Filial Fathers and Daughters Are a Traditional Virtue

If I am gone, the Hyuga Clan will inevitably decline one day.

Though only fifty, the man's hair had already turned completely gray—Hyuga Hideto. Ever since the Hyuga Clan had merged into the Hidden Leaf Village, this was how he assessed his importance to the clan.

His graying hair was the finest proof of how he had exhausted himself for the sake of the clan.

Those his age had grown old in appearance as well, but none had aged so drastically.

Therefore, he was deeply dissatisfied with the current atmosphere within the clan.

The word "weakness" was simply a disgrace to the Hyuga.

Not only the adult clansmen, but the younger generation as well.

Less than a year after joining Konoha, these people had already begun to comfortably enjoy this almost numbing peace.

A ninja's life should not be like this.

Seeking power through slaughter and proving oneself in battle—that was what ninja were supposed to do.

Walking along the newly built roads of the clan grounds, Hideto could no longer see the industrious spirit the Hyuga Clan once possessed.

The purity and simplicity of the past were gone. The clansmen had begun constructing grand, luxurious houses, decorating the grounds with flashy but impractical things, and indulging in a stable life.

The children no longer held shuriken and kunai tainted with the scent of blood. Instead, they held wooden ninja tools and played corrupting ninja games.

The Hyuga sky has darkened...

Hideto's wolfish white eyes stared at the children chasing and playing in the open space. He saw nothing worth being happy about. He only found this new generation unbearably noisy.

The Hyuga's future can only be saved by me... No, it must be saved by me!

Hyuga Hideto made up his mind.

His standing within the clan had begun to fall again and again. The subordinates who had once obeyed his every word had, for some reason, drifted away from him one by one.

Only a few trusted followers still worked for him, though lately, even they seemed to have developed other thoughts.

He could not understand why the subordinates who had once been so passionate about battle and slaughter had become corrupted and fallen away from him in such a short time.

Hideto arrived at the heart of the clan grounds, where a six-story building stood—a luxurious structure that would never have appeared in a clan district in the past.

This was the gathering place of the Hyuga Clan's Radical Faction.

But... in Hideto's eyes, even the clan's Radical Faction was incomparably weak.

He made his way to the meeting room on the fourth floor. It was a relatively traditional Japanese-style quiet room, with cushions placed on the floor and quite a few people already seated upon them.

These were all members of the Hyuga Clan's Radical Faction, and every one of them was a Jonin-level ninja.

"Hideto, you're here. Find a place and sit."

An elderly man slightly older than Hideto, dressed in loose gray casual clothes, greeted him with a smile and invited him to sit anywhere.

Hideto frowned, displeasure appearing on his face, because the cushions at the front were already occupied.

By rights, should someone of his caliber not have been given a seat near the front?

But considering that he still needed to win these people over, he merely nodded coldly and found a cushion fairly near the front to sit on.

"Unlike those people from the Conservative Faction, our faction's plans for Konoha's future actions need some adjustments. We must prove to the Conservatives that only our strategies can allow the Hyuga to thrive in Konoha."

After nearly a year of integration, most of the Hyuga's elders with real authority had accepted a village like Konoha. Some had even begun taking the initiative to design new clan grounds within Konoha.

Because they had truly experienced the convenience and advancement of a ninja village.

The clans had set aside their struggles and begun competing and cooperating in another manner. Not only had the Hyuga's influence not suffered any losses, it had become more stable and prosperous than before.

It was not only the Hyuga. Even the immensely proud Uchiha Clan had similar intentions.

There was even less need to mention the other ninja clans. They gathered around the Senju Clan and offered all kinds of suggestions, allowing this village to advance at an astonishing pace.

More importantly, Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage leading the village, possessed strength and tolerance worthy of anyone's allegiance.

Based on this stable environment, the Hyuga had also split into radicals and conservatives. But overall, they centered themselves around the village, seeking to raise the Hyuga Clan's status and strength to greater heights.

Following that elder's words, the other radical elders also began discussing matters all at once.

The radical elders present included both main family members and branch family members. Their eyes were filled with confidence in the future of the Hidden Leaf Village.

Only Hideto sat to one side with a stern face, utterly out of place among everyone around him.

"I think rather than that, we should consider solidifying the Hyuga's position here. Recently, the clan's attitude in its cooperation with the other ninja clans has been somewhat too weak."

As soon as Hideto said this, the quiet room suddenly fell silent, and everyone turned to look at him.

Hideto was not flustered. His tone was filled with the coldness and toughness of a battle hardliner.

"Isn't that so? The Uchiha Clan is one thing, but why should clans like the Sarutobi Clan and the Yamanaka Clan, which do not even possess a Kekkei Genkai, receive the same resources as our Hyuga Clan? Don't you think this is a tremendous humiliation to the Hyuga?"

"..."

Everyone exchanged looks.

Humiliation? It did not really seem that way.

After Konoha was founded, the Sarutobi Clan had been among the first to answer the call, bringing ninja clans such as the Yamanaka Clan and Akimichi Clan with them.

Other than the Senju Clan and Uchiha Clan, the ninja clan alliance led by the Sarutobi Clan had undoubtedly made countless contributions to the founding of Konoha.

For the Hyuga Clan to receive equal treatment despite joining later, Lord Hokage already valued the Hyuga highly enough.

"Hideto, you..."

Just then, there came a knock on the door.

"Come in."

Before the other elders could speak, Hideto spoke first.

A male Hyuga clansman in his twenties pushed the door open and entered.

The radical elders recognized him. He was a Jonin from the clan and one of Hideto's trusted followers.

"Lord Hideto, this is Lady Kicho's reply."

The young Jonin walked over respectfully and handed Hideto a letter.

"Mm. You did well. You may leave."

Hideto waved a hand, indicating that he could leave.

"Is that a letter from Kicho?"

One elder could not help growing curious.

He knew of Kicho, once the Hyuga Clan's genius girl and now the principal wife of the Land of Night's general.

Moreover, not long ago, Kicho had given birth to a son for that general. The Hyuga Clan had specially selected a generous gift in the clan's name and sent it to maintain friendly ties.

With a powerful external ally like the Land of Night, even if they did nothing, the Hyuga Clan could steadily enjoy enormous benefits for a long time.

"Mm, she is my proudest daughter. Once she sees my letter, I believe she will use the Land of Night's power to take our Radical Faction a step further. With her abilities, perhaps that general has already become her captive."

A rare trace of a smile appeared on Hideto's stern face.

He had deliberately chosen this moment to attend the meeting because he had calculated that Kicho's reply would reach him around this time.

He needed to secure the leadership of the Radical Faction here.

He also needed to tell the others that even though his authority had weakened, he was not without options... Outside the clan, he still had a powerful force supporting him.

Upon hearing this, several elders revealed faint contempt in their eyes, followed by apprehension and concern.

Unlike them, Hideto, this so-called radical, was more like an extremist wearing the skin of the Radical Faction.

If he gained the support of the Land of Night, would that truly be a good thing for the Hyuga Clan?

Would it create an uncontrollable conflict between the clan and the village?

After all, they had watched Kicho obey Hideto's every word for years.

Under the gazes of those who were either uneasy or displeased, Hideto calmly opened the letter.

He believed that this time, his daughter Kicho would surely understand her father's intentions.

Perhaps the meaning in his previous letters had been too obscure, causing her not to understand. That was why her replies had always been irrelevant, never getting to the point.

This time was different. Although this letter's contents were also subtle, the meaning he conveyed was fairly clear.

After opening the letter, Hideto turned the paper over, his eyes brimming with anticipation as he read every word upon it.

The contents were simple, only a single sentence—

—Don't write to me anymore. I'm afraid my husband will misunderstand.

"Pfft!"

Hideto's vision went dark. He spat out a mouthful of blood and toppled straight to the side.

"Hideto!"

"Elder Hideto!"

Everyone was startled by the scene and hurried over in a panic to check on him.

One elder took the letter and, upon seeing the elegant handwriting on the back, could not help bursting into laughter.

The other elders gathered around curiously as well. When they saw that sentence, they all burst out laughing.

Even those who did not laugh aloud had their shoulders trembling as they struggled to suppress the wild upward curl of their lips.

"Kicho... is a good child."

"Hideto still doesn't understand. A married daughter is like water that has been spilled. His little padded jacket has sprung a leak."

"With this, Hideto can retire early and enjoy his old age. How enviable."

"If you envy him, why don't you retire and enjoy your old age? You're nearly sixty, aren't you?"

"Only nearly sixty? This is precisely the age when this old man should be striving with burning passion!"

Amid a burst of cheerful laughter, the meeting came to an end just like that.

As for Hideto, who had fainted, the elders immediately summoned medical ninja to treat him.