Heading to Kirigakure

After receiving the notice, Neji informed his Jonin team leader, Might Guy.

Since this was a family matter, Might Guy could only agree that family came first. He would lead Tenten and Rock Lee on their missions without him.

"Neji! Plenty of people in the shinobi world covet the Byakugan. Be careful if you run into enemies along the way," Tenten warned worriedly.

Neji looked at her calmly. "Tenten, don't worry. We're only visiting the Kaguya Clan, which has been on friendly terms with our Hyuga Clan for generations. Nothing will happen, and the Hyuga will send fully fledged Jonin along with us."

"Besides, I'm not weak either." There was not a trace of worry on Neji's face.

His assurances did nothing to ease Tenten's anxiety. She still looked worried. "Neji, I've heard Kirigakure is different from Konoha. They call it the Bloody Mist Village. Under the Fourth Mizukage's rule, they're extremely hostile toward ninja with kekkei genkai. You have to be careful when you get there."

Indeed, Kirigakure was still ruled by the Fourth Mizukage Karatachi Yagura, the perfect jinchuriki whom Obito Uchiha had controlled using his Mangekyō Sharingan.

Neji nodded. "I understand, Tenten."

Neji also knew he could not afford to be careless on this trip to Kirigakure. In all likelihood, Obito Uchiha was currently controlling the village.

Judging by when the Three-Tails was captured in the original story, the Fourth Mizukage Karatachi Yagura still had several years left to live.

Venturing deep into territory controlled by Obito Uchiha certainly called for extreme caution.

"Tenten, Neji's a genius. You don't need to worry about him!" Rock Lee, on the other hand, seemed completely confident in Neji.

"Lee!" Tenten shot Rock Lee an annoyed glare.

"Haha!" Might Guy laughed heartily as he watched his students banter.

Three days later, Clan Head Hyuga Hiashi stood before the Hyuga Clan's gates, seeing off the Hyuga delegation bound for Kirigakure to visit the Kaguya Clan.

This time, Neji had joined the Hyuga Clan's visiting party as a guard for Hyuga Keisuke, an elder of the Main Family.

Before they left, Hyuga Zizu looked at Neji sternly. "Neji, remember your duty as a member of the Branch Family."

"I understand, Lord Clan Head." Neji lowered his head in acknowledgment.

Though Neji gave a perfectly proper answer, deep down he was already celebrating. He was already considering how to arrange an "accident" for Hyuga Keisuke, this Main Family elder.

The Hyuga Clan's visiting party was not particularly large, but its lineup was impressive.

Three Branch Family Jonin each led a three-person squad. Hyuga Keisuke, who was in his forties, was also a registered Konoha Jonin. Nominally, he led a squad as well, consisting of Neji and two women from the Branch Family who attended to his daily needs.

All sixteen members of the party were capable ninja. Clearly, the Hyuga Clan placed great importance on Elder Hyuga Keisuke. Of course, the main reason for such an impressive escort was to guard against anyone who coveted the Byakugan.

During the Third Shinobi World War, a member of the Hyuga Main Family had walked into an enemy trap and lost a Byakugan eye.

The Hyuga Clan had always regarded that incident as a disgrace. They had also tightened their protection of the Main Family because of it.

"Big Brother Neji, be careful on the road!" Hinata Hyuga mustered her courage and waved as she called out.

Though her voice was quiet, everyone present was a ninja with keen hearing.

Hearing his eldest daughter's words, Hyuga Hiashi shot her a fierce glare. How thoughtless! What was Neji Hyuga's status, and what was hers? How could she say something like that? Had she forgotten she was the heir to the Head Family?

Hyuga Keisuke, standing among the party, was displeased as well. The Head Family's eldest daughter was truly out of line. Calling a Branch Family member her big brother—she had no sense of their respective stations.

With a mildly irritated snort, Hyuga Keisuke turned around. "Move out!"

The Branch Family guards nearby looked at Hinata and Neji with strange expressions, not daring to show their amusement at the pair's predicament.

Neji gave Hinata a rather speechless look, then simply nodded before turning to follow the others.

Feeling her father's furious gaze, Hinata involuntarily trembled and began fiddling with the hem of her clothes. Only then did she realize that she seemed to have done something she should not have.

The Hyuga Clan's party left Konoha without encountering any obstacles.

Their departure had been delayed until now because reporting their plans to the Hokage's leadership had taken considerable time. They had originally been scheduled to leave much earlier, but the affair involving Root had forced the Hyuga Clan to participate in the investigation, substantially delaying their departure.

All sixteen were elite ninja of considerable ability, and they moved extremely fast. By sunset that same day, they had reached a dock in the Land of Fire and boarded a ship the Hyuga Clan had prepared in advance.

They encountered no unexpected incidents within the Land of Fire. This was not a party ordinary people could hope to prey upon.

Four Jonin were more than most small ninja villages possessed, showing just how seriously the Hyuga Clan took protecting the Byakugan.

Traveling by ship could not compare with the speed of these elite ninja. The Hyuga Clan had hired an old steamship rather than an ironclad, so naturally, it could not go very fast.

Although the ship looked somewhat antiquated, its interior was lavishly decorated. The wealthy Hyuga Clan never skimped on their own comfort.

Of course, members of the Branch Family did not get to enjoy such luxuries. Only Hyuga Keisuke and his two young, pretty maids moved into the finest cabin.

Neji and the other guards could forget about that. Their accommodations were merely ordinary cabins.

Traveling by ship was not a pleasant experience, at least in Neji's opinion. Whenever they encountered rough seas, he sometimes wondered whether the ship would break apart amid the wind and waves.

Fortunately, despite a few scares, they made it safely. After carrying them across the sea for nearly a week, the ship entered a port in the Land of Water.

As soon as Neji stepped out of the cabin and onto the deck, he saw people calling out.

Only after listening closely did he make out their words. "Everyone from the Hyuga Clan, over here!"

Eight people dressed somewhat similarly to the Hyuga Clan stood on the dock, waving and calling to Hyuga Keisuke's party aboard the ship.

It was obvious that the Kaguya Clan had sent them to meet the visitors.

Hyuga Keisuke smiled as he looked at the welcoming party on the dock.

Judging by the size of the welcoming party, the Kaguya Clan took the Hyuga Clan's visit quite seriously.

He had already spotted two Kaguya Clan Jonin, Kaguya Yoshiyuki and Kaguya Takao. Their presence alone demonstrated the importance the Kaguya Clan placed on this visit.

He knew that, with the Kaguya Clan currently being suppressed by the Mizukage, sending two Jonin to lead the welcoming party was already a considerable show of sincerity.