Chapter 272: Chapter 272: Hizashi: My Child, His Name is Neji!
Just the next day, at the Konoha Hospital.
Inside the delivery room, after a loud cry, a child was born. With Konoha’s temporary peace, the hospital’s delivery room business was very busy, and many children were born in these years. However, this one was a little different.
Ryoho Kyohiko said with a smile.
"Hizashi-senpai, congratulations!"
Hyuga Hizashi’s smile was brilliant. He clasped his fists.
"Thank you, thank you!"
Soon, hurried footsteps were heard. Hyuga Hiashi walked over quickly. Seeing the smile on Hizashi’s face, he let out a slight sigh of relief, then walked over calmly.
"Hizashi, have you thought of a name?"
Hyuga Hizashi said respectfully.
"Brother, I want to name him Neji."
In these years, Hiashi’s attitude towards him had changed quite a bit. Now, Hizashi could already change his form of address outside. But he knew that he still had to show due respect, otherwise... just as Hiashi could lift him up, he could also slap him down into the dust. All because of the Caged Bird curse mark on his forehead, a terrifying curse that would follow him for life. Even though he was now an elder of the Hyuga clan, it was of no use.
Hyuga Hiashi savored the name.
"Neji..."
Hyuga Hizashi answered.
"Brother, I thought of this name while practicing the Rotation. I hope he can grow up healthy in the future."
Now, secret techniques that originally belonged to the main family like the Rotation and the Sixty-Four Palms had been gradually opened up. He was not afraid of Hiashi having any suspicions. Hiashi indeed didn’t think much of it and instead praised him. After that, he chatted with Hizashi for a few more pleasantries and didn’t disturb him further. Instead, he exchanged a look with Kyohiko, and the two of them walked to the balcony together.
"Kyohiko-kun, how is it?"
"Matters related to the soul are mostly taboo. You should be clear about this."
"Of course."
Hyuga Hiashi’s face was grave.
The soul, the most taboo domain for a ninja. The Reaper Death Seal, the Spirit Transformation Technique, the Impure World Reincarnation, and so on. Related to the soul, all were taboos among taboos. Even if one were lucky enough to master them, the invisible price to be paid for using them would not be small.
He thought for a moment.
"I don’t need the complete jutsu. I just hope to optimize the Caged Bird..."
Ryoho Kyohiko said.
"In this aspect, Minato is the expert. So, he asked me to ask you, do you want to solve the problem of the Caged Bird, or the problem of the main family being unable to participate in battle?"
Hyuga Hiashi pondered for a moment.
"If I can kill two birds with one stone, that would be the best. If not, the latter is more important."
Ryoho Kyohiko said.
"The Reverse Four Symbols Sealing might be a more suitable direction."
"What jutsu is that?"
Hyuga Hiashi’s expression was blank.
Ryoho Kyohiko answered.
"A sealing jutsu. After activation, it will directly devour all matter within a few hundred meters of oneself. It is one of the most difficult sealing jutsu."
Hyuga Hiashi’s eyes immediately lit up. After activation, it devours all surrounding matter... isn’t that perfect? As for the difficulty, where there’s a will, there’s a way. It was better than nothing.
Hyuga Hiashi slowly exhaled and lamented.
"Kyohiko-kun, with your wisdom, you should be able to understand why I am so anxious."
Ryoho Kyohiko answered.
"According to your current planning, the main family will be a gathering place for geniuses and elites. But how can true geniuses and elites not go to the battlefield?"
Hyuga Hiashi nodded and sighed.
"Yes!"
Training behind closed doors cannot produce a genius—before, Hiashi hadn’t had much of a feeling about it, but recently, he increasingly felt that the decline of the main family might be related to them being too comfortable. That was why he wanted to reform the main family system and the Hyuga clan’s curse mark.
Currently, Namikaze Minato and Ryoho Kyohiko had provided a new path. The Reverse Four Symbols Sealing.
He pondered for a moment.
"What do I need to exchange for this jutsu?"
"You’ll have to negotiate with Minato and Kushina. But Minato is on a mission right now and might not be back for half a month. If you need, I can help with communication."
"Alright. I’ll wait for your news."
Hyuga Hiashi let out a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness for the Flying Thunder God Technique!
"As for the Uchiha’s side, you should be the one to tell them."
***
At night, in the Uchiha clan.
Uchiha Fugaku waited until the last person had finished eating before he looked at Uchiha Itachi.
"How was your training today?"
Uchiha Itachi answered calmly.
"I’ve completed the tree climbing."
A smile finally appeared on Fugaku’s serious face.
"As expected of my son. Next, you will practice the Uchiha Style Kenjutsu. You must train until you are very strong, but first, you have to build up the basics."
At Itachi’s age, having him start training taijutsu directly might be like pulling up seedlings to help them grow and affect his physical development. But the movements and techniques of swordsmanship would not have this concern. Secondly...
"Or, you can also start trying kunai throwing and shuriken manipulation."
Uchiha Fugaku gave his suggestion.
Uchiha Itachi thought for a moment.
"Then I’ll practice kunai and shuriken first. I’ve been practicing for a while during this period. I feel I can improve a little more."
"Excellent!"
Uchiha Fugaku nodded repeatedly.
He was almost as satisfied as he could be with his son. If there was one flaw, it was that he was not born as early as Shisui. If Itachi had been born earlier, perhaps the opportunities and status Shisui had now would belong to Itachi. And now, Ryoho Kyohiko would obviously not take a second Uchiha as a disciple.
But the weakening of the Uchiha was only temporary! A slight smile touched Fugaku’s lips.
Just then, a person came running from outside.
"Fugaku-sama!"
Shisui?
Fugaku stood up, opened the door, and saw Shisui waving a piece of paper in his hand.
A message from Kyohiko?
He immediately flickered forward and took the note from Shisui’s hand. On it was the ninja’s "action" code.
It’s time?
Fugaku put away the paper, a look of joy on his face. Then, his face turned bitter. The Hyuga clan was ready, but his side—never mind, at this point, there’s no other way!
Fugaku took a deep breath and looked at Shisui.
"Do you want to come along?"
This matter was cruel! Normally, he shouldn’t have called on a child like Shisui, but Shisui was no ordinary person. To awaken his eyes at this age, Shisui was the first in the entire history of the Uchiha. Besides, Shisui was Kyohiko’s disciple and had a very good relationship with Konoha. Now, within the Uchiha, those who supported Kagami Uchiha back then were not in the minority. Barring any accidents, the next generation’s clan head would undoubtedly be Shisui.
As the future clan head, Shisui had to be stronger and understand the cruelty of the shinobi world better than others—one wrong step, and the whole game is lost! This was the shinobi world.
Shisui weighed for a moment, then gritted his teeth.
"I’ll go!"
"Alright, then let’s go together and send off our clansmen."
Fugaku led him and walked towards the clan’s exit.
Inside the house, Uchiha Itachi watched them, leaning against the door without speaking.
"Itachi, you’ve been tired all day. Go back to your room, take a bath, and rest."
"No, Mother. I want to practice a little longer."
***
A few minutes later.
At the Anbu’s prison, with a "creak"—the light shone in, and two people walked in from outside.
Inside the prison, Uchiha Shinji looked up, squinting at the outside. Having been without light for so long, he couldn’t adapt to the light outside at once. But the next second, his pupils shrank, and a trace of fear appeared in his heart.
"It’s you."
Uchiha Fugaku’s face was icy.
"Uchiha Shinji, your ambition has led the Uchiha down the path of destruction!"
Uchiha Shinji’s eyes revealed a fanaticism. He sat up.
"Destruction? How do you know that your path of surrendering to Konoha is not a path to destruction? Do you think the brat outside is a match for Madara-sama?"
After speaking, he laughed loudly.
"You are still unrepentant!"
Disappointment and anger appeared in Uchiha Fugaku’s eyes. He couldn’t believe that a subordinate he had once valued had become like this because of a non-existent entity.
Uchiha Shinji chuckled in a low voice.
"I am not wrong. You can say this now only because I have lost. It has always been like this since ancient times."
After speaking, he leaned against the wall.
"You brought Shisui here. Do you want him to kill me and then awaken the Mangekyo? Give up on that idea!"
A cold smile appeared on Fugaku’s face. He took a step closer.
"It seems you still don’t know."
"That night, Inabi died at Shisui’s hands. He has already awakened his eyes!"
Uchiha Shinji’s eyes were bloodshot. His hands under his buttocks were tightly clenched, blood dripping onto the floor. But on the surface, his face was dead silent, as if there were no ripples at all.
Creak. The door opened. Fugaku walked in and drew his blade.
"Shisui killed Inabi. You, will be killed by me!"
He swung his blade. Tch! One slash, and blood sprayed.
Fugaku emotionlessly drew his blade out. He was about to take half a step back, but at this moment, Uchiha Shinji’s eyes suddenly bloomed with three tomoe. He held on tightly to Fugaku’s hand, his face unwilling and resentful, as if he wanted to perish together with him. Finally, he fell to the ground, the light in his eyes gone.
Fugaku was silent, about to pull his hand out. Suddenly, Uchiha Shinji grabbed Fugaku again. One of his eyes had turned a blind white, while the tomoe in the other eye spun to the extreme.
"Clan Head!"
Shisui suddenly sensed something was wrong. Tomoe appeared in his eyes, and he was about to enter the Mangekyo state.
In an instant, from the outside, a wind blade instantly came killing. Tch! One slash. The hand was cut off.
"Damn it, I’ll kill you!"
Uchiha Shinji roared and rushed at Shisui.
He certainly hated Shisui to the core. This guy... it was this brat who ruined his plan! He was burning with anger, his eyes bloodshot.
At this time, Ryoho Kyohiko did not make another move, but stood on the side, watching coldly.
Shisui, however, did not hesitate, nor did he have the thought of using the Mangekyo Sharingan—to deal with Uchiha Shinji, whose chakra was sealed, there was no need for that kind of thing. The blade was instantly unsheathed. Tch! The moment the blade was drawn, the genjutsu was completed.
When Uchiha Shinji used his Sharingan to quickly analyze and break the genjutsu, Shisui’s sword was already in front of him. He was like a vengeful ghost, one hand reaching for Shisui. But. Bang! With one kick, he was sent flying, and then a kunai pierced through his eye.
Shisui said in a low voice.
"You shouldn’t be able to recover this time, right?"
The next second, a blade pierced through Uchiha Shinji’s heart. And at this moment, Fugaku had just woken up from the genjutsu. He broke out in a cold sweat all over.
"Izanami!"
He looked around and suddenly realized. It turned out someone had cut off the other’s hand, so that Uchiha Shinji’s Izanami was only half-used. Otherwise, he couldn’t have broken it so easily just now.
Ryoho Kyohiko looked at the corpse with interest.
"A forbidden jutsu?"
Fugaku nodded, at the same time wiping the sweat with his hand.
"That’s right. This jutsu can change a person’s thinking. A predecessor created it back then to counter Izanagi. I didn’t expect him to have learned it."
"Let’s go, to the next one."
Ryoho Kyohiko didn’t let him reminisce for too long. "But I won’t help out every time."
"Yes, I understand."
Fugaku gave a bitter smile.
He had really been a disgrace just now. He hadn’t even noticed. Fortunately, Kyohiko had acted in time. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable—that jutsu was a terrifying forbidden technique that could even reverse Izanagi!
Fugaku put away his hesitant and wavering heart. After that, screams were constantly heard in the prison. Fugaku was stained with blood, the smell spreading all around. Apart from Uchiha Shinji, who was killed by Shisui, the other few were all personally killed by him, their eyes gouged out. In just half an hour, most of the Uchiha clansmen in the prison were killed. These were all diehard stubborn people.
The rest... had to be handled by Kyohiko.
In a certain prison, Ryoho Kyohiko walked in and squatted down. This prison held five ninjas from the Uchiha family.
"Your attitude of admitting your mistake is good. Now there is an opportunity. As long as you are marked with the Caged Bird, you can be spared from death."
"So, what is your choice?"
Ryoho Kyohiko glanced around. Silence. The five people in the room looked at each other, unable to believe it for a moment. The Caged Bird? Isn’t that a jutsu of the Hyuga clan?
They were first angry. But the words in their hearts, they couldn’t say them out loud. Not accept? As rogue-nin, to be able to live was already an incredible result. They could imagine how much communication and compromise had been made between the Uchiha and Konoha. The five looked at each other.
Finally, one of them closed his eyes.
"I cannot accept such a result, but I can understand your decision. So—"
"Kill me."
He closed his eyes. The Uchiha are proud. He could not possibly accept the Caged Bird. That way, even if he went out, it would actually just be changing one prison for another.
Outside the door, Fugaku said in a low voice.
"Kyohiko-kun, could you let me have a few words with them?"
Ryoho Kyohiko nodded.
"You may."
After he left, he closed the door, isolating the sound from inside and outside.
Fugaku took a deep breath. He looked at the five people.
"You are all elites of the Uchiha. To die just like this, are you worthy of the clansmen who have died? Or do you not regret it at all?"
"..."
Everyone was silent.
Since they had not been killed, they naturally had regrets in their hearts. It was just—
"That is the Hyuga’s curse mark."
"You think you don’t have to pay a price, is that possible? But your lives can be exchanged for a easing the relationship between Konoha and the Uchiha. And although you cannot leave the village, you can teach the children ninjutsu and train..."
Fugaku glanced around.
"Do you really want to die so much? Don’t you think about your parents and children?"
Among these five people, most had already started their own families. Even if they didn’t have children, they all had at least one parent alive. Hearing Fugaku’s words, they seemed to be touched. One by one, they fell silent.