"Who's there?! Show yourself!"
The moment the voice reached his ears, Hyūga Hizashi activated his Byakugan without hesitation.
But to his astonishment, in his perception, aside from Neji, the surroundings were completely empty.
There was only the sound of wind and rustling leaves, his own breathing and heartbeat. It was so quiet even the chirping of insects seemed to have vanished.
Hizashi scanned the area with his Byakugan, but found no trace of the voice's source.
"Where are you looking?"
The ethereal voice came again.
This time, Hyūga Hizashi heard it with perfect clarity. He whipped his head around towards the source.
But still, there was no one. Nothing.
The trees stood silently before him, their dense leaves swaying in the wind, creating flickering shadows that seemed to hide countless figures.
Until a light, unhurried footstep slowly approached.
Even to the ear, one could sense the ease and leisure of the walker. Despite moving within the Hyūga compound, filled with Byakugan users, they gave off the feeling of a leisurely stroll through a garden.
Moments later, a figure emerged from the shadows, a pool of darkness bleeding into Hizashi's Byakugan vision.
The dark figure stopped before him. Hizashi focused intently, trying to pierce through the black robe and discern every inch of flesh beneath the hood.
But beneath the hood, there was only a thick, swirling mass of shadow, alive and churning. It devoured the probing gaze he sent forth like a moth to a flame, offering not a shred of residue in return.
'A monster from the abyss.'
The thought sprang unbidden to his mind. Cold sweat trickled down Hyūga Hizashi's temple.
Someone who could infiltrate Konoha without a sound, disregard its sensory barriers, enter the Hyūga clan compound, and even evade the Byakugan's perception.
The person stood right before him, yet he couldn't sense them at all.
If they hadn't spoken, they could have stood behind him and slit his throat before he had any inkling.
Was this some secret technique?
Or a Kekkei Genkai?
Even "Yang Release" couldn't achieve this, could it?
"Who are you?"
Hyūga Hizashi spoke, stalling for time while his mind raced to analyze the situation, his hand slipping into his robe to signal an intruder.
"The moment you send that signal, I'll have enough time to slit your throat. And before reinforcements arrive, I can also kill that child."
The words were cold, calm, laced with an undeniable killing intent.
Hizashi's body instinctively stiffened, his hand freezing mid-movement.
The bizarre manner of the figure's appearance and the chilling calm in their voice left Hizashi with no doubt about the statement's truth.
With the opponent's demonstrated ability to block perception, if they truly possessed the power to kill him instantly, they could indeed leave here silently and safely, leaving no trace for anyone to find afterward.
So, did this person possess the power to kill him instantly?
"..."
Hyūga Hizashi withdrew his hand from his robe, his gaze locked fiercely on the dark figure before him. "What do you want?"
Yes. He didn't dare to gamble.
The being before him was too strange, too unnatural.
His own life didn't matter. But Neji was right behind him.
And since the other party hadn't attacked immediately, it indicated they might not harbor lethal intent.
But at this moment, Hyūga Hizashi couldn't possibly guess that the dark figure he feared and dreaded was, in fact, the same person he had met just hours before.
The dark figure—that is, Hyūga Kumokawa—didn't answer Hizashi's question. Instead, he calmly watched him.
Dead silence fell between the two once more. Only the rustle of wind through leaves could be heard, along with Hizashi's increasingly heavy breathing and quickening heartbeat.
Just as the atmosphere became unbearably oppressive, and Hizashi's fingers twitched, on the verge of taking action…
"You said… the suffering that child endures will become the treasure that makes him stronger?"
The figure finally spoke. Though the voice was still hoarse and dreadful, Hizashi felt a wave of relief.
Though the figure stood level with him, Hizashi felt as if he were being looked down upon from a great height. A deep, probing gaze slowly swept over him.
It was as if invisible black hands were grasping every inch of his skin, slowly squeezing, as if to wring out a pool of blood.
"What are you trying to say?"
The last flicker of resistance quietly faded. Hyūga Hizashi frowned, his voice low.
"You are deceiving yourself," Hyūga Kumokawa's tone was flat. "Suffering is just suffering. It is not worthy of praise, nor is it some precious treasure."
"Suffering only drains a person's vitality, making them sensitive and extreme."
His voice took on a hint of mocking amusement. "Just as your parents once did to you."
"They shattered your worldview. They crammed your mind with the values, life, and world they approved of."
"They demanded your obedience. They belittled you to the extreme. They told you this was right. They told you this was your fate. When you struggled, when you resisted, their expressions changed. They screamed at you. They severed your limbs. They locked you in a cage."
"They beat you, cursed you, pleaded with you, begged you, but they would never let you go. They said you were wrong. They said they were right. They said, 'This is for your own good.' So you surrendered. You joined them."
Watching Hyūga Hizashi's expression grow increasingly strained, Hyūga Kumokawa's words grew sharper, more mocking. "A long time later, you find your child is just like you used to be. You think he'll follow your path, kneel like a dog, and accept his fate. So you…"
"Enough!"
An almost uncontrollable low roar cut off Kumokawa's next words.
These sharp words were like knives, relentlessly carving into the flesh of Hyūga Hizashi's heart, making his entire body tremble.
Each sentence forced him to recall the past, to remember the now-blurred faces from his memory, to hear the words those blurred mouths had spoken.
"What do you know!" He could no longer hold back his fear and apprehension, gritting his teeth. "I… I was doing it for…"
Here, his final words seemed to stick in his throat, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.
'For Neji's own good?
Isn't that exactly what the other person just said?'
"Cough! Ugh…"
The thought made Hyūga Hizashi's face pale. He covered his mouth, a wave of intense nausea washing over him.
It was disgusting.
Not disgust for others. Disgust for himself.
He refused to admit, deep down, that he truly couldn't understand Neji's feelings. Couldn't understand why Neji harbored such hatred. He was the one who had directed killing intent at Hinata. He was the one in the wrong. He…
Now, he could no longer understand his own rebellious past self.
He had been born a mere fifteen minutes after his brother, Hyūga Hiashi. Those fifteen minutes condemned him to the branch family, to be branded with the Caged Bird, to lose his self and his freedom.
He had once resisted, questioned. But now, he could only think, Isn't this just… fate?
'When did it start?
What had he been doing all this time?'
"Some birds are not meant to be caged. Their feathers are too bright, too brilliant for this world. They belong to the sky."
Hyūga Kumokawa took a step forward, slowly approaching Hizashi until he stood at his side. His words dripped with temptation. "Hyūga Hizashi, tell me your choice."
"Will you be the cruel executioner, personally clipping the wings of a bird meant for the sky?"
"Or will you choose… to be a father?"