I Still Love Him

"Young Master Hikari, when did you get back?" Ning Qi sheathed his short blade and smiled at the newcomer.

Hyuga Hikari was a member of the Hyuga Main Family. Her background was roughly comparable to Hyuga Ling, who had bullied Neji at the Ninja Academy. Her father was an elder of considerable standing within the Hyuga clan, and she herself was exceptionally talented and steady-tempered. Only three years older than Ning Qi, she had just become a Konoha Jonin this year.

Ning Qi met her gaze. Though Hyuga Hikari had never offended him, there was nothing he could do about it. She possessed a pair of exceptionally pure Byakugan.

"I only got back a little while ago." Hyuga Hikari paused. She had not noticed the malice in Ning Qi's eyes, only feeling somewhat puzzled.

She had just returned from three months of missions. After reporting to the Third Hokage, the first thing she did was come to report to Clan Head Hiashi. Yet before she could say anything, the clan head had sent her to fetch Ning Qi before continuing.

Hyuga Hikari acknowledged that Ning Qi was astonishingly gifted. Konoha's Twin Prodigies had earned their name, and the fact that he had beaten the entire younger generation of the Hyuga Main Family into submission with his fists was undeniable.

Of course, quite a few Main Family youths who had once stood against Ning Qi had since died mysteriously. But Hyuga Hikari was one of the rare exceptions. She was steady and upright, disliked bullying the weak with the strong, and although she was not close to Ning Qi and had little contact with him, they had no conflict. After experiencing countless brushes with death while on missions, she had come to understand even more deeply the value of life and the importance of companions. She had even less objection to a fellow clansman like Ning Qi, someone so powerful and destined to hold up the sky someday.

But a genius was, in the end, merely an ordinary person whose immense potential had yet to be realized. No matter how good-tempered Hyuga Hikari was, she was still a Jonin. Her seniority and status were right there. When she reported to the clan head, why did this Branch Family genius need to sit beside them and "rule from behind the curtain"?

Did the clan head really value Ning Qi that highly?

The two walked side by side. Hyuga Hikari felt awkward no matter how she looked at it, so she simply asked, "Do you know why Clan Head Hiashi called you over?"

Because a new pair of Byakugan had arrived for me to collect... Ning Qi looked at her, that thought flashing through his mind.

"Maybe it's because of the recent string of missing clan members," Ning Qi casually made up an excuse.

Hyuga Hikari froze. She had not expected that answer, and the resentment rising within her vanished in an instant.

She had been away on missions for a long time and had only just returned, so she knew nothing of the recent tragedy that had struck the Branch Family. She hurriedly asked what had happened, and Ning Qi briefly explained:

"Someone is targeting the Hyuga clan in secret."

"Three bodies have been found in the village this month alone: Hyuga Tokuma, Hyuga Tsubaki, and Hyuga Tsuki. They were all members of the Hyuga Branch Family. Tokuma and Tsubaki were both part of the Hokage's Direct ANBU Unit, and neither had been on a mission when they died."

"But more clan members have gone missing than have had their bodies found. I have every reason to suspect that those missing Hyuga clansmen have already been killed; their bodies simply have not been found yet."

"Our enemy is extremely cruel and cunning. We don't know when he began targeting the Hyuga clan. Young Master Hikari, do you remember? Many years ago, the Hyuga clan also had a number of members disappear one after another. It was much like today, except not even the bodies were found back then..."

"After all these years, something like this has happened again. It has already drawn Lord Hokage's serious attention. Who knows when the investigation will produce results? Clan Head Hiashi may feel that we cannot simply sit and wait. We need to deal with this crisis ourselves."

Ning Qi put on a show of analyzing the situation.

"Even Tokuma..." Hyuga Hikari had never imagined the matter would be so troublesome. Though Hyuga Tokuma was a Branch Family member, he possessed a highly pure Byakugan and was the most talented member of the Branch Family's younger generation after Ning Qi. She had not expected even him to be killed.

"So the clan head wants us to join forces and find the mastermind?" Hyuga Hikari frowned tightly. She thought of the strange look Lord Hokage had given her when she returned from her mission. "Why didn't Lord Hokage tell me about any of this?"

Ning Qi said nothing, and Hyuga Hikari immediately understood.

All the victims listed above were members of the Hyuga Branch Family.

For some reason, Lord Hokage did not seem to trust her, a Main Family member, very much either.

But she had been away on a mission. She had a perfect alibi.

Could it be...

Lord Hokage only distrusted the Hyuga Main Family?

But...

Why?

Hyuga Hikari grew even more confused.

For a time, the air fell silent. The two entered the Hyuga clan head's residence through a side gate.

"This way." Ning Qi led the way ahead.

The clan head's residence covered an enormous area and was fully equipped. The lights along the road were dim and murky, not even as bright as the moonlight, yet they still struggled to cast their glow, as though trying to tear apart the despairing, illusory veil of moonlight.

A strange aura permeated the air. The instant Hyuga Hikari took a step, her body paused. Then it was as though she had entered another world and become another person. She suddenly could not remember what she had been pondering just moments ago.

She shook her head and decided not to think about it.

"You know this place better than I do, and I'm from the Main Family," Hyuga Hikari muttered.

"It's only because Young Master Hikari hasn't come back often enough." Ning Qi turned his head. His sharply contrasting face, shrouded in shadow, wore a bright smile.

Hyuga Hikari looked at the many newly planted flowers, grass, and trees lining both sides of the path, then nodded.

"I hadn't noticed before. I was gone for only three months, but this place has changed so much."

"The more trees they plant in the courtyard, the colder the atmosphere becomes."

Hyuga Hikari tactfully described the sinister atmosphere of the courtyard as cold and quiet. Ning Qi replied meaningfully, "Yes. Recently, Clan Head Hiashi has fallen in love with landscape art."

A nearby attendant on guard seemed to hear them speaking. She turned and greeted Hyuga Hikari, her left arm waving wildly as her expression remained indistinct.

"Young Master Hikari... is that you?"

"Run... run... everything is an illusion..."

"You... you... the one beside you... is... is a demon."

Hyuga Hikari heard every word of the greeting and returned it with a smile.

"It's been a long time, Moriya. You're still as beautiful as ever."

After they had passed the woman on guard for quite some time, Hyuga Hikari quietly complained to Ning Qi, "Moriya used to be the guard the Main Family assigned to me when I was little. We were very close, but after not seeing her for so long, I had no idea when she dyed her eyes black. It looks awful..."

She did not realize that anything was wrong. It was more like she had mistaken Hyuga Moriya's completely black eyes for some kind of colored contact lenses.

Ning Qi raised his eyelids slightly. With one hand behind his back, he pointed a finger at the woman. Moriya's terrified expression gradually returned to calm. She no longer struggled to chase after them and warn Young Master Hikari to beware the man beside her. Instead, she truly stood where she was like a loyal attendant, her expression vacant.

"Don't look back. It wouldn't be good if she found out we were talking about her behind her back," Hyuga Hikari reminded him. Ning Qi nodded, indicating that she understood manners better.

There were servants working in the woods not far away. Hyuga Hikari watched them chop waist-high tree stumps into pieces, then bury them in the soil to await germination. They worked with great enthusiasm, and she could not help sighing inwardly at the clan head's love for landscape art.

The two entered the East Wing side by side. As they walked, a figure ahead gradually became clear. Once Hyuga Hikari recognized her, she asked, "Natsu, what are you doing?"

The maid, Natsu Hyuga, was vigorously scrubbing blood-red stains from the floor outside the study. She did not turn around when she heard the question, merely replying softly, "Tokuma accidentally spilled paint on the floor. I'm cleaning it up."

"That boy Tokuma has always been careless." Hyuga Hikari nodded without thinking much of it. Pointing at the study, she asked, "I brought Ning Qi over. Is the clan head inside?"

"Tokuma accidentally spilled paint on the floor. I'm cleaning it up." That was what Ning Qi heard, but Hyuga Hikari, deeply trapped in the illusion, had clearly heard entirely different words.

"Oh, he's waiting for us in the main hall? Thanks, Natsu." Hyuga Hikari then pulled Ning Qi straight toward the main hall.

The door slid open. The main hall was dimly lit, with only a single candle swaying as it gave off light. Dull curtains hung from all four walls like tangled spiderwebs, waiting for the next prey to step into this long-prepared trap.

The man seated cross-legged in the seat of honor slowly raised his head. Candlelight fell across the left side of his face, dividing light and darkness sharply.

At that moment, Hyuga Hiashi's face was haggard, his body gaunt, and his eye sockets deeply sunken, as though he had not slept for days. His eyes were bloodshot, his robe covered in filth and mold, and his hands seemed to have been broken by something, hanging limply over the desk.

"Clan Head Hiashi, it has been a long time. You remain as impressive as ever." Hyuga Hikari seemed not to notice the bizarre surroundings at all. As soon as she sat down, she immediately offered flattery.

Hiashi glanced at Hyuga Hikari before looking at Ning Qi. His pale eyes first filled with grief, then revealed a profound hatred.

Creak.

Creak.

It was the sound of teeth grinding together.

"Yes, I successfully completed this infiltration mission and obtained the intelligence we wanted. This mission..." In the silent room, Hyuga Hikari seemed to have received praise from the clan head and eagerly began summarizing her report.

Hiashi's gaze shifted back to Hyuga Hikari. His expression became incomparably sorrowful. He opened his mouth, but in the end, he still spoke hoarsely.

"How many more people... do you have to kill... before you're satisfied?"

Her report was interrupted. Hyuga Hikari raised her head blankly, glanced at the clan head, then quickly lowered it again. She stammered, "No, I... I... I've already eaten ramen, so there's no need for us to dine together."

"That doesn't depend on me," Ning Qi replied calmly.

Once he gathered enough Byakugan Essence and raised his Byakugan purity to the final stage, he would naturally no longer have any interest in the Hyuga clan.

For now, however, Ning Qi was not strong enough to take on the Hyuga clan, much less all of Konoha, alone. Like Bai Qi of Qin in his previous life's history, who buried four hundred thousand surrendered Zhao soldiers alive, his ruthless methods were merely a helpless measure for self-preservation. After all, if even the slightest rumor of him hunting his own clansmen spread, he would no longer be able to remain in Konoha, and advancing his Byakugan would become a distant impossibility.

Yes, Ning Qi's slaughter of the Hyuga Main Family had begun long ago, not merely his attacks on the Branch Family. But compared to the low-status members of the Hyuga Branch Family, the consequences of Main Family members dying casually were far more serious. Obtaining their Byakugan Essence also required more careful methods.

As he had told Neji at the dinner table, the Hyuga clan was one of Konoha's foremost noble clans. With the Caged Bird Seal, that fatal debuff, branded on his forehead, Ning Qi had never had many paths of resistance available to him. Slowly eroding them through illusions and defeating them one by one was a method born of necessity.

Even now, even though Ning Qi had successfully controlled the entire clan head's residence, he was only halfway across the tightrope. If the truth were exposed and one of the Main Family elders activated the Caged Bird Seal, Ning Qi would instantly be plunged into utter ruin.

Shackles had pierced Hiashi's leg bones and shoulder blades, fixing him to his seat. Hiashi struggled to raise his arms, trying to brace himself against the desk and stand, but his broken wrists kept slipping away. Fragments of bone in his flesh scraped against the wood with a creaking sound.

After failing several times, Hiashi simply pressed his elbows against the desk and leaned forward, staring fixedly at Ning Qi. A muffled sound emerged from his throat, like the curse of a vicious ghost.

"You killed my wife..."

"You killed Tokuma. You killed Kamon..."

"You gouged out all their eyes..."

"You controlled Natsu Hyuga. You set up an illusion barrier around this residence..."

"You imprisoned me. You imprisoned all the elders... And now, you still want to kill Hikari..."

"You... you beast... You, just kill me!"

With a bang, Hiashi, who had just begun to rise, was slammed back against the desk by tightening shackles.

"Hey, the clan head asked whether you've eaten." Hyuga Hikari secretly tugged at Ning Qi's sleeve. The Hyuga Hiashi she saw while deeply trapped in the illusion was clearly vastly different from the one Ning Qi saw.

Ning Qi ignored Hyuga Hikari. He merely shook his head, refusing to bear crimes that did not belong to him.

"I haven't imprisoned all the elders. After all, you still haven't given me the list of some of them."

Those elders did not have fixed routines, and only Clan Head Hiashi knew where they went. But prying that intelligence from his mouth was far from easy.

"Dream on..." Hiashi spat blood. "Kill me!"

Hiashi's stubbornness did not surprise Ning Qi. He pursed his lips and brought up another matter.

"There have recently been disturbances within the Uchiha Clan. They may very well be preparing to rebel."

"To deal with the coming civil war, Lord Hokage is secretly recalling most of the ninja—including every member of the Hyuga clan. This is a perfect opportunity to take their eyes. I don't want to wait any longer."

"So, I hope Clan Head Hiashi can convene a clan meeting next week and organize all Hyuga clansmen to attend. Officially, it will be to discuss countermeasures for the increasingly frequent disappearances of Hyuga clan members. What do you think, Clan Head Hiashi?"

Hiashi had been imprisoned here for nearly a month and knew nothing of the outside world. His Byakugan could not see through the illusion barrier shrouding the entire clan head's residence, and everyone around him had fallen deep into Ning Qi's illusions. Hiashi's sole source of information was the Hyuga clan's traitor before him—Ning Qi. Yet every visit from the other party meant another member of the Hyuga Main Family was about to be poisoned.

"Will you only be satisfied once the Hyuga clan is exterminated?" The shackles clattered as Hiashi roared like a madman.

The Uchiha Clan preparing to rebel would inevitably consume all of Konoha's attention. Ning Qi planned to use the clan meeting to catch every surviving Hyuga clansman in one sweep at that time. In Hiashi's eyes, there was every chance he would succeed.

The moment that thought arose, Hiashi could no longer remain calm.

He had believed that Konoha's higher-ups would eventually discover the disaster befalling the Hyuga clan. But with the Uchiha Clan stirring up chaos, no one would care about the strange fact that the Hyuga clan head had recently withdrawn from public view. Once next week's clan meeting began, every clansman in attendance would be killed and have their eyes gouged out. Ning Qi would consume the entire Hyuga clan down to the last scrap. It was an outcome Hiashi could not accept.

Would the Hyuga clan's thousand-year legacy truly be destroyed by my own hands?

"Clan Head Hiashi, you jest. I'm still alive. How could the Hyuga clan be exterminated?" Ning Qi corrected softly.

Hiashi closed his eyes.

Perhaps extermination was not impossible to accept.

"What a... pity." He kept shaking his head.

"What is?" Ning Qi asked.

"Hizashi died too late," Hiashi said. In the past, he would have felt guilt and regret over the death of his younger brother, Hizashi. Now, he only felt that Hizashi's sins were unforgivable for plunging the entire Hyuga clan into the crisis of extinction.

Why hadn't he died sooner?

Ning Qi chuckled softly, understanding what Hiashi meant. He merely felt that Hizashi had died too late, allowing a scourge like Ning Qi to be born into the Hyuga clan.

He ignored it and casually steered the topic back.

"Then it's settled. The clan meeting will be held next week. You don't need to be so pessimistic. The amount of Byakugan I need is limited; I won't slaughter indiscriminately. Give me information on the remaining Hyuga elders, and I'll gouge out their Byakugan. In exchange, I'll spare Hinata, Neji, and the other younger generation. What do you think of this deal, Clan Head Hiashi?"

Hiashi remained silent for a long time before delivering a fair assessment.

"...You're worse than an animal."

"Even a vicious tiger does not eat its cubs... yet you won't even spare your own younger brother."

"In fact, although Neji is my younger brother, and although he hates the Caged Bird and the Main Family to the bone, he is an inheritor of the Will of Fire. He would never approve of what I'm doing now." Ning Qi spread his hands, his expression helpless.

"But what can I do? I'm his big brother."

"I still love him very much."

"I put him last on the list of Byakugan materials."