Neji had just returned from his run when he noticed Hizashi seemed to be in a hurry.
"Neji, I'm sorry. I have something important to do. We can continue our training later," Hizashi said with a guilty expression, knowing he had to focus on matters other than his son.
"Okay," Neji replied without questioning where Hizashi was going. He already knew what was happening. He exhaled deeply.
Stepping inside the house, he removed his shoes and muttered to himself, "Looks like I won't be able to make Hiashi paralyze the Kumo shinobi."
Neji closed his eyes, accepting that the time had come.
'I should spend as much time as I can with him… and Kaa-san. Training can wait our time together is limited.'
He headed to the living room, where his mother was folding clothes while watching TV. Smiling, he approached her. "Let me help you, Kaa-san."
"Go clean yourself first," Hinoka said, eyeing his sweat-soaked clothes.
"Right," Neji agreed before leaving to wash up. When he returned, Hinoka had already finished folding the laundry and was fully engrossed in the drama on screen. He sat beside her.
"What are you watching?" Neji asked.
"Just some drama," Hinoka replied.
As they watched, Neji found himself getting invested. At one point, he groaned in frustration. "Why are you still following him?! You know he cheated on you!" He scratched his head in exasperation.
Hinoka chuckled at her son's reaction.
Neji turned to her, baffled. "Kaa-san, how can you keep watching this?"
"It's entertaining," she said with a light laugh.
Neji couldn't believe what he was hearing.
A few hours later,
Hizashi returned home with a grim expression. When he glanced into the living room, he saw his wife and son, Neji asleep on her lap.
The sight made him smile.
Hizashi stepped inside and took a seat beside Hinoka.
"What was so urgent?" Hinoka asked, her voice hushed to avoid waking Neji.
"Hiashi killed an envoy from Kumogakure," Hizashi said quietly.
Hinoka's hand stilled on Neji's hair. "What?"
"But he had a good reason. The Kumo shinobi tried to kidnap Hinata," Hizashi explained. "They were attempting to steal the Byakugan."
Hinoka clenched her jaw, anger simmering beneath her calm exterior. It wasn't surprising, Kumogakure shinobi had always been thieves in her eyes. Still, the audacity of targeting a child…
"What happens now?" she asked.
"That's uncertain. It depends on the Raikage's response," Hizashi admitted.
Just then, Neji stirred awake. He sat up, rubbing his eyes as if he hadn't overheard the conversation.
"Let's go, Tou-san," he said, feigning ignorance. "You promised to train me later."
A faint smile tugged at Hizashi's lips. "Of course, Neji."
The two headed to the backyard, standing across from each other under the fading daylight.
"Let's go all out today, Tou-san," Neji said, activating his Byakugan.
Hizashi mirrored him, his own eyes flaring white. "Alright."
They dashed toward each other, ready to clash.
...
Three days have passed,
The council chamber was silent, the weight of war pressing down on every leader present.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, sat at the head of the table, smoke curling from his pipe. To his left, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu exchanged uneasy glances. To his right, Danzo's single visible eye gleamed with cold calculation.
Around them stood the clan heads, Akimichi, Nara, Yamanaka, Aburame, Inuzuka, their expressions grim. Fugaku Uchiha stood apart, arms crossed. And at the center of it all, Hyuga Hiashi remained motionless.
Hiruzen spoke, his voice heavy.
"Kumogakure's ultimatum is clear. They demand the body of the Hyuga who killed their envoy… or they will declare war."
A tense silence followed. The Inuzuka leader growled. "After they tried to steal our bloodline? This is their disgrace, not ours!"
Danzo's voice cut through like a blade. "Disgrace means nothing. What matters is strength. If we yield, we invite further aggression."
Homura frowned. "But war now would devastate the village. We are still recovering."
Koharu nodded. "Then what alternative do we have? Hand over a clansman like a criminal?"
Hiashi stepped forward, his voice ice-cold.
"There is no alternative. I killed the envoy. I will go."
The room stilled. Even Danzo paused.
Hiruzen's grip tightened on his pipe. "Hiashi…"
"This is not a request," Hiashi said, his tone leaving no room for debate. "The Hyuga do not hide behind others. If my death prevents war, then I will surrender myself."
Fugaku's eyes narrowed. "And if they take your Byakugan?"
Hiashi's gaze never wavered. "The Caged Bird Seal will ensure they gain nothing."
A heavy silence fell. The clan leaders exchanged glances, some impressed, others uneasy. Danzo studied Hiashi, then gave a slow, approving nod.
"A sacrifice worthy of Konoha," he said.
Hiruzen closed his eyes, exhaling smoke. After a long moment, he spoke.
"Then it is decided."
Hiashi gave a single, stiff nod. "I will prepare immediately."
As he turned to leave, the weight of his decision hung in the air not just the death of a man, but the defiance of a clan.
The meeting dissolved into murmurs, but Hiashi did not look back.
Hiashi returned to the Hyuga clan compound and strode into the main hall. Determined, he called for the elders to place the Caged Bird Seal upon himself a defiant act to overturn tradition.
But before the ritual could begin, the doors burst open. Hyuga Hikaru, his father, the former clan head, and Neji's grandfather marched in, flanked by elders from both the Main and Side Branches. Among them stood Hizashi, his expression unreadable.
"Hiashi, I won't allow this," Hikaru declared, his voice like iron.
"It is my duty as clan head," Hiashi countered, fists clenched.
"No. The Side Branch exists to protect the Main Branch. That is their duty."
Hiashi's gaze snapped to Hizashi. "Hizashi will take your place as the decoy," Hikaru announced.
A cold fury surged through Hiashi. "You've grown crueler in your old age, Father."
"I do what I must for the strongest clan in Konoha," Hikaru replied, unmoved.
Hiashi turned to his brother, searching his face. "Hizashi… do you agree to this?" He knew Hizashi despised their traditions knew the resentment simmering beneath his calm.
"Yes." Hizashi stepped forward, shoulders squared.
Hiashi understood. His father's threat hung unspoken comply, or suffer the consequences. "Since when do the Hyuga resort to blackmailing their own?" he spat, but the elders averted their eyes. Only silence answered him.
"Tch." Hiashi locked eyes with Hizashi again. "Think of Neji. Of your family."
"It doesn't matter. Our duty is to protect the Main Branch." Hizashi's voice was hollow.
Before Hiashi could react, Hizashi struck two fingers jabbing, sealing his tenketsu points. Hiashi collapsed, paralyzed, into his brother's arms. As the world faded to black, Hizashi's whisper brushed his ear:
"Take care of Neji for me."
Then... nothing.
"Good," Hikaru intoned. "Prepare Hizashi. His sacrifice will ensure Konoha's peace… and the Hyuga's supremacy."
Helpless, furious, Hiashi could only watch as the elders nodded in unison.
...
The sun was sinking low in the sky as Neji sat at the dining table with Hinoka, both waiting for Hizashi to return.
"He's late today," Neji remarked.
Hinoka nodded. "Let's eat. He might be handling another urgent situation."
"Okay," Neji replied, though a thought nagged at the back of his mind: 'Is today the day?'
Hizashi usually came home early. Neji's heart pounded nervously, he didn't know when it would happen, nor had he heard any rumors.
'The Main Branch must be keeping this quiet,' he thought.
Then, a knock came at the door.
Neji started to rise, but Hinoka stood first. "Finish your food. I'll get it."
She opened the door to find a Hyūga from the Side Branch delivering news. The moment she heard it, her legs gave way, and she collapsed to her knees.
Neji rushed to her side. Seeing her reaction, he stared at the floor, his chest tightening. 'It's real. He's really gone.'
The reality felt hollow, surreal. He didn't know how to feel.
"Hinoka-san," the Hyūga said carefully, "you may see the body before it's sent to Kumogakure."
"What?" Her Byakugan flared to life, her grip tightening on the messenger's collar as killing intent radiated from her. "What do you mean, sent to Kumo? The Clan Head murdered that Kumo shinobi, not Hizashi!"
"The Main Branch has decided… Hizashi will take his place." The messenger trembled under her glare.
Hinoka's hands shook as she released him. Her fury dissolved into resignation, teeth gritted as she wiped her tears. "Neji… let's go see him one last time."
They followed the messenger to where Hizashi's body lay. "You have an hour," he said before stepping outside.
Hinoka fell to her knees beside the lifeless form, clutching it as sobs wracked her body.
Neji stood frozen, tears spilling despite his numbness. 'This is the last time I'll see him.' He tilted his head up, trying to stop the tears, his mother's wails filling the silence.
Beneath her cries, he barely caught her whisper: "This is all the Main Branch's fault. Hiashi… I'll kill you."
When the hour ended, Hinoka straightened. "Go home ahead of me, Neji."
"What are you planning?" He caught her sleeve.
"Nothing. I just have questions."
"Okay," he said, though he didn't believe her.
As Neji left, Hinoka turned toward the Clan Head's residence, her steps heavy with purpose.
The Hyuga compound stood silent under the cold glow of the moon. The gates tall, imposing, engraved with the clan's crest loomed before Hinoka like a barrier between her and the truth she so desperately sought.
Two guards materialized from the shadows, their Byakugan already active, veins pulsing around their eyes.
"Halt," the first barked, stepping forward. "State your purpose."
Hinoka's fists clenched. She had no patience for formalities. Not tonight.
"Hiashi!" Her voice ripped through the stillness, sharp as a blade. "Come out here!"
Inside the mansion, the sound reached Hiashi like an echo of a past he could never escape. His wife, Hyuga Himawari, who bore a striking resemblance to an older Hinata was next to him, her fingers tightening around his wrist.
"Don't hurt her," she whispered. "She's grieving."
Hiashi exhaled slowly. "I know."
He stepped outside, the night air biting at his skin. The guards tensed, ready to intervene, but he raised a hand.
"Stand down."
Hinoka's eyes burned into him grief, fury, betrayal all swirling in those pale irises. Without a word, she stormed past the guards, her sandals scraping against the stone path.
Hiashi led her inside, down the dimly lit halls, past ancestral portraits that seemed to watch in judgment. The living room was sparse, tatami mats, a low table, the faint scent of incense lingering from earlier prayers.
The moment the door slid shut behind them, Hinoka's Byakugan flared to life.
No warning. No words.
She lunged.
Her palm strike aimed for his throat, a killing blow.
Hiashi sidestepped, her fingertips grazing his collar. 'She's fast. But her anger makes her sloppy.'
She struck again, left hand darting for his ribs. He twisted, redirecting her momentum, but she pivoted, driving a two-fingered strike toward his shoulder.
Hiashi deflected it, then swept her legs out from under her.
Hinoka hit the floor hard, the impact shuddering through her. Her Byakugan flickered out.
"Are you done?" Hiashi asked, voice low.
For a second, she didn't move. Then, with a ragged breath, she pushed herself up not with grace, but with raw, trembling effort.
"You killed him." Her voice was a whisper, then a snarl. "Your own brother!"
She surged forward again, this time with no technique, no finesse, just bare hands grabbing his collar, shaking him.
"Look at me and tell me why!"
Hiashi didn't resist. His face, usually a mask of composure, fractured for the first time.
"I tried to die in his place."
Hinoka froze.
"What?"
"The elders demanded a sacrifice," Hiashi said, each word heavy. "I volunteered. But Hizashi… he stopped me. Sealed my fate before I could protest."
A choked sound escaped Hinoka's throat. Her grip slackened.
'No. No, that's not—'
Her knees hit the floor. The fight drained out of her, leaving only a hollow, aching void.
'Hizashi… you liar. You promised.'
Tears splattered onto the tatami. "Why didn't he tell me?"
Hiashi knelt beside her, close but not touching. "To protect you. To protect him."
Her head snapped up. "My son—"
"I swore to Hizashi I'd guard him as my own." His voice was steel, but his eyes, they were the eyes of a man drowning in regret.
Hinoka stared at him, searching for deceit. But all she saw was a mirror of her own pain.
Slowly, she stood. The fire in her was gone, replaced by something heavier.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, bowing. "For the misunderstanding."
Hiashi said nothing as she turned away. The door slid shut behind her, leaving him alone in the silence.
For a long moment, he didn't move. Then—
*Thud.*
His fist slammed into the wall, the wood splintering under the force.
"It should have been me"
His voice cracked.