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"Who's there? Show yourself!"
The moment the voice reached his ears, Hizashi Hyūga activated his Byakugan without hesitation.
But to his shock, his chakra perception revealed nothing — only Neji was present around him.
Only the sound of wind rustling leaves, his own breathing, and the steady beat of his heart remained. Even the insects had fallen silent.
Hizashi scanned the area with his Byakugan, searching desperately for the source of the voice.
"Where are you looking?"
That ethereal voice came again.
This time, Hizashi heard it clearly — he spun around sharply, eyes scanning behind him.
Still, no one was there.
Before him stood quiet trees, their dense branches swaying gently in the breeze, casting shadows that seemed like countless hidden figures.
Then, a slow, deliberate pair of footsteps approached.
Even by ear alone, one could tell the figure walked with complete ease — as if strolling leisurely through a garden rather than stepping into the heavily monitored territory of the Hyūga compound.
Moments later, a figure emerged from the darkness.
Its black cloak bled strangely even under Hizashi's Byakugan vision, as though it were made of ink dissolving into water.
The shadow stopped just before him. Hizashi narrowed his eyes, staring at the figure beneath the hood, trying to pierce through every inch of its form.
But all he saw beneath the hood was thick, writhing darkness — living shadows that devoured his probing gaze, leaving him blind and powerless.
A monster like the abyss itself.
That thought suddenly surfaced in his mind, and cold sweat dripped from his temple.
Someone who had slipped into Konoha unnoticed, bypassed the village's detection barriers, infiltrated the Hyūga clan grounds, and evaded even the Byakugan's sight.
Standing right in front of him — yet completely imperceptible.
If this person hadn't spoken, Hizashi wouldn't have known they were behind him until a blade slit his throat.
What kind of secret technique was this?
Or perhaps some bloodline limit?
Even the most refined chakra concealment wouldn't be able to hide like this.
"Who are you?"
While asking, Hizashi subtly reached into his sleeve, preparing to send an alert signal.
"In the instant you trigger that signal, I'll be able to slit your throat — and still kill that boy before help arrives."
A cold, emotionless voice carried undeniable killing intent.
Hizashi instinctively stiffened, his hand freezing mid-motion.
The eerie way the figure appeared, combined with the chilling calmness in its tone, left no room for doubt — those words weren't a bluff.
With the mysterious ability to avoid detection, if this person truly possessed the power to kill him instantly, then slipping away unseen afterward would be easy.
So… did this person really have the strength to kill him?
Silence.
Hizashi slowly withdrew his hand, fixing the dark figure with a heavy stare.
"What do you want?"
He couldn't afford to gamble.
This opponent was too strange.
His life meant little — but Neji was standing right behind him.
And since the stranger hadn't attacked immediately, maybe they didn't come here to kill.
But what Hizashi couldn't know — the ominous shadow before him was someone he had seen just recently.
The shadow — or rather, Unkawa Hyūga — did not answer his question. He simply watched him in silence.
Once again, the space between them fell into oppressive silence, broken only by the whispering wind through the leaves, Hizashi's increasingly labored breathing, and the rapid beating of his heart.
Just as the tension reached its peak and Hizashi's fingers twitched — ready to strike —
"Tell me," the figure finally spoke, voice still rasping and terrifying, "do you really believe that everything that child suffers will become the treasure that makes him stronger?"
At those words, Hizashi exhaled slightly.
Though the figure stood at eye level, it felt as though it loomed over him, peering down with unfathomable eyes — as if invisible hands were slowly squeezing every inch of flesh from his bones, ready to crush it into a pool of blood.
"What are you trying to say?" Hizashi asked, frowning deeply.
"You're lying to yourself," Unkawa said calmly. "Suffering is just suffering. It isn't something to be praised. It isn't a precious asset."
"It only drains people dry, making them sensitive and bitter."
Here, his tone took on a hint of mocking amusement.
"Like what your parents once did to you."
"They shattered your worldview, then filled your head with their values, their beliefs, their version of the world."
"They told you to obey. They belittled you endlessly. They said this was right, that this was your fate. You tried to resist, to struggle — and they turned on you. They shouted, they broke your limbs, they locked you away."
"They hit you, cursed you, begged you, pleaded with you — anything but let you go. They said you were wrong. They said they were right. They said it was for your own good — so you gave in. And joined them."
Hizashi's expression darkened as Unkawa's words grew sharper, more biting.
"Years later, you see your son — just like you once were — and you think he'll follow the same path, crawling on his knees to accept his fate."
"So… you do the same."
"Enough!"
The sharp bark of protest tore from Hizashi's throat, cutting off Unkawa mid-sentence.
Each word had been like a knife, carving away at his soul, shaking his entire body.
Every sentence brought back memories — faces long blurred, voices echoing in the corners of his mind.
"What do you know!" His fear and caution forgotten, he clenched his teeth tightly. "I… I did it for…"
He faltered.
The final words caught in his throat, rising and falling like bile.
For Neji's sake?
Wasn't that exactly what this man had just accused him of?
Cough! Gag!
At that thought, Hizashi's face paled. He clutched his mouth, overwhelmed by a sudden wave of nausea.
How disgusting.
Not of others — but of himself.
He hated admitting it, but he truly couldn't understand Neji's hatred anymore.
After all, wasn't it he who had shown murderous intent toward Hinata?
Wasn't he the one who had done wrong?
Yet now, he couldn't even understand his younger self's rebellion.
He had been born just fifteen minutes after his older brother, Hizashi Hiashi — and in that short span, his fate had been sealed.
Marked with the Caged Bird Seal. Stripped of freedom. Bound forever.
Once, he had questioned. Once, he had resisted.
Now, all he could think was… this is fate.
Since when had that changed?
What was he even doing now?
"Some birds can never be caged," Unkawa said softly, stepping closer. "Their feathers shine with the light of freedom. They were born for the sky."
He moved beside Hizashi, his voice smooth and tempting.
"Hizashi Hyūga… tell me… what choice will you make?"
"Will you be the cruel executioner who breaks a bird's wings before it can fly?"
"Or… will you be a father?"
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