That afternoon, Hyūga Hizashi bid farewell to Hyūga Neji, outwardly leaving home to carry out a mission, but in truth he committed suicide in secret.
He struck his own chest with Gentle Fist, breaking the heart meridian—swift and clean, with little pain.
To keep Neji in the dark, there was of course no funeral; only a nameless cenotaph was quietly raised in the graveyard.
Kumogakure truly couldn't tell the two brothers Hiashi and Hizashi apart. Taking Hizashi's corpse, they beat the drums of victory and hurried back to the village.
Just as Kumogakure's researchers excitedly prepared to remove the Byakugan, the Caged Bird curse mark activated and destroyed the eyes.
When the Fourth Raikage and the others heard the news, they realized they'd been played, yet had no outlet for their anger.
Konoha had already provided an explanation. Whether true or false, Kumogakure had no grounds to explode over it.
If they kept making a scene, they would gain nothing in public opinion; and if they pushed too far, Konoha would no longer tolerate it.
Feeling they'd swallowed a loss, Kumogakure's higher-ups could only accept this bitter pill, cursing the Hyūga clan and Konoha as cunning.
With this, the aftershocks of the Third Shinobi World War finally settled. The Five Great Villages ceased hostilities and entered a period of orderly recuperation, storing up strength for the next war.
Though there was no war, the open and covert struggles among the Five Great Villages and the smaller ones never stopped, as if they would go on forever.
...
The main-house's three elders, late to understand what had happened, stormed in on Hyūga Hiashi demanding an explanation.
Letting one branch member become main-house was already an exceptional breach, but compared to researching a solution or improvement to the Caged Bird curse mark, it was nothing at all.
That was digging up the very roots of the Hyūga main house.
If there were no Caged Bird, or if the Caged Bird lost its power to control people, the main house could not possibly maintain its exalted status.
Branch members outnumber the main house by far; counting shinobi and civilians together, the ratio is several dozen to one.
Though branch shinobi do not learn the deepest Gentle Fist secret arts, they make up for it with experience—and numbers.
If someone incited rebellion and there was no means of suppression, wouldn't the main house be doomed?
In truth the elders' fears were not groundless. After all, the Ōtsutsuki main house on the moon was destroyed by its own branch house.
The Ōtsutsuki main house had no technique like the Caged Bird; they relied on strength to suppress the branch.
But the branch were wolves one and all; they offered up large numbers of Byakugan to forge a weapon of war and wiped out the ruthless main house.
Hyashi understood the elders' concerns, but he had no way out. He had already agreed; going back on it was impossible—the consequences too severe.
Facing pressure from Konoha's leadership and Kageyama Kogetsu, the three main-house elders blustered that outsiders had no right to interfere in Hyūga affairs, yet their voices grew small.
Konoha's high command still didn't make them that nervous.
For unless there's a major incident like rebellion, the unspoken rule since Konoha's founding is that the village does not intervene in a clan's internal affairs.
Sometimes the tacit rules bind more tightly than the rules on the surface.
If Konoha's leaders were to force themselves into a clan's internal business, they would absolutely spark the strong displeasure of every clan in the village.
But Kageyama Kogetsu was different—he didn't play by the rules. He truly dared to assassinate clan higher-ups, and you still couldn't catch him at it.
Having finally become the new main-house elders, even if some interests had been encroached upon by the clan head's line, they still held high rank and power.
They had no wish to lose their current status—much less their lives.
Sensing the elders' stance softening, Hyashi eased up and said Neji was a special case; everything else would proceed as before.
Seeing they could not change Hyashi's mind, the three elders reluctantly agreed.
Yet after leaving the clan head's residence, the three elders gathered again in the grand elder's tearoom to discuss countermeasures.
Their earlier agreement was mere pretense—a stopgap. Even if it were only one person, they could not allow the precedent to stand.
Once is followed by twice, like a riverbank: if a breach isn't plugged, sooner or later the whole levee will be swept away.
This must not be allowed to happen.
After discussion, the three elders quickly reached a consensus.
First, employ delay—use every overt and covert means to obstruct progress on improving the Caged Bird.
Second, employ deceit—use every corrupting temptation to lure Neji into becoming a Caged Bird who knows only indulgence and enjoys it.
They presumed the clan head and his wife would be happy to see that.
Lastly, if the first two moves failed, then there would be physical elimination.
Without a subject to apply the research to, there would be no need to continue the research at all.
The "three cobblers" devised a rather tight plan for eliminating the body.
Do not act within the compound, and preferably not within the village; instead, find a way to act when Neji leaves the village.
Hiring bounty-nin or luring shinobi from other villages would both work—thus avoiding his teacher's wrath and cutting off future trouble.
Perfect.
...
Neji, currently a guest at Kageyama Kogetsu's home, had no idea that the clan elders were racking their brains to plot against him.
At the dining table, Kageyama Kogetsu sat with one leg crossed, lazily savoring a glass of red wine.
Across from him, Neji was shoveling rice with bowl and chopsticks, eating with gusto.
This meal had been cooked by Kageyama Kogetsu himself, not by a shadow clone. First time meals deserve that much; the washing of dishes later would indeed be shadow-clone work.
"Urp…"
Neji set down his bowl and let out a burp, a blush rising on his handsome, clear-cut face.
"Sensei, forgive me. That was rude."
"It's just that your cooking is too delicious. I've never had anything this good." Neji hopped off his chair and bowed.
"As long as you like it."
"If you complete the training tasks I give you, I'll cook for you or take you out for something good to eat." Kageyama Kogetsu swirled the wine and smiled.
"Great! I'll complete every task to the letter." Neji beamed.
"I believe you," Kageyama Kogetsu encouraged.
"When I'm in Konoha, come once a week.
"Dropping by to hang out isn't restricted; I'm talking about the cadence of instruction."
"If I'm away, ask your elders in the clan or wait until I return."
Neji nodded hard. "Understood, Sensei."
"Sensei, I'll go wash the dishes."
"No need. Let the shadow clone handle small chores like that."
"Show me the results of your current training."
Kageyama Kogetsu formed a single seal, and a shadow clone appeared behind him.
The clone spotted the dishes on the table, shot the original a glare, then obediently went to work.
Watching an extra "Sensei" pop up, Neji's eyes went wide. It felt magical.
"This is the Shadow Clone Technique. If you want to learn it, I'll teach you later."
For the Hyūga fighting style, shadow clones aren't of great use—or even more harm than good.
Of course, if your taijutsu is strong enough or you use them cleverly, they're still quite useful.
"Now, show me your Gentle Fist."
"Yes, Sensei."
Neji clasped his fists and bowed, then moved to the open space in the living room and began to practice, form perfect and solemn.
When Neji finished, Kageyama Kogetsu rose to correct him.
Though he had never formally trained in Gentle Fist, he'd seen plenty of shinobi use it. With his own taijutsu attainments, guiding a child was easy.
Neji was talented, and diligent too. His mistakes were minor and few, and he corrected them quickly—he could even infer by analogy. Teaching him was truly worry-free.
<><><><><><>
Read Advanced Chapters on : patreon.com/Kaizo247
~ Every 150 PS = Bonus Chapter!
~ Push the Story forward with your [Power Stones]