Do You Not Hate It?

"Stay alert, and investigate further."

Quickly steadying his emotions, Uchiha Kotaro glanced at Hyuga Hane, choosing not to have him use his Byakugan.

All three Hyuga ninjas were likely doomed; they hadn't even managed to escape, meaning the enemy they faced clearly possessed methods to counter the Byakugan.

Perhaps it was a sensory ninjutsu with a range exceeding the Byakugan, or perhaps it was a powerhouse skilled in speed and body flicker techniques, similar to the Yellow Flash.

Trusting the Byakugan too much at this moment might cause them to lose the initiative.

The group maintained a distance that allowed for immediate support, carefully scouting the forest. At one point, Hyuga Hane's Shadow Clone briefly vanished from their sight, and Hyuga Hane's original body returned to the team without a sound.

He was the ninja responsible for sensing in this squad, so deceiving the others was far too simple.

Hyuga Hisanobu had already been knocked unconscious by him and sealed within a scroll capable of storing living beings; once this mission concluded, he could officially begin his research.

Ultimately, after discovering another trace of battle several kilometers away, they found nothing else and had no choice but to return to the commander's camp to report.

Hearing Uchiha Kotaro's report, the black-haired man looked toward Hyuga Hane.

A pair of Byakugan falling into enemy hands had no real impact on the overall situation, but if a member of the Hyuga Main Family fell into hostile hands, the danger would be immense!

Hyuga Hane, Uchiha Kotaro, and the black-haired man were all well aware of this.

"I will report this matter to the Hokage. You are to notify all Hyuga Clan ninjas immediately to act with caution on the battlefield. Once it is confirmed that the enemy has mastered the Caged Bird Technique seal, all Hyuga ninjas are to evacuate the Mist Village Battlefield at once!"

"Yes!"

Watching the two vanish with body flicker techniques, the black-haired man suddenly chuckled.

With such a massive blunder, the old man would likely scold him to death.

However, you got your wish, didn't you, Hane-kun?

Drip, drip.

The sound of water droplets echoed in the dark space. Hyuga Hisanobu was startled awake by the faint noise. He tried to open his eyes, only to find that his body had lost all sensation and his eyes would not open.

However, the faint sounds around him and the smell of disinfectant let him know that that person was definitely here.

"Hyuga Hane, you traitor, how dare you lay a hand on the Main Family!"

A hoarse voice emerged from his throat, very soft, yet still heard by Hyuga Hane, who was focused on synthesizing a potion, causing him to reveal a faint smile.

"Don't say that. I've been patient for a long time. A Main Family member appearing on the battlefield in person, with only two Jonin guards—what a perfect opportunity. It would have been a shame to let it go."

"My movements... were they... leaked to... the Mist by you?" The intermittent voice came from Hyuga Hisanobu.

"Correct. Though I didn't expect them to send three Jonin. Fortunately, those two branch family Jonin held them off, otherwise, they might have left some traces behind."

After preparing the potion, Hyuga Hane walked over to the experimental table where Hyuga Hisanobu lay, saying in a low voice.

After transmigrating, he had used the Shadow Clones left behind by his deceased parents to train, progressing with incredible speed.

Coupled with the advantage of foresight, he had gained the trust of Might Duy and inherited the Eight Inner Gates, successfully elevating his strength to the level of an Elite Jonin by the age of fourteen.

Dealing with multiple Chunin was fine; he could resolve them quickly, but if there were Jonin among the enemies, it was a bit troublesome.

"Are you... hating... the Main Family? Hating... the Caged Bird!"

Hyuga Hisanobu muttered, "So, that is why you chose... this... way... to retaliate."

A look of surprise appeared on Hyuga Hane's face, and he laughed, "Retaliate? If it were before today, perhaps I might have had some thoughts, but now..."

"Why would I care?"

The indifferent tone made Hyuga Hisanobu's heart sink.

He did not fear Hyuga Hane's revenge; with the Caged Bird in place, as long as Hyuga Hane showed even a hint of a flaw due to hatred, death would be his reward.

This time, it was only because they were on the battlefield that Hyuga Hane had succeeded so easily, and with his lesson, the Main Family ninjas would only be more cautious.

Yet, Hyuga Hane's calm and composed tone indicated that he truly did not care.

How could a branch family ninja whose life and death were controlled by the Main Family be so indifferent?

"Are you... not afraid... of the Caged Bird?"

"I haven't mastered the method to completely remove the Caged Bird yet, but there are quite a few ways to restrict it or render it ineffective."

Hyuga Hane placed two vials of reagents next to Hyuga Hisanobu's head and smiled, "Besides, haven't you already brought the method to completely solve the Caged Bird?"

"What... do you mean?"

Hyuga Hisanobu felt uneasy.

"Just today, a Hyuga Main Family ninja fell into the hands of the Mist, and he possesses the technique to activate the Caged Bird."

"If this Main Family member fails to endure the Mist's torture and betrays the village, revealing the method of the Caged Bird seal to the enemy, what do you think the result will be?"

The Main Family would exist in name only!

Hyuga Hisanobu was not stupid; he immediately understood Hyuga Hane's plan, and his heart turned cold.

If the Mist mastered the activation technique for the Caged Bird, what would the Konoha high command do?

They would force the Main Family to break the Caged Bird Technique!

Even without the Hokage and his cohorts taking action, the Main Family would be forced to intervene personally to break the Caged Bird Technique or alter the method of casting the curse seal.

Because by that time, the Mist Village would have effectively become another Main Family, capable of deciding the deaths of Hyuga Branch Family ninjas with ease!

The Main Family's active activation of the Caged Bird Technique requires the Branch Family member to be within their line of sight; once the technique falls into enemy hands, it means that any Branch Family member who sees an enemy will die!

We are currently in the Third Shinobi World War, and Konoha is under siege by multiple shinobi villages. The Hyuga Clan is an indispensable part of Konoha's combat strength and cannot afford to suffer losses.

The Main Family and the upper echelons must find a way to render the Caged Bird Technique held by the enemy ineffective!

"How... could... this be? How... could... this be..."

Hyuga Hisanobu's face lost all color as he repeated the same phrase over and over.

Could the very foundation of the Hyuga Clan's control over the Branch Family—the Caged Bird Technique—actually vanish because of his own recklessness?!

What would the Branch Family do then, and where would the Main Family go?

He dared not even imagine the kind of retaliation the Main Family would face once the Caged Bird was lost.

So that was why Hyuga Hane didn't care... who would care about a bunch of dead men?

He hadn't considered what would happen if Hyuga Hane failed to obtain the activation method for the Caged Bird, because it was never a necessity to begin with.

Just like the false news of his capture by the Mist Village, as long as Hyuga Hane faked a few instances of Branch Family ninjas dying by the Caged Bird, the Konoha high command and the Main Family would be forced to consider dismantling or modifying the Caged Bird Technique!

And given the other party's strength, achieving this would not be difficult.

"It's all you, it's all you!"

Hyuga Hisanobu said resentfully, "You are destroying the Hyuga Clan! Without the Caged Bird, the Hyuga Clan will surely perish. You have no idea what kind of enemies the Hyuga Clan faces..."

"The Otsutsuki on the moon?"

Hyuga Hisanobu's expression stiffened.

"I am indeed not their match yet, but what makes you think that with the Caged Bird, they wouldn't act? Just like this time—if they only targeted the Main Family and obtained the activation method for the Caged Bird, the Hyuga would still be wiped out, wouldn't they?"

Ignoring his shock and hatred, Hyuga Hane administered a sedative. Once he calmed down, Hane put on his gloves and prepared to extract the eyes.

It is truly laughable that a technique controlling the lives of most of the clan can be used by every single Main Family member without any restrictions in place.

Doesn't this clearly tell everyone that anyone can master the activation method for the Caged Bird?

If the technique is exposed, wouldn't anyone be able to control the life and death of the Hyuga Branch Family?

Even if the Main Family could guarantee the technique wouldn't be exposed while they were alive, so what?

The shinobi world even possesses ninjutsu to control the dead; performing Impure World Reincarnation on a member of the Hyuga Main Family would not be difficult.

Hyuga Hane's movements paused, and he looked faintly toward the exit on the left as a figure walked in.