Tenin! The Unknown Past

Neji looked at Hiruzen with a burning, unwavering gaze.

Hiruzen wasn't intimidated by such a small scene. He simply looked at the pure-hearted boy before him, whose eyes were now filled with certainty and complicated emotions.

Even an old hero like him couldn't help but feel deeply moved. Neji had brought him such vital intelligence in exchange for information about his clan.

"You're right. I do know a few things, but..."

Hiruzen drew a deep breath, took the pipe from his hand, and set it on the rack beside him.

He no longer felt like smoking.

"Konoha is in a very passive position this time, as you should understand now that you know about the situation. Even so, you still chose to put the Hyuga Clan first?"

Hiruzen's expression darkened as he stared straight at Neji.

His gaze seemed capable of suppressing any inner demons.

"Not exactly. This is just my own selfish motive. I'm certain that you're devoted to the village's safety, but I'm not sure you'll be honest with me. To you, I'm just a Genin."

Hiruzen fell silent, deep in thought.

Such a young boy, yet so careful and calculating. He didn't seem like a boy of only thirteen!

"Hiashi was the same. Why are you Hyuga Clan members all so infuriating? Do you always care only about your clan, no matter what's happening?"

Hiruzen's anger was on the verge of erupting. His tone was like a warning before a volcano blew.

But Neji forced himself to stay calm.

No matter what, Konoha needed the information he had.

Neji didn't answer. He only guessed that Hiashi had come to negotiate with the Third Hokage, but he didn't know what they had discussed.

"All right."

After a long while, Hiruzen let out a deep breath.

He asked, "Why did you say you witnessed Hayate's death, yet claim you don't know who the real culprit was?"

"I only said that to earn your trust and start this exchange. But Hayate really was gravely wounded by the Sand Ninja, and the injuries on his body were all caused by them. However, he and I had already escaped. Then, somewhere between there and a point a hundred meters from the barrier near the Hokage Building, we were ambushed. I don't know who did it."

Neji honestly told him what had happened.

"Then the Anbu boy who fought five people alone that night, and the Anbu boy in the Forest of Death, were both you?"

"Yes. But I hope you'll keep that secret."

Neji seemed calm on the surface, but inwardly he was still uneasy.

Hiruzen was a good Hokage, but in the end, he was also a cunning old fox. The fact that he'd watched the Uchiha Clan's tragedy unfold was proof enough.

Still, Neji had made thorough preparations. With Konoha about to be schemed against, he had the advantage of timing, terrain, and support.

"All right. What do you want to know? I'll answer your questions. After that, you must tell me everything you know about the enemy's plans, truthfully. I'll keep your identity secret as well. I... accept this deal."

Hiruzen was as straightforward as Neji had expected. Neji exhaled in relief.

"What exactly are the records that have been passed down from generation to generation since the era of Hyuga Tenin?"

"The records?"

Hiruzen tilted his head back, lost in his memories.

"The Hyuga Clan had long claimed to be descended from the immortals, but there was no evidence to support it—not until the appearance of Hyuga Tenin."

Neji didn't interrupt. He continued listening as Hiruzen recounted the events of the past.

"During the Second Hokage's rule, the Hyuga Clan was full of geniuses. If the Uchiha Clan hadn't been ahead of them at the time, the Hyuga Clan's power might have become one of history's great legacies. Hyuga Tenin was the greatest of them all. His talent surpassed that of every ninja of his generation."

"However, the Hyuga Clan had already begun isolating itself from the outside world back then. They seemed to see more clearly than anyone how the Second Hokage's policies targeted the Uchiha Clan. They wanted nothing to do with those matters and focused only on their own clan. But something is said to have happened later. Hyuga Tenin disappeared just before the village was about to give him an important position."

"Disappeared?" Neji asked, surprised.

"Yes. A once-in-a-century genius ninja vanished without a trace. There are many theories about why. The Hyuga Clan was already closed off, and the Second Hokage personally spoke about the matter with the Hyuga Clan's leader at the time. It's said that it involved the so-called records—the very records you mentioned, passed down in your family from generation to generation."

Neji drew a sharp breath.

No wonder Hyuga Tenin was remembered only as a remarkably gifted genius, with no great heroic deeds to his name. His talent had been snuffed out before it could flourish...

"It's said that the records described a treasure left behind by the Hyuga Clan's ancestors, one that contained the clan's true power. The Main Branch and Branch Family weren't originally created to protect the Byakugan, but to preserve the power contained in those records. For thousands of years, no one could unravel their secrets, so the claim that the Hyuga Clan descended from immortals was gradually forgotten."

"But one person broke that stalemate. His name was Hyuga Kamizuki."

"Who?"

It was yet another completely unfamiliar name.

"He was Hyuga Tenin's master, a legendary ninja from the same era as the First, and one of the greatest figures in the history of the Hyuga Clan. He deciphered the secrets in the records and his strength soared overnight. As his student, Tenin naturally benefited from the records as well."

"So the most common rumor at the time was that Tenin had incurred the Main Branch's resentment by obtaining the records. After Kamizuki died of illness, the Main Branch immediately found a way to deal with Tenin, hoping to take the records back. But Kamizuki once said that the Hyuga Clan's immortal bloodline was passed down through a single line. Clearly, the Main Branch had already lost that bloodline. It seems the Hyuga Clan's gifted bloodline ended with Hyuga Tenin. Since then, the Hyuga Clan has never produced another ninja of such extraordinary talent."

"So the records vanished along with Tenin. After dealing with the matter, the Second Hokage silenced everyone who knew about it and forbade people in the village from discussing it. That's why almost no one knows about it now—not you, Neji, not your uncle, Hizashi Hyuga, and not even your father, Hizashi Hyuga."

When Hiruzen finished, he looked at Neji.

Neji froze. At the mention of that name, his heart clenched.

For a long while, he struggled to process what he'd heard.

It was unexpected, but also within reason.

The records really were tied to a much deeper secret. Neji immediately decided that he had to find them.

Uncovering the Hyuga Clan's unknown past might reveal the true origins of the feud between the Main Branch and the Branch Family. And perhaps the mysterious knowledge in those records was exactly the power Neji needed most right now.

"The Hyuga Clan's history is so complicated and far-reaching that it'll be difficult for you to get to the bottom of it on your own. But the village's crisis is right in front of us. You're extraordinarily skilled—will you lend this old man a hand?" Hiruzen drew a deep breath and looked Neji in the eye, his gaze full of respect.

Neji's lips curled into a faint smile.

"Of course."

"That's why I came here."

Hiruzen was slightly taken aback, and a hint of emotion appeared in his eyes.