"Taboo? But there are even more people coveting the Hyuga clan’s Byakugan!"
An old man looked around at everyone present, his expression grave and heavy.
His tone was especially serious and even carried a hint of anger.
People coveting the Byakugan was no new matter.
Long ago, the ancestors of the Hyuga clan had engraved the Caged Bird Seal on the foreheads of their clan members.
This was meant to protect them, to prevent outsiders from coveting the Byakugan.
Of course... it was also for this reason that the Hyuga clan became increasingly prosperous.
Otherwise, they would have ended up like the Uchiha clan, whose Sharingan was also coveted by others.
Everyone’s hearts jolted.
Could it be that Hyuga Choryū was truly under attack by those coveting the Byakugan?
The Eighth Elder shook their heads.
"That’s impossible. Our Hyuga clan is flourishing. No one dares attack the main family of the Hyuga clan. If they did, they would surely face our clan’s retaliation!"
In his heart, the Eighth Elder still believed that his child was chasing after Hyuga Neji, and had not been counterattacked.
After all, this was the territory of Konoha.
No one would act so recklessly as to attack Hyuga clan members here.
Besides, they might not even know when our main family members go out.
"How can you say no one would attack the main family? Have you forgotten what happened a few years ago with the Hyuga main family?
The Land of Lightning sent people directly to our Hyuga clan to seize the main family’s Hinata. Although we found out, it was Hyuga Hizashi who sacrificed himself in place of Hyuga Hiashi to atone!"
Someone spoke up, their tone growing heavier.
"That was because Konoha wanted to settle things quietly, so our clan compromised!"
The Eighth Elder was still a bit unwilling to accept it, though his certainty had waned.
"But if it’s just some small factions, they probably wouldn’t dare attack Hyuga clan members. They couldn’t bear the retaliation of the Hyuga clan!"
"That’s not certain. If someone really killed Choryū and the others, we wouldn’t be able to find the culprit at all!"
Another old man shook his head again.
"Sigh... If only we had sent someone from the branch family to chase after Hyuga Neji. The main family members should have stayed in Konoha."
No one else spoke after that.
They all agreed with what the old man had said.
In the future, dangerous missions and such should be carried out by branch family members.
Main family members could stay at home and observe the overall situation.
Their lives were far more precious than those of the branch family.
"Should we notify the clan leader and send people to investigate Choryū’s whereabouts?"
The Eighth Elder of the Hyuga clan spoke again, his expression anxious.
That was his son. If something really happened, he truly didn’t know what he would do.
"No... we can’t." The person beside him shook his head firmly and looked seriously at the elder who was helping. "Our group acted on its own to hunt down Neji. If we want to find the clan leader, we have to explain why Chōru went missing. We can’t hide this anymore!"
Although Hiashi Hyuga was usually calm and gentle, if you crossed his red line, none of the people present could withstand his fury.
Moreover, Hiashi had long felt guilty over Hizashi’s suicide. He would definitely protect Neji as the clan leader and his uncle.
"Neji... always Neji. All of this started because of Neji!" Eighth Elder clenched his fists tightly, his hatred for Neji reaching its peak.
If Neji hadn’t harmed his own grandson, none of this would have happened.
His own son wouldn’t be lost between life and death.
No matter what, Neji must die. He had offended the Hyuga main family’s red line.
Just as everyone was talking, a weak and confused voice suddenly sounded.
It seemed the owner of the voice didn’t even know where they were.
The room instantly fell silent, and all eyes turned toward the sickbed.
"Sōsuke, you’re awake! You scared your grandpa to death!" ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✶𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✶𝕟𝕖𝕥
Eighth Elder, who had been full of anger, softened immediately when he saw Sōsuke wake up and walked to the bedside.
"Grandpa... what happened to me? Why am I here?"
Sōsuke Hyuga’s mind was still foggy. As he tried to move, sudden pain struck him.
"What’s wrong with my hand? It hurts... and why can’t I move my legs? No, I can’t move my whole body!"
Panic rose in Sōsuke. His entire body was wrapped in bandages, unable to move, and both his hands and legs hurt terribly.
"Sosuke, you’re going to be fine. It’s just that your legs and arms are broken. We’re in the hospital now, and you’ll recover soon!" Eighth Elder looked at the anxious Hyuga Sosuke and quickly comforted him.
"You’ll get better soon. What you need to do now is rest and heal."
"Hospital?" Hyuga Sosuke’s awareness slowly returned. His eyes, once confused and scared, suddenly turned bloodshot and full of hatred.
"I remember now. I remember... It was Hyuga Neji, that lowly branch family member. He hurt me!"
Unable to accept being wounded by a despised branch family member, Sosuke’s mood became restless and violent upon remembering.
"I know, Grandpa, I know," Eighth Elder softly reassured him. Then he said, "Don’t worry. Grandpa will make sure justice is served. You can trust me."
"Grandpa... He personally broke both my hands and legs. I hate him!" Hyuga Sosuke stared at his grandfather, anger still burning in his eyes. "Grandpa, I want Hyuga Neji dead. No, I want Hyuga Neji to suffer worse than death. He broke my bones—I will break every bone in his body!"
"Oh, and he claimed I insulted his mother. I want his mother to suffer worse than death too. I want Hyuga Neji to watch as his mother is tortured!"
At these words, a bloody and cruel glint flashed in Sosuke’s eyes.
The others in the room felt a chill hearing Sosuke’s harsh words, especially about torturing Neji’s mother.
But then they thought, a branch family member daring to attack the main family is a grave crime and must be punished severely.
Otherwise, what if other branch families tried to follow his example?
Eighth Elder nodded along with Sosuke’s words. "I’ve already sent people to find Hyuga Neji. Rest well. When you’ve healed, you can take revenge however you want. Grandpa will back you up."
"Grandpa is really good to me."
Just from this simple conversation, it was clear how grave the future would be if Neji were caught.
Orochimaru was still deeply engrossed in studying his artificial humans. He constantly observed every tiny change in them.
Once his artificial human plan succeeded, he would control the most Kekkei Genkai in the ninja world!
Sarutobi Hiruzen’s so-called mastery of ninjutsu was laughable before him!
"Lord Orochimaru, there is a message from Konoha," Guren entered from outside, holding an envelope.
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