Inside the Hyuga Clan's meeting room, everyone looked toward Hyuga Shinichi, the man who had changed the clan.
Hyuga Shinichi's gaze swept over the pillars of the Hyuga Clan.
Every face was filled with enthusiasm.
At last, his eyes settled on Hyuga Hiashi.
Hiashi looked uneasy, his expression caught between speaking and holding back.
"Clan head, the Third came to see me. He wanted me to persuade the Hyuga Clan's ninja to take on missions.
I don't know what to do."
In the end, Hiashi decided to come clean.
Having already submitted to Shinichi, he felt that even meeting the Third would be a betrayal.
After saying this, he let out a heavy breath, as if he had finally set down a great weight.
At that moment, he was still a Hyuga who cared about the clan's future, not a puppet who had learned to compromise.
"Those missions may be problematic. The few clan members sent to carry them out were given extremely difficult assignments." The Third Elder lightly tapped the table, venting his frustration.
He had his suspicions, but no proof.
Shinichi nodded to himself. Hiashi's attitude had lived up to his trust.
What the Third Elder had described also fit the Third's way of doing things. In the end, he was rather petty.
"Fine. Remember to screen the missions. Even if one fails, make sure the ninja come back alive." Shinichi's words carried an implication.
Then he continued, "Remember how I had the clan's ninja borrow money before I issued the ban? That was a way of screening people—meeting sincerity with sincerity.
In the Ninja World, you need a few friends who'll lend you a hand when you're in danger.
Treasure those friends. You can bring them over to our side.
And remember: from now on, clan members may marry whomever they love, as long as the clan approves.
That includes ninja from other clans."
Shinichi's words stirred the jōnin's hearts.
When they were young, some of them had loved people from other clans, but clan rules had forced them to marry within their own.
They couldn't help but feel that Shinichi's reforms were incredibly bold.
"Clan head, are you really not going to place any restrictions at all?"
Hizashi was worried and offered his suggestion cautiously.
"The clan's approval is the greatest restriction. We'll work out a plan later." Shinichi glanced at Hizashi, thinking, You really are thickheaded. If it benefits the clan, approve it.
If it doesn't, don't.
"Next, I have an assignment.
"Third Elder, take these ten pairs of Byakugan to the Bounty Office and exchange them for money."
Shinichi's words immediately set off an uproar in the meeting room.
"Clan head, are you that short on money? How can you trade the eyes of clan members for cash? I still have the Hyuga Clan's savings. If you need them, you can have them."
Hiashi spoke at once, his emotions shifting from anger to heartache.
He now fully agreed with Shinichi and had begun to consider things from Shinichi's perspective.
His words spoke for everyone present.
The thought of trading their clansmen's eyes for money made them deeply uncomfortable.
Shinichi waved his hand, and the room fell silent.
"These are ten pairs of eyes belonging to the Great Elder and the others. They wanted to make one final contribution to the Hyuga Clan.
"Now I want to make an example of someone, but the only target we have is Ao of Kirigakure.
"That's not enough!
"We need to create more targets to make sure the warning has enough force."
Shinichi patiently explained. This was tied to the purpose he'd had from the very beginning.
He wanted the Hyuga Clan to escape the Caged Bird.
But after removing the Caged Bird, they could attract even more covetous eyes and end up trapped in an even bigger cage.
That wasn't the outcome he wanted.
Everyone digested Shinichi's words.
This time, Hiashi was the first to understand what he meant.
He had experienced Shinichi's dōjutsu, which could absorb other people's ocular power and life force.
That dōjutsu had an even greater suppressive effect on the Byakugan.
Anyone implanted with a Byakugan would become nourishment for Shinichi.
The other jōnin had their suspicions, too, but they didn't understand as clearly as Hiashi did.
Three days later.
Kirigakure.
Hyuga Shinichi had transformed into an Anbu member on patrol.
He had arrived in the village the day before.
But to his surprise, Kirigakure's security measures were many times stronger than Konoha's.
Only after gathering intelligence did he understand why.
When he saw the chakra flowing through the Fourth Mizukage's body, he realized that the Mizukage was already under Obito Uchiha's control.
To avenge the white flower in his heart, Rin Nohara, Obito had imposed an oppressive rule on the village. Any sign of unrest would be met with a crushing response.
That was why Shinichi had disguised himself as an Anbu. Only Anbu could move around freely.
As long as Obito Uchiha didn't interfere with his plans, Shinichi wouldn't interfere with Obito's.
He could even help Obito get rid of the nuisance Ao. In Shinichi's memories, it was Ao's Byakugan that had exposed the flaw in the Fourth Mizukage.
At dusk.
Shinichi spotted Ao at the Kirigakure Ninja Academy.
The academy was much more run-down than Konoha's.
Standing outside the school gates,
he activated his Byakugan, intending to absorb the ocular power in Ao's Byakugan, along with his life force.
It was like the formation of the Tenseigan on the moon, which had evolved by devouring other Byakugan.
His Byakugan had nearly become a Tenseigan.
He believed this would greatly benefit his eyes and might even allow them to evolve into a Tenseigan.
Zzt—
But the outcome was beyond his expectations.
His ocular power was blocked.
That also alerted Ao to his presence.
Shinichi's attention settled on the seal surrounding Ao's eye.
"Barrier Seal: Eye Armor!"
No wonder Ao could withstand the Byakugan's backlash.
"Anbu! So you've finally come for me?"
Ao was already standing in front of Shinichi, a hint of relief in his eyes.
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