Chapter 187: Orochimaru on the Move!
The next morning when he woke up, Neji Hyūga heard that the previous night's Branch House clan meeting had failed to select a single faction to replace the Main House.
Seven or eight different factions had argued until their faces were flushed red.
During the process, some Branch House members who disagreed with their actions also imitated Neji, leaving the meeting midway.
After all, not every Branch House ninja coveted the Main House position.
This morning.
Neji Hyūga did not accompany Hinata Hyūga to the Academy; he was no longer needed as her "bodyguard." Arriving at the Ninja Academy alone, Neji vaguely sensed that some of the Academy students were staring at him with strange expressions.
He immediately realized that the events of the Hyūga clan from the night before had spread—Konoha probably knew the whole story.
Sure enough.
Whispers and debates drifted into Neji Hyūga's ears.
"I heard... he's the one who brought Ikeizumi Uchiha to the Hyūga clan, and then Ikeizumi Uchiha arrested all the members of the Hyūga Main House and locked them up in the Konoha Military Police prison."
Neji frowned. That person must have heard wrong, as there were still a few innocent people left in the Hyūga Main House.
"I remember his name is Neji Hyūga, right? He's a genius in the second year of the Academy. He's only in second year, but he can already fight a graduating sixth-year student to a standstill. He's pretty impressive."
"We should still keep our distance from him. He could bring Ikeizumi Uchiha to the Hyūga clan; who knows if he'll bring Ikeizumi Uchiha to our own ninja clan next?"
"Speaking of which, there's a girl named Hinata Hyūga in the first year of the Academy. I hear she's the Hyūga Main House Young Mistress. She hasn't been arrested by the Uchiha Military Police, has she?"
"Why don't you go ask that Neji Hyūga?"
"No way am I going to ask! Who knows if a person who would betray their own clan would stab us in the back later?"
"..."
Some of Konoha's troublesome civilians possessed these troublesome qualities even from childhood.
They were equally capable of isolating everyone with their backhanded comments.
Listening to the whispers, the expression on Neji Hyūga's face remained unchanged. In pursuit of [Absolute Justice], he could completely disregard whatever others said about him.
And he had already prepared himself mentally for this.
After all...
In his mind, Ikeizumi Uchiha-sama had once endured similar public isolation from the villagers. Compared to what he was experiencing, Ikeizumi-sama's ordeal was even worse. In that case, why should he care?
Unconsciously, Neji had begun to emulate Ikeizumi on an instinctive level.
"Hey! Neji Hyūga!!!"
A familiar shout came from a short distance away. When Neji turned his head, he saw Naruto Uzumaki, with half a stale rice ball dangling from his mouth, shouting vaguely, "Slow down! Wait for us!"
Trailing behind Naruto Uzumaki was Sasuke Uchiha, who was complaining, unable to bear the embarrassment of being associated with Naruto: "Dead-last, can't you swallow your rice ball before you talk?"
Neji suddenly noticed a girl with light blonde hair following the two of them.
"Neji Hyūga, let me introduce you."
Naruto gulped down the rice ball crudely, stepped aside, and revealed Ino Yamanaka behind him.
"Ino Yamanaka!"
Naruto grinned, revealing a flash of seaweed stuck between his teeth: "She's actually one of the followers of [Absolute Justice] too! She even started before Sasuke and me!"
...A piece of seaweed is stuck in his teeth.
Neji muttered internally.
Then, focusing his attention on Ino Yamanaka, he asked, "A Yamanaka clan member?"
"Mhm."
Ino nodded slightly. Her gaze subtly swept the surroundings. She then offered Neji a suggestion: "There's no need to care about the discussions among the people at the Academy. Their moral values have been polluted by the twisted shinobi world, leaving them distorted. If they don't change in the future, they will eventually sink into the abyss of sin and pay the price for it."
Neji couldn't shake the feeling that this girl, Ino Yamanaka, was more mature than either Naruto or Sasuke.
"I know."
He replied.
In the hallway of a certain Konoha inn, an ordinary-looking man disguised as a traveling merchant passed by Shizune without attracting attention.
His mind was intensely focused, and his muscles were taut, causing Shizune to glance at him curiously.
However, Shizune didn't find anything particularly strange about him, and since it was awkward to stare at a random passerby, she looked away and left with Tonton.
The man walked into his room and closed the door.
"Hah... I actually ran into Tsunade's apprentice." Slowly letting out a breath, a small white snake slithered out from his sleeve.
He hurriedly bowed his head and apologized to the white snake: "I beg for Orochimaru-sama's forgiveness. This subordinate was incompetent and nearly allowed Tsunade's apprentice to discover Orochimaru-sama's White Snake Clone."
"Hehe, it's fine. It wasn't discovered, was it?"
The small white snake spoke in a voice identical to Orochimaru's, with a hint of sinister raspiness.
The snake continued: "The Hyūga Main House has been almost completely wiped out by Ikeizumi Uchiha... Heh heh, this actually gives me the best opportunity to collect the Byakugan. Since the Main House members who haven't had the Caged Bird placed on them now lack Branch House guards."
The man was stunned: "Orochimaru-sama, are you suggesting I should break into the Konoha Military Police prison and hunt for the Hyūga Main House Byakugan there?"
The white snake gave him a cold glance: "Why hunt for the Byakugan in the prison? Aren't there a few pairs of Byakugan outside the Konoha Military Police prison, sitting on the table and 'ripe for the taking'?"
"There are still a few Main House ninja who haven't been arrested, aren't there? For instance... Hiashi Hyūga's two daughters."
Orochimaru wasn't just interested in the Sharingan.
He was equally interested in the Byakugan.
He always felt that the two different eyes might have some similarities. This kekkai genkai (bloodline limit) that had been passed down for over a thousand years might hide secrets he didn't know about. For the sake of the Immortality Jutsu, Orochimaru was willing to try and research anything.
In the past, he couldn't find any chance to acquire the Byakugan.
Because Main House Hyūga ninja rarely went to war, and they were usually accompanied by Branch House ninja acting as guards.
Those deluded, brainwashed Branch House Hyūga members were genuinely willing to sacrifice their lives to protect the Main House's Byakugan.
However.
Today, Orochimaru saw his chance!
The Branch House was no longer likely to protect the Main House members who had fallen from grace. Hiashi Hyūga's two ninja daughters definitely wouldn't have Branch House guards protecting them.
"You have a new mission," the small white snake said sinisterly: "Acquire the Byakugan of Hinata Hyūga and Hanabi Hyūga. Alive or dead, either is acceptable. The Byakugan is the key."
The spy, disguised as a merchant, immediately felt a chill run through his heart.
"Understood, Orochimaru-sama!"
......................
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