I Will Take Their Life and Bring Them Back!

"Bullshit!"

"This is slander!"

"Patriarch, how could you believe the one-sided words of a criminal!"

Hyuga Naoya roared furiously, "I have devoted myself to the clan for decades. I have never done a single thing that harmed the clan!"

The Hyuga Clan members looked at him with both confusion and suspicion.

After all, if the young patriarch were to die unexpectedly as well, the Great Elder would naturally be able to take control of the clan.

Hyuga Hiashi, with his mediocre talent, would have no way to suppress him.

Besides, as a guilty branch family member, it seemed reasonable enough for Kotone to attack the patriarch out of resentment.

"I have to say, Great Elder, you really are a crafty old fox. You didn't leave behind a single piece of evidence."

Kaguya sneered. "As a branch family member who went through something like that, Kotone would have found it hard to resist the temptation to retaliate against the main family. And you didn't have her attack recklessly, either. You even told her to do it only after ensuring the Byakugan would not be lost. You really were thinking of the clan!"

"It's just that you never expected..."

Her voice suddenly softened, and a trace of sorrow flashed through her eyes.

"You never expected that, even after being punished, she would still love the clan so deeply. She had always blamed herself for Hyuga Wuye not inheriting the Byakugan and had always regretted it. She never once thought of taking revenge on the clan. Never."

"She even rushed into the enemy lines to cover my retreat and protect me. In the end, she didn't even leave behind a corpse!"

Kaguya's eyes turned icy. "So even without any evidence, I will still remove you from your position, if only for Kotone's sake."

"Don't forget," Hyuga Naoya said expressionlessly, remaining calm, "unless there is a grave offense, even the patriarch cannot casually remove the Great Elder."

"On the contrary, if eighty percent of the main family members approve, as proposed by the Great Elder, the patriarch can be removed!"

"Is that so?"

Kaguya was utterly unmoved by his words. "I know you have a strong grip on the main family. You may have even secretly persuaded Hiashi by promising to make him the next patriarch."

"I—I didn't think that! No, I didn't agree!" Hyuga Hiashi cried out in panic.

A twelve-year-old child naturally could not keep his composure.

Hyuga Naoya's face darkened.

"Unfortunately, because Kotone died before my eyes, my Byakugan awakened a new ability..."

Kaguya's crystal-clear Byakugan fixed on him. "A Great Elder whose strength has declined to the point where he can barely be considered a jonin wants to overthrow a younger, stronger patriarch? What a joke."

Byakugan: Pressure!

Before her words had even faded, veins bulged around Kaguya's eyes.

As she activated her Byakugan, an overwhelming pressure suddenly descended upon Hyuga Naoya.

"Byakugan bloodline ability detected. No emotional bond has yet formed with Kaguya Otsutsuki. Unable to analyze."

Hyuga Wuye froze for a moment... Did that mean analysis did not require breaking up first? Was forming feelings enough?

"The essence of love is sharing. When the other party is willing to share their abilities, analysis can be performed."

"I see."

Wuye breathed a sigh of relief... That made it much less difficult.

Based on his previous understanding, they had to develop feelings first, then break up, before he could analyze the other party's abilities.

Now, it had changed from a one-time payment to installment payments. Not bad.

Bang!

Hyuga Naoya dropped to his knees with almost no ability to resist, his eyes wide. "No... Impossible!"

It was not just him. Everyone present felt the suppression.

That eye-power pressure, enough to make even their souls tremble, intimidated everyone... except Hyuga Wuye.

"Do you feel the suppression of bloodline?"

Kaguya looked down at Hyuga Naoya. "This is the true power of the Byakugan."

Wuye secretly curled his lip... No, this was merely the power of Kaguya Otsutsuki.

It seemed like she did not remember that she was Kaguya Otsutsuki...

"Great Elder..."

When she spoke this time, no one dared question her anymore.

"Whether it was what happened to Kotone or what happened to me, neither matter could be used to condemn you. But this time," Kaguya pointed at Hyuga Wuye, "you nearly sold one of your own clan members and nearly handed a future genius ninja over to the Uchiha Clan. You were wrong in this matter. I have the right to hold you accountable."

"So that was why you let me handle everything before. You had calculated it all along..."

Hyuga Naoya knelt there, his aged face filled with grief and indignation. "But this old man did nothing wrong! His mother is dead, and no one in the clan can give him a sense of belonging anymore! It would be better to win benefits for the clan with him!"

Pressure!

Kaguya suddenly flew into a rage, instantly crushing Hyuga Naoya flat against the ground.

"If he has no sense of belonging, then give him one again!"

"How many children became orphans in war?! Are they all supposed to be sold off for profit?!"

The force of her anger made every Hyuga Clan member tremble in fear, as though they were being scolded by their ancestor.

"No mother! No blood relatives! Then I will take care of him! I'll be his sister!"

Kaguya's voice echoed in his ears, and Wuye's expression instantly turned strange...

Was this some kind of automatic sister delivery?

"Wuye is undoubtedly a genius. I believe that before long, he will surpass you and become a pillar of the clan."

Kaguya declared decisively, "You nearly destroyed the clan's future!"

Hyuga Naoya struggled to raise his head, looking utterly disheveled. "I... won't... accept this..."

Kaguya looked down at him with cold, deep eyes. "You won't accept it?"

She raised her head and looked at the expressions of the people below. Other than fear, there was not much conviction in their eyes.

It showed that such reasoning was still not as persuasive as something they could see for themselves.

After all, people only believed what they saw. Very few could believe in a future that had yet to happen.

"Then how about a few years from now?"

Kaguya suddenly said, "If he can defeat you at the age of twelve, then the position of Great Elder will be abolished from that day onward!"

"Twelve years old..."

Hyuga Naoya gave a bitter laugh. "If he possesses the strength of a jonin at twelve, then what would it matter if I admitted my mistake?"

Though he still believed that an absolute system was the key to ensuring the clan's continuation, a twelve-year-old jonin could bring unimaginable benefits to the clan as well.

The strength of the clan and his own interests—Hyuga Naoya could no longer tell which one he truly cared about most...

"Then it is settled."

Kaguya deactivated her Byakugan, and her face became smooth and jade-like once more.

"Come, go with your sister."

She turned and reached a hand toward Wuye. "Kotone was your mother. You should avenge her yourself."

Wuye stood up, forcing himself not to twitch at the corner of his mouth... She had really decided she was his sister?

As for avenging his mother, he could not say he felt deeply about it.

After all, they had spent too little time together. Most of the time, he had taken care of himself.

But her death, indirectly speaking, had indeed been to prevent him from being branded with the Caged Bird... Once that thing was branded on someone, it could not be removed.

Besides, this body had come from her too. He ought to repay the debt of giving birth to and raising him.

Five years... If Tsunade and Kaguya worked together, one year should be enough, right?

But the difficulty of winning over those two...

It was hard to put into words.

"Patriarch..."

As he watched Kaguya take Wuye's wrist and step out of the hall, Hyuga Naoya could not help saying hoarsely, "The Caged Bird... truly cannot be abolished... In the future, who will protect the Byakugan from those who covet it..."

Kaguya paused for a moment before continuing onward.

Only her snow-white hair remained, gently swaying in the breeze, stunning the passage of time.

"If any ninja dares set their sights on the Byakugan..."

"I will cross any distance..."

"Take their life and bring it back!"