The Son of Heaven Was Still the Son of Heaven in the Underworld

"This must be the clan's secret vault... It's magnificent..."

Hyuga Gakuto quietly activated his Byakugan and marveled to himself.

Inside the vault, ancient books and scrolls filled rows upon rows of shelves. The weapons passed down through generations of the Hyuga Clan were displayed alongside them.

Even scrolls recording the secrets of the Eight Trigrams Palm had been casually piled in a corner.

"Look carefully. Don't overlook a single trace."

Hizashi Hyuga stood in the middle of the vault and spoke at just the right moment, drawing the Branch Family members' wandering thoughts back to the task.

Yet when his gaze happened to pass over the Byakugan at the very top of the vault, wrapped in exquisite packaging, then fell to the Byakugan at the very bottom, stored in nothing more than a crude specimen jar, a flicker of disorientation still crossed his eyes.

But he quickly collected himself and dutifully directed the search.

In the Hyuga Clan, the fate of every Byakugan mattered.

When a Main Branch member died, their Byakugan was removed and carefully stored in the clan's secret vault. That way, if a Main Branch member ever suffered an eye disease or injury, a replacement operation could be performed at once.

As for Branch Family members, it depended on where they died.

If they died on the battlefield, the Caged Bird would activate on its own and destroy the Byakugan.

If they died within the clan, the Main Branch would remove their eyes and store them in the vault, in case a Branch Family member developed an eye disease... or needed them for some other reason.

As the saying went:

The Son of Heaven was still the Son of Heaven in the underworld.

A slave was still a slave in the underworld.

In the Hyuga Clan, where class distinctions ran deep, even a pair of ownerless Byakugan bore the unmistakable mark of superiority and inferiority.

"Big brother's attitude is crucial..."

"I hope he'll keep this up. Maybe then the Branch Family will have fewer grievances."

Hizashi stood where he was, his thoughts churning silently.

He knew that Hyuga Hiashi's attitude toward the Branch Family had already begun to soften. If they caught the culprit while he was leading the search...

Then perhaps the rift within the clan really could be mended one day.

"Lord Hizashi, aside from a few winding traces in the scroll storage area and where the Branch Family's Byakugan are kept, we haven't found anything unusual elsewhere."

Winding traces?

A flicker of doubt crossed Hizashi's mind. He immediately activated his Byakugan and examined them.

A few thin, snake-like scratches of varying depths lay quietly on the floor and along the edges of the bookshelves.

He pondered for a long time, turning over every possibility he could think of, but still found no clue.

"How is Elder Tianyun's body?"

"Lord Hizashi."

Hyuga Gakuto stepped forward and respectfully handed him a report sealed by the clan's medical staff.

Hizashi glanced at him and saw that he hadn't opened it without permission. He gave a slight nod, took the report, and unfolded it before him.

But when he read its contents, his pupils suddenly contracted.

"The body was torn apart... killed outright by Wind Release..."

"And it happened in an instant..."

Hizashi murmured silently to himself.

"But Elder Tianyun was clearly stronger than I am..."

Hizashi had always been confident in his own abilities, but that was precisely why he understood how formidable Hyuga Tianyun was.

"If someone could kill Elder Tianyun in an instant with Wind Release... just how powerful would they have to be?"

The Kazekage of Sunagakure from past generations came to mind.

But even a Kazekage could hardly kill Hyuga Tianyun in an instant in a head-on fight. At the very least, Tianyun should have been able to hold out for a little while and leave some kind of message.

"No... Maybe I'm overcomplicating this."

A glint flashed in Hizashi's eyes as another possibility surfaced.

What if Elder Tianyun knew this intruder...

And had even spoken with him?

Hizashi was stunned by his own thought and couldn't help glancing around.

The Branch Family guards were still searching in the vault, unaware of the storm raging inside him.

That's right...

This was the only explanation that made sense.

Elder Hyuga Tianyun was powerful. Even an opponent far stronger than he was couldn't have killed him in a single blow before he had time to react.

Unless... he hadn't been on guard at all.

And the only person who could make a Hyuga elder lower his guard, someone he could talk to...

Had to be someone from the village.

And the person in the village most skilled in Wind Release...

The answer was obvious.

"Shimura Danzō?!"

The moment the thought surfaced, a chill crawled up Hizashi's spine, and cold sweat soaked through his undershirt.

He couldn't spare another thought for the search. He wanted nothing more than to bring his deduction to his brother immediately.

There was a traitor in Konoha's High Command!

"I didn't expect Orochimaru-sensei to take an interest in Captain Qinglan."

Mitaraishi Anko folded her arms and smiled brightly at Hyuga Qinglan.

"Is that so?"

Hyuga Qinglan widened his eyes and raised his brows in feigned surprise. "That's a tremendous honor."

"Hehehe..."

Anko moved close to Hyuga Qinglan and patted him on the shoulder without hesitation, acting like an old hand. "Orochimaru-sensei must have noticed your talent."

She led Hyuga Qinglan through the streets of Konoha, walking briskly as she chatted on and on.

"When Orochimaru-sensei suddenly brought you up, I was a little puzzled."

"He even asked me about your personality and how you'd performed on the battlefield..."

"And Orochimaru-sensei's expression at the time was probably something like this, right?"

Remembering the scene, Anko put on a thoughtful expression and even licked her lips.

"But, well... I've already figured out why Orochimaru-sensei wants to see you." She suddenly turned and gave Hyuga Qinglan a knowing look.

"?"

Hyuga Qinglan paused, then probed casually. "For example...?"

"Obviously..."

"Orochimaru-sensei wants to take you on as his student!"

Anko suddenly giggled, looking at Hyuga Qinglan with a grin she couldn't hide.

"When Orochimaru-sensei really takes you as his student, Captain Qinglan, you'll have to call me Senior Anko~"

She clasped her hands behind her head and bounced along ahead of him, brimming with a girl's natural liveliness and innocence.

"..."

Hyuga Qinglan tugged at the corner of his mouth and followed Anko.

Orochimaru's house stood on a quiet street near the Forest of Death.

It was a detached, two-story building with gray-white walls covered in unfamiliar vines and a spacious backyard.

The tall walls completely blocked the view from outside.

Anko led Hyuga Qinglan into the courtyard. They passed through rooms full of scrolls and laboratory equipment, then continued all the way to the backyard.

At last, they found Orochimaru in a carefully manicured garden.

He wore a pale robe, his long hair falling casually over his shoulders. He looked relaxed and composed.

Hearing their footsteps, he slowly turned around. His delicate, almost feminine face now wore a gentle expression, utterly unlike the cold and severe image of one of the Sannin.

"Orochimaru-sensei, I brought Captain Qinglan!"

Anko hurried over to Orochimaru, her eyes shining as she looked up at him, like a child waiting to be praised.

Orochimaru looked down at her and patted her head, speaking gently. "Well done."

Then he took five hundred ryō from his pocket and handed it to her. "Go buy some snacks. Make sure you treat your former captain well."

Anko took the money and gave Orochimaru a sweet smile. Then she went over to Hyuga Qinglan, waggled her eyebrows, and made a face. Finally, she gave him a thumbs-up and whispered, "Good luck!"

Then she vanished in a flash, her footsteps fading into the distance.

The enormous backyard fell silent. Only the two men remained, facing each other.

A breeze passed through, and the leaves rustled.

"Hiss..."

Several small venomous snakes slithered out of the grass and finally stopped at Orochimaru's feet.

"Lord Qinglan... You... No, I should say, the person behind you..."

"What kind of deal do you want to make with me?"