a moment of hesitation.

Yet they, the Main Branch, had guarded against him as if he were a potential threat.

Was this decision... wrong after all? Great Elder.

He let out a faint, heavy sigh in his heart.

It seems that from now on... Qinglan will be the pillar of the Hyuga Branch Family...

Hyuga Hiashi waved his hand, signaling the arguing Main Branch members to withdraw, his tone revealing a hint of weariness:

"Let him come see me... right here."

"Yes."

"Wait..."

Hyuga Hiashi suddenly called out to the ninja. He stood up and straightened the wide kimono haori that symbolized his status.

"I will go see him instead."

He intended to personally visit the small courtyard temporarily prepared for Qinglan's recovery.

It was both to express a silent apology for his previous suspicions.

And to confirm what kind of potential was truly hidden within that youth's body.

Hyuga Qinglan bid farewell to the servant who had guided him and walked alone along the path to the remote residence arranged for him.

Pushing open the door, a smell of dust from long-term vacancy rushed toward him.

Although it was narrower than his previous residence, it was fully equipped with all the necessities.

He stood in place and sensed his surroundings quietly for a long time. After confirming there was no surveillance, he slowly walked to the wooden table in the room and sat down.

"Summoning Jutsu."

Poof!

A small puff of smoke dissipated, and a glass jar sat quietly on the table.

Inside the jar, the nutrient solution rippled slightly, soaking that pair of pure, flawless Byakugan.

Hyuga Qinglan removed his forehead protector, revealing the Cursed Seal that was gradually fading, and stared at those eyes for a long time.

Through the glass vessel, it was as if he had pierced through time itself to see the events of the past.

The high spirits upon transmigrating to the moon...

The sorrow of the Branch Family turning their blades against one another...

The sense of relief upon finally falling on the moon...

He had thought that this was the end.

Yet, he never expected that the gift of fate would allow him to live another life.

The humiliation of having the Cursed Seal carved into him, the forbearance under the oppressive status of the Branch Family, being manipulated like a pawn by the Main Branch...

All the dormancy, all the endurance, had been for this moment of breaking out of the cocoon to become a butterfly.

He would leave his own impure Byakugan for Qing...

As for now...

"Huu..."

Hyuga Qinglan let out a long breath, raised his trembling fingers, and gathered chakra at his fingertips.

He then stabbed them into his eye sockets!

Squelch—!

Blood gushed out along his eye sockets, instantly staining half of his face red.

Intense pain swept through his entire body like a tidal wave, causing him to tremble and convulse uncontrollably.

Cold sweat soaked his clothes in an instant.

Hyuga Qinglan forced himself to endure the pain, immediately using basic medical ninjutsu to stop the bleeding, removing his own Byakugan and setting them aside.

In his blood-red, blurred vision, he tremblingly groped for the Byakugan from the jar, inserting them bit by bit, with extreme precision, into those empty, burning sockets.

As he channeled his chakra to connect them, the nerve fibers re-entwined and fused.

Under the influence of the purple Otsutsuki chakra, the tiny meridians of the Byakugan were constantly being corrected and altered.

His old vision collapsed as a new ocular power surged upward.

"A pure Tenseigan..."

Hyuga Qinglan raised his right hand, struggling to use basic medical ninjutsu to stop the bleeding, but just as he was about to finish, he suddenly stopped.

Hyuga Hiashi was here...

That was perfect... he would make it look even more realistic.

--

"Qinglan?"

"Qinglan, are you there?"

Hyuga Hiashi stood before the closed wooden door, knocking gently on the frame.

What he found strange was that there was dead silence inside.

Could he be asleep...? Or...

Hyuga Hiashi hesitated, wondering if he should just walk in.

After all, as the clan head, entering a clansman's room directly was ultimately somewhat inappropriate.

"Forget it, perhaps he really needs the rest... I'll come back in a few days."

Hyuga Hiashi sighed deeply and was just about to turn and leave, when his footsteps suddenly came to a halt.

A nearly pungent scent of blood was seeping through the gap in the door and into his nostrils.

"This is... the smell of blood?!"

Hyuga Hiashi's expression changed drastically. No longer caring about the decorum of a clan head, he shoved the door with his right hand, and it swung open with a loud bang!

"Qinglan!"

He rushed into the inner room, and the sight before him made his pupils shrink.

Hyuga Qinglan was slumped dejectedly in front of the table, his body swaying as if about to collapse, half of his face stained red with blood.

Blood dripped from his chin onto the tatami mat, having already pooled into a small puddle of dark red.