After finishing his words, Hiashi pulled out a long knife with a simple shape and graceful arc.
The blade was half an inch out of its sheath, and a cold light suddenly appeared. The blade was engraved with complex patterns of the sun wheel and the god of disaster.
This is exactly the sword that Hizashi Hyuga wore during his lifetime, Great Sun Calamity Cutter.
At this moment, it is held in the hands of Hiashi, which adds to the sense of solemnity.
But Hiashi did not swing the sword, but hung the scabbard back on his waist. Then, before Neji could fully recover from the series of impacts.
He took a step forward, opened his arms, and hugged this nephew, who had lost his father since childhood and had grown up with the Branch Family fate and pain, in his arms firmly and tightly.
This hug belongs to Hiashi and the "Hizashi" he is playing at this moment.
Generous and warm, but with an air of iron blood and deep guilt.
"The child... is Uncle. I'm sorry for your father and you."
Hiashi's voice sounded in Neji's ears. Under that cold and hard shell that was deliberately maintained, there was unconcealable love and sorrow.
Feel the strange yet familiar warmth of the embrace, and hear the completely different voice that seems to come from the depths of memory.
Neji's stiff body trembled slightly. Years of strength, depression, resentment and confusion were like a crack in a dam, and emotions surged violently.
But he bit his lip tightly and did not let the tears fall.
Hiashi patted his back gently, then loosened his embrace slightly, holding Neji's shoulders with both hands, looking directly into his pure Byakugan eyes that were exactly the same as his own and Hizashi's, word by word, like the most solemn oath and handover:
"After tonight, you are Hyuga Clan Heir."
"What?!"
Neji was shocked, almost thinking that he heard wrongly.
Heir? Heir of the Main Family? How is this possible?
"But, the two ladies..."
Neji subconsciously wanted to refute.
Hiashi's eyes were deep and decisive. He shook his head and his voice was unmistakable:
"Don't call them miss, just call them sister."
You are their elder brother.
Hinata and Hanabi should not marry people from the clan.
They should not be trapped in this decadent cage all their lives like those Ancestors who were forced to marry inward in order to continue the so-called 'pure' Main Family bloodline.
In the future of the Hyuga Clan, there is no need to use that twisted method to 'purify' the bloodline.
Doing that would be a disservice to them and their future.
The same goes for you, as long as you like Girl Uncle, I will support you in pursuing it."
He paused, looking at the shock and confusion in Neji's eyes, as well as a faint light that even he himself was not aware of, and continued, with a heavy tone of guilt:
"Uncle is incompetent, Uncle I'm sorry for your father, for failing to protect him, let alone prevent the tragedy from happening.
I'm also sorry for making you grow up with the Branch Family's Shackles and the pain of losing your father. You obviously have talents that are as good as anyone's, but you can only live in the shadow of 'fate'."
He raised his hand, as if he wanted to touch the real Caged Bird Seal mark on Neji's forehead that was filled with burning pain, but he stopped in mid-air, and finally just pressed heavily on Neji's shoulder.
"In the future..."
Hiashi's voice deepened, with a hint of gentleness that was almost pleading.
"Stop calling me Lord Head of the Family, listen."
He looked at Neji, as if he saw another figure through him:
"From now on... in private, please call me 'Uncle'."
This sentence was so light, but like a heavy hammer, it shattered the invisible high wall that stood between the Main Family and Branch Family, and also shattered something in Neji's heart that had been strong for more than ten years.
The night wind penetrated through the gap in the unclosed window and blew the black Golden Cloak and Neji's broken hair on Hiashi's body.
There was silence in the apartment, except for the slightly rapid breathing of the two people.
The shadow of revenge is gathering, and the fire of inheritance is also quietly ignited in an unexpected way at this moment and delivered to the most suitable hands.
"Uncle..."
Neji called out, but as if he was burned by the word, he subconsciously lowered his eyes, not daring to look into Hiashi's eyes.
The fingertips of his hands placed by his side were slightly curled, revealing the violent fluctuations in his heart.
"Well, Uncle is here."
After responding, Hiashi stretched out his hand, not a hug, but like a real elder, a guide who was about to lead the younger generation into danger, he patted Neji's shoulder vigorously and encouragingly.
The palms are warm and powerful, conveying a heavy sense of trust and trust through the clothes.
"Okay."
His voice regained its previous calmness, but the undertone of "Uncle" had already settled into it.
"Time is running out. Remember what you saw tonight. Remember who you are becoming. Now, follow me."
He finally checked the realistic "Caged Bird Seal" mark on his forehead, adjusted the devil's shoulder armor on his shoulders, and held the Great Sun Calamity Cutter knife handle at his waist.
When he turned to face the door again, the gentle "Uncle" disappeared instantly, and the cold and chilling aura of revenge enveloped his whole body again.
"The prelude to revenge has begun. If there is a chance in the future, Kumogakure will kill every one he sees, especially Raikage."
He whispered and walked out the door first, blending into the deeper night.
Whether it is a personal standpoint or a village standpoint, Fourth Raikage has done nothing wrong.
Correspondingly, there is nothing wrong with Hiashi wanting to kill Fourth Raikage.
The so-called right or wrong will change due to the change of stance. This is true between countries, and the same is true between people.
Neji stood there, looking at the tall and determined back, and the strength and warmth of that slap still seemed to remain on his shoulders.
He took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled it. All the confusion, struggle, and fragility in his eyes were bit by bit pushed into his heart, and were replaced by a gradually clear, almost overwhelming determination.
He took one last look at this simple but significant apartment room, then stepped forward and followed the black figure in front of him without hesitation.
Hiashi and Neji are like two swift shadows blending into the night, flying rapidly between the rooftops and lanes of Konoha, with a clear target - the core of Hyuga Clan Compound.
The wind whistled in the ears, and the black Golden Cloak on Hiashi's body rustled, and the evil ghost's head on the shoulder armor became even more ferocious as it moved at high speed.
Neji followed closely, and Byakugan was already turned on. The flow of Chakra and the building structure were extremely clear in the field of vision, but my mind was still agitated by the conversation in the apartment just now.
The two knew the layout of Uchiha Homeland very well, so they avoided the patrol route and took the shortest path straight into the Main Family area.
However, the closer you get to the core courtyard where several Elder and their direct descendants live, the unusual atmosphere in the air becomes stronger.
There was a deathly silence, so quiet that it made one's heart palpitate.
There was only the rustle of the Courtyard vegetation in the night wind and the sporadic chirping of insects in the distance, which made the silence even more eerie.
Hiashi and Neji landed on the wall of the residence of one of them, Elder.