Nah you guys suck, I'm not going to do mass releases no more, 2 maybe 3 chaps a day from now on.
Chapter 93: The Hyuga Clan's Change
Konoha, Hyuga clan grounds.
Upon the original ruins, a tall building rose from the ground, standing alone and solitary amidst broken walls and debris.
Though lacking the elaborate carved beams and painted rafters of the past, at least it preserved the main family's dignity, preventing the main family elders from living together with branch family shinobi.
In the council hall, the remaining main family elders gathered together, jointly discussing the Hyuga clan's future.
Looking at the empty hall—seats that could once fill the entire space now reduced to merely a dozen or so positions—all the main family elders felt extremely dejected.
They looked at each other without words. After a long silence, finally an older elder took the initiative to speak:
"The clan head's whereabouts are currently unknown. How the clan proceeds from here can only be decided through our deliberations."
"First is the matter of the successor clan head."
"Lord Hiashi is currently only missing—we cannot yet confirm his death. For us to rashly install another clan head would be somewhat improper."
"If following the rules, we should have Miss Hinata assume clan affairs."
"However, Miss Hinata's personality is truly somewhat... well, a bit too gentle. I'm afraid regarding clan matters, we elders will need to help manage things."
"Does everyone have any objections to this?"
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone expressed their support.
"This is reasonable and proper."
"This is our duty—we must do our utmost."
The elder who spoke first nodded and continued:
"Then this matter is settled."
"Now for the second matter."
"Currently, various nations are attacking. Every day, quite a few branch family shinobi unfortunately die in battle. Regarding this situation, does anyone have good solutions?"
This time, everyone fell silent. They glanced at each other, strange lights flickering in their eyes—hesitation mixed with anticipation—but no one was willing to speak first.
After a long while, one elder sighed and shook his head first.
"Alas, what solution could there be?"
"Our clan has always firmly supported Lord Hokage's decisions. Naturally, this won't change now. We'll continue following Lord Hokage's orders."
"As for branch family shinobi losses, those are necessary sacrifices—unavoidable."
"Now that the Uchiha clan has been exterminated, our Hyuga clan is the village's only remaining prestigious clan. Naturally, we must set a good example for all families!"
"Everything is for the village!"
Hearing such high-sounding words, no one could refute them. They could only bow their heads and close their mouths without speaking further. The atmosphere immediately grew cold again.
Everyone remained silent for another long while. The elder who spoke first sighed, deciding to make things explicit.
"Forget it. I'll be the villain!"
"When Orochimaru attacked previously, he mentioned the so-called 'Tenseigan,' claiming this eye was created by fusing large quantities of Byakugan—moreover, an eye comparable to the Sage of Six Paths' Rinnegan."
"Regarding this point, what are everyone's thoughts?"
Everyone's breathing immediately quickened.
Since someone had broken through the topic, people immediately asked impatiently:
"Is this intelligence truly accurate?"
"Could Orochimaru have deliberately deceived us?"
"Probably not." An elder shook his head, analyzing: "If Orochimaru merely wanted to kill and seize eyes, he wouldn't need to waste so much time on interrogation."
"Moreover, he made one very valid point."
"The Uchiha clan has such powerful eyes as the Mangekyo Sharingan. If the Hyuga clan had no corresponding abilities, how could we be ranked alongside the Uchiha as Konoha's two great prestigious clans?"
"But I've searched through clan records these past days and found no relevant documentation!"
"Neither the 'Tenseigan' nor the correct usage method of the Caged Bird curse mark is written in the records!"
"Perhaps because this matter is too important, it wasn't written down but passed orally from clan head to clan head through generations?"
"And didn't you notice that Byakugan shinobi who suddenly appeared later?"
"Just looking at his strange puppet control abilities, you know he absolutely isn't one of our clan. Yet his Byakugan was definitely genuine."
"He suddenly appeared at the moment of our clan's extermination crisis and rescued Clan Head Hiashi and Miss Hanabi. This indicates the clan head likely possesses secrets that we ordinary main family members don't understand!"
"But now Lord Hiashi is missing. Even if he knows the truth, we have no way to confirm it from him!"
"I think this problem isn't major. Since that person is also a Hyuga clansman, he'll probably return Lord Hiashi and Miss Hanabi afterward."
"We can consult with Lord Hiashi then."
"That makes sense. Then we needn't worry about it. Just wait for Lord Hiashi to return and take charge?"
"Hmph!" An elder suddenly snorted coldly: "I fear by the time Lord Hiashi returns, this 'Tenseigan' will have nothing to do with us ordinary main family elders!"
Once he said this, the atmosphere immediately chilled again. Everyone's expressions grew complex, eyes flickering, unclear what schemes they were plotting.
After another long silence, someone suddenly spoke up with a suggestion:
"The village currently faces crisis after crisis. Shinobi from various nations are attacking. We don't even know if Konoha can survive this calamity."
"To defend the village, we must make additional sacrifices."
"Perhaps we should first try synthesizing a Tenseigan to see. Maybe we could reverse the village's defeat!"
Once these words emerged, they immediately gained everyone's agreement.
"This makes sense. For the village's safety, our Hyuga clan should make more sacrifices!"
"Everything is for the village!"
"But... we have absolutely no relevant data. We don't know how to synthesize the Tenseigan at all!"
"That's not a major problem. Since we know it's synthesized using large quantities of branch family shinobi eyes, we can just conduct more experiments, right?"
"Orochimaru's intelligence still has some issues."
"He doesn't know that this Caged Bird curse mark fundamentally has no cancellation method, so Tenseigan synthesis probably doesn't require removing the eyes."
"On this point, Orochimaru was likely mistaken!"
"Previously, we didn't know the Byakugan could evolve, so we never thought in that direction."
"But now that we know—that above the Byakugan exists the Tenseigan—we can boldly hypothesize and carefully verify."
"In my view, since the Tenseigan is the Byakugan's evolved form, it's most likely an accumulation of Byakugan ocular power, ultimately letting quantitative change accumulate into qualitative change."
"The correct usage of the Caged Bird shouldn't be forcing branch family shinobi to remove their eyes, but forcing them to actively offer their ocular power and inject it into main family shinobi eyes."
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