In an instant, the gathered elders reached an unspoken consensus: Hyuga Yota had gone mad. Keeping such a deranged individual within the clan would only bring calamity upon the Hyuga name.
Mastering the secrets of the Caged Bird Seal could, in theory, allow him to detonate the curse mark of any Branch Family member—even those like Aoba Kawaki, who possessed diluted Hyuga blood and had "voluntarily" received the mark in recent years to be integrated into the clan's outer structure.
But such a mass execution would take time—time enough for the Main Family elders to kill Yota dozens of times over.
Yota knew this. He wasn't foolish. He understood exactly what these so-called uncles and elders had gathered to do.
"Tch." He snorted with disdain, then spoke coldly, "What? You intend to kill me? This 'lord' has already died once. Do you think I fear death again?"
He swept his pale Byakugan across the room.
"I'll let you in on a little secret. Back on the battlefield near Kirigakure, I encountered the leader of the Akatsuki—Lord Smoker. He killed me. Then... he brought me back."
The room fell silent.
"I now serve the Akatsuki. Even if you kill me here, Lord Smoker will bring me back again. And next time... I'll make sure you understand what despair truly means."
A visible wave of panic washed over the elder council. Their expressions shifted from disgust and rage to unease, even fear.
"Yota... is what you're saying true?" the Seventh Elder asked, voice trembling.
Yota sneered, feeling both relief and contempt toward these so-called leaders of the Hyuga clan. Once, he had revered them. Now he saw them for what they were—cowards, cloaked in tradition.
"I've had enough of you pathetic relics," Yota spat. "This 'lord' doesn't have time to waste on fools. Get out of my way. I'm going home."
He paused, casting a final glance back.
"And as for my grandfather—who couldn't even keep this affair hidden—let him rot in a cell for a few days. Maybe he'll learn what real shame feels like."
With that, Yota turned and left the shrine. No one stopped him.
"…Clan leader," the Seventh Elder said softly to Hyuga Hizashi, "was any of that true? Did Yota really join the Akatsuki?"
Hizashi said nothing. Deep inside, he didn't know. When Yota had turned to leave, he'd thought to stop him. But in that brief moment, he had hesitated.
The lives of the entire Hyuga clan were at stake. He couldn't take the risk.
The other elders shared the same unspoken fear. None of them dared to call Yota's bluff.
"I've been watching Yota's chakra flow with the Byakugan the entire time," one elder murmured. "He was... agitated. Euphoric, even. But I didn't detect any outside interference or genjutsu."
"Then his words… might be true?" another asked darkly.
"It's hard to say. But if he really encountered the Akatsuki in Kirigakure and lived, that alone is unnatural."
"Still… why would the Akatsuki leader give him back his Byakugan? That's not their style."
"Maybe he replaced them. I noticed his current eyes seemed... dormant. Like he reimplanted immature Byakugan."
"Regardless," Hizashi interrupted at last, "we will monitor him. Discreetly. Send agents—trustworthy ones. If he moves suspiciously, eliminate him without hesitation."
Back at his residence, Hyuga Yota collapsed onto the floor, his body trembling uncontrollably.
What had he just done?
He had stood before the Hyuga elders, the most powerful figures of the clan, and threatened them with the name of the Akatsuki. And it worked.
All of it—the Akatsuki membership, the resurrection, Lord Smoker—was a complete fabrication. He had staked everything on a desperate bluff... and survived.
But it wouldn't last.
He knew that. Lies had a lifespan, and his was already decaying. The clan would watch him like hawks. The next time he slipped, there would be no mercy.
His mind raced, searching for an escape. But every path ended the same way: death.
He could feel it, a cold certainty tightening around him.
Then, something within him shifted.
If death was inevitable… then he would choose how it happened.
He would take the entire Branch Family with him—every single person branded with the Caged Bird Seal. It didn't matter if they were children, civilians, or outsiders inducted in recent years.
If he had to fall, then he would make sure his fall tore the Hyuga clan apart.
And behind his calm, expressionless Byakugan eyes… madness burned.
Hyuga Yota didn't intend to waste any more time. He was now preparing to activate all of the Caged Bird Curse Seals.
Although the process would take time, once the technique was completed, every branch family member branded with the seal would die simultaneously.
'You've done well.'
Suddenly, a voice echoed in Hyuga Yota's mind.
"Who's there?" Yota jolted upright, instinctively reaching to activate his Byakugan.
But then he remembered—he had only just replaced his eyes, and the newly implanted Byakugan had not yet been activated.
He calmed himself. The voice hadn't come from nearby. It had spoken directly into his mind.
Yota's intellect had grown sharper. He quickly deduced who it must be.
The leader of the Akatsuki—Smoker. The one who had taken his eyes, killed him, and then resurrected him from the Pure Land.
Upon realizing this, Hyuga Yota didn't feel fear. On the contrary—he was exhilarated. In a hushed, reverent tone, he said:
"Lord Leader? Is that you? Please, command me. I live to serve."
He was already calling himself a subordinate.
Far away, Kawaki Aoba's expression twisted into something unreadable. Yota's devotion was beyond what he had expected.
Resurrecting him had been a whim. Until today, Aoba hadn't thought he would be useful. But Yota had surprised him.
To think he planned to slaughter every Hyuga branch member using the Caged Bird Curse—unbelievable.
If Aoba hadn't intervened, the Hyuga Clan's rich lineage would have been extinguished in a single night.
But Kawaki Aoba already had a plan for Hyuga Yota.
Recruiting him into the Meido Organization was out of the question. Executing him was an option—but a waste. It would be better to squeeze every last ounce of use from him before discarding him.
With a certain possibility in mind, Aoba issued a direct order to Yota. If he succeeded, he would be permitted to join the organization.
Upon receiving the command, Yota's eyes lit up. His voice trembled with excitement: "Yes, Leader! I won't fail you. I'll complete the mission, no matter what it takes!"
Just moments before, he had been prepared to die. Now, he was filled with determination. The mission would be difficult—but it gave him hope.
And where there is hope, there is resolve.
Becoming part of the Meido Organization—feared and respected across the ninja world—was a dream too tempting to resist.
Everyone knew the Meido Leader was a man of apocalyptic power. Even the greatest ninja feared to speak his name.
As for dying by his hand? Yota saw it as an honor—death bestowed by the Leader was a final test, a sacred rite. Only through it could he become a truly immortal shinobi.
Kawaki Aoba could sense Yota's purest emotions and couldn't help but scoff inwardly.
"The first man I've seen who conquered himself completely… what a shame. There's no place for him on my ship."
---
It was another moonless night.
Hyuga Hiashi, head of the Hyuga Clan, sat alone by the window, staring at the grey sky. The pride and determination he once held as clan leader had long since dimmed.
A woman with the Byakugan, visibly pregnant, walked up behind him and gently draped a blanket over his shoulders.
"You should rest. The baby needs you to be healthy," she said softly.
"You too," Hiashi replied, not turning around. "But how can I sleep, when I see no future for the clan?"
Tonight, sleep would not come—especially not for Hyuga Hiashi.
Suddenly, he heard the telltale rustle of chakra slicing through air. A familiar sound: someone using the Body Flicker Technique.
A Hyuga ninja appeared and bowed.
"Clan Head. Elder Koharu Utatane has arrived. She insists on meeting with you."
Koharu Utatane?! At this hour?
Hiashi's eyes widened. He sprang to his feet, shrugging off the blanket.
"Take me to her. I'll greet her myself."
---
In a dark chamber, Hiashi personally welcomed Koharu, one of the last remaining village elders.
"Elder Koharu," he began solemnly. "Thank you for your assistance earlier. If the Hyuga Clan can ever be of service, say the word."
Koharu didn't acknowledge the gratitude.
In times past, such an offer from the Hyuga Clan would have been priceless. But now—with things as they were—it was meaningless.
Her expression was grave.
"Clan Leader Hiashi," she said flatly. "That boy—Kawaki Aoba—visited me today. He has no intention of letting this go."
She paused.
"Hiruzen and Minato are away for the time being. Homura and I can't restrain him. When he returns to his plans, your clan may be the first to fall."
Hiashi's expression darkened.
"We are not helpless, Elder. The Hyuga Clan will not be brought down so easily. Does he think we will simply—"
Koharu cut him off.
"You don't understand. Someone has offered a billion ryo on the black market for the technique to control the Caged Bird Seal—even if incomplete."
Hiashi froze.
Everything clicked into place.
Aoba's withdrawal earlier had seemed too sudden—now he understood. It was a delay. A tactical retreat.
But… one billion ryo?
"That's an impossible amount," Hiashi murmured. "Even we couldn't raise that quickly."
Koharu sighed deeply.
"Hiashi… don't you get it? The times have changed."
A sudden realization struck Hiashi like lightning.
The nobles. Aoba must be targeting the nobility's hoarded wealth. But how could he, a Konoha official, do such a thing without consequence?
If this was exposed, his position would be jeopardized.
The idea of assassinating Aoba surfaced immediately in Hiashi's mind.
But Koharu saw it.
"Don't waste your time," she said quietly. "That boy is sharper than Danzo. You'll never catch him slipping."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Have you ever wondered why Danzo tolerated his presence in the first place?"
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