Chapter 34

Hiashi Hyuga sat in the seat of honor without saying a word.

Though he bore the title of clan head, the ones who truly called the shots in the Hyuga Clan were still the three old men before him.

Especially the First Elder. Within the clan, his word was law.

Uchiha Yi understood that perfectly well.

He had never expected Tsunade to settle this marriage arrangement.

He would have to rely on himself.

All right, time to unleash the great bullshit technique. "Elders, while carrying out a mission assigned by the Third Hokage some time ago, I happened to discover something."

Uchiha Yi ignored the topic at hand and began speaking on his own.

The three elders frowned.

But their frowns quickly turned into shock. "This matter taught me quite a few things. For example... the Uchiha Clan and the Hyuga Clan actually share the same origins."

"Bullshit!"

"What nonsense!"

The Second and Third Elders immediately exploded. "How could our Hyuga Clan possibly share the same ancestor as your Uchiha Clan?"

"Kid, if you're making things up, at least show some restraint!"

The same bloodline?

What a joke!

"Ahem, I can vouch for that."

The Third Hokage, who had been silent in the corner, finally spoke.

The assist had arrived.

The moment the Third Hokage spoke, Uchiha Yi was overjoyed.

Sure enough, as soon as the Hokage's words landed, the Second and Third Elders, who had been red-faced with anger, instantly froze in place as if someone had struck their pressure points. "Lord Third Hokage, are you... certain?"

The First Elder, who had remained silent all this time, finally could not hold back. "It is not that I doubt you, but... this information is simply too absurd."

The Third Hokage did not explain immediately. Instead, he glanced toward Tsunade.

Tsunade understood at once and took out a sealing scroll. "Release!"

Bang!

As the smoke cleared, an enormous stone tablet dropped directly before everyone.

Fortunately, the hall was spacious enough. Otherwise, it truly would not have fit. "I know you think this sounds ridiculous, but the evidence is right here. See for yourselves."

The First Elder said nothing more, his eyes locking directly onto the stone tablet.

The Second Elder, Third Elder, and even Hiashi Hyuga hurried over as well.

This was the stone tablet Uchiha Yi had retrieved. Most of its contents had been covered up, leaving only the portions related to the Hyuga Clan.

For example—Hamura Otsutsuki was the ancestor of the Hyuga Clan.

And Hamura Otsutsuki was Hagoromo Otsutsuki's younger brother.

As for Hagoromo Otsutsuki, he was the ancestor of the Uchiha Clan.

Following that logic, did that not mean the two clans shared the same ancestor?

"Impossible! There must be something wrong with this tablet!"

"That's right! How could our Hyuga Clan possibly be of the same lineage as the Uchiha Clan?"

The Second and Third Elders refused to accept it.

After several seconds of silence, the First Elder suddenly said, "Actually... there are records within the clan that Hamura Otsutsuki truly was our ancestor."

The moment he said that, the Second Elder and the others were completely stunned.

Uchiha Yi was not surprised in the least.

He had long guessed that the Hyuga Clan knew at least some fragments about those Otsutsuki on the moon.

But he soon realized—the Hyuga Clan's knowledge was limited as well. "I just never expected Hamura Otsutsuki to have an older brother, and that this brother was actually the legendary Sage of Six Paths..."

"Ahem, I can guarantee that!"

At that moment, the Third Hokage felt it was time for him to step in.

What a godly assist.

The moment the First Elder said that, the Second Elder and the others were all stunned.

Uchiha Yi was not particularly surprised—the Hyuga Clan knew at least some of the details regarding those Otsutsuki on the moon.

But he soon understood that what the Hyuga Clan knew amounted to little more than that. "I truly never expected Lord Hamura Otsutsuki to have an older brother, and for that man to be the legendary Sage of Six Paths!"

There was emotion in the First Elder's voice. This was the first time he had heard such news.

The Hyuga Clan did indeed possess several top-secret scrolls, but their contents were pitifully sparse. Even the records concerning Hamura Otsutsuki himself were only mentioned in passing.

It appeared that the Hyuga Clan's ancestors had deliberately erased that information.

The Second and Third Elders did not know where the First Elder had learned this, but they understood one thing—some of the Hyuga Clan's secrets could only be accessed by the First Elder.

Since the First Elder spoke with such certainty, it had to be true.

But even if it was true, so what?

"Hmph! Even if it's true, that doesn't mean we'll agree to this marriage!"

The Second Elder snorted coldly, and the Third Elder nodded along.

Uchiha Yi knew perfectly well that these two had too much bad blood with the Uchiha Clan. Even though the Uchiha Clan was now gone, the knot in their hearts remained impossible to untangle.

He ignored the two and continued, "Our Uchiha Clan's ancestral records state that the Sage of Six Paths possessed a pair of Sage Eyes. Hamura Otsutsuki, who shared his bloodline, also possessed Byakugan that were far from ordinary."

The moment those words were spoken, the Second and Third Elders fell silent. "You mean... our Hyuga Clan's Byakugan can be elevated another level?"

Hiashi Hyuga's eyes lit up. He had finally found an opportunity to speak. "That's right."

Uchiha Yi nodded and turned his gaze to the First Elder. "First Elder, if I'm not mistaken, you should also know of another clan that possesses the Byakugan, correct?"

Another clan with the Byakugan?

Everyone present was shocked. Even the Third Hokage looked surprised. "Lord Third Hokage, Lady Fifth Hokage, this concerns a secret of the Hyuga Clan, so I had not explained it to you before."

Uchiha Yi looked toward the Third Hokage, apology on his face.

Only then did the Third Hokage understand why Uchiha Yi had never mentioned this before.

The First Elder's heart sank. He looked at Uchiha Yi, a flicker of surprise appearing in his eyes before swiftly turning into understanding. "It seems you know quite a bit about the Hyuga Clan."

Though surprised, the First Elder did not mention the Otsutsuki Clan—that was the Hyuga Clan's own secret. "Not too much. I only saw some things on our Uchiha Clan's stone tablet not long ago."

Since the First Elder did not mention the Otsutsuki, Uchiha Yi naturally would not say more. "Just as our Uchiha Clan's Sharingan can ultimately evolve into the Rinnegan, the legendary Sage Eyes... as for the Byakugan..."

"What can the Byakugan evolve into?"

The First Elder could no longer sit still.

Over all these years, no one in the Hyuga Clan had ever proposed taking the Byakugan any further. "The Tenseigan."

Uchiha Yi said, "The evolved form of the Byakugan is the Tenseigan, an existence on the same level as the Rinnegan."

"From the sound of it... you can make the Byakugan evolve into the Tenseigan?"

Even the First Elder's voice trembled slightly. The Second and Third Elders had fallen entirely silent as well. "Of course I can."

Uchiha Yi smiled brilliantly.

He took the bait.

Upon hearing about the Tenseigan, the breathing of the three old men from the Hyuga Clan changed.

The First Elder spoke first, his voice low. "Uchiha Yi, there is no problem with you and Hinata."

"Big Brother!"

The Second and Third Elders rose to their feet at the same time.

The First Elder waved a hand, stopping them from saying more. His eyes remained fixed on Uchiha Yi. "But there is one condition—you must make Hanabi's eyes evolve as well."

"If you can do that, everything can be discussed."

Hiashi Hyuga stood to the side. His lips moved, but in the end, it only became a soft sigh.

Outsiders all said he had abandoned Hinata, that he could not even be bothered to look at her.

But what father could truly ignore his daughter's life and death?

It was not that he did not want to intervene. He simply lacked the right to do so. The Caged Bird Seal was an ironclad rule within the Hyuga Clan. By all rights, it should have been placed on Hanabi. Yet because Hinata had a gentle temperament, the three old men had long regarded Hanabi as **, and so that cursed seal had not been carved onto her.

Otherwise, a few words from Hiashi Hyuga alone would never have been enough to change anything.

The First Elder's tone had made it clear—the Hyuga Clan was now putting all its efforts into cultivating Hanabi, and the position of clan head had been reserved for that girl.

Uchiha Yi glanced at the First Elder, his tone neither warm nor cold. "You are mistaken. It is true that I have a way to turn the Byakugan into the Tenseigan, but I will only help Hinata undergo that transformation."

The moment his words fell, the expressions of the three old men across from him changed.

The Second Elder's beard trembled. "Uchiha Yi, don't push your luck! Agreeing to your marriage with Hinata is already showing you tremendous favor!"

The Third Elder followed up, "Isn't Hinata herself what you want? We agreed to give her to you in marriage, and you still aren't satisfied? Your appetite is far too big!"

Looking at those two aged faces, the last remnants of respect in Uchiha Yi's heart vanished completely.

With behavior like that, they still had the nerve to call themselves a prestigious clan?

Tsunade and the Third Hokage remained silent throughout.

Hiashi Hyuga alone could not bear this matter. From his earlier attitude, it was clear that the one truly calling the shots was the First Elder.

The Hyuga Clan had placed all its focus on Hanabi, clearly intending for her to shoulder the burden of clan head.

Uchiha Yi understood that whether Hinata could become clan head did not matter much to him. But the situation had already become more than a simple question of whether he wanted it or not.

He looked up at the First Elder, his tone calm. "First Elder, you misunderstand. I do indeed have a way to evolve the Byakugan into the Tenseigan, but I will only help Hinata achieve that."

The First Elder frowned.

The expressions of the two elders beside him immediately darkened. "Uchiha Yi, don't go too far! Agreeing to you and Hinata is already an enormous concession from our Hyuga Clan."

"You merely want to marry Hinata. We agreed to give her to you, yet you still aren't satisfied? With such an appetite, aren't you afraid of choking on it?"

Looking at those two aged faces, the faint sentiment in Uchiha Yi's heart instantly dissipated.

Heh, with such bearing, they dare call themselves a great clan?

Tsunade and the Third Hokage both said nothing. At a time like this, speaking up would only make things worse.

The First Elder remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking. "Fine. But if you and Hinata have a child with the Byakugan, that child must belong to our Hyuga Clan."

Uchiha Yi did not answer. He merely stared at him. "What if I say no?"

"Then there is nothing left to discuss."

The entire room went cold, the atmosphere taut as sheet metal.

Uchiha Yi understood the First Elder's intentions. Put simply, they were not complicated.

If Hinata awakened the Tenseigan, while he possessed a pair of Rinnegan, then how terrifying would the bloodline of their child be? If the Hyuga Clan could keep hold of that child, its bloodline limit would only grow stronger in the future.

No one present was stupid. A little thought was all it took to understand this. That was also why the two elders, who had been shouting so fiercely before, had now fallen quiet. "Fine, I agree."

Uchiha Yi finally nodded.

Only then did a faint smile appear at the corner of the First Elder's mouth, and the tension in the room eased along with it.

Next came the discussion of the marriage.

Of course, at their current age, actually getting married was still far too early. So they would get engaged first.