"…"
Seeing the black-robed figure appear and gently press a glowing orb into Hiashi's chest, Hyūga Hizashi's pupils contracted sharply.
Especially upon witnessing Hyūga Hiashi completely unable to resist, his body frozen in place, only the terror in his white eyes proving he was still conscious. The bizarre technique sent a chill down Hizashi's spine.
"Lord."
He respectfully lowered his head, paused for a moment, then licked his slightly dry lips and asked, "May I ask how you intend to deal with Hyūga Hiashi next?"
The black shadow present was naturally Hyūga Kumokawa, who had been lying in wait the entire time. The one outside was merely a Shadow Clone.
The plan had gone off without a hitch. Overwhelmed by a torrent of complex emotions, Hiashi had failed to notice him at all and was easily pierced through the heart.
"It seems you still can't bear to kill him?" Hyūga Kumokawa gave Hizashi a deep look.
"No, that's not it," Hizashi quickly shook his head and explained. "I'm not yet familiar with Hiashi's speech patterns and habits, so I'm worried my disguise might show cracks. If that ends up affecting your plan…"
Kumokawa paid no mind to whatever personal feelings the man might have. He slowly withdrew his hand from Hiashi's chest.
Ignoring Hizashi's uncertain gaze, he removed the bandage wrapped around Hiashi's forehead and handed it over, speaking calmly, "Take off your forehead protector and give it to him. Use the bandage to cover your Caged Bird Seal."
Only then did Hizashi notice the scar on Hiashi's forehead. Countless guesses flooded his mind, filling him with horror.
At the same time, the still-conscious Hyūga Hiashi gradually realized what Hizashi and the black-robed man behind him intended to do.
This bastard… he actually planned to have Hizashi replace him?!
Hiashi's pupils trembled. An icy dread nearly swallowed him whole.
Since when had this been in motion?
Who exactly was this person? Someone from Kumogakure? Or someone else entirely?
Had they even accounted for the Cloud ninja slashing his forehead with a kunai?!
If that Cloud shinobi hadn't cut his forehead, he wouldn't have needed to bandage the wound, and Hizashi wouldn't have been able to perfectly conceal the Caged Bird Seal on his own forehead…
The more Hiashi and Hizashi thought about it, the more terrified they became. Hizashi, however, felt mostly lingering fear mixed with relief—relief that he had chosen the right path when he decided to submit.
This was no mere scheme anymore.
They were being toyed with like marionettes on strings.
Everyone—including Kumogakure, Konoha's upper echelons, and the entire Hyūga clan—had been manipulated from the very start.
"Don't worry. He will only enter a state of suspended animation."
Once Hizashi had fastened Hiashi's forehead protector onto himself, Kumokawa answered in a flat tone, "His mind is still active and thinking, but his body is no longer under his control. He has become my 'puppet.'"
Hizashi, who had just finished covering his curse seal with the bandage, froze for a moment.
Then realization hit him, and a cold shiver ran through his heart.
Did that mean that if he ever lost his value, this lord could take direct control of Hiashi and replace him at any time?
"But… what about Kumogakure…" Hizashi hesitated.
"That's not something you need to concern yourself with," Kumokawa cut him off before he could finish. "You only need to play your role properly."
With that, he extended two fingers. Chakra surged within him as he used the Chakra Scalpel to neatly gouge out Hiashi's eyes.
Squelch.
Two bloodied Byakugan were removed. Kumokawa stored them away in his robes.
This brought his total to three Byakugan eyes—counting the one he had obtained earlier by tricking Orochimaru into killing that main house member.
However, the Caged Bird Seal destroyed the brain nerves connected to the Byakugan rather than the eyes themselves. When the seal was activated, the Byakugan would simply go blind; they did not vanish.
This was also why Hyūga Higo and the others were so confident that Kumogakure wouldn't notice anything unusual too soon.
To avoid exposing himself, Kumokawa took out a pair of blind branch house Byakugan he had kept from Orochimaru's old stock and implanted them into Hiashi.
Hizashi watched the entire process with his own eyes. His awe toward Kumokawa's methods deepened, but a trace of pity also appeared in his gaze when he looked at Hiashi.
The once proud head of the main house had now had his Byakugan forcibly taken, was about to be replaced by a branch member, and would ultimately become a puppet stripped of all freedom…
At the thought, a sickly flush of satisfaction actually appeared on Hizashi's face.
Elder brother… can you finally understand the despair and suffering we branch members have endured?
In reality, Hiashi was indeed experiencing it right now—that overwhelming despair, helplessness, regret, and agony of having his fate completely controlled by others.
Everything that had happened today had dealt a devastating blow to his mind. The Hyūga clan head was on the verge of breaking.
Especially after hearing he would remain in this state indefinitely, Hiashi was screaming "kill me" over and over inside his mind.
He would rather die at the hands of Kumogakure than become a powerless puppet.
But it was no longer up to him.
The moment he chose, as head of the main house, to abandon Hizashi, he had lost all right to regret.
Now Hizashi was simply returning the favor.
"Lord."
At that moment, Hyūga Hizashi suddenly knelt and pressed his forehead to the floor in a deep bow. His plain robes spread across the ground as he asked respectfully, "Forgive my presumption, but I have never asked for your honored name…"
Unlike the forced respect he once showed the main house due to the Caged Bird Seal, this bow came from genuine awe and reverence.
"My honored name?"
Hyūga Kumokawa lowered his gaze, looking down at the kneeling Hizashi. He spoke slowly, "It has been a long time since I last used my real name. That said, your Hyūga clan could also be considered my distant relatives."
Hizashi, who had kept his eyes lowered to the floor, was stunned. He had not expected this lord to have any connection to the Hyūga clan.
"My surname," Kumokawa said softly, "is Ōtsutsuki."
A strange stirring rose from the depths of his bloodline. Hizashi lowered his head even further, though his eyes flickered as he frantically searched his memory.
The Ōtsutsuki clan?
Was there such a shinobi clan in the world?
Could it be some hidden, reclusive group?
He didn't doubt Kumokawa's words in the slightest. He simply assumed his own knowledge was lacking and decided he would search the ancient records once this matter was over.
[Ding!]
[Your lie [Ōtsutsuki Kumoshi] has been judged as a [clever substitution]. Hyūga Hizashi's emotions have reached the level of [complete belief]. You have gained 1000 Realization Points.]
[Remaining Realization Points: 11,651]
Hearing the system notification in his mind, Hyūga Kumokawa subconsciously raised an eyebrow.
As expected of claiming the Ōtsutsuki surname.
Simply borrowing the name had earned him a full 1,000 points.
It seemed this lie still held significant value.
————
Click.
The door opened.
Hyūga Hizashi walked out with a numb expression, carrying Hyūga Hiashi's "corpse" in his arms.
He held a scroll in one hand, and Hiashi's body was covered with a white cloth.
Of course, to Hyūga Higo, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and the others, it looked like 'Hyūga Hiashi' was carrying 'Hyūga Hizashi's' corpse.
"Hiashi, have you already destroyed the Byakugan with the seal?" the cautious Hyūga Higo still asked.
Hizashi gently placed the "corpse" on the ground and kept his head lowered without answering. Higo simply assumed he was too overwhelmed by grief to respond.
He bent down, lifted the white cloth, and pried open the eyelids to check the dull, lifeless Byakugan. The tension finally eased from the old man's tight face. He turned and nodded to the main house elders behind him.
Seeing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
***
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