As his voice fell, Hiashi drew a long sword with an ancient design and a beautifully curved blade.
The blade emerged half an inch from its scabbard, a cold light flashing, with intricate patterns of the Sun Wheel and Magatsugami engraved on the tsuba.
This was the very blade Hyuga Hizashi had carried in life, the dainichi gatsukiri.
Held in Hiashi's hand now, it added an even greater sense of solemn killing intent.
But Hiashi did not swing the blade; instead, he hung the scabbard back at his waist. Then, before Neji could fully recover from this series of shocks,
He took a step forward, opened his arms, and pulled his nephew—who had lost his father at a young age and grown up carrying the fate and pain of the Branch House—into a tight, forceful embrace.
This embrace belonged to Hiashi, but it also belonged to the "Hizashi" he was portraying at this moment.
It was broad and warm, yet carried an aura of iron and blood along with deep remorse.
"Child... your Uncle is sorry to your father and to you."
Hiashi's voice rang in Neji's ear. Beneath that deliberately maintained cold and hard shell was an unmaskable tenderness and sorrow.
Feeling that unfamiliar yet familiar warmth of the embrace, and hearing that voice that seemed to come from the depths of memory yet was distinctly different,
Neji's stiff body began to tremble slightly. Years of strength, suppression, resentment, and confusion were like a dam with a crack chiseled into it; his emotions surged violently.
But he bit his lip hard, not allowing the tears to fall.
Hiashi gently patted his back, then loosened the embrace slightly. Holding Neji's shoulders with both hands, he looked directly into those pure white eyes that were identical to his own and Hizashi's, speaking word by word like the most solemn oath and handover:
"After tonight, you are the heir of the Hyuga Clan."
"What?!"
Neji was jolted, almost thinking he had misheard.
Heir? The heir of the Main House? How could this be possible?
"But, the two young ladies..."
Neji instinctively wanted to object.
Hiashi's gaze was deep and resolute. He shook his head, his voice brooks no argument:
"Do not call them 'young ladies' anymore; call them your sisters.
You were their Elder brother to begin with.
Hinata and Hanabi should not have to marry within the clan.
They should not be like those ancestors in history who were forced to marry within the clan to continue the so-called 'pure' Main House bloodline, trapped in this decaying cage for their entire lives.
The future of the Hyuga Clan no longer needs to 'purify' its bloodline in such a twisted way.
Doing that would be unfair to them and unfair to their futures.
The same goes for you; your Uncle will support you in pursuing any girl you like."
He paused, looking at the shock, confusion, and a faint light that even Neji himself hadn't noticed swirling in his eyes, and continued with a tone of heavy guilt:
"Your Uncle was incompetent. I failed your father, failed to protect him, and even more so, failed to prevent that tragedy from happening.
I also failed you, letting you grow up burdened by the shackles of the Branch House and the pain of losing your father. You clearly have talent that is second to none, yet you were forced to live under the shadow of 'destiny'."
He raised his hand, seemingly wanting to touch the real Caged Bird Seal on Neji's forehead that carried a burning past, but stopped in mid-air, finally just pressing down heavily on Neji's shoulder.
"In the future..."
Hiashi's voice lowered, carrying a gentle tone that was almost pleading.
"Do not call me Clan Head anymore; it sounds too distant."
He looked at Neji, as if seeing another figure through him:
"In the future... in private, call me 'Uncle'."
These words were light, yet they were like a heavy hammer, smashing the invisible high wall that stood between the Main House and the Branch House, and also shattering certain things that had been solidified in Neji's heart for over a decade.
The night wind drifted in through the gap of a window that wasn't fully closed, stirring the black greatcloak on Hiashi and the stray hairs on Neji's forehead.
The apartment was silent, with only the slightly rapid breathing of the two men.
The shadows of revenge were coalescing, while the spark of inheritance was also quietly ignited at this moment in an unexpected way, handed over to the most suitable person.
"Uncle..."
Neji spoke the word, but as if burned by it, he instinctively lowered his eyes, not daring to look into Hiashi's.
His hands at his sides curled slightly at the fingertips, betraying the violent fluctuations within his heart.
"Yes, Uncle is here."
After responding, Hiashi reached out—not for a hug, but like a true Elder and a guide about to lead a junior into danger, he patted Neji's shoulder with strength and encouragement.
His palm was warm and powerful, transmitting a heavy sense of trust and entrustment through the clothing.
"Alright."
His voice returned to its previous calmness, but the underlying tone belonging to an "Uncle" had already settled within it.
"Time is short. Remember everything you saw tonight, and remember who you are to become. Now, follow me closely."
He did a final check on the realistic "Caged Bird Seal" on his forehead, adjusted the Ogre Pauldron on his shoulder, and gripped the hilt of the dainichi gatsukiri at his waist.
When he turned to face the door again, the gentle "Uncle" vanished instantly, and the cold, murderous aura of revenge once again enveloped his entire body.
"The prelude to revenge should begin. In the future, if you have the chance, kill every person from Kumogakure you see, especially the Raikage."
He whispered, stepping out the door first and merging into the deeper night.
Whether from a personal standpoint or the Village's standpoint, the Fourth Raikage had done nothing wrong.
Correspondingly, there was nothing wrong with Hiashi wanting to kill the Fourth Raikage either.
So-called right or wrong changes because of a shift in perspective; this is true for nations, and it is true for individuals.
Neji stood in place, watching that tall and resolute back, the strength and warmth of that pat still seemingly lingering on his shoulder.
He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. All the confusion, struggle, and vulnerability in his eyes were pressed down bit by bit into the depths of his heart, replaced by a gradually clarifying, almost desperate determination.
He took one last look at this simple yet profoundly significant apartment room, then stepped forward, following that black figure ahead without hesitation.
Hiashi and Neji were like two swift shadows merging into the night, darting across Konoha's rooftops and through its alleys with a clear objective—the core of the Hyuga Clan Compound.
The wind whistled in their ears, Hiashi's black greatcloak snapped in the air, and the ogre head on his pauldron appeared even more ferocious during the high-speed movement.
Neji followed closely behind, his Byakugan already active. In his vision, the flow of Chakra and the structures of the buildings were perfectly clear, yet his mind was still turbulent from the conversation in the apartment.
The two knew the layout of the clan grounds like the back of their hands. They avoided patrol routes and took the shortest path straight into the Main House area.
However, the closer they got to the core courtyards where several Elders and their direct descendants lived, the heavier the unusual atmosphere in the air became.
It was deathly silent, a quietness that made one's heart race.
Only the rustling of the courtyard plants in the night wind and the occasional distant chirping of insects served to emphasize how eerie this silence truly was.
Hiashi and Neji landed on the wall of the courtyard where one of the Elders resided.