"Father."
After Hyuga Soushu had left, everyone in the Reception Hall finally lowered their Byakugan gaze. Yet Hiashi Hyuga, as the legitimate eldest son, couldn't help but wonder why his father had acted this way.
The eight elders and Hizashi Hyuga turned their gazes toward the calm and composed Hyuga Clan Leader.
"Hizashi, what do you think of him?"
The clan leader didn't answer his legitimate eldest son's question. Instead, he turned to his second son and asked, "Tell me. He is, after all, a Jonin from the Branch House, and it will be your duty to supervise him!"
"He's a narrow-minded fool," Hizashi replied vaguely, unsure of his father's true intentions.
"Wrong!" The clan leader shook his head repeatedly. "Our Soushu is even more arrogant and refuses to be dominated by anyone—even more than his own father did!"
Upon hearing this, the eight elders—who were well aware of the truth—remained expressionless, while Hiashi and Hizashi exchanged surprised glances.
According to official reports, Soushu's father had died on a top-secret mission. But now, based on the clan leader's tone, it seemed there was another hidden story.
"Come to think of it, battlefield experience really does shape a person," the clan leader mused with a sigh. "Besides, back then, none of us expected that the overrated fool could actually produce such a decent descendant."
"All of this is due to the grace of our clan leader. Otherwise, this descendant of a rebel would have long since vanished without a trace with the arrival of winter," one elder who knew the secret flattered respectfully.
After hearing these words, Hiashi and Hizashi understood part of the hidden truth.
Judging from what they'd heard, Soushu's father must have been a descendant of the rebellious faction within the Branch House—an ideological trend that had continuously emerged throughout history without end, impossible to fully eliminate.
Of course, this alleged faction wasn't an actual organized group within the clan, nor did it follow any strict code of conduct. It was simply a label the Main House placed upon any members of the Branch House who resisted the deeply rooted hierarchy between the Main and Branch Houses. In reality, nearly all members of the Branch House—especially those with real talent—had at least some rebellious thoughts. However, they ultimately chose submission when faced with the overwhelming power of the era and the crying mouths needing care at home.
Once they had weaknesses, those once-rebellious spirits of the Branch House were naturally worn down by daily trivialities, transforming into ordinary ninja who constantly compromised their principles—precisely what the Main House desired.
Therefore, theoretically, every member of the Branch House might be—or at least once may have been—a rebel during their youth, only choosing submission after realizing the relationship between the clan and themselves and facing the harsh reality of having no support either internally or externally. Soushu's father had simply become the scapegoat—a warning example meant to silence dissent before it spreads.
After grasping the complex truth behind these matters, both Hiashi and Hizashi brothers sharply inhaled in shock.
This also sufficiently explained why Soushu Hyuga would dare to stare directly at the clan leader, even knowing the risk to his life. It indicated that he might have already discerned the truth hidden beneath the clumsy lies and harbored deep resentment toward the Main House.
Yet it made no sense for the Hyuga Clan Leader not only to refrain from punishing him but instead to assign Hizashi Hyuga to teach the true depth of the Gentle Fist to someone who was obviously a member of the rebellious faction!
"You two are still too young," the crafty Hyuga Clan Leader remarked. Seeing the expressions on his two sons' faces, he understood their thoughts and shook his head with a touch of disappointment. "Which do you think poses a greater threat—an invisible, cunning snake lying in wait, or a barking, posturing dog?"
"A snake."
Hiashi hesitated for a moment, seemingly beginning to grasp his father's meaning.
"If Soushu had knelt before me today with utmost reverence, we'd need to assign another jonin from our official ninja roster for battle deployment."
The clan leader slightly adjusted his robe and strode toward the inner chambers while saying something that sounded contradictory: "As head of the family, you've got to have patience. Only when you truly accept this can you become a worthy heir to the clan!"
In truth, the Hyuga Clan Leader had long understood the sorrow and frustration within the hearts of the Branch House members. Yet for the sake of the clan's continuity, he wouldn't recklessly alter these fundamental ancestral laws that had been passed down for over a thousand years—laws that had accompanied the Hyuga Clan through countless rises and falls while safeguarding the family from annihilation. Furthermore, due to the absolute dominance of the Caged Bird Seal over the Branch House, he simply dismissed the complaints of these beaten dogs.
Compared to defeated dogs lashing out in rage, however, he remained highly vigilant against those venomous snakes skilled at hiding their true intentions. After all, people inevitably let their guard down sometimes, and if such a deceitful serpent managed to hide right beside him, no one could predict when it might strike with lethal intent. Better to eliminate them early and be done with it.
When he reached the corridor behind the screen, the Hyuga Clan Leader paused and turned toward his second son, Hizashi Hyuga: "Once you inherit leadership of the Branch House, you will encounter many like Soushu."
"But you must learn how to handle a dog always growling and venting dissatisfaction—it is through managing such individuals that you can better serve the Main House!"
"As you command."
Hizashi respectfully bowed, even more obediently than when Soushu had departed.
However, if Branch House ninja were merely dogs, then what did that make him—the clan leader's second son—entrusted with overseeing the Branch House?
Thinking of this left Hizashi feeling extremely suffocated inside.
Returning home, Soushu Hyuga sat cross-legged in the main hall, silently staring at the portraits of his late parents for a long time.
It wasn't until the first rays of dawn poured into the hall the next morning that Soushu finally snapped out of his dazed, meditative state.
He rose slowly, deeply bowed to the ancestral portraits on the wall, replaced the incense and fruit offerings, and only afterward resumed attending to his daily affairs.
Because he was so young at the time of his rebirth, Hyuga Soushu remembered clearly what had happened during his childhood. To be honest, memories from his previous life carried more weight. After their passing, he basically lived a hard life sustained only by meager family pensions and relief funds, not knowing the feeling of being full until heading into battle. So truthfully speaking, his feelings toward his parents in this life weren't particularly deep.
But now that he truly occupied the body of a legitimate blood heir, there were certain things he needed to inherit and bear, no matter how much conspiracy lay hidden behind these ancestral grudges and emotional entanglements.
Although this meeting with the Main House was equally perilous—after all, the Clan Leader's unintentional killing intent was again genuinely chilling—as long as he wasn't directly executed on the spot, Sōshu, as a newly promoted Jonin, could feel momentarily relieved. He had successfully established his persona—a crude, unrefined, and shallow-minded youngster from the Hyuga clan!
"Guess I called it."
Hyuga Soushu finally exhaled the long-held breath he couldn't even remember holding.
To the Main House, branch members like Hyuga Soushu were nothing new—individuals possessing slight talent but obviously mismatched ambition, easily readable and utterly shallow. There was no real interest in dealing with them seriously; after all, not everyone considered a vicious, barking dog to be a threat.
Moreover, keeping someone like Sōshu around could, to some extent, demonstrate the Main House's generosity of spirit—as long as his actions didn't provoke their ultimate taboos.
Interestingly, someone seemingly defiant yet shallow, and with just enough strength like Sōshu might even arouse the desire of those above to tame him. If so, Sōshu might turn the situation to his advantage.