For Shinji Hyuga?
The more he thought about it,
Hyuga Tetsu trembled even more.
He suddenly realized he had been secretly watchingShinji Hyuga all along—watching the foolish things he did, watching him overestimate his abilities and recklessly violate one Hyuga clan rule after another:
· Members of the Hyuga clan must train in Gentle Fist from childhood.
· Members of the Hyuga clan must value the clan's honor and must not bring shame upon it.
· Members of the Hyuga clan must become ninjas in reconnaissance and barrier teams.
· The branch family of the Hyuga clan is born to bow to the main family, kneel before the main family, and serve the main family unto death!
But that guy, Shinji Hyuga of the branch family, always recklessly defied these seemingly ironclad rules!
And yet,
He had lived to this day.
Hyuga Tetsu had to admit he wanted to see Shinji Hyuga continue on his path, to see how far he could ultimately go.
But,
IfShinji Hyuga refused the main family's appointment, he would return to the life-and-death battlefield of the Third Shinobi World War!
Having experienced two years of war,Hyuga Tetsu knew all too well what that landscape was like.
Especially as the war's intensity increased,while Shinji Hyuga remained stuck in the same place, still a weak, cannon-fodder ninja.
What he didn't want to see was Shinji Hyuga completely vanishing from his sight.
The only thing he didn't want was to never hear those harsh criticisms ofShinji Hyuga again.
The only thing he didn't want...was to stand before a black memorial stone, mourning someone who had risked everything to live, who had calmly fought, doing things he himself could never have done in his lifetime—that guy who had gone all the way.
Wait,these were already several specific instances... Never mind!
Hyuga Tetsu suddenly stood up, crushed the milk carton, and threw it to the ground.
He started to move,
taking another step toward the apartment building,wanting to persuade Shinji Hyuga one more time.
If he persisted in his foolish ideas,then even if it meant breaking his legs, Hyuga Tetsu would keep him in the village!
However,
having taken just two steps,
a beautiful,ethereal figure—the one who often appeared in his dreams—suddenly stood before Hyuga Tetsu.
"Where are you going?"
This time, it wasn't the gentle, kind, and beautiful voice of a Yamato Nadeshiko he remembered, but...
rather a calm and indifferent inquiry,as elegant as a night-blooming cereus.
The two voices,with vastly different tones, came from the same person, creating a sense of dissonance yet also a harmony that seemed perfectly natural.
It was Hyuga Natsu.
"I... you..." Hyuga Tetsu froze on the spot, his eyes widening slightly, feeling somewhat overwhelmed.
Hyuga Natsu,who should currently be enjoying a romantic moment with Shinji Hyuga, had suddenly appeared before him?
This didn't make sense.Why?
Hyuga Natsu simply stood calmly in front of Hyuga Tetsu and shook her head at him.
"Don't go.You'll die."
Hyuga Tetsu couldn't understand:"Why...?"
Hyuga Natsu calmly began,"He is conducting an important interview."
Realizing it was about Shinji Hyuga, Hyuga Tetsu's expression immediately hardened, and he couldn't help but ask:
"An interview?Where is he going? Did that guy refuse the main family elder's appointment just for this interview?"
Hyuga Natsu smiled faintly,the neon lights of nearby shop signs reflecting on her face, outlining a curve that seemed even more real in the night.
"Well...who knows?"
As she spoke, Hyuga Natsu suddenly changed the subject, smiling as she looked at Hyuga Tetsu.
"However,Hyuga Tetsu, regarding this matter, there's only one thing I can tell you: can you... keep a secret for him?"
"Shinji Hyuga'ssecret..." Hyuga Tetsu's expression froze, somewhat lost in thought. He looked up but only asked the question, without promising to keep the secret.
"What is it?"
He had his principles.If keeping this secret meant endangering Shinji Hyuga or the Hyuga clan, he would naturally make a choice.
Hyuga Natsu smiled slightly, and with a proud tone as if saying, "My boy has made something of himself," she chuckled:
"Shinji-kun is currently conducting...an interview with Root."
Upon hearing this,Hyuga Tetsu's eyes widened suddenly, and he couldn't help but swallow hard.
"What did you say?"
"It's...that Root?!"
On the other side, inside the apartment,
Shinji Hyugaslowly opened his eyes.
The sharpness in his clear white eyes vanished,leaving only a stubborn and defiant resistance.
The person who spoke,hidden in the darkness, saw such eyes and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration:
"Eyes are very good."
"Born of lowly status,harboring darkness within—such eyes will surely bring that lord quite a surprise."
At this moment, Shinji Hyuga took a deep breath and took the initiative to question:
"Then why didn't you come looking for me earlier?"
"Because you were too weak."
"Then why are you willing to see me now?"
"Because you have proven your worth."
"And at the same time,you have touched upon matters you should not have."
Shinji Hyuga fell silent.
And at this time,
in the darkness,a figure wearing a pale yellow hooded trench coat, hands in pockets, slowly emerged.
He wore a pair of small,round sunglasses as black as ink in the darkness. Through the lenses, his eyes—which seemed to have insects crawling within them from time to time—calmly observed and scrutinized Shinji Hyuga, who knelt on the tatami mat in the center of the apartment.
Under such a gaze, Shinji Hyuga felt as if insects were crawling all over his body and couldn't help but shiver.
When the other mentioned "matters you should not have touched," Shinji Hyuga instantly understood the cause and effect—
Just as he had thought,
the"Byakugan Theft Incident" was not simple.
The Hidden Mist was able to obtain information about the main family,including almost top-secret details like their travel routes and guard composition, and even devise a targeted plan to hunt the main family members.
The reason was that Root forces were involved in this incident.
Perhaps,the main family's Byakugan was the bait Root used to lure out spies from various villages lurking within Konoha.
His involvement,his attempt to join the main family's guard, the assassination attempt by Kirigakure, and even his killing of a Kirigakure Chunin had indirectly affected Root's plans.
Therefore,he had been passively drawn into and influenced this incident, even if the influence was minimal.
In such a situation, the conventional way for Root to handle it was only one—
Silence.
Shinji Hyuga's mind immediately went on high alert.
And at this time,
the figure with hands in pockets shifted his gaze fromShinji Hyuga's face, walked calmly to a corner of the apartment, examined the wooden bow case placed there, and suddenly spoke:
"Shinji Hyuga,you are not as simple as your resume suggests."
"You are not as incompetent as the villagers,the chunin, and your clansmen describe you to be."
"Of course,even combining both to arrive at the true information, in my eyes you still don't hold much value."
He paused, reached out, and stroked the colorful patterns on the wooden bow case, then suddenly said:
"That Kirigakure Chunin—you did it,didn't you?"
Shinji Hyugaswallowed hard, his mind racing.
He wasn't sure when the other had started monitoring him.Only half an hour had passed since he killed the Kirigakure Chunin. He had activated his Byakugan three times during the encounter, but it hadn't detected any trace of this person.
Therefore,the two possible answers to the question—denial or admission—would lead to completely different outcomes.
His answer at this moment would determine his life or death!
At this time,
"Oh."
The figure with hands in pockets chuckled,as if he had already confirmed something through Shinji Hyuga's silence.
"You are very clever,Shinji Hyuga."
"As far as ordinary Root ninjas go,you are more than qualified, even meeting the standard for field deployment."
"However,considering the value of Hyuga clan ninjas to Root, your worth falls far short."
"So,"
the figure turned,hands still in pockets, and said calmly:
"You are in a dangerous situation right now."
"It's like walking a tightrope over a bottomless abyss;if you stray even slightly, you'll fall to your death immediately."
Even if you manage to make the right move this time,every step afterward will be like dancing on a blade's edge.
"So,"
"What should you do?"
Shinji Hyuga remained silent for a moment, gradually understanding, and then answered in a deep voice:
"Increase my'value'."
"Promotion?"the deep voice immediately questioned. "How?"
Shinji Hyugalaughed.
"Didn't you already tell me the answer?"
He took a deep breath and said,word by word:
"By,"
"Dancing on the edge of a blade!"