His cold voice broke the silence, each word firm and clear. "No one in the clan is allowed to enter or leave without permission."
"All guards on duty last night, whether Main Family or Branch Family, are to be questioned immediately. Record every detail, even the smallest movement. Nothing is to be missed."
Hizashi Hyuga spoke with final authority, his tone sharp and resolute.
"Yes!" The Main Family Ninja responded together, their expressions tightening.
At that moment, Hizashi Hyuga spoke again.
"One more thing," he said as he looked at everyone present. "Investigate everyone's movements last night, starting with those from the Branch Family."
Several Main Family Ninja exchanged looks, and some hesitated to speak. They also had doubts about the Branch Family, but openly targeting them was another matter.
Once an investigation focused on the Branch Family, suspicion would be placed in the open.
"Elder Rigu," one of the Main Family Elders said with a frown, speaking at the right moment. "Without evidence, would focusing on the Branch Family cause panic, or even…"
"Cause division?" Hizashi Hyuga finished calmly, the coldness on his face unchanged. "Elder Rigu, I know your concern, but the safety of the Main Family comes first."
"It is only an investigation. If they have nothing to hide, they will not resist."
"But if anyone resists or refuses," he added coldly, "treat them as the true culprit and punish them on the spot."
No one dared to question the killing intent radiating from Hizashi Hyuga. He meant every word.
He could clearly sense the killing intent of Hizashi Hyuga. The few people who had hesitated fell silent at once, hurriedly offering excuses as they withdrew from the blood soaked corner. Their retreating footsteps were messy and heavy as they faded away.
Before long, the scattered footsteps disappeared, and the depths of the vast Forbidden Library fell back into a sticky, lifeless silence. No one spoke, and the air itself seemed unwilling to move.
Hizashi Hyuga stood in place like a cold stone statue, yet no one noticed the faint trembling running through his body. He did not move, and his expression remained rigid.
In truth, he had always watched over Neji Hyuga in secret. Many within the Main Family knew this, or rather, he had never tried to hide it.
In the eyes of others, this care came from guilt and compensation toward his younger brother Hizashi Hyuga, so even Hizashi Hyuga chose to ignore it. To them, it was understandable and harmless.
What no one knew was that the "Hiashi Hyuga" they saw had long since been replaced by Hizashi Hyuga. His concern for Neji Hyuga went far beyond what anyone imagined.
A few days earlier, while Neji Hyuga and Hinata Hyuga were doing their routine Taijutsu sparring, Neji Hyuga had found an excuse to leave for a short while. No one thought much of it at the time.
During that period, Neji Hyuga had been performing very well. He kept Yunchuan Hyuga's warnings firmly in mind and hid his resentment and anger carefully.
Aside from working harder than before, he looked as if he had come to terms with everything, even remaining calm when facing Hinata Hyuga. Because of this, no one paid him extra attention.
Naturally, no one used Byakugan to peer into the Head Family Residence. There seemed to be no reason to doubt him.
Neji Hyuga had been extremely cautious, making sure he would not be discovered. Yet Hizashi Hyuga, who had been secretly watching his son all along, saw Neji Hyuga use Clone Technique to slip into his room and search for something with Byakugan.
At first, Hizashi Hyuga thought he was looking for Gentle Fist. He soon realized the boy was far greedier than expected and was clearly searching for the Seal Release related to the Forbidden Library Sealing Technique.
Even so, Hizashi Hyuga could not expose Neji Hyuga. Believing his son merely wanted to secretly learn clan techniques, he allowed him to take the Seal Release without interference.
But now, everything was different.
Hizashi Hyuga stared at the corpse on the ground, staring at the two empty and horrifying blood holes. His eyes refused to look away.
The Byakugan in his eyes, already capable of imitating his elder brother's cold aura, now trembled slightly as his heart surged with violent emotion. The control he prided himself on was beginning to crack.
"Neji Hyuga… why…"
Hizashi Hyuga had believed that even if his stubborn son could not let go of hatred, he would at least bury it deep. He thought that hatred might even become a driving force, pushing him to work harder.
But there was no doubt about it. The one who killed Heizuka Hyuga was Neji Hyuga.
Why?
Was it because Heizuka Hyuga returned to the Forbidden Library while Neji Hyuga was stealing forbidden techniques, forcing him to kill? No, that was impossible.
With Heizuka Hyuga's ability, if Neji Hyuga wanted to hide, even Root would not have discovered him. That explanation did not hold.
So…
"Was it because of the resentment in his heart?" "Because that resentment drove him onto this bloody, mad path with no way back?"
The rush of cold fear and dread hit Hizashi Hyuga's chest like a blunt hammer, making it hard for him to breathe. His heart felt crushed under the weight of it.
Beneath his wide sleeves, his hand clenched into a fist until his nails dug deep into his palm. He relied on that sharp pain to barely keep his face stiff and unreadable.
"What should I do, Neji Hyuga…"
Hizashi Hyuga closed his eyes, his heart filled with pain and conflict. The struggle showed only in the tightening of his brow.
Then, in his ears, he seemed to hear that person's mocking voice once more. The words echoed clearly, as if spoken right beside him.
"They want you to obey, they belittle you in every way, they say this is right, they say this is your fate." "You want to struggle and resist, but their faces change, they shout at you, they break your limbs, they lock you in a cage." "They beat you, curse you, persuade you, beg you, saying this is wrong, saying they are right, saying they are doing it for your own good."
At last, Hizashi Hyuga thought of Hinata Hyuga. He thought of the timid personality shaped under Hiashi Hyuga's twisted fatherly love and desire for control.
That was it. That was the answer.
Hizashi Hyuga slowly opened his eyes, leaving only cold resolve within them. Having come this far, he had already lost everything, including his name, even handing his soul over to a "devil".
What was it all for if not this? It was so that Neji Hyuga would not walk the same road he once did, so that Neji Hyuga could break free from the shackles of the Hyuga Clan and live according to his own will.
Just as he had once said to Hiashi Hyuga. For the Branch Family, right and wrong did not matter, nor did life and death.
What mattered most was being able to make one's own decisions. That alone was enough.
Hizashi Hyuga would never use the name of fatherly love to stop Neji Hyuga from doing what he wanted. Since Neji Hyuga wished to do it, then he would let him.
No matter whether the final result was good or bad, right or wrong, life or death. No matter what price had to be paid, he would choose to stand with Neji Hyuga and bear it together.