Chapter Fifteen

The Hyuga Clan Compound was located in the small Land of Fields, between the Land of Water and the Land of Fire. Like the Uchiha, its members lived together in a single settlement, divided into the Main Family and branch families. The Uchiha had formed a Main Family based on awakening rates and seniority to unite the clan and lead it; the Hyuga's Byakugan required no awakening, so they considered only seniority. Their ancestors had also established the "Caged Bird" to restrict the branch families' power.

Ancient, skilled in Taijutsu, and strict about rank—most people thought of the Hyuga Clan as a family steeped in the same rigid formality as other old clans.

The buildings in the compound were all more than a century old. They were uniformly low, flat-roofed Japanese-style rooms, arranged in orderly rows to form a single settlement. Dense, deep-green plants clung to the foot of the dark-brown outer walls. Copper bells hung from the wooden eaves, their dull yellow shells tinged with verdigris. They hung silently, occasionally giving a muffled ring. Looking up, one saw a sky half-hidden by the low eaves.

The solemn dignity outsiders saw was no more than shackles they had placed on themselves.

Age meant heritage, but it also meant repression. The stifled resentment, the suppressed bitterness, the centuries of unspoken conflict between the Main Family and the branch families—all rooted in the jealousy, arrogance, and longing for freedom deep in human nature. How could a curse seal possibly hold all that back?

His fingers brushed the spot on his forehead bound with white cloth. Hyuga Ryosuke smiled bitterly, with a trace of mockery in his bitterness. He took another long swig from his flask and gazed up at the sky, eyes unfocused.

The clack of footsteps came from the left—the distinct sound of wooden sandals on a wooden veranda, steady and unhurried, carrying the composure of a great clan. Though they were a shinobi clan, strict etiquette had been ingrained in them. The sound grew clearer, then stopped beside him. "Lord Ryosuke."

Hyuga Ryosuke grunted and raised his flask again. A hand with calluses on its fingertips stopped him. The white sleeve of a kimono fell into view, blocking half his sight. "Lord Ryosuke, why are you still drinking at a time like this?"

The newcomer wore the Hyuga Clan's distinctive white men's kimono. His smooth black hair fell past his shoulders, and a strip of white cloth was tied around his forehead as well. His pale violet eyes fixed on Hyuga Ryosuke, carrying a faint note of reproach.

"Is something the matter?"

"Everything is ready."

"...And then?"

The man studied him for a moment. "You're hesitating."

"What should I do?" He looked up at the man and asked in return.

"Do what you want to do," the man said calmly. "Do what we want to do."

Hyuga Ryosuke turned his gaze back to the sky. A few crows flapped past, their black wings sweeping through the summer afternoon with a hint of ominous chill. "Then what happens after we fly out? Freedom or death?"

"At least we'll have seen the blue sky, won't we?" The man released the flask and straightened. "We've come this far. Whatever the outcome, we have to try. If we lose, we die. If we win, we'll have more choices instead of spending our lives beneath the Main Family's tyranny. So many people are following us. Lord Ryosuke, you're carrying their hopes. You can't show the slightest weakness."

"Since the moment I made up my mind, I stopped worrying about life or death. But I can't stop worrying about them." Most of those following him were in their teens or twenties. Unlike the middle-aged and elderly, who had already spent most of their lives, these young people had their whole futures ahead of them. They were proud and couldn't bear the clan's iron-fisted control. "They're... still children."

"Shinobi aren't children. If they understand the choice they've made, their lives and deaths are no longer your responsibility."

Hyuga Ryosuke covered his eyes with his palm, and tears slipped silently down his face. "I can't," he said. "I can't."

"If I were still twenty, I could move forward on impulse like them and not care about anything. You can say I'm indecisive, but I'm more than twenty years older than they are. I can't afford to act recklessly anymore. I've seen the world. It wouldn't matter if I died this very moment. They're still young."

"Sacrifices are inevitable," the man said softly. "You're a shinobi who's seen death countless times. You shouldn't let it weigh on you."

"No one is born destined to be sacrificed." Hyuga Ryosuke's voice was full of exhaustion. "It's because I've seen death so often that I know how precious it is to be alive—even more precious than some groundless ideals."

The man watched him in silence. When he had finished, he slowly pulled Ryosuke's hand away from his eyes and gazed at him. "How can you call it groundless? Our predecessors endured for years and made countless sacrifices to break the Caged Bird. How can we, standing on their bones, not keep moving forward? Besides, Hyuga Akisetsu has created an even crueler Caged Bird that binds the soul. No matter who takes power in the end, the branch families will suffer. We and our descendants will all bear this unjust fate. No one is willing to sit back and wait for death. Even if the cause seems hopeless, we still have people behind us who believe in it."

"The Uchiha have Uchiha Madara, and the Senju have Senju Hashirama. But our Main Family is caught up in infighting. Hyuga Akisetsu and Hyuga Tetsue fight endlessly, forcing most of the clan to get involved. Look at the world outside: even the lesser clans—the Akimichi, Nara, Inuzuka, and Aburame—are rising."

"This clan is rotting."

His voice was as calm and measured as ever. Yet Hyuga Ryosuke knew how unshakable the convictions and resolve of the man who had followed him for more than a decade were. The Hyuga way was to hide strength beneath gentleness.

"Lord Ryosuke, the arrow is already on the string. We have no choice but to let it fly."

At some point, a crowd had gathered at the bottom of the veranda steps. Most were young, both men and women. They wore the Hyuga Clan's standard shinobi uniforms, with a tiny red spider lily discreetly embroidered on the collars close to their necks. It was clearly visible if the collars were turned back. Their long black hair was tightly bound, and their pale violet eyes all gazed at him, silent but resolute.

Beneath the courtyard's still surface, an unspoken presence spread through the air, solemn and unyielding.

"Five days from now, the Senju and Uchiha will meet at the border of the Land of Fire. Many shinobi clan leaders will be there, including Hyuga Akisetsu and Hyuga Tetsue. This is our last chance. Once one of them defeats the other and takes control of the clan, we'll never be able to turn things around."

"For the clan, for our descendants, for our dignity, please lead us out—or let us fight our way out."

The Land of Fire lay at the center of the Five Great Nations. It controlled several key routes and bordered all five nations. To balance their various concerns, the two clans had chosen a spot at the junction of the Three Countries of Lightning, Earth, and Fire.

The Uchiha were in charge of preparing the venue. To the astonishment of the Senju, they transformed the negotiation site with astonishing efficiency. For aesthetic reasons, they transplanted numerous ornamental trees and potted plants, then bought brocade, porcelain, paintings, and calligraphy from nearby in the Land of Fire to decorate the interior.

Hey! This was just a temporary negotiation venue. Was all this really necessary?

Senju Yūri's eye twitched. Earlier, he'd heard Uchiha Etsu complain and thought he was exaggerating. But now... He jabbed Uchiha Etsu in the elbow. "Does your clan head have someone scatter water and flower petals in front of him whenever he walks?"

Uchiha Etsu stared into the distance with his ledger in hand, looking utterly world-weary. Tears streamed down his heart. "I'm sure that if he didn't find crowds troublesome, the clan head would absolutely do that!"

The Senju present were numb with awe. They had to worship such a transcendent being!

Senju Yūri suddenly realized that Lord Hashirama, who had no concept of money, was actually pretty great. At least he was much better than Uchiha Madara, wasn't he?

"By the way, the Hyuga Clan sent two... clan heads?" Senju Yūri noticed something amiss while checking the list.

Not knowing whether the Senju genuinely didn't know or were pretending not to, Uchiha Etsu laughed twice. "The Hyuga Clan has always been arrogant, and outsiders don't know much about them. Their old-fashioned clan rules are complicated, too. Who knows?"

Senju Yūri pursed his lips and didn't ask further.

The Uchiha were farther away, so they set out before the Senju and arrived at their destination two days before the negotiations. Uchiha Madara and his entourage stayed at a local Uchiha property.

"I heard you've been spending a lot of time with a certain Senju elder lately." That evening, Uchiha Madara had just bathed. Heat gave his skin a faint flush. He had changed into a loose white robe embroidered with silver patterns. His damp hair, spread across the white fabric, looked even darker than ink, and the contrast made his features seem all the more exquisite.

A beauty like jade, with the spirit of a sword—what kind of beauty did those qualities make together? Uchiha Etsu swallowed unconsciously, then silently looked away.

"Yes, sir. Senju Yūri handles the Senju Clan's finances, and we get along quite well." Head bowed and hands at his sides, Uchiha Etsu was impeccably deferential.

Uchiha Madara rubbed the porcelain cup's crackle-glaze surface, his eyes lowered in thought. "...Anything else?"

Uchiha Etsu smiled bitterly. "Sir, I'll be careful not to let personal feelings interfere with my duties." He was still, in a sense, being punished, so he had to be especially careful in word and deed.

Madara nodded slowly. "Relations between our clans aren't what they used to be. Give the order: don't make our precautions against the Senju too obvious."