chapter 74 part 1
Chapter 74: The Clan's Fate Welcomes a Turning Point
Hizashi was already 22 years old. In a few more years, he would also have his own children.
When a child turns three, they will have the Caged Bird Seal placed upon them. This is the fate of Branch House members. Children born to the Branch House will always remain in the Branch House, while among the descendants of the Main House, only one person per generation will be a Main House member; all others will become Branch House members.
Like many other Branch House members, Hizashi suppressed his anger and dissatisfaction towards the Caged Bird deep in his heart, showing no emotion, and strictly obeyed the arrangements from the Main House.
"Yes, Father, if the war continues, I will go to the Front Line to support my elder brother and replace him after some time."
After the Clan Meeting concluded, Hizashi respectfully knelt before his father. Only after his father had left did he slowly stand up.
Currently, the Hyuga Clan has two Main House members: one is his father, the Clan Head, and the other is his twin older brother, Hiashi.
Hizashi hadn't thought about the Caged Bird for a long time. Over the years, he would only question life late at night when everything was quiet; most of the time, he was busy with various affairs of the Village and the clan.
After all, Hiashi was destined to be the Hyuga Clan Head and would definitely take over after the Ninja World War. As a twin, Hizashi was a natural candidate for the Branch House Clan Head, and thus had to shoulder even more responsibility.
"Lord Hizashi, I have an urgent matter to discuss and need a moment of your time." Hyuga Iroha finally found an opportunity to meet with Hizashi.
Hizashi didn't think much of it and casually agreed, leading Iroha to his reception room.
A cup of hot tea was poured. Hizashi pushed it towards Iroha and said, "Congratulations, Iroha. The villagers are all talking about the victory in the Land of Hot Water Campaign; you've brought honor to the Hyuga Clan."
Hizashi greatly valued Iroha. This was a talent who emerged from the Branch House. If properly nurtured, he could probably reach the Jonin level, which was already High-End Combat Power for the Village and a crucial supporting force for the Hyuga Clan.
Iroha respectfully said, "You flatter me. I didn't actually do much; it was mainly Lord Tsukasa Kaede and his group who turned the tide."
"Tsukasa Kaede?"
Hizashi pondered, immediately understanding what Iroha wanted to convey, combining it with the Intel he already knew. However, he maintained a calm demeanor outwardly, saying, "The Land of Hot Water Campaign heavily damaged Iwagakure forces and severely wounded the Four-Tails Jinchuriki. Such results are crucial at any time. Kaedence you were involved, there's no need to be modest. The power of the Byakugan is needed by any unit."
Iroha hesitated, then whispered, "Actually, it was Lord Tsukasa Kaede who changed the course of the battle. Otherwise, the outcome would definitely not have been like this... most of us might have died."
"As far as I know, Kato Dan defeated the Four-Tails Jinchuriki and thwarted the enemy's plot."
"That's not it. I saw it with my own eyes. Lord Kato Dan was killed. It was Lord Tsukasa Kaede who retrieved Lord Kato Dan's Corpse..."
"..."
Hizashi's teacup, which he had lifted halfway, was placed back on the table.
The amount of information was simply too massive, catching Hizashi off guard.
"Kato Dan died? Tsukasa Kaede retrieved his Corpse? Then what exactly is the Village promoting now...?"
"He died and was then resurrected. Lord Tsukasa Kaede possesses a Resurrection Forbidden Jutsu. He extracted numerous organs from a Corpse, transplanted them into Lord Kato Dan, and then performed a Jutsu to revive Lord Kato Dan. I witnessed it personally."
Iroha's expression was solemn. Even after several days, recalling the scene still left him utterly captivated. It was a Forbidden Art that truly reversed life and death.
And Tsukasa Kaede was the one who could touch this Forbidden Domain.
As Iroha narrated, Hizashi's expression grew increasingly strange. He immediately activated his Byakugan on the spot, suspecting Iroha had fallen under an enemy's Genjutsu. After repeated questioning, he finally fell silent.
"Resurrection?"
If Kato Dan's body was truly damaged to that extent, he would certainly be completely dead.
"But..."
"Transplanting organs from a Corpse into another Corpse, then performing a Jutsu to revive it... I will confirm this and then carefully consider what you've told me."
Hizashi didn't explicitly state his position, but his heart had already begun to pound faster. What Iroha could imagine, he naturally also imagined. Once this matter was confirmed, the impact on the Hyuga Clan would undoubtedly be unprecedented!
"Corpse Manipulation Technique, reviving the dead, and even transplanting decaying organs from a Corpse..."
If all of this was true, what kind of monster was Tsukasa Kaede, this young man who had only risen to prominence in the past year or two?!
A genius? This went beyond the definition of genius. An existence treading the gray boundary, trampling over life and death—Hizashi had never encountered such a being, nor had he ever even heard of one! Immediately, Hizashi discreetly saw Iroha off, making it seem like he was merely listening to a Clan Member's report.
Two more hours passed. Hizashi summoned several other Clan Members to inquire about some information regarding the Village, then immediately left the Clan Compound, seemingly casually walking towards Konoha Hospital.
He turned a corner into a small alley.
"Byakugan!"
Hizashi had developed the Byakugan's power almost to its peak. In terms of long-range vision, it could linearly extend for fifteen kilometers, allowing him to remotely observe the scene within Konoha Hospital.
"Found it."
Hizashi saw Tsunade intermittently breaking and reforming Kato Dan's bones; he saw Tsukasa Kaede standing beside the two of them.