Not, But It Could Be...

"Brother, this kid wet the bed last night."

The moment Neji got out of bed, he loudly tattled to Ning Qi.

The culprit, Hyuga Hanabi, hid behind the door, sniffling quietly.

After being carried from the Main Family estate to this little attic, perhaps because the brothers possessed Byakugan obviously similar to hers, or perhaps due to the lingering effects of the This-Realm Naraku Technique, Hanabi showed no fear or crying. Only when Neji pointed at her did she purse her lips and look at them pitifully.

Ning Qi was preparing breakfast. When he looked up and caught sight of the large wet patch on Neji's clothes, he clicked his tongue and said disdainfully,

"Go change your clothes. Wash up before talking to me."

By the time the three of them sat around the table for breakfast, several articles of clothing and a bedsheet had been hung out on the balcony.

"Brother, whose kid is she? How long is she staying with us?" Neji asked as he gnawed on an ear of corn. Since his father Hizashi's death, this was the first time an outsider had lived in their home, and he found it rather uncomfortable.

"You don't need to worry about that. Hanabi won't be staying here long. As her fellow clansman and older brother, take better care of her while she's here." Ning Qi glanced at Hanabi beside him, who was quietly holding her cup and taking small sips of milk, then spoke casually.

Taking Hanabi away was merely meant to frighten that stubborn old fossil Hiashi into handing over information. The little girl was only two this year, and her Byakugan had only just awakened. The Byakugan Essence she could provide was extremely limited.

"Hanabi? The Main Family's second young lady?" Neji's expression immediately darkened. He had seen the sisters Hinata and Hanabi during previous Hyuga clan festivals. He would not take his father's affairs out on innocent people, but he certainly would not be friendly toward her either.

Ning Qi ignored him and simply stuffed a bun into Hanabi's mouth.

The little girl had no idea that the man before her was the one who had killed her mother and imprisoned her father. She was very obedient, eating until her mouth was greasy. When Ning Qi brought over a tissue to wipe her mouth, she softly said thank you.

Watching their movements, Neji suddenly seemed to understand something. He suppressed his anger as he said,

"So you're going to be her bodyguard now?"

The clan would assign powerful Branch Family members as guards for high-status Main Family members. This was the concrete embodiment of the Branch Family serving as the Main Family's "spear and shield." What Neji found especially unbelievable was that even someone as strong as Ning Qi could not defy the clan's orders.

For a moment, Neji's dissatisfaction with the Hyuga Main Family swelled to its peak.

Hanabi clutched Ning Qi's sleeve, lowered her head in fear, and secretly watched the enraged Neji across the table from the corner of her eye, unable to understand what was happening.

Ning Qi raised an eyebrow.

"Have you lost your mind?"

"I'm supposed to be a bodyguard in my own home?"

Oh... that made sense.

Neji immediately realized that he had been overly concerned and had let it cloud his judgment.

His brother Ning Qi occupied an especially important place in his heart. Ning Qi's prospects in the ANBU were bright, and he was expected to become a Jonin this year. His promotion speed was only one year slower than Kakashi's, the fastest. If he were transferred by the clan to become Hanabi's personal guard at this point, ruining his future, Neji would never be able to accept it.

"Where are you going?" Neji could not help asking as he watched Ning Qi rise after finishing breakfast.

"What's gotten into you? You were never this fussy before." Ning Qi looked at Neji in surprise. Who was the older brother here? Did he need to report where he was going?

"Oh." Neji looked somewhat dejected. He had to attend the Ninja Academy today, but he still did not know how to face the aggressive Hyuga Ling, which left him rather irritated. He casually asked, "Then what about this kid? Are we leaving her home alone, or sending her back to the Main Family?"

"I... I don't want to go back..." Hanabi hurriedly said.

Neji ignored her, but Ning Qi paused for a moment before suddenly turning around. He rubbed Hanabi's head with interest and asked,

"Why don't you want to go back?"

"Dad is sick, and Sister is too... Mom... Mom fell asleep. She's been asleep for so many days... Sister Xia, Sister Senma, lots of them are sick. At night, they planted lots of trees in the courtyard... I... I'm scared they'll plant me in the ground as a tree too..." Hanabi spoke haltingly.

Neji frowned upon hearing that. She did not want to return because she was afraid they would plant her in the ground as a tree?

What kind of strange idea was that?

Ning Qi's fingertips brushed over Hanabi's brows as he stared into the girl's constantly flickering eyes, which darted about in shyness.

They were a pair of Byakugan with exceptionally high purity.

"You're very talented," Ning Qi praised.

But talent alone was clearly insufficient to make Hanabi reject what had happened in the clan head's residence... Was it because she was still so young?

Ning Qi considered another possible flaw in the genjutsu he had developed. Because children were too young and possessed limited logical reasoning abilities, were they instead less likely to be misled by the seemingly natural reality altered by the This-Realm Naraku Technique?

How likely was that possibility?

As Ning Qi pondered this, he recalled Hyuga Senma, who had suddenly "woken up" after seeing Hyuga Hikari last night, as well as Hyuga Hinata, who had remained nowhere to be seen. He suddenly came back to his senses.

Some little mice were about to escape the net he had woven...

While thinking about this, Ning Qi dressed himself and prepared to leave. When he turned his head, he saw Neji looking at him with great worry.

Ning Qi naturally knew exactly what Neji was afraid of. After thinking for a moment, he said,

"Don't go to school for the next few days. Take leave."

"Huh?" Neji's eyes suddenly widened.

Take leave?

Would that not give him time to figure out how to face Hyuga Ling, who kept bullying him?

The moment that thought arose, Neji felt ashamed. Hyuga Ling of the Main Family held a secret order that could control the Caged Bird Seal, and she weighed on him like a mountain, leaving him unable to breathe.

...Had he really become so afraid of her?

"Konoha's situation is unstable. Before the clan council next week, don't run around. Stay home and keep Hanabi company for a couple of days."

Ning Qi did not care what Neji was thinking. He merely spoke with meaningful implication.

"The Ninja Academy teachers will understand..."

"—After next week's Hyuga Clan Council is over."

Today was the day Ning Qi's injury leave ended and he returned to duty.

As the squad leader of a Root combat team, the first thing he needed to do was report to Danzo.

"Ning Qi, between you and Itachi Uchiha, Konoha's Twin Prodigies, who do you think is stronger?" In the dark hall, Danzo silently turned around. His calm voice stirred the candlelight and echoed through the hall.

It was a question that countless people had asked countless times.

Public records showed that Ning Qi and Itachi had been rivals since the Ninja Academy. Even after becoming Chunin, they remained evenly matched, each winning and losing in turn.

It was not until Itachi joined the ANBU and became Kakashi's subordinate, while Ning Qi joined Root and handled matters that could not see the light of day, that their clashes gradually became less frequent. They began contributing separately to Konoha's development.

As for in private...

"He's a little stronger." Ning Qi lowered his head and answered respectfully.

"Oh?" Danzo's expression seemed to contain a smile. "When I asked Itachi that question, he said you hid yourself more deeply."

"I'm curious. What exactly have you been hiding?"

"I don't know what Lord Danzo is referring to," Ning Qi replied.

"Were you behind the recent disappearances of Hyuga clan members?" Danzo asked bluntly.

"No." Ning Qi looked confused, as though finding the suspicion against him absurd. He shook his head in denial. "I'm also investigating the murderer of our clansmen."

"Is that so? Then you should take the initiative to avoid suspicion lately. Don't always be the first to appear around those Hyuga clan victims. It will lead many people to misunderstand." Danzo offered the advice casually.

In a report submitted by the ANBU, Ning Qi had been listed as a prime suspect in the disappearances of numerous Hyuga clan members. The report's author had presented abundant evidence and details to support it. Apart from having no clue about Ning Qi's motive, everything else in the report was extremely thorough—so thorough that it invited endless speculation.

Danzo did not care whether Ning Qi had truly killed several fellow Branch Family members. But the report had been delivered to the Third Hokage's desk, and after Sarutobi saw Ning Qi's name on it, he immediately tossed it to Danzo. The meaning was obvious:

Keep your subordinate under control.

Whether he did it or not.

Danzo understood very well that this was not aimed at Ning Qi, but at himself. Someone wanted to use the Hyuga clan's troubles at this moment to ease the conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha Clan. They had certainly put considerable thought into it...

"Yes." Ning Qi lowered his head even further.

"No matter what you intend to do, Ning Qi, now is not the time." Danzo glanced sideways at him, his voice calm yet impossible to question.

"The Uchiha Clan's rebellion is imminent. No one wants to see the Hyuga clan fall into chaos at the same time... You understand what I mean, don't you?"

The Uchiha Clan was plotting a coup, and this was currently Konoha's upper echelon's primary concern. Danzo and Sarutobi argued fiercely every day over how to resolve the Uchiha issue, while all sorts of moves were naturally being made in secret as well. That report accusing Ning Qi of being responsible for the disappearance of Hyuga Branch Family members was clearly the work of certain doves.

"This subordinate understands." Ning Qi bowed expressionlessly.

Of course he understood what Danzo meant. The current priority was not the Hyuga clan, but the Uchiha Clan.

Whether the killings and disappearances of Hyuga clan members had been done by Ning Qi or not, Danzo did not care. If something went wrong, it would be pinned on Ning Qi's head. He could deal with it himself.

"I heard the Hyuga clan is holding a clan council?" After finishing his warning, Danzo seemed to recall something and looked up.

Ning Qi nodded. The news had been delivered to every Hyuga clansman by carrier pigeon last night. Naturally, to prevent Konoha's upper echelon from becoming suspicious, Sarutobi, Danzo, and the others had also been informed.

"Yes."

"...Hiashi has truly been pushed into a corner," Danzo said with some emotion as he passed Ning Qi with his cane. "But Konoha's situation is not right at the moment. We really cannot gather enough manpower to help him."

Danzo wore a faint smile as he spoke. He was one of the key figures among Konoha's upper echelon advocating the destruction of the Uchiha Clan, and he had coveted the Sharingan for a long time. Naturally, he would not transfer Root members who were originally monitoring the Uchiha Clan to the Hyuga clan under such circumstances.

"This is your Hyuga clan's misfortune. You should put more thought into it yourself. If you can catch the culprit and prove your innocence, that would be best. If not, heh, it does not matter. After all... you are merely a Hyuga Branch Family member."

A trace of mockery curled Danzo's lips. Ning Qi's Branch Family status determined his ceiling. Just as no master would allow a slave to stand higher than himself, Ning Qi, constrained by the Caged Bird Seal, was destined to be nothing more than a chess piece for others to command.

The original purpose of the Hyuga Branch Family's Caged Bird Seal was to prevent the Byakugan Kekkei Genkai from being leaked. It artificially divided the Hyuga clan into the Main Family and the Branch Family, assigning them different responsibilities.

Among them, once a Branch Family member bearing the Caged Bird Seal died, the seal would destroy their Byakugan. Enemies could not obtain the Byakugan from Branch Family members, so they naturally had no interest in hunting them down. Anyone seeking the power of the Byakugan could only focus on members of the Hyuga Main Family.

The Caged Bird System did, in practice, protect some Hyuga Branch Family members from disaster. Yet on the other hand, it also turned the Hyuga Branch Family into dependents of the Main Family.

The so-called spear and shield were servants of the Main Family, whom they could exploit at will—Hyuga clan head's estate was filled with maids and guards from the Branch Family. Many Main Family young masters and young ladies were also assigned servants who could sacrifice their lives for the Main Family at critical moments.

It was a perfect system designed to safeguard the Hyuga clan's bloodline.

Of course, this system also had an inconspicuous limitation: the side bearing the Caged Bird Seal, as sacrifices for the clan's interests, would inevitably grow increasingly dissatisfied.

If the Hyuga clan had always remained strong masters and weak servants, that would have been one thing. But if the Main Family weakened, and a remarkable figure truly emerged from the Branch Family—such as Ning Qi before him—then it was easy to imagine that he would do anything rather than accept being controlled by the Caged Bird Seal.

In Danzo's view, if Ning Qi truly was responsible for the Hyuga clan members' disappearances and deaths, there could only be one motive: dissatisfaction with the Caged Bird Seal on his forehead. The missing Hyuga clansmen had likely merely been captured and taken somewhere secluded for experiments—Danzo was quite familiar with that, given his experience working with Orochimaru.

This was not an especially critical matter. In fact, if Ning Qi could truly break the Caged Bird Seal, it would be a good thing for Danzo instead.

Once the Caged Bird Seal no longer constrained them, every Hyuga Branch Family member would become his experimental subject. It would not just be the Sharingan. Danzo might be able to attempt seizing the power of the Byakugan as well...

"Leave." Danzo had lost interest in continuing the conversation. The Byakugan was certainly useful, but the current priority was not the Hyuga clan, but the Uchiha Clan. Whatever the truth behind the disappearance of the Hyuga Branch Family members, he did not care much.

But Ning Qi did not move.

Danzo noticed his hesitation and paused before asking,

"Is there something else?"

Ning Qi pressed his lips together and said,

"Takizawa Yamaaki, who was investigating the disappearance of Hyuga Tokuma and the others, is dead."

Hm?

Danzo was extremely surprised.

This time, he truly believed that the disappearance of the Hyuga Branch Family members had not been Ning Qi's doing.

This was too brazen!

Takizawa Yamaaki was not particularly strong. The Third Hokage had not sent him with any real expectation that he could uncover something. Yet even such a harmless choice had been killed by the mastermind behind it all...

What was this?

This was naked provocation!

"How did he die?" Danzo asked. In truth, fury filled his heart. The more incidents occurred within the Hyuga clan, the more conservative Sarutobi would become regarding how to deal with the Uchiha Clan.

If the Uchiha Clan was not exterminated, where would he find so many Sharingan?

Ning Qi let out a breath and explained first,

"He died from a blade wound. He was beheaded in a single strike."

"Do you know who did it?"

Noticing Danzo's ugly expression, Ning Qi felt that he might have entered a wrong line of thinking, so he softly reminded him,

"...It could have been the Uchiha Clan."