Genjutsu

Ling's parents were known as the "Heroes of the Byakugan." As branch family ninja, they held great prestige within the Hyuga Clan.

When Yuan said in front of her, "Ling's parents failed to protect the main family ninja"...

Hyuga Ryo remained calm. She neither grew angry at the "slander" nor felt embarrassed at being "exposed."

"So that's why dealing with a Hyuga ninja like Ling feels so troublesome!"

"Those pure white eyes are clearly beautiful, yet they don't show any extra expression or subtle movement."

Yuan sighed.

"So, Yuan-kun. What does this have to do with you, an outsider to the Hyuga Clan? The research on the Caged Bird Curse Mark was a gift my teacher left me..."

"As a branch family ninja, what exactly does Ling intend to do with research materials on the Caged Bird Curse Mark?"

As the two of them sparred verbally, faint footsteps sounded outside the study, quickly growing more distant.

Tap, tap, tap.

The rhythm, like a drumbeat, struck against Hyuga Ryo's heart.

"Someone is eavesdropping on us!"

Before Uchiha Yuan could react, Hyuga Ryo had already vanished in a Body Flicker.

When she returned, the maid had been struck at her acupoints by the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist secret technique. Unable to resist at all, she was thrown heavily to the floor.

At that moment, Yuan saw clearly the hesitant killing intent in Hyuga Ryo's eyes as she faced the maid.

"She was sent by the clan head, wasn't she? That really does make things difficult for Ling."

Without hesitation, Uchiha Yuan pulled out a kunai and dealt with the maid, sealing the corpse into a scroll.

A faint scent of blood drifted through the air. Sunlight streamed through the latticed window, making the pool of blood appear a vivid scarlet.

The atmosphere in the study became oppressive.

Uchiha Yuan looked up. "Sure enough, Ling's parents did not protect the main family. But as fellow branch family ninja, it seems this maid had entirely different thoughts from Ling."

Panic, shock, regret, helplessness—countless thoughts and emotions tangled within Hyuga Ryo's chest.

The maid caring for her mother had been specially hired by the clan head. Even if no body was found and it was classified as a disappearance, Ling herself would not escape suspicion.

Not to mention Yuan, the murderer who had killed the maid.

From that moment on, Ling developed a strange illusion.

She and the Uchiha before her were grasshoppers tied to the same rope.

"Hah, I can only say, as expected of Yuan-kun. Ziyun and I merely inherited our teacher's philosophy of 'life comes first,' but Yuan-kun perfectly learned our teacher's ruthlessness and decisiveness."

"What do we do now? I won't betray Yuan-kun, but Yuan-kun must take responsibility for my personal safety."

Hyuga Ryo pressed her lips tightly together, her gaze deepening.

"I'll take responsibility. How about we escape the ninja clan and leave Hidden Leaf Village together?"

"Is Yuan-kun an idiot? The Caged Bird Curse Mark is engraved on my forehead. With a single thought from a main family ninja, I could die."

"Besides, there's my mother. If her daughter became a Rogue Ninja, she would be implicated..."

Snap!

Uchiha Yuan smiled and snapped his fingers.

The smell of blood, the pool of blood, and that suffocating oppressive atmosphere all vanished like smoke.

The illusion of the study remained tranquil. Hyuga Ryo and Uchiha Yuan were merely sitting across from each other, and through the window, she could see the maid combing her mother's pale hair.

Genjutsu? It feels exactly like the genjutsu used by the substitute teacher...

Yuan-kun, is this your secret?

Hyuga Ryo felt deeply frustrated. This feeling of being completely controlled by Yuan-kun was even more impossible to resist than the Caged Bird Curse Mark.

And when had Yuan-kun mastered Kurama Shion's Kekkai Genkai Genjutsu? Was this a secret belonging only to the two of them?!

"Ling. Don't be so surprised. Even if it was genjutsu, my words remain the same."

"I have always been willing to escape the ninja clan with you, to escape the prison that is Hidden Leaf Village. This rotten place, devoid of hope, was never worth clinging to."

"But before that, we must first deal with the Curse Marks on your forehead and your mother's."

"Also, we've been sitting here for quite a while. My mouth is so dry. Is there any tea?"

Hyuga Ryo's nose stung. She lowered her head in silence, rose, and left.

When she returned, the bamboo tea tray held cups of fragrant tea, white steam curling from them.

Uchiha Yuan said with a beaming smile,

"Ling, I know you probably hate me right now because I tricked you with that genjutsu."

"So, you didn't spit in the tea, did you? Though even if you did, it's fine. A young girl's saliva is quite sweet."

Veins bulged on Hyuga Ryo's forehead!

First, he had tricked her with genjutsu. Now he was teasing her with his words.

He had clearly just said he was willing to escape the ninja clan and Hidden Leaf Village with her, and help resolve the Caged Bird Curse Mark.

She really wanted to splash the scalding tea in her hands right into that bastard Yuan-kun's face!

Despite the fury in her heart, Hyuga Ryo's expression remained perfectly calm as she handed the burning-hot teacup to Uchiha Yuan.

"If Yuan-kun wants to add something, it's not too late."

Blowing away the tea leaves, Yuan took a small sip and said comfortably,

"Why go through the trouble of adding something to the tea? Please be more direct, Ling!"

The image of the blood at Yuan-kun's lips and that awful woman's lips last night suddenly flashed through Hyuga Ryo's mind, and her entire face flushed scarlet.

At that moment, she felt an unparalleled sense of defeat.

During their previous experiments, Yuan-kun had been the most meticulous one, never making a single error in the data.

And in their trials, he had always been the one among the three who emerged victorious in the end.

Now, even in an ordinary conversation with Yuan-kun, she was being led around by the nose.

Although Hyuga Ryo had been used to staring blankly at Uchiha Yuan's back since their days at the Ninja Academy...

It was only after that bastard Yuan-kun teased her with words and told her he would help resolve the Caged Bird Curse Mark...

That Hyuga Ryo truly felt that the bastard Yuan-kun understood her.

Even if his words were a deception like genjutsu, perhaps they were enough for her.

With a resentful huff, she tossed the scroll labeled "Preliminary Research on the Caged Bird Curse Mark" into Uchiha Yuan's arms.

As Yuan read through it, Hyuga Ryo held her teacup and said "casually,"

"Yuan-kun, perhaps you think my thoughts are laughable, but I also have reasons why I must undo the Caged Bird Curse Mark and leave the Hyuga Clan, even Hidden Leaf Village."

"Just as you said, my parents were not Heroes of the Byakugan. They did not fulfill their duty to protect the main family."

While distractedly reading the scroll, Uchiha Yuan's thoughts were drawn by Ling's calm narration to that perilous battlefield.

For a ninja clan, bloodline strength and accumulated history alone were not enough to gain true status within a ninja village.

Whether it was the Uchiha, Sarutobi, or Shimura...

A clan's contributions to the village—or, more accurately, its military achievements—were the key factors determining its standing.

The Hyuga Clan had the same need.

Thus, branch family ninja were sent to the battlefield to risk their lives.

Because of the clan's duty to ensure the Byakugan's inheritance, main family Hyuga ninja rarely set foot on the battlefield.

Moreover, given the small number of main family ninja and their limited strength, they simply could not have a decisive impact on the course of a war.

This was the lesson the Hyuga Clan had learned from previous wars.

But the Third Shinobi World War was completely different.

Hidden Leaf Village fought on separate fronts against all four great ninja villages. Once the war began, it quickly faced a shortage of ninja.

"My parents were elite branch family ninja who survived the battlefield. During the war against the Hidden Mist Village, they received a mission to take a main family ninja onto the battlefield."

At this point, Hyuga Ryo took a deep breath, lowered her head, and took a sip of tea.