A Family Conversation

"Whew...!"

At the Hyuga Clan estate, Tenka returned home and spent quite some time calming the killing intent in his heart!

The Slaughter Sword Intent was still far too dangerous. Without sufficient mental fortitude, it was easy to lose oneself in it!

Ever since accepting this inheritance, aside from the first year, he had spent his time learning basic swordsmanship.

Starting from the second year, he encountered a man named Slaughter, and that man opened Purgatory for him!

He could enter it at most once a year, and the rest of his time had to be spent calming his killing intent!

The task Tenka had to complete the first time he entered was to kill everyone in a village while keeping himself alive!

After completing that, the next requirement was to slaughter an entire city.

Over all these years, Tenka had only completed those two tasks, though they had both taken place in simulated scenarios!

But those people had been too real, and those emotions had been too real as well. From time to time, Tenka still remembered every face he had killed!

By his estimation, the next task would most likely require him to massacre an entire country, and after that, destroy a whole world!

Fortunately, no matter how long he spent inside each time, only an instant passed in the outside world.

As long as Tenka did not die or complete the task, the scenario continued endlessly!

He failed time and again, tried again and again. Within those simulations, everything was practically no different from reality!

He had found friendship in there and suffered betrayal as well. His heart had gradually turned cold through those repeated slaughters.

Whenever he completed a task, Tenka saw that man named Slaughter again.

Slaughter arranged the tasks, and the inheritance had come from him as well. Tenka truly wondered whether someone like that really existed in this world.

Without a trace of emotion, possessing only slaughter, wherever he went, killing followed!

Honestly, if Slaughter had opened some sort of arena for him, where one person survived out of a hundred!

Or if he had placed him somewhere filled entirely with evil, Tenka would not have borne such a heavy psychological burden!

Compared to that, the Byakugan inheritance was far simpler. Tenka merely had to keep fighting every person who possessed the Byakugan!

Once he could defeat them, he could absorb their ocular power and choose two of their inherited skills!

"Knock, knock knock!"

"Tenka, it's me. Come out for a moment, will you?"

A knock sounded at the door, followed by Hizashi's voice from outside.

"Creak!"

"Father, what is it?"

"I wanted to talk to you!"

After saying that, Hizashi turned and walked toward the courtyard. Tenka followed after him.

"Tenka, I don't know what you've been through."

"But I think you need to properly adjust your state of mind!"

"We cannot choose extreme methods merely for the sake of power!"

"You are already very strong. My advice is that you should take some time to rest!"

"Hinata's class will graduate in the next couple of days. I planned to have you become their squad leader. What do you think?"

So that was it. Only then did Tenka understand that his father was worried about him!

Was he afraid Tenka would become a killing machine and wanted him to spend more time with those children, to retain some humanity?

It seemed the Slaughter inheritance had affected more than just him!

Then he would set it aside for now!

Tenka also felt that something had been off with him lately. He had become more and more bloodthirsty!

Since that was the case, he would first complete the Byakugan inheritance and leave the Slaughter Sword Intent alone for a few years!

Just as his father had said, the Byakugan inheritance alone was enough for him to use in the Shinobi World.

"Father, I understand!"

"Make the arrangements. I can serve as a Jonin squad leader!"

Looking into Hizashi's worried eyes, Tenka could not bring himself to refuse!

This man, this family, were the last softness in his heart!

Tenka did not want him to worry. If doing this could put him somewhat at ease, then so be it. What harm was there in it?

"Good!"

"Go back and rest!"

"I'll go speak with your uncle right away and discuss it with him!"

Hizashi was delighted. When he saw Hanabi earlier, he had been thinking about how to get Tenka to spend more time with children!

Then it suddenly occurred to him—wasn't Hinata's class graduating in the next few days?

He could simply have Tenka become their Jonin squad leader, while having him guide Hanabi at home!

That way, he would spend all day around those innocent children. Hopefully, they could temper some of his murderous nature!

However, Hizashi did not immediately voice this idea.

He was afraid Tenka would refuse. If he forced him into it, Hizashi feared it would only backfire!

Watching his father's excited departing figure, the corner of Tenka's mouth lifted ever so slightly!

"Father is very worried about you!"

"Over the years, I could tell that he blamed himself!"

"He might think that if it had not been for what happened back then, you would not have become this way!"

"He blames himself for not being strong enough and needing his son to bear all of that!"

"Since you left, I've never seen him this happy!"

Neji walked over to Tenka's side. Looking at Hizashi's departing back as well, he spoke to Tenka.

From the moment Hizashi knocked on Tenka's door, Neji had heard everything. He had been standing beside the living room door, listening to their conversation!

"As long as he's happy."

"How are your injuries?"

Tenka lowered his head and looked at Neji.

"It's nothing. Didn't you say they'd heal in two or three days?"

"Brother, just now, your eyes...?"

Unable to suppress his curiosity any longer, Neji asked Tenka!

"That was the evolved form of our clan's Byakugan. It's called the Tenseigan, an eye on the same level as the legendary Rinnegan!"

"Work hard. You, Hinata, and Hanabi all have a chance to awaken it!"

So the Byakugan really could evolve!

Neji's gaze burned with excitement. That invincible posture—his brother said he could attain it through hard work? But...

"Brother, you said Hinata also has a chance to evolve her eyes?"

It was not that Neji doubted it. Hinata's performance had simply been far too ordinary all this time!

He could believe it if it were Hanabi. At such a young age, she had already shown remarkable talent. But Hinata... could she really do it?

"She can!"

"Her chance is even greater than either of yours!"

"Her Byakugan bloodline is purer than yours and Hanabi's!"

"Then why has she always performed like that?"

"Your uncle ruined her through indulgence. Her personality is far too timid!"

"If I told you that she had never eaten her fill in all her life, would you believe me?"

"She is so timid that she does not even dare say anything when she hasn't eaten enough!"

"If she had been allowed to eat until she was full since childhood, even if her Gentle Fist was utterly terrible."

"With her immense chakra supporting her, she would not have ended up like this!"

Neji stood there in a daze. Hinata had never eaten her fill?

Was that true?

Neji remembered that she usually seemed to eat even more than he did!

And even then, she was not full?

But... since his brother said it, it had to be true!

"Brother, I need to hurry and tell Uncle!"

After saying that, Neji rushed toward Hinata's home!

"Watch your injuries!"

"I'm fine!"