A brilliant, pale moon hung high outside the window, casting long shadows across Kei's bedroom. He lay in the dark, tossing and turning, utterly unable to sleep. A few short, clinical paragraphs from Orochimaru's experimental logs burned in his mind, keeping him awake long into the night.
He was consumed by a desperate, fiery yearning to channel chakra into his forehead immediately, to empirically confirm whether his transmigration had truly deactivated the Caged Bird Seal's lethal trigger.
However, his rigorous clinical discipline ultimately suffocated the reckless impulse. Although all physiological evidence strongly suggested the spiritual detonator was inert, proving the hypothesis required a live experiment.
He could not definitively guarantee that Orochimaru hadn't subtly tampered with the data. For his own absolute survival, Kei needed a disposable test subject. He needed to find another Branch member to test the peripheral chakra-probing limits first. Once he verified that brushing the outer edges of the seal merely caused localized pain and not spontaneous incineration, he could confidently proceed with diagnosing his own skull.
Exhausted by the endless loop of tactical calculations, Kei didn't know exactly when his consciousness finally slipped into a restless slumber.
It felt as though he had only closed his eyes for a few minutes before a violent, furious pounding on his front door jolted him awake.
The knocking was so aggressive and incessant that Kei had no choice but to drag himself out of bed. Pulling a robe over his shoulders, he navigated to the entryway and pulled the door open.
Before Kei could even offer a greeting, a harsh, sneering voice cut through the morning air. "Kei Hyuga. Great Elder Taihiro demands your presence immediately."
Kei's sensory web instantly mapped the visitor. The man's chakra was laced with poorly concealed hostility, arrogance, and a thick, ugly layer of jealousy.
Kei was mildly puzzled. He maintained a flawless, harmless civilian facade. He had never actively provoked anyone within the Branch House. Furthermore, due to his blindness, his fellow subjugated clansmen usually treated him with quiet sympathy.
Why was this particular messenger radiating such intense malice?
Sifting through the original owner's fragmented memories, Kei quickly matched a name to the chakra signature. "Ah. You are Saku Hyuga, are you not?"
"Hmph. Since you are fully aware of who I am, why are you dawdling? Follow me immediately," Saku ordered, his tone dripping with cold superiority.
Kei idly stroked the smooth iron pommel of his cane, entirely unfazed by Saku's abrasive attitude. Saku was a notorious figure within the compound. To be precise, he was actively despised by almost every single member of the Branch House.
In the realm of clinical psychology, there is a well-documented trauma response classified as Stockholm Syndrome.
It defines a paradoxical psychological phenomenon where hostages, or victims of systemic abuse, develop a profound, irrational emotional bond with their captors. To survive the crushing psychological pressure of their subjugation, the victim internalizes the abuser's worldview, developing intense feelings of dependence, loyalty, and a desperate desire to assist the very people tormenting them.
Saku Hyuga was a textbook, walking manifestation of this pathology.
As a child, Saku had been violently, repeatedly disciplined by the Main House via the Caged Bird Seal. Rather than harboring resentment, his psyche had completely fractured and submitted. He actively sought to become a direct servant to Great Elder Taihiro.
Before his servitude, Saku had been an unremarkable, mediocre shinobi. But the moment he secured a position polishing the boots of the Main House, a monstrous arrogance took root. To prove his loyalty to his masters, he enthusiastically turned around and began ruthlessly bullying, reporting, and oppressing his fellow Branch members.
Because Saku operated under the political shadow of Taihiro, the rest of the Branch House was forced to swallow his abuse in silence. Emboldened by their lack of resistance, Saku's reverence for the Main House grew increasingly fanatical, while his cruelty toward his own bloodline became even more brazen.
Dropping his customary, warm smile, Kei's expression turned to flat, unyielding stone. "Lead the way."
Saku scoffed, clearly displeased that the blind doctor wasn't cowering before him. As he turned and began walking briskly toward the Main compound, Saku couldn't suppress his petty grievances.
"I cannot fathom what Lord Taihiro possibly sees in a cripple like you," Saku spat over his shoulder. "To actually assign Haru to follow you around like a nursemaid... it is a gross misallocation of clan resources."
Kei's eyebrows rose beneath his bandages. "It seems you harbor an affection for Haru?"
"I am warning you right now," Saku hissed, stopping to glare back at the doctor. "Do not even think about laying a hand on her, or I will ensure you regret it!"
Sensing the pathetic, impotent jealousy radiating from the man, Kei let out a soft, mocking laugh. "I apologize for shattering your delusions, Saku, but Haru is my formally appointed clinical assistant. She will remain at my side for the foreseeable future."
"If you are so terribly distressed by my proximity to her," Kei tilted his head, his voice laced with surgical condescension, "I highly recommend you petition the Great Elder to assign me a replacement. However... I imagine a lowly servant like you lacks the political capital to make such a demand. You haven't forgotten your actual status in this clan, have you? Do you require me to remind you?"
For a 'class traitor' like Saku—a lapdog who happily wore his collar and gleefully tightened the leashes of his own kin—Kei possessed zero tolerance. There were three types of people Kei fundamentally despised: cowards, individuals who spoke in half-truths, and traitors who sold out their own blood.
"Damn you!" Saku's face flushed a violent, mottled red, his blood rushing to his head. "Do not think that just because Lord Taihiro currently finds you amusing, you have the right to provoke me! You are nothing but a blind, useless cripple! What is so great about you?!"
Kei shrugged effortlessly, his demeanor entirely unaffected by the outburst. "At the very least... you are currently required to fetch me and lead the way. Are you going to obey your master's orders, or not?"
Saku ground his teeth together so hard they creaked. He desperately wanted to strike the arrogant doctor, but he was terrified of Taihiro's wrath. Completely neutralized by his own subservience, Saku spun around and marched furiously down the path in absolute, seething silence.
Kei couldn't be bothered to waste another syllable on such a pathetic specimen.
Minutes later, they stepped into the familiar, opulent architecture of the Main House council hall.
The moment Saku crossed the threshold, his arrogant, bullying demeanor vanished as if it had never existed. He immediately dropped into a deep, groveling bow before Taihiro, perfectly embodying the role of a terrified, obedient servant.
Kei wasn't surprised. When a man spends his entire life kneeling, his spine eventually calcifies in that position. He forgets how to stand. The Hyuga Clan was infested with individuals like Saku, which was precisely why the Main House's tyranny had remained unchallenged for centuries. The elders rarely had to lift a finger to suppress dissent; the broken dogs eagerly leaped at the chance to police the pack for them.
"Great Elder," Kei announced, his warm, loyalist smile instantly returning to his face. "You summoned me?"
Taihiro looked down from his high-backed chair, his singular eye crinkling with grandfatherly affection. "Kei, my boy. You performed flawlessly yesterday. Utilizing a civilian pet to temporarily divert Neji's rebellious attention was a stroke of absolute genius."
"Great Elder, you flatter me," Kei bowed deeply, playing the role of the humble genius to perfection. "I merely executed my duty. Wherever the clan requires my intellect, I shall serve."
Taihiro beamed, immensely pleased with the absolute submission. He stood up and walked over, clapping a heavy hand onto Kei's shoulder. "If only this clan possessed more young men with your unyielding devotion, I could finally afford to relax."
"Please, Great Elder, do not speak of retiring," Kei countered smoothly. "You are in the prime of your wisdom. I eagerly look forward to serving under your guidance for many decades to come."
"Ah, you are far too modest," Taihiro laughed, waving off the praise before his expression shifted into businesslike pragmatism. "However, Kei... while your 'distraction' method is highly effective in the short term, I fear it is not a permanent solution. Given Neji's intelligence, he will eventually grow bored of the animal and realize he is being placated."
"Do you have a more comprehensive, long-term strategy in mind? We cannot simply buy the boy a new toy every time he glares at the Main House."
Kei raised a hand, slowly stroking his chin, feigning a state of deep, conflicted tactical analysis.
Taihiro did not rush him, waiting patiently for the psychologist to formulate a plan.
After five agonizing minutes of silence, Kei's face finally shifted into a mask of extreme, fearful hesitation. "There is... there actually is a significantly more effective, permanent methodology. It is just that..."
"Just what?" Taihiro pressed, his curiosity piqued. "If you possess a solution, speak it plainly."
Kei shook his head violently, taking a step back. "No, I cannot. We must forget I mentioned it. The methodology requires violating several strict clan protocols. I absolutely cannot speak of it."
"Nonsense," Taihiro commanded, taking the bait hook, line, and sinker. "The clan rules are not entirely inflexible when the survival of the hierarchy is at stake. You have my explicit permission. Speak."
Seeing that he had flawlessly maneuvered the Great Elder into a corner, Kei allowed a look of reluctant, helpless surrender to cross his face.
"Very well. I will outline the theoretical premise," Kei said slowly, his voice dropping to a cautious whisper. "But I beg you, please do not punish me if my clinical assessment offends you."
"You will not be punished. Just speak your mind," Taihiro promised, nodding firmly.
"It is quite simple, Great Elder," Kei began, locking his dead eyes onto the old man's face. "Neji's deeply rooted resentment toward this family is not fueled by boredom. It is anchored entirely to the events surrounding the death of his father, Hizashi."
"Therefore, if we truly wish to eradicate his treasonous thoughts and secure his absolute loyalty... we must address the trauma directly. We must force Neji to completely, permanently let go of his father's ghost. Only then will the cure be permanent."
Taihiro's expression instantly hardened, the warmth draining from his face. "Continue."