Perhaps owing to the unique constitution of ninjas, the process of transplanting eyes was absurdly simple. It essentially involved gouging out the original eyes and pressing in the ones intended for installation. At most, a single application of the Mystical Palm Technique finished the job. That guy Kakashi's Sharingan must have been installed the same way...
Not only was the installation simple, but the patient's adaptation speed was also incredibly fast. In just a minute or two, the branch house Jonin successfully opened his eyes.
"This is..."
Ryuko Hyuga looked at the numerous Byakugan stored in jars around him. He instantly realized the implication, and his expression turned grim. There were at least a hundred pairs of Byakugan here, yet the current Main House consisted of only a few people. This meant these eyes were most likely taken from branch house ninjas.
"Clan Head, Elder, what is the meaning of this?"
Ryuko Hyuga rolled off the operating table. His newly transplanted eyes stared fixedly at the Clan Head and the Elder before him.
"Ryuko, every pair of Byakugan in the clan is vital. That is why we collect the eyes of deceased clansmen; it is so they can be replaced when your own eyes are injured," Hiashi Hyuga explained with total composure. From his perspective, there was absolutely nothing wrong with this practice. Rather than letting the Byakugan lose their vitality upon the host's death, it was better to collect them against future emergencies.
However, Ryuko Hyuga clearly could not accept that his kin's eyes were gouged out after death. No, it wasn't necessarily after death. Every branch house member was branded with the Caged Bird Curse Seal; once they died, the eyes would be destroyed along with them. Therefore, to obtain intact Byakugan, the Main House had to release the Caged Bird seal and gouge out the eyes before the host died.
Thinking of this, Ryuko Hyuga's face turned deathly pale. Once I lose my value, will I suffer the same fate? While Ryuko was lost in thought, the elder standing next to Hiashi spoke up slowly.
"Hiashi, as the Main House Clan Head, why bother wasting words on him?"
Ryuko Hyuga looked up in surprise, finding that the Main House elder had already formed a single-handed sign. In the next second, a horrific pain exploded in his mind, as if ten thousand ants were devouring his brain inside his skull! In an instant, this Jonin—who was a veteran of the battlefield and had performed countless services for the Hyuga Clan—was rolling on the ground in agony.
Seeing Hiashi's expression show a hint of reluctance, the elder cautioned him, "Hiashi, as the Clan Head, you must maintain your dignity. If you grow soft-hearted, it will cost even more lives."
Hearing this, Hiashi Hyuga gritted his teeth slightly and nodded. Only after seeing Hiashi acknowledge the necessity of this pain did the elder end the torture of Ryuko Hyuga.
"Remember, you are not permitted to reveal today's events. Otherwise..." He didn't specify what would happen, but Ryuko already understood. As members of the branch house, they had no right to choose their own lives. From birth, they were destined to be birds trapped in a cage. No, using "bird" was too gentle. They were the Main House's dogs.
Drenched in sweat from the immense pain, Ryuko Hyuga still knelt respectfully on the ground, bowing to Hiashi and the elder. "I understand, Clan Head, Elder."
Only after the three left did the swarm of black beetles emerge from various cracks, reforming into a black silhouette.
Tsk tsk. As expected, the longer the heritage of a clan, the more feudal it becomes...
Simu sighed at their retreating backs, a slight curl appearing at the corner of his mouth. It seems the tragically living Hyuga branch house is also in dire need of salvation from Lord Jashin. Of course, now was not the time.
Simu turned his gaze back to the surrounding test tubes. Pale eyes floated in the eerie green solution. Although Simu wanted to take all these Byakugan back for research, doing so would undoubtedly alert the Hyuga Clan. He had to give up for now. Leaving a set amount of black beetles behind, Simu dissolved his body again and returned to the library to record the Hyuga books.
A steady stream of data was sent from the beetles to Simu's clone, then forwarded to the main body for analysis. As dawn began to break, Simu finally finished recording all the books of the Hyuga Clan. Just as he was preparing to leave the compound silently, someone caught his attention.
The black beetles of Simu's incarnation hid in the grass, secretly watching a small boy repeatedly throwing punches in a courtyard. It was only six in the morning, but judging by the kid's state, he had already been training for nearly an hour.
If I remember correctly, this kid is named Neji Hyuga?
A month was long enough for Simu to memorize every member of the Hyuga. The moment he saw the boy, a series of data automatically surfaced in his mind. The nephew of the current Clan Head, Hiashi Hyuga. Years ago, to avoid war between the Hidden Leaf and the Hidden Cloud, his father, Hizashi Hyuga, had volunteered to take his brother's place under pressure from the clan and village, ending the Hidden Cloud's anger through suicide.
Consequently, Neji Hyuga had become extremely thirsty for power. Simultaneously, his talent in Gentle Fist was excellent. The only pity was that his status as a branch house member prevented him from receiving the clan's full cultivation.
Tsk, another child suffering from the injustices of fate, Simu evaluated. My dear Lord Jashin hates to see such things the most.
"In that case, I'll give you a hand."
A dark shadow composed of black beetles suddenly lunged toward Neji Hyuga's back. Although he hadn't awakened his Byakugan yet, Neji's perception was already quite sharp. Almost the instant he sensed the attack, he gathered enough chakra in his hand, twisted his waist, turned, and struck out with a palm.
The chakra erupting from his palm dispersed the incoming shadow. But before Neji could breathe a sigh of relief, the scattered beetles reformed into a human figure before his eyes.
"Who are you?"
Neji Hyuga stared at the black silhouette with total vigilance. The hand he had used to strike the beetles was hidden behind his back, trembling involuntarily.
Quick reactions, decisive choices, and agile movements. These all raised Simu's evaluation of the child. He manipulated the shadow to speak slowly. "You don't need to know who I am. You only need to know that I can bring you power."
Before Neji could express whether he believed it or not, the shadow tossed a scroll that landed right in front of him. "This is a higher level of Gentle Fist. It's yours."
With that, the shadow turned into countless black beetles and vanished on the spot.