Chapter 199: The Branch House Are All Such Talented People
Though the man was already dead, Hishi's rage had not yet subsided.
"Drag the corpse out and dispose of it."
After coldly dropping that line, he prepared to select another person to vent on.
The other Main House members quickly stepped forward to stop him from continuing to take out his anger on Branch House members.
"Calm yourself, Elder Hishi!"
"Right now we need to consider what to do next, not waste energy venting our fury."
This Main House member waved his hand and commanded, "Quickly take Lady Hinata back to rest, then organize a pursuit team to hunt down that Kabuto Yakushi. You must bring back the Tenseigan and Byakugan."
He hesitated before adding, "If you can't bring them back, destroy the eyes. Under no circumstances can we let such treasures fall into enemy hands."
The Branch House members, as if granted amnesty, hurriedly scrambled to their feet, supporting Hinata as they fled in disgrace.
After all the Branch House members had left, the Main House member spoke, "Losing the Tenseigan is certainly heartbreaking, but fortunately we already know the method and data for synthesizing a Tenseigan. We can continue with a new synthesis following the original plan."
"Right now is when we need the Branch House to contribute. How can we afford to alienate them at this critical time?"
"Elder Hishi should exercise more restraint."
After hearing this, Hishi roared in response, "That's easy for you to say!"
"You only speak well of those Branch House members because you need something from them!"
"As a Main House elder, must I really consider the feelings of mere Branch House members when disciplining them?"
"That's not what I'm saying." Facing Hishi's fury, the Main House member who had spoken remained calm. "The person who stole the Tenseigan will surely become an enemy of both our clan and the village."
"Such a grave failure will certainly result in the village holding our clan accountable."
"Under current circumstances, the clan's most important task is synthesizing a new Tenseigan, strengthening the clan's power, and ensuring our position in the village doesn't waver."
"For the sake of the bigger picture, Elder Hishi shouldn't continue bullying those Branch House members so wantonly."
"You..." Hishi pointed at them, his finger trembling so badly he couldn't speak.
In the past, he was the one who used the banner of righteousness to oppress other clan members, forcing them to obey his commands.
But now the situation had completely reversed. He had become the one being suppressed by appeals to the greater good.
Hishi's heart went cold. He realized this failure was too severe—it had already greatly damaged his prestige within the Main House. He probably wouldn't be able to continue leading them in practice anymore.
After a moment of silence, he had no choice but to concede a step.
"Fine. I'll spare those derelict bastards for now."
"But after the new Tenseigan is synthesized, you can't continue preventing me from enforcing strict clan discipline."
"Naturally." Seeing Hishi's retreat, everyone readily agreed.
But the moment Hishi gave ground, he immediately pressed forward with another demand.
"The original order for Tenseigan synthesis will need adjustment. I need to claim the first spot."
As soon as these words left his mouth, all the Main House members fell silent. Clearly, no one was willing to sacrifice their own opportunity and yield it to Hishi.
After exchanging glances, they all spoke up:
"What are you saying, Elder Hishi? Not everyone has the opportunity for a Tenseigan. This synthesis order was established long ago. How can it be changed so casually?"
"We didn't compete with you for Lady Hinata's Tenseigan, Elder Hishi. It was your own carelessness that let the thief exploit an opening. How can you blame others for that?"
"Besides, Elder Hishi doesn't even have his own Byakugan anymore. Even if we transferred this spot to you, you wouldn't have Byakugan available for evolution!"
"Exactly! Finding a pair of Byakugan for Lady Hinata to use is already a difficult matter. We'll probably have to use ordinary person's eyes temporarily and wait for a future opportunity."
"Even if Byakugan do become available later, they should be prioritized for Lady Hinata!"
Only Main House Byakugan could be transplanted within the Hyuga clan, but Main House members were all noble—how could they casually give their eyes to someone else?
Originally, to guard against accidents, the clan had maintained a stockpile of Byakugan.
But to synthesize the Tenseigan, they'd already used up the entire inventory, resulting in the current absurd situation where the two most esteemed members of the clan had no Byakugan to use.
How ridiculous!
Hearing the Main House members unanimously oppose him, Hishi felt his heart plunge into an abyss, knowing he was about to lose his position within the clan.
Just then, someone outside reported, "Jonin Shikaku Nara has arrived."
Everyone immediately fell silent, their expressions turning ugly as they looked toward Hishi, knowing the village had received word and come to inquire.
Though he'd lost his eyes, Hishi's mind remained sharp.
Hearing everyone fall silent, he immediately understood that the clan currently lacked the means and ability to handle the village's accountability. He also knew whether he could maintain his clan position hinged on this moment, so he decisively spoke up:
"Don't panic. I have ample experience dealing with the village. Leave everything to me."
"Everyone else should disperse and prepare for tomorrow's memorial ceremony and other matters. I'll handle negotiations with Jonin Nara myself."
Everyone instinctively agreed and departed.
Moments later, Shikaku Nara entered. Upon seeing Hishi's eyeless appearance, he immediately sucked in a sharp breath and asked in shock, "So the rumors are true?"
"The Hyuga clan's Tenseigan really was stolen?"
"Hmph! You have the nerve to ask!"
Hishi's face filled with indignation as he launched into his accusation, "That Kabuto Yakushi you recommended, claiming he was trustworthy—the moment he saw how precious the Tenseigan was, greed immediately consumed him!"
"He took advantage of our trust in fellow village comrades to strike from the shadows, killing my two guards and stealing both the Tenseigan and my pair of Byakugan!"
The two guards who'd seen Orochimaru were both dead, so until now, the Hyuga clan only assumed Kabuto was the mastermind behind it all. They hadn't thought of Orochimaru.
Shikaku's heart skipped a beat. He certainly wouldn't accept this blame. His eyebrow immediately arched as he asked coolly, "That Kabuto Yakushi was only responsible for helping Lady Hinata regulate her body to ensure the Tenseigan's successful birth."
"His mission was complete. I wonder why he never reported back to the village, and how exactly he managed to defeat the Hyuga clan and steal the Tenseigan?"
Now it was Hishi's turn to have nothing to say.