Investigation

Neji limped back home.

It felt as though sulfur had been poured into his eyes; they burned fiercely, but thankfully, he could see again.

He locked the door, took off his torn pants, washed the bloodstains from his body, and changed into loose clothes large enough to conceal his wounds. Then he went to the mirror, turned around once, and, seeing that they were more or less hidden, breathed a slight sigh of relief.

His gaze shifted to the bluish curse mark on his forehead, which had returned to normal. Neji could not help clenching his fists.

His nails dug into his flesh.

"Have your brother deliver that taijutsu to the clan vault! Otherwise, tomorrow, you can keep enduring punishment."

Hyuga Ling's warning before leaving pierced Neji's heart like a needle, echoing through his body with every circulation of blood.

That taijutsu was created by my brother. I will never teach it to you...

Yet when he recalled the agony of the curse mark activating earlier, a sense of helplessness suddenly rose within Neji. The torture-like pain still throbbed faintly between his brows.

This was the second time Neji had experienced this feeling. The first time the curse mark activated had been four years ago, when his father, Hizashi, committed suicide. Upon learning the truth, he had immediately wanted to risk his life against Hyuga Hiashi. But before he could even meet the clan head, the elders of the Hyuga Main Family had taught him what "the price of offending one's elders" meant.

They simply could not resist the power of the Caged Bird.

His father had been like this. His brother had been like this. He was the same.

It had been this way in the past, and it was this way now.

In the foreseeable future, it would remain this way.

Their children and grandchildren would also be branded with this mark of slavery. The moment they resisted, they could only end up like Neji had moments ago, collapsing to their knees like servants when the curse mark activated, forced to endure Hyuga Ling's mocking laughter without the slightest chance to fight back...

Knock, knock, knock!

Someone knocked on the door. It was probably his brother, Ning Qi, returning.

His fists gradually loosened. The rage and hatred filling Neji's chest could only turn into a helpless sigh. As he wrapped the scratches in his palm with bandages, he lowered his head for a second look at himself in the mirror. Then he forced a smile onto his face and went to open the door.

When he pulled the door open, it was not his brother Ning Qi, but a white-haired ANBU.

"Has Ning Qi Hyuga returned?" The man glanced into the house.

Isn't my brother carrying out an ANBU mission? Wouldn't you know whether he had returned?

Neji suppressed his doubts, but still answered, "Not yet. He has been coming home very late lately."

"What is your relationship with Ning Qi?"

"My name is Neji. I'm Ning Qi's younger brother."

"Do you know Hyuga Tokuma?"

"No."

"What about Hyuga Tsuki?"

"She's an elder sister from the branch family. She lives in the bakery up ahead," Neji said. He also knew that Hyuga Tsuki liked his brother Ning Qi very much. As Ning Qi's younger brother, he often received bread from her.

"When was the last time you saw Hyuga Tsuki?"

The last time he saw her...?

Neji suddenly hesitated. He carefully considered the questions he had just been asked. Why did this feel like an investigation of a suspect?

"My brother... did something happen to him?" he asked cautiously.

"It's only a routine investigation. Don't worry," the ANBU said casually, but his gaze behind the mask remained fixed on Neji. "If you believe your brother has done nothing wrong, then the more accurate you are, the sooner he can clear his name."

Neji did not notice the grave expression on the ANBU before him. Instead, he quickly declared that he would cooperate seriously with the investigation.

"So, when was the last time you saw Hyuga Tsuki?"

"Probably at noon two days ago... What happened to Sister Tsuki?" As soon as Neji finished speaking, he noticed that the ANBU's hand, which had been writing down notes, suddenly froze.

"You saw her how long ago?" The man's breathing had clearly grown hurried.

This made Neji lose confidence instead. After hesitating for a moment, he still answered truthfully, "Two days ago. In the eastern forest, I saw her planting trees..."

"Wait—what did you see her doing there?" the ANBU hurriedly pressed.

"Planting... planting trees. They were probably fruit trees or something. After all, the forest there counts as public property of the Hyuga clan..." Neji answered haltingly, unable to understand what was so strange about it.

The ANBU gripped his pen without speaking for a long time.

Hyuga Tsuki's body had been found in the eastern forest. Moreover, the Intelligence Division's autopsy report had directly confirmed that she had been beheaded by a mysterious killer in that very forest a week ago. How could she possibly have still been planting trees there two days ago!?

Was the child in front of him lying?

Or who exactly had he seen two days ago?

The ANBU proceeded to mention several more names, and Neji answered truthfully each time. On the surface, there did not appear to be anything abnormal.

He nodded slightly, then posed another crucial question.

"Do you know what your brother has been busy with lately?"

"I don't," Neji shook his head.

"Then let me put it another way. Do you think your brother has done anything strange recently?"

Anything strange? Neji thought for a long time this time before slowly speaking.

"A few days ago, his eyes weren't doing well. It seemed like he had been injured, and his vision had deteriorated badly. He stayed with the Hyuga Main Family for treatment the whole time and only officially returned to duty yesterday. I don't know whether that counts as strange..."

Neji was telling the truth, but he had played a small trick with his answer. With Ning Qi's Byakugan injured, his strength would certainly be greatly reduced. How could Ning Qi in such a state possibly do anything illegal?

Clearly, you've misunderstood!

The ANBU silently recorded the answer. Aside from the serious discrepancy between the information about Hyuga Tsuki and the actual circumstances, whether the remaining answers were unusual would require comparison with ANBU records.

"Thank you for your cooperation, I—"

"What are you doing?"

A voice suddenly rang out. The ANBU felt himself shrouded in a shadow, and his heart abruptly began to race. One hand slipped into his waist pouch as he turned around with apparent ease to face the young man who had somehow appeared behind him.

"Captain Ning Qi, I am Takizawa Yamaaki. I was assigned by Lord Hokage to investigate the disappearances of Hyuga Tokuma and the others."

Ning Qi was very young, but Yamaaki knew perfectly well how dangerous he was. This was someone who stood shoulder to shoulder with Captain Itachi Uchiha, one half of Konoha's Twin Prodigies! A genius who was about to be nominated for Jonin!

Takizawa Yamaaki understood the gap between himself and Ning Qi. Though he was several years older, he could not withstand even one move from Itachi Uchiha. Against Ning Qi, who was ranked alongside Itachi, the result would likely be the same.

Ning Qi remained silent, but his icy eyes placed immense pressure on Takizawa Yamaaki. Yamaaki quietly gripped the kunai in his waist pouch.

"So, are you done investigating?" Ning Qi's sudden question declared the brief confrontation over.

Takizawa Yamaaki relaxed inwardly and quickly nodded.

"Yes, the investigation is complete."

"See yourself out." Ning Qi stepped aside.

Yamaaki swiftly left the house, which had made him feel faintly uneasy.

"Why did those eyes feel different from other Byakugan...?"

Perhaps it was an illusion, but Yamaaki felt that Ning Qi's eyes were veiled in a gray mist. Their expression was hazy and impossible to make out, and they did not look injured at all.

"The eastern forest..." he muttered.

No matter what, the investigation had made a breakthrough. If everything Neji said was true, then there had to be other witnesses who had seen Hyuga Tsuki "planting trees" three days after her death!

He tied the information he had gathered to a pigeon's leg and watched it fly toward the Hokage Tower. Takizawa Yamaaki immediately decided to take a look around the eastern forest of Konoha, where Hyuga Tsuki's body had been discovered.

The Hyuga clan might not care about the lives of branch family members like Hyuga Tokuma, but their fellow Konoha ANBU could not simply ignore them.

Whether someone was putting on a false show or Neji was simply lying, a trip to the eastern forest would reveal the truth.