Deep within the Hyuga Main House shrine, the air was thick with the mingled scent of sandalwood incense and aged timber.
Candle flames flickered in bronze lamps, casting shifting light over the portraits of past Main House patriarchs on the walls. Every pair of eyes in those portraits—each one a pure Byakugan—seemed to come alive in the dim light, looking down from above at Hyuga Xiao, who knelt in the center of the shrine.
Xiao lowered his eyelids, his forehead touching the ground as he maintained the most proper kneeling posture for a Branch House member paying respects to the Main House.
His forehead pressed against the cold bluestone floor, and he could clearly feel its fine textures. The shrine was quiet, save for the occasional crackle of burning candles and the faint everyday bustle of Konoha in the distance—that sound seemed remote and unreal through the thick walls and barriers.
"Raise your head."
Hyuga Hiashi's voice came from ahead, steady and imposing, carrying an unquestionable command.
Xiao slowly straightened, but his gaze remained lowered, resting on Hiashi's feet clad in white tabi socks. This was the Branch House rule—without permission, they could not look directly into the eyes of the Main House.
"You have been quite active lately."
There was no emotion in Hiashi's voice, as though he were merely stating a fact.
Xiao's breathing rhythm did not change in the slightest, nor did his heartbeat stray from its steady pace. He had long since adjusted the flow of his chakra to its most inconspicuous state, deliberately suppressing the power coursing through his meridians and disguising it as the level of an ordinary Branch House Elite Ninja—stronger than a Chunin, but far from an Elite High Ninja.
"This subordinate has merely fulfilled his duties." Xiao's voice was respectful and