Were the Uchiha All This Arrogant Now?!

Hyuga Clan Compound, Main Family residence.

"Kiyomo, where's your brother?"

The Hyuga Main Family elder looked at his grandson, who knelt timidly at the table, and demanded coldly.

"Grandfather, I don't know."

Hyūga Kiyomo trembled at the question and offered a quiet explanation, his face pale.

Because he belonged to the Branch Family, his grandfather treated him less kindly than his older brother.

He had long since grown used to it.

His fear came not from his grandfather's imposing presence, but from his brother accidentally killing someone a while ago.

Hyūga Seigen had warned him not to tell anyone.

"Call him to dinner!"

The Hyuga Main Family elder tapped the table with his chopsticks, and Hyūga Kiyomo immediately rose and hurried away in a panic.

A moment later, he arrived outside his brother's room.

"Brother, Grandfather called you to dinner."

The door opened. Hyūga Seigen looked rather unwell; clearly, that incident had affected him greatly.

"Mm."

Hyūga Kiyomo instinctively followed his brother, and the two returned to the table to eat.

"Seigen, what's been wrong these past two days?"

The Main Family elder's attitude toward his older grandson was noticeably better than toward the younger one, his smile warm and kindly.

Hyūga Seigen trembled at the question, a flicker of panic passing through his eyes.

"N-nothing, Grandfather. I've just been exhausted from practicing Rotation lately."

"Good."

The Main Family elder nodded in satisfaction, then looked at his younger grandson with a somewhat admonishing tone.

"You should learn from your brother."

"Yes."

Hyūga Kiyomo lowered his head, not daring to object.

His talent was actually greater than his brother's, but his Branch Family status kept him from daring to show it.

He deliberately held back during every sparring session.

Otherwise, Grandfather and his brother would certainly be unhappy...

Just then, the Hyuga clansman guarding the entrance came to report, "Elder, the Uchiha Konoha Military Police Force is at the compound entrance, asking for Young Master Seigen by name."

At those words, Hyūga Seigen stiffened, unable to conceal the panic on his face.

Hyūga Kiyomo lowered his head and fell silent. It seemed that incident had been discovered after all.

"The Uchiha Clan?"

The Main Family elder frowned. "What do they want with Seigen?"

As a rule, the Uchiha Clan and the Hyuga stayed out of each other's affairs. They should have had no reason to come looking for trouble.

Unless...

He looked at Hyūga Seigen's panicked expression, and his heart suddenly sank.

"Seigen, what exactly have you done?!"

Faced with his grandfather's rebuke, Hyuga Seigen dropped to his knees with a thud and explained, his face pale.

"Grandfather, I really didn't mean to..."

At this point, he dared not hide it any longer and recounted what had happened a while ago.

Miyamoto Nao was the Housekeeper Auntie Hyūga Seigen had hired. While cleaning, she had accidentally broken a vase his father had left behind.

It was the only thing his father had left behind when he died.

Blinded by anger, Hyūga Seigen had wanted to teach the careless housekeeper a lesson.

He had only meant to strike her in the back, but the woman had instinctively dodged out of fear.

By sheer mischance, the blow had landed on the back of her head.

Miyamoto Nao had died on the spot.

Aside from him and the dead Housekeeper Auntie, only his younger brother, Hyūga Kiyomo, had been there.

Both brothers had been stunned.

Hyūga Kiyomo had wanted to tell their grandfather, but Hyūga Seigen had coldly stopped him.

He was the one who had killed her. Grandfather absolutely could not be told!

After threatening Hyūga Kiyomo into keeping the secret, he had tied stones to the body under cover of darkness and sunk it in the river.

He had thought that would be the end of it.

Who could have expected the Uchiha Konoha Military Police Force to come looking for him by name so soon?

Most likely, the killing had been exposed.

Even if it hadn't, he had become a suspect.

"You fools!"

The Hyuga Main Family elder's face turned livid with anger at the account.

How had his extraordinarily gifted son produced these two pigheaded idiots?!

If only the two had told him what had happened immediately.

Would there have been so much trouble?

Now that the Uchiha Konoha Military Police Force was involved, things had become very troublesome.

Those red-eyed bastards were notoriously difficult to fool!

"Who's leading them?"

The Hyuga Main Family elder looked at the Hyuga guard who had come to report.

Though called a guard, he was more accurately a household servant, so there was no need to worry about this getting out.

"Elder, the leader appears to be Uchiha Clan... Jin."

At those words, the Main Family elder's already grim expression grew even grimmer.

Of all the people who could have come, it had to be that fellow!

Uchiha Jin's reputation had already spread throughout Konoha, and the story of his uncompromising execution of the Hokage's nephew was particularly well known.

A madman like that would not even show the Hokage any deference, let alone an elder of the Hyuga Main Family like him.

Moreover, that fellow's methods were exceedingly strange. Who knew how he had identified the killer?

Since he could ask for Seigen by name, he must have obtained some clues.

Things had become troublesome.

"You two stay home. I'll deal with you when I get back!"

The Main Family elder had no intention of taking the two to meet Uchiha Jin. He planned to take the household servant along first to find out what was happening.

Hyūga Seigen's legs trembled with fear.

Uchiha Jin.

That ruthless man had dared to kill even Lord Hokage's nephew. With him on Seigen's trail, Seigen was almost certainly finished!

He was still so young. He really didn't want to die!

No!

I have to find someone to take the blame.

Hyūga Seigen's gaze involuntarily fell on his younger brother beside him.

If all else fails, I'll hand him over.

After all, the Branch Family was born to serve the Main Family.

Noticing the ill intent in his brother's gaze, Hyūga Kiyomo unconsciously clenched the hands resting on his thighs.

This is so unfair!

Why was I born into the Branch Family? Why do I have to bow to the Main Family?

We're brothers, born of the same parents.

Father and Grandfather both favored my brother over me, a Branch Family member.

Even being better than him makes no difference...

At the entrance to the Hyuga Clan Compound.

Clan head Hyuga Hiashi and his younger brother, Hizashi Hyuga, looked at the six Uchiha Clan members before them in surprise.

"May I ask what brings you to the Hyuga?"

Hyuga Hiashi's gaze rested mainly on the youth at their head.

"Clan Head Hyuga."

Uchiha Jin took out an arrest warrant bearing Uchiha Fugaku's seal.

"Hyūga Seigen is implicated in a homicide. We need to take him back for questioning."

Hyuga Hiashi's brows immediately furrowed. "Could there be some misunderstanding?"

Hyuga Seigen was a member of the Main Family. As clan head, he naturally had to step forward to protect him.

The Hyuga had the strictest hierarchy and rules in Konoha.

And the Main Family stood at the very top!

Although the Hyuga Main Family had only one head, he was not its only member.

Hyūga Seigen's father belonged to the same generation as Hiashi and could be considered his cousin.

"We'll know whether there's a misunderstanding once we see him."

Uchiha Jin casually tossed the search warrant to Uchiha Xuan.

"Clan Head Hyuga, please don't obstruct us in carrying out the law. Have Hyūga Seigen come with us."

Hyuga Hiashi's expression darkened.

He had not expected the Uchiha Clan brat leading them to show him no deference at all.

Were the Uchiha Clan all this arrogant now?!