The instant the words fell, the clamor of the meeting hall came to an abrupt halt.
Seven or eight pairs of Byakugan fixed on the young man. Some looked horrified; others seemed to gleam with barely concealed madness.
"Since the village's fighting strength is depleted, our Hyuga Clan..."
"Enough!"
Hyuga Hiashi slammed his hand on the table, finally unleashing the authority of a clan head.
"At a time when the village's very survival is at stake, you, members of Konoha's greatest clan, should be thinking about how to solve the problem—not making such predatory remarks!"
"But, Clan Head, Danzo keeps pressuring us..."
Hyuga Hiashi raised a hand to silence him. His voice was steady, but carried a trace of weariness.
"This morning, the Third Hokage met with me in private."
"I could tell he still had doubts about the explanation we gave him, but he has promised to officially list Ao as an S-rank missing-nin."
"Compared to that treacherous snake, Danzo, Sarutobi Hiruzen's word is at least trustworthy for now."
He looked around the room and lowered his voice.
"You must understand: the scroll is in Danzo's hands now. Ao will never let this go."
"You all saw the power of that golden light last night..."
Hiashi didn't finish, but everyone present felt a chill run through them.
With the scroll in Danzo's possession, Ao would most likely keep attacking Root to weaken Danzo's forces.
Meanwhile, the Hyuga Clan could stay behind the scenes and use the Third Hokage to eliminate the source of this danger.
Once both sides had suffered heavy losses, the Hyuga Clan might not only reclaim the treasure but also reap the benefits...
"Clan Head..."
A clan shinobi knocked softly on the meeting room's sliding door. Once given permission, he hurried inside and leaned close to Hiashi, speaking in a low voice. "Clan Head... Qinglan is back from the hospital."
"Qinglan?"
A clear flash of surprise crossed Hyuga Hiashi's eyes.
He hadn't expected the gravely injured boy to recover so quickly.
According to the guards' testimony from last night, Hyuga Qinglan had taken Ao's fatal strike with his bare body.
And in that life-or-death moment, the Branch Family boy had nearly managed to perform Rotation by instinct—a technique passed down only by word of mouth in the Main Branch.
Though the Great Elder had forcibly stopped him before he could...
At the thought, the light in Hiashi's eyes dimmed, replaced by an emotion too complicated to name.
The irony was overwhelming.
He and the Great Elder had suspected Hyuga Qinglan at every turn, even planning to use the Caged Bird to interrogate him last night.
Yet Qinglan had remained utterly loyal. At the crucial moment, he had chosen to protect the Great Elder—and had even grasped Rotation...
That boy had faced death without resentment, without betrayal, without even a moment's hesitation.
And they, the Main Branch, had treated him as a potential threat.
"Was that decision... a mistake after all, Great Elder?"
He let out a silent sigh.
"It seems Qinglan will be the backbone of the Hyuga Branch Family from now on..."
Hyuga Hiashi waved for the arguing Main Branch members to leave. A trace of weariness crept into his voice.
"Have him come see me... here."
"Yes."
"Wait..."
Hyuga Hiashi suddenly called out to the shinobi. He rose and straightened his wide haori, a garment that symbolized his status.
"I'll go see him myself."
He planned to visit the small residence temporarily prepared for Qinglan's recuperation.
It was both a silent apology for his earlier suspicions and a chance to find out just how much potential lay hidden in the boy.
After saying goodbye to the servant who had shown him the way, Hyuga Qinglan walked alone along the secluded path to the residence arranged for him.
As he opened the door, the dusty smell of a long-unoccupied house hit him.
It was smaller than his previous residence, but still had everything he needed.
He stood still for a long while, sensing his surroundings. Only after confirming that he wasn't being watched did he slowly walk over and sit down at the wooden table.
"Summoning Technique."
Bang!
A small cloud of smoke dispersed, leaving a glass jar on the table.
The nutrient solution inside rippled faintly, surrounding a pair of flawless Byakugan.
Hyuga Qinglan removed his Forehead Protector, revealing the Cursed Seal, whose color had already begun to fade. He stared at the pair of Byakugan for a long time.
Through the vessel before him, he seemed to look beyond time itself and glimpse the events of the past.
The fierce pride of arriving on the moon...
The sorrow of the Branch Family turning against its own...
The acceptance of his final fall on the moon...
He had thought that was the end.
He never expected fate's gift to let him live another life.
The humiliation of receiving the Cursed Seal, the patience he'd forced himself to show under the Branch Family's oppression, the way the Main Branch had manipulated him like a pawn...
Every moment of concealment, every ounce of endurance, had been for this moment—to break free from the cocoon and emerge transformed.
He would leave his impure Byakugan to Ao...
As for now...
"Phew..."
Hyuga Qinglan let out a long breath. His trembling fingers rose, chakra gathering at his fingertips.
Then he drove them into his eye socket!
Squish—!
Blood spurted from the socket, instantly staining most of his face red.
Waves of excruciating pain swept through his body, leaving him trembling and convulsing uncontrollably.
Cold sweat soaked through his clothes in an instant.
Grinding his teeth against the pain, Hyuga Qinglan immediately used basic Medical Ninjutsu to stop the bleeding, then removed his Byakugan and set it aside.
Through his blurred, blood-red vision, he tremulously fumbled for the Byakugan in the jar. Slowly, with painstaking care, he inserted it into the empty, searing socket.
As he channeled chakra into it, the nerve fibers wound together and fused.
Under the purple Otsutsuki chakra, the Byakugan's tiny meridians began to shift and change.
His old vision crumbled, while new ocular power rose.
"Pure Tenseigan..."
Hyuga Qinglan raised his right hand and carefully used basic Medical Ninjutsu to stop the bleeding. But just as he was about to finish...
He suddenly stopped.
Hyuga Hiashi was here...
Perfect... He'd make this a little more convincing.
--
"Qinglan?"
"Qinglan, are you there?"
Hyuga Hiashi stood before the tightly shut wooden door, gently knocking.
What struck him as odd was the deathly silence inside.
"Could he be asleep...? Or..."
Hiashi hesitated, unsure whether to go in.
As clan head, entering a clan member's room without permission would be improper.
"Never mind. Perhaps he really needs to rest... I'll come back in a few days."
Hiashi sighed softly. He was just about to turn away when his steps suddenly halted.
A pungent smell of blood seeped through the crack beneath the door and into his nostrils.
"That's... the smell of blood?!"
Hiashi's face changed dramatically. He forgot all about the dignity expected of a clan head and shoved the door open. It slammed against the wall with a crash!
"Qinglan!"
He rushed into the inner room, and the sight before him made his pupils contract.
Hyuga Qinglan had collapsed beside the table, his body teetering as if he might fall at any moment. Most of his face was stained red with blood.
Blood dripped from his jaw onto the tatami, already forming a small, dark-red pool.
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