Unforgivable Things

Chapter 4: Unforgivable Things

In the dense forest, Hyuga Yuto gripped the handle of his kunai with both hands. Its sharp iron blade sank into Sugisaki Tetsujiro's body and severed his spine.

Of course, he couldn't use the Gentle Fist.

A ninja's corpse contained a wealth of information. When Sugisaki Tetsujiro's body was sent back to the Hidden Leaf Village, an expert in Medical Ninjutsu would certainly examine it. Using the Gentle Fist would be the same as carving "I'm the murderer" into his forehead.

Kunai were tools used by ninja all over the world. Their make couldn't be traced, and as long as he paid some attention to the angle and force of his strikes, they were perfect for killing one of their own.

He pulled out the kunai, drawing a gush of blood with it.

Sugisaki Tetsujiro groaned and raised his hand like a flash of lightning.

But Hyuga Yuto used the Body Flicker Technique to dart in front of him. His kunai flashed, mercilessly severing Tetsujiro's wrist.

The Hidden Leaf jōnin could no longer form Hand Seals.

Yuto lifted his foot and drove a vicious kick straight into Sugisaki Tetsujiro's chest. After the teeth-grating crack of breaking bones, the jōnin flew more than ten meters, crashing into a tree.

He crumpled to the ground, his gaze unfocused.

His spine was severed, both hands were useless, his chakra was nearly depleted, and the traitor before him had the Byakugan.

There was no way to escape.

He would die from blood loss.

"Please don't move, Senior Tetsujiro."

Hyuga Yuto exhaled slowly and said calmly,

"I have no intention of torturing you. Please sit here and wait for your blood to run out. Believe me, there won't be much pain..."

Sugisaki Tetsujiro's mocking laugh cut him off.

"Scum of the Hidden Leaf... Putting on airs. How could the Hyuga Clan give birth to a beast like you?"

Hyuga Yuto shook his head, expressionless.

"Senior Tetsujiro, if you're trying to provoke me into coming closer, this won't be enough."

"You're a talented ninja. I've felt that keenly during the ten-odd days I served under you."

"I won't recklessly approach you before your blood runs out... That would be too dangerous."

Sugisaki Tetsujiro's heart sank.

The shortened Senbon hidden beneath his tongue also faltered slightly, as if weighed down by its owner's despair.

Though his chakra was almost gone, activating Ninja Art: Needle Rain required only a sliver. It was a foolproof way to deal with an enemy who thought he had already won.

Unfortunately... the young traitor in front of him was too clever, too cautious, and left no opening at all.

As expected of the Hyuga's Jade, Sugisaki Tetsujiro thought bitterly.

After a brief silence, Sugisaki Tetsujiro carefully studied the young man with snow-white eyes.

"Hyuga Yuto, you want my body?"

"Yeah." Hyuga Yuto nodded, rubbing the scroll in his hand.

"The reconnaissance squad was wiped out, but it brought back valuable intel, and I was the only one who survived. The enemy was completely wiped out. I have no reason not to protect the body of our jōnin squad leader. If all of your bodies were disposed of so thoroughly that not a scrap of flesh remained, it would look too deliberate."

"Aren't you afraid the people in the village will find something in my body?"

"I am. And I know there are forbidden techniques that can question the souls of the dead and get answers from them." Hyuga Yuto thought of the famous Impure World Reincarnation.

"But there's no choice. Doing something like this always involves risk. If I'm found out, I'll die. That's all."

"Doing something like this..." Sugisaki Tetsujiro's face had gone pale. The prolonged blood loss was beginning to blur his consciousness.

"Betraying the village, your clan, your comrades—you can talk about something like that so casually?"

The jōnin paused. A long while passed before he continued,

"Can you tell me... your reason?"

Hyuga Yuto looked at him calmly and slowly removed his Forehead Protector.

The greenish-blue Cursed Seal was revealed.

Bird in a Cage.

Every member of the Hyuga Branch Family had a Cursed Seal called Bird in a Cage carved into their forehead when they were young. From then on, they could never escape it, not until the day they died.

The seal could suppress the Byakugan's abilities. If the wearer's eyes were removed or they died, it could also completely destroy their eyeballs and brain.

Furthermore, members of the Main Family could use the seal to control and damage the brain nerves and tissue of Branch Family members.

In the Hyuga Clan, this was an ironclad hierarchy.

Generation after generation, the Cursed Seal known as Bird in a Cage had been passed down for a thousand years.

Sugisaki Tetsujiro's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Y-you're doing this... just because of Bird in a Cage?" His breathing quickened. For the first time, confusion and anger crept into his voice.

"Hyuga Yuto, you'd betray your village and clan over a mere Cursed Seal? Bird in a Cage certainly limits your freedom and abilities, but it's the tradition and rules of a powerful ninja clan!"

"And this seal successfully prevents others from being tempted to steal the Byakugan. It protects you!"

"Even as an outsider, I know that the Main Family are the true inheritors of the Hyuga Clan, entrusted with protecting and advancing the clan. The Branch Family are the Main Family's guardians, entrusted with protecting the Hyuga Main Family!"

"Sacrifice is what makes a clan strong, what makes a village thrive, what lets the Hidden Leaf flourish..."

Hyuga Yuto put his Forehead Protector back on, covering Bird in a Cage.

He looked down at the dying jōnin and spoke softly.

"For some reason, I started forming memories very early, and I matured early, too."

"For a long time, I kept asking myself one question—"

"Why not just put up with it?"

"The Hidden Leaf is a good village. There's plenty of filth, sure, but overall, it's still... moving in the right direction. The Hyuga Clan has a strict hierarchy, but at least things are passable on the surface."

"Why not just put up with it? Work hard on missions, train diligently, and once I reached a certain level, life should be bearable. At worst, I could put up with it for another thirty or forty years. When a new era arrived, maybe everything would get better."

"I thought about it for a while and came to a conclusion—"

Hyuga Yuto's expression abruptly shifted. The calm warmth vanished, replaced by something restless and helpless.

"I can't."

"I can't put up with it."

"I can't tolerate being branded a slave and treated as someone's guard for the rest of my life."

"I can't tolerate my descendants having that ugly Bird in a Cage carved into their foreheads."

"What I can't tolerate most is the thought of becoming that miserable person who lived out his life in silence and never dared to fight back, not even at the end."

Confusion filled the dying Sugisaki Tetsujiro's face.

Hyuga Yuto... What was he talking about? Couldn't tolerate it?

What was there to be unable to tolerate?

All these years... Why could the other Branch Family members put up with it, but not you? For the sake of the Hyuga Clan's strength and prosperity... Weren't you supposed to cast aside your own feelings and become the Hyuga Main Family's most steadfast shield?

You were the Hyuga's Jade.

Still confused, the jōnin's heartbeat slowed.

At last, he had lost all his blood. He was well and truly dead.

Hyuga Yuto stood alone and let out a quiet sigh before slowly walking over to Sugisaki Tetsujiro's body.

"You couldn't understand me, and I couldn't understand you... Ha. The gap between people can be vast as an abyss from the very beginning."

He crouched beside the body, which was growing cold.

"But let me tell you one last thing."

"Honestly, I really, really, really..." The Branch Family boy clenched his teeth. His anger was so intense that blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, as if he were about to chew through his own forehead.

"I really hate that title."

"Hyuga's Jade."

(the end)