Becomes a Rebel Ninja After Annihilating the Hyuga Clan

"Brother, this child wet the bed last night."

Neji loudly complained to Neiki as soon as he got up.

The culprit, Hanabi Hyuga, hid behind the door, sniffling softly.

Having been brought from the Hyuga clan's main house to this small pavilion, possibly due to the brothers' similar Byakugan or the lingering effects of the Tsukuyomi illusion, Hanabi hadn't shown any fear or tears. She only pouted and looked at them with a grievance when Neji pointed at her.

Neiki was preparing breakfast and glanced at Neji, noticing the large wet spot on his clothes. He clicked his tongue in distaste and said, "Go change your clothes and wash up before talking to me."

When the three sat down to eat breakfast, a few clothes and a bedsheet were drying on the balcony.

"Brother, whose child is this, and how long is she going to stay with us?" Neji couldn't help but ask while gnawing on corn. Ever since their father's death, it was the first time someone else had moved into their home, which he found quite unsettling.

"You don't need to worry about that. Hanabi won't be staying with us for long. As her older brother from the same clan, just take good care of her while she's here," Neiki said casually, glancing at Hanabi, who was quietly sipping milk.

Taking Hanabi was just a tactic to scare the stubborn Hiashi into giving up information. The little girl was only two years old and had just awakened her Byakugan, so she couldn't provide much essence.

"Hanabi? Is she the second daughter of the main family?" Neji's expression darkened. In previous years, he had seen Hinata and Hanabi at the Hyuga clan festivals. Although he didn't hold a grudge against them for their father's fate, he certainly didn't have a friendly face for them either.

Neiki didn't respond to him but continued to feed Hanabi buns.

The little girl, unaware that the man in front of her was the one who killed her mother and imprisoned her father, was very obedient. She got oil all over her face while eating, and when Neiki wiped her mouth with a napkin, she softly said thank you.

Neji watched their interaction and suddenly, as if understanding something, spoke with suppressed anger:

"So, you're going to be her guardian now?"

The clan often assigned strong branch family members to guard the prominent family's distinguished members. Neji found it hard to believe that even someone as powerful as Neiki could not resist the clan's orders.

For a moment, Neji's resentment towards the Hyuga central family swelled to its peak.

Hanabi clutched Neiki's sleeve, her head down in fear, and observed Neji's anger from the corner of her eyes, not understanding why he was upset.

Neiki raised an eyebrow:

"Have you lost your mind?"

"Would I guard someone in my own house?"

Oh… that makes sense.

Neji quickly realized he had overthought the situation.

His brother Neiki held a critical position in his heart. He was now making significant progress in the Anbu, with the potential to become a Jonin this year. This promotion speed was just a year behind Kakashi's fastest record. If the clan summoned him to serve as a private guard for the second young lady, Hanabi, it would ruin his future, something Neji couldn't accept. ⱤαꞐo͍βĘṦ

"Where are you going?" Neji couldn't help but ask as he saw Neiki finish his meal and stand up.

"What happened? You never used to be this naggy." Neiki looked at Neji with surprise. You’re the older brother? I'm the older brother. Do I have to report my whereabouts to you?

"Oh." Neji felt a bit disheartened. He had to go to the ninja academy today but didn't know how to face the aggressive Ryo, which made him anxious. He casually asked, "What about the child? Should I leave her at home or take her back to the main family?"

"I… I don't want to go back…" Hanabi quickly said.

Neji ignored her, but Neiki, after a moment's hesitation, turned around and curiously patted Hanabi's head, asking:

"Why don't you want to go back?"

"Daddy is sick, sister too… Mom… Mom is asleep. She's been sleeping for many days… Sister Natsu, Sister Samma, many of them are sick. At night, they planted a lot of trees in the yard… I… I'm afraid they'll plant me as a tree too…" Hanabi said intermittently.

Neji frowned. Afraid they'd plant her as a tree in the soil, so she didn't want to go back?

What kind of wild imagination is this?

Running his fingers through Hanabi's brows, Neiki watched the girl shyly blink her eyes.

These were very pure Byakugan.

"You have great potential," Neiki praised.

But potential alone couldn't explain Hanabi's aversion to returning to the main house… Could it be because she was still very young?

Neiki pondered another possible flaw in his developed illusion technique. Due to her young age and limited logical thinking, Hanabi might not be easily misled by Tsukuyomi's "modified" reality.

How likely was this?

Neiki pondered, recalling how Samma suddenly "woke up" after seeing Ryo last night and how Hinata had been absent, suddenly realizing something.

Some mice were trying to escape his carefully woven web…

Thinking about these things, Neiki got dressed and prepared to leave. He turned to see Neji watching him with concern.

Neiki knew exactly what Neji feared and said:

"Don't go to school for the next few days, take a leave."

"Huh?" Neji's eyes widened.

Take a leave?

That would give him time to figure out how to deal with Ryo.

The thought brought a pang of shame. Hyuga Ryo's command over the Caged Bird Seal loomed over him like a mountain, suffocating him.

…He was afraid to this extent?

"The situation in Konoha is unstable. Don't wander around until the Hyuga clan meeting next week. Stay home and play with Hanabi for a few days."

Neiki didn't care what Neji was thinking and spoke with a hint of meaning.

"The teachers at the ninja academy will understand…"

"—After the Hyuga clan meeting next week."

…

Today was Neiki's first day back from medical leave.

As a squad leader in the Root division, he first had to report to Danzo.

"Neiki, who do you think is stronger, you or Itachi Uchiha, the two prides of Konoha?" Danzo asked, his voice echoing through the dark hall, disturbing the candlelight.

This was a question many had asked countless times.

Publicly, Neiki and Itachi had been rivals since the ninja academy. Even after becoming Chunin, they remained evenly matched, winning and losing some.

Only after Itachi joined the Anbu under Kakashi and Neiki joined the Root to handle more discreet matters did their confrontations lessen, each contributing to Konoha.

As for privately…

"He is slightly stronger," Neiki replied respectfully, head bowed.

"Oh?" Danzo's expression was ambiguous. "When I asked Itachi, he said you hid deeper."

"What are you hiding exactly?"

"I'm not sure what you mean, Danzo-sama," Neiki replied.

"Was it you who caused the recent disappearances of the Hyuga clan members?" Danzo asked directly.

"No," Neiki replied, appearing confused as if it was absurd for him to be suspected. He shook his head in denial. "I'm also investigating the killer targeting the clan."

"Is that so? Then you'd better avoid suspicion. Stop being the first to appear at the scenes of these incidents; it gives the wrong impression," Danzo suggested nonchalantly.

In a report submitted by the Anbu, Neiki was listed as a prime suspect in the disappearance of several Hyuga clan members. The report was detailed and compelling enough to make one wonder, except for lacking a motive.

Danzo didn't care if Neiki killed some of his branch family members. Still, the report was thrown onto Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk, and Sarutobi immediately handed it over to him, indicating clearly:

Keep your subordinate in check.

Whether he did it or not.

Danzo understood that this wasn't aimed at Neiki but at himself. Someone wanted to use the Hyuga clan issue to alleviate the tension between Konoha and the Uchiha, and it was a cunning plan.

"Yes." Neiki lowered his head further.

"Whatever you're planning, Neiki, now is not the time." Danzo glanced at him, his voice calm but firm.

"The Uchiha clan's rebellion is imminent. No one wants to see the Hyuga clan also in chaos… Do you understand?"

The Uchiha clan was preparing to stage a coup, the current focus of Konoha's leadership. Danzo and Sarutobi argued fiercely about how to handle the Uchiha. In private, they also frequently took action. That report implicating Neiki in the Hyuga clan members' disappearances was the work of some dove faction.

"I understand," Neiki said, his face expressionless as he bowed.

He certainly understood Danzo's point: the focus now was the Uchiha, not the Hyuga.

Danzo didn't care whether Neiki was responsible for the missing Hyuga clan members. If something happened, it would be pinned on Neiki. He should deal with it.

"I heard the Hy

uga clan is holding a meeting?" Danzo asked as if recalling something.

Neiki nodded. Last night, carrier pigeons sent this news to all Hyuga clan members. To prevent suspicion from Konoha's leadership, they also informed Sarutobi and Danzo.

"Yes."

"…Hiashi must be desperate," Danzo mused, leaning on his cane as he passed Neiki, feeling somewhat sentimental. "But with Konoha's current situation, we can't allocate many resources to help him."

As he spoke, Danzo's face carried a slight smile. As one of the leading advocates for the Uchiha clan's extermination, he had long coveted the Sharingan. Naturally, he would keep resources from monitoring the Uchiha to the Hyuga.

"This is your Hyuga clan's problem. You need to handle it. If you catch the culprit and prove your innocence, that's best. If not, well, it doesn't matter. After all… you're just a branch member."

Danzo's tone carried a hint of mockery. Neiki's status as a branch family member set his ceiling. No master would allow an enslaved person to stand above them. Bound by the Caged Bird Seal, Neiki was destined to be a pawn.

The Caged Bird Seal was intended to protect the Byakugan from falling into enemy hands. It also distinguished the main and branch families, each serving a different role.

When a branch family member dies, the Caged Bird Seal destroys the Byakugan, preventing enemies from obtaining it. This deters enemies from targeting branch members and focuses their attention on the prominent family.

The Caged Bird system protected some branch family members from danger but made them subservient to the prominent family.

The so-called "sword and shield" were servants of the prominent family—maids, guards in the Hyuga household, and personal bodyguards ready to sacrifice themselves for the distinguished family's children.

This was a perfect system designed to protect the Hyuga clan's bloodline.

However, it had a downside: the oppressed branch family members would inevitably grow resentful.

If the central family weakened and a branch family member like Neiki emerged, he would likely resist the Caged Bird Seal.

From Danzo's perspective, if Neiki was responsible for the Hyuga clan members' disappearances, it was likely due to his resentment towards the Caged Bird Seal. The missing members were probably being experimented on.

Having worked with Orochimaru, Danzo was familiar with such motives.

This wasn't a significant issue. If Neiki succeeded in breaking the Caged Bird Seal, Danzo would benefit.

All branch family members could become his experimental subjects without the Caged Bird Seal. Danzo might also attempt to acquire the Byakugan, not only the Sharingan.

"Dismissed." Danzo lost interest in the conversation. While the Byakugan was valuable, the current priority was the Uchiha. The truth behind the Hyuga clan's disappearances didn't matter much to him.

But Neiki remained still.

Danzo noticed his hesitation and paused, asking:

"Do you have something else to say?"

Neiki bit his lip and spoke:

"Takizawa Yamaki, who was investigating the disappearances of Tokuma and others, is dead."

What?

Danzo was genuinely surprised.

He now believed that Neiki wasn't responsible for the Hyuga clan members' disappearances.

This was too bold!

Takizawa Yamaki wasn't strong, and Sarutobi didn't expect him to uncover much. But the fact that the perpetrator still killed such an inconsequential investigator…

What is this?

This is a blatant provocation!

"How did he die?" Danzo asked, his anger evident. The more trouble arose with the Hyuga, the more cautious Sarutobi would be in dealing with the Uchiha.

Where would Danzo find so many Sharingan if the Uchiha weren't exterminated?

Neiki exhaled and clarified:

"He died from a single knife wound, beheaded in one strike."

"Do you know who did it?"

Seeing Danzo's displeasure, Neiki thought he might have a misperception and softly suggested:

"…It could be the Uchiha."

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