Chapter 173: Don't Let Ikeizumi Get Involved!
Neji was distracted all morning. As soon as lunch break began, he grabbed the bento box he had prepared for himself and looked for a quiet place to eat.
But as he was leaving the classroom, he saw a younger Hyūga, around his own age, walk past him, looking dazed and distraught.
Neji recognized him. He was a fourth-year student at the Academy, only two years older than him, and a member of the Hyūga branch family.
His father had sacrificed himself during the Third Shinobi World War, and his mother had reportedly died at the hands of a foreign spy three years ago while on a ninja mission.
Now, he lived with his grandfather, an elder of the Hyūga branch family.
Wait… a thought flashed through Neji's mind.
As if by some strange impulse, he grabbed the younger Hyūga by the arm. Seeing the boy's confused expression as he turned back, Neji asked, "Last night, was the branch family elder who was brutally killed by a main family elder your relative?"
The moment the question came out, Neji regretted it. It was too blunt.
He watched as the boy's already dazed and distraught expression visibly shifted, giving way to a layer of hatred and grief.
Tears welled up in his Byakugan eyes.
He could tell the boy was starting to choke up.
Neji felt a sudden pang of awkwardness. He had never made anyone cry before. Even when he had said harsh things to Hinata Hyūga, the main family heiress, she had never shed a tear.
Now, having suddenly made someone cry, the justice-aspiring Neji was at a loss for what to do.
Then he heard the boy speak.
"My grandfather..."
"He just wanted to help me get rid of the branch family curse. He thought, with my talent... if I wasn't held back by the Caged Bird curse mark, I could become an elite jōnin for Konoha in the future. Is that really a mistake? Was it worth killing him for? He was my only blood relative..."
"Neji Hyūga, I... I don't know what to do. I hate the main family elder who killed my blood relative, but the other branch family elders told me that this is the Hyūga clan's rule. My grandfather broke the rule, so he had to pay a heavy price."
"This morning, some people from the main family came to see me. They told me... that my grandfather broke the Hyūga clan's rules, and he was punished for making a mistake."
"They told me not to follow in my grandfather's footsteps."
"I... I don't know what to do..."
Neji fell silent as he watched the young Hyūga break down emotionally.
He realized that his simple, thoughtless question had completely shattered the boy's strained composure.
He watched the large tears fall from the boy's eyes and saw the Caged Bird curse mark on his forehead, which wasn't covered by a bandage.
He was reminded of his own father, Hizashi Hyūga, and the helplessness, despair, hatred, and grief he felt when his father died as a main family scapegoat.
"Caged Bird..."
"Main Family..."
"Murderer..."
Neji took a deep breath, a serious look on his face. He sternly rebuked the young Hyūga in front of him. "Do you think mere weeping will bring back the brutally murdered branch family elder? The Caged Bird curse mark triggered a physical ailment in him, causing his death. This is no different from outright murder! The main family elder who activated the Caged Bird is a murderer!"
"If you have any courage or resolve, you shouldn't be showing this kind of weakness here! Fate... sigh! The fate of the Hyūga branch family is indeed hard to break. We 'caged birds' find it difficult to break free and soar freely."
"But!"
"There's always a way, there will always be a way!" Neji emphasized twice, looking the boy in the eye. "If you're truly unwilling to give in, if you truly hold hatred... then follow me."
With that, Neji strode away in a different direction.
The young Hyūga, his tears still falling, was stunned.
Neji was two years younger than him, yet in this moment, he felt that Neji was much more mature.
He saw Neji's retreating back and hesitated.
He opened his mouth, trying to say something, but nothing came out.
But when he saw Neji about to disappear from sight, he quickly wiped the tears from his face and ran with all his might to catch up.
The hatred in his heart gave him a sliver of hope.
Then, he discovered that Neji had led him to the first-year Academy classroom. Before he could catch his breath, he watched Neji walk inside and find a blond-haired brat and a Uchiha clan brat.
"I want to see Uchiha Ikeizumi! I've found a murderer!"
That's what Neji said to Naruto and Sasuke.
Naruto, who had been bored all morning, immediately perked up.
"A murderer?"
Sasuke, who was also feeling distracted, was jolted back to attention.
...
Meanwhile, outside Konoha.
"It seems Uchiha Obito was scared off. If he had been waiting in ambush, I would have fallen into a trap by now."
Jūzō Biwa let out a sigh of relief, looking at the Wood clone of Uchiha Ikeizumi beside him.
He hesitated for a moment before asking, "The Land of Rain is very far from Konoha. Can your Wood clone last this long?"
"Even if the main body and the clone are at two opposite ends of the world, a Wood clone can be maintained. Unless the main body willingly dispels it, or the clone is passively dispelled after taking severe damage."
The Wood clone's cold tone was identical to Ikeizumi's.
"...You really are a monster."
Jūzō clicked his tongue in amazement. Was this because Uchiha Ikeizumi was too powerful? Or was the Wood kekkei genkai too miraculous?
Speaking of which, this guy has Wood, the Sharingan, and Yōton. Is that three kekkei genkai combined into one?
That's ridiculous!
"Ahem!"
Jūzō hid the surprised look on his face and reverted to his cool demeanor. Carrying the Kubikiribōchō on his back, he sped forward while speaking. "I have a question. What if I give that woman the information about Uchiha Obito, but instead of fighting him, she decides to team up with him and kill me to silence me?"
"She won't."
The Wood clone said with certainty. "She's more suspicious and wary of Uchiha Obito than anyone else in the Akatsuki."
Jūzō muttered in confusion, "You've never even met that woman, have you? How do you know her so well?"
"Anyone in the ninja world with a bit of a name holds no secrets from the main body," the Wood clone said.
Including me?—A question flashed through Jūzō's mind, but before he could ask, the Wood clone continued.
"Including you."
Jūzō: "..."
...
At the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi pulled open a drawer and reached into a tin tobacco box, only to find it empty. He then remembered that he had run out of tobacco yesterday. The events of last night had made him forget about it this morning.
"Itachi, go buy some for this old man..."
Hiruzen paused mid-sentence, unable to say the rest.
"Sigh, I'm still not used to it."
Hiruzen shook his head helplessly. Itachi Uchiha was a ninja from the Uchiha clan he had high hopes for, just like Shisui had been.
Unfortunately.
Just then, an ANBU ninja jumped in through the window. He knelt on one knee before Hiruzen and reported, "Lord Hokage, someone from the Hyūga clan has died."
Hiruzen frowned.
Why are people in the village dying every day? He began to wonder if, at this rate, Konoha would eventually be depopulated.
"Is it related to Ikeizumi again?" Hiruzen asked, his brow furrowed. Whenever someone died in the village, he couldn't help but think of Ikeizumi—it had become a habitual reflex.
The ANBU ninja shook his head and gave Hiruzen a brief account of the events. Hiruzen's frown deepened.
"A conflict between the Hyūga main family and branch family, is it? For years, especially after Hizashi's death, they've been very restrained. I didn't expect that after a few years, another branch family member would die at the hands of the main family."
Hiruzen rubbed his temples, a headache setting in. The craving for a smoke only made him more irritable.
"Send Homura to mediate with the Hyūga clan. The main family needs to come up with a solution to appease the branch family. I don't want to see an internal war break out within the Hyūga clan."
He waved his hand.
Whether it was an internal war within the Uchiha clan or the Hyūga clan, it would only be detrimental to Konoha.
Internal conflict would only continuously deplete the village's high-level shinobi. Ultimately, only Konoha would be weakened.
Hiruzen's seat was the Hokage's. He naturally didn't want to see such a thing happen.
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
"Wait!" Just as the ANBU was about to leave, Hiruzen suddenly remembered something and stopped him. He instructed, "Tell Homura to go immediately. He must also urge the main family to handle this matter as quickly as possible and urge the branch family to let go of their hatred quickly. This matter must be perfectly resolved before Ikeizumi gets involved."
"Otherwise, once he gets involved, it won't be so easy to sweep under the rug. At that point, there's nothing this old man can do."
Hiruzen was certain that Uchiha Ikeizumi would get involved; it was just a matter of his information-gathering ability.
Based on past events...
Ikeizumi's ability to acquire information on "illegal and criminal acts" was extremely strong.
Sending Homura Mitokado to warn the main family and appease the branch family was the most he, as the Third Hokage, could do.
"Yes!"
...
Meanwhile, somewhere in the Land of Fire.
"Tobi, has it still not recovered?" The spiral-faced Zetsu, with his legs crossed, looked at the expressionless Uchiha Obito who was eating lunch. "It's been a whole day!"
"No."
Obito put down his dango skewer, his expression grim. "It's been screaming in despair for a day and a night. When I enter the Kamui dimension, I can hear its screams."
As he said this, a chill went down Obito's spine. He didn't dare to imagine what would happen if he were hit by such a dōjutsu.
Obito shook his head, casting aside the thought of something he considered impossible.
He asked, "What do you think of that Uchiha Itachi? Is his offer of cooperation genuine, or is it a trap for me?"
The spiral-faced Zetsu rubbed his chin. "The kid sounded pretty serious at the time. Anyway, once he kills or captures that female subordinate of Uchiha Ikeizumi, we'll know if he's truly capable, won't we?"
"According to the intelligence we've gathered, that brat and the girl named Uchiha Izumi used to have a good relationship. Tsk tsk, it seems they were close friends."
"To kill a former close friend—he's a natural-born villain!"
Obito sneered. Whether Uchiha Itachi was a villain or not was meaningless to him; whether he had any use was what mattered.
"Speaking of which,"
Obito said, "A night and a morning have passed. He should have succeeded by now, right?"
The spiral-faced Zetsu said, "We arranged for a few of my clones to stake out the area near the outskirts of Konoha last night. If that brat leaves Konoha with Uchiha Izumi's body or a living captive, my clones will meet him. When that happens, the information will be sent to me."
Just as the spiral-faced Zetsu's words fell, a sudden influx of information flowed into his mind.
He froze for a moment.
The strange gestures he made with his hands as he spoke came to a halt.
His reaction did not escape Obito's sharp eye.
Obito frowned and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Tobi."
The spiral-faced Zetsu's next words were shocking. "One of my clones just sent back the latest information from Konoha. Uchiha Itachi did not succeed. While hunting Uchiha Izumi, he ran into that monster, the Yōton-user Uchiha Ikeizumi."
"He was killed!"
"Body and all!"
Uchiha Obito: "???"
Huh?
Obito's mind couldn't keep up for a moment. He was trying to process the information in the spiral-faced Zetsu's words.
"Killed?!"
"Hah..."
Obito let out a heavy sigh, feeling a mix of anger and amusement. He couldn't help but say, "With that level of strength, he wanted to cooperate with me and put on that kind of show?"
"He acted so confidently, as if he was sure that with my help, he could kill Uchiha Ikeizumi and wipe out the Uchiha clan. Where did Uchiha Itachi get that confidence?"
He had actually been fooled by a mere junior! He had even given him a test and a chance.
Obito wanted to slap himself.
Thankfully, no one else knows about this.
Otherwise, I'd be utterly humiliated.
The spiral-faced Zetsu lamented, "It's a shame I wasn't there. I might have seen him crap his pants before he died. Tobi, do you think he peed himself first, or did he shit himself first? Or maybe both?"
Obito silently looked at his lunch.
He had lost his appetite.
....
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