Naruto: The Hyuga Mastermind

Chapter 41: Without This, We Cannot Find Peace

Hyuga Hiashi silently glanced at the others in the room, then turned his gaze toward the outside and closed his eyes.

The strange atmosphere caught the attention of the Hyuga main family members present, who exchanged confused looks.

Suddenly, a thick stench of blood filled the air, causing their expressions to change drastically as they all turned toward the door.

Hiashi sighed. "I didn't expect you to come first, Miyuki."

At the door to the meeting room, a figure paused mid-motion but quickly resumed, calmly pushing the door open.

"Hyuga Miyuki, what are you trying to do?"

Through the open door, they could see two guards lying in pools of blood farther down the corridor.

The third elder stood up abruptly, his voice filled with fury.

"Are you trying to betray the clan? Your parents gave their lives gloriously in battle for the main family! Are you going to disgrace them in their graves?"

Hyuga Miyuki's cold expression twisted with visible anger. Before anyone could react, she moved at an incredible speed, appearing behind the third elder and slamming her fist, filled with rage, directly into his chest.

Hiashi, the only one capable of stopping her, simply watched the scene unfold without intervening.

Years of inactivity had dulled the third elder's combat instincts, and he didn't even manage to resist. His chest was pierced clean through, his body swaying unsteadily before collapsing to the ground.

Thud…

"…"

A heavy silence filled the room. For a few seconds, the main family elders were stunned, their pupils contracting as they quickly used Body Flicker techniques to distance themselves from Miyuki, warily watching her.

"Glory? Is this so-called glory why I, as their daughter, was still treated like dirt after their deaths?"

Miyuki sneered mockingly.

"I don't need that kind of glory!"

"Enough talking," the second elder said coldly, raising his hands. "The punishment function of the Caged Bird Seal may have been neutralized, but don't forget your place. Perhaps your life will remind you that you'll always be just a branch member…"

He activated the Caged Bird Seal's technique, but Miyuki stood there, unmoving. His words faltered, and his movements froze.

"The Caged Bird Seal doesn't work? Impossible!"

"Did Tsunade remove it for you?! That old man Sarutobi Hiruzen really intends to destroy us?"

The elders' gazes shifted to the Splitting Technique scroll in front of Hiashi, their hearts filled with dread.

How many branch family members had their seals neutralized? What were they doing now?

Only the head elder seemed to understand something, his expression turning increasingly complicated.

"You foresaw this, didn't you, Clan Leader?"

"I didn't want to believe it," Hiashi admitted, his tone heavy. "But seeing you all like this, I realize this day was inevitable."

As he looked at the panicked and directionless main family elders, Hiashi felt a twinge of sadness. However, when his gaze fell on the third elder's corpse, he couldn't help but feel a strange sense of satisfaction.

Turning to Miyuki, Hiashi asked, "You didn't come alone, did you? There are plenty of guards on the way to this meeting room—you couldn't have made it here so quickly on your own."

"You're sharp, Clan Leader."

A calm voice echoed from outside the room, accompanied by the sound of numerous footsteps.

Several Hyuga shinobi, led by Hyuga Yuki, entered the meeting room as if they owned the place.

---

Meanwhile, at the front lines.

Minato, Hyuga Fuji, and their team used the Flying Thunder God Technique to reach the battlefield. After exchanging a few words with the medical unit and ensuring Rin's safety, Minato led the group to the command center.

There, a stern-faced man awaited them.

"Lord Fugaku, where are Lord Orochimaru and Jiraiya-sensei?" Minato asked.

The man was Uchiha Fugaku, the current head of the Uchiha clan.

"Lord Orochimaru is scouting the units led by the two jinchūriki, while Lord Jiraiya is waiting for you in the command room, Fourth Hokage."

Fugaku smiled sincerely at Minato, who wore his Hokage cloak.

Hyuga Fuji observed Fugaku's expression, his gaze calm.

In this generation, too many individuals had been born in the wrong time.

The Fourth Hokage, Fugaku…

Had the Second Hokage truly not given the Uchiha a chance to integrate into the village?

The Uchiha were a part of Konoha, a cornerstone of its foundation. There was no way Tobirama could have wanted the clan to be destroyed, as that would have signified Konoha's decline.

The Police Force had earned its infamy, but the root cause was the Uchiha's temperament. At least initially, Obito hadn't faced any animosity from his peers or the villagers.

Tobirama had likely hoped that more Uchiha like Kagami would emerge—genuine contributors to the village's growth. If none appeared, the Police Force would serve as a barrier preventing the Uchiha from rising to the Hokage's position.

"Winning public support" was often all that was needed.

Fugaku's personality wasn't assertive enough, as evidenced by his ambiguous stance on both the coup and Itachi's actions. Yet his initial decision to ally with Minato before his rise to power had been the right one.

Unfortunately, Minato had died.

And Hyuga Hiashi… he, too, was born in the wrong era.

"I understand."

Returning Fugaku's smile, Minato turned to the others.

"Fuji, come with me to the command room. Kushina, take Kakashi and the others to familiarize themselves with the area."

---

Back in the Hyuga clan's meeting room, Hiashi sighed as he looked at Yuki's resolute expression.

"After what you've done today, there's no place for you in Konoha anymore."

"Konoha never welcomed us. I'm here for the Splitting Technique."

Blood stained Yuki's hands and face as he said coldly, "Hand it over, Clan Leader. Perhaps your death won't be so painful if you cooperate."

"So that's it… you haven't completely removed the Caged Bird Seal yet, have you?"

The head elder, frowning, activated his Byakugan. Examining the seals on Miyuki, Yuki, and the other branch members, he noticed the Caged Bird Seal was still intact. However, intricate sealing patterns had been added to suppress it.

Miyuki's situation appeared unique, her seal altered differently.

"You haven't fully broken it?"

The main family elders, initially enraged, suddenly paused and then rejoiced.

The second elder quickly turned to Hiashi.

"Clan Leader, destroy the Splitting Technique immediately! We can't let these traitors break free of the Caged Bird Seal!"

Even as he spoke, he moved toward Hiashi, intent on destroying the scroll himself while seeking refuge by the clan leader's side.

As the current head of the clan, Hiashi's strength rivaled that of an elite Jonin. The traitorous branch members lacked the main family's secret techniques, so their odds of overpowering him were slim.

With Hiashi and the elders united, these rebels didn't stand a chance.

But just as the second elder reached for the scroll, Hiashi suddenly stood and delivered a swift palm strike to the top of his head.

Crack!

Blood sprayed everywhere as the second elder collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

The crimson stain spread across Hiashi's robes, but his expression remained cold as he sat back down.

The room fell into stunned silence.

The main family elders and branch rebels alike stared at Hiashi in disbelief.

Only the head elder sighed deeply, returning to his seat and closing his eyes.

"Take it."

Hiashi picked up the scroll and tossed it to Yuki. He then retrieved another scroll from his robe and handed it over as well.

"You plan to take many people with you, but without the Caged Bird Seal, they'll attract attention from across the ninja world. You lack the strength to protect them. Use this seal—it was developed with the help of the Third Hokage. Decide for yourselves whether to use it."

Hiashi's voice was steady, almost indifferent.

"This seal retains all the functions of the Caged Bird Seal, except for the ability to control life and death. Perhaps… this is how the Caged Bird Seal was meant to be."

"The Third Hokage also gave me a special authorization order. It will ensure your safe departure from Konoha."

He paused, his gaze distant.

"I was meant to be one of the Third Hokage's contingency plans. That authorization was supposed to let me mobilize the Hyuga freely against Danzo. But from the beginning, I had no intention of protecting the main family."

Hiashi's pale complexion revealed his exhaustion.

If Danzo had eliminated a few troublesome figures for him, he might have gone ahead with his reforms. But now that the branch family had made the first move… so be it.

Hiashi closed his eyes, much like the head elder. The other main family elders, however, looked on in panic.

Yuki stared at the two scrolls in his hands, his expression dark and conflicted.

"This authorization… That man said there would be survivors today. I thought it meant we had made some mistake. But it turns out… he was referring to you."

Yuki turned his gaze to Hiashi, whose calm demeanor carried neither fear nor defiance, only acceptance of the situation.

After a brief pause, Yuki shifted his focus to Miyuki, meeting her equally conflicted eyes.

---

Yuki turned his gaze to Hiashi, whose calm demeanor carried neither fear nor defiance, only acceptance of the situation. After a brief pause, Yuki shifted his focus to Miyuki, meeting her equally conflicted eyes.

In a cold voice, Yuki declared, "After today, the Hyuga main family will no longer exist. Only you and your wife will remain, Clan Leader."

The head elder suddenly opened his eyes, his expression filled with both anger and despair.

"Must it really come to this?"

Yuki replied without hesitation, his voice firm and resolute:

"Without this… we cannot find peace!"

The moment his words fell, the branch members who had been standing silently behind Yuki suddenly revealed savage smiles. Madness flickered in their eyes as they lunged toward the remaining main family elders.

The once-serene meeting room was soon filled with screams and cries of desperation, blending with maniacal laughter.

The chaos and bloodshed spread throughout the confined space, reverberating far beyond the walls.

And yet, no one alive in the vicinity dared to listen or intervene.

From a distant vantage point, Hyuga Meijoku stood in silence, witnessing the massacre unfold.

His expression was a mix of sorrow, shock, and countless unspoken emotions.

He had expected the power struggle within the Hyuga clan to lead to upheaval, but even he had not anticipated the brutality with which it would unfold.

After today, the Hyuga main family would cease to exist—reduced to mere shadows of their former authority.

Hiashi, his robes now soaked in blood, remained kneeling at the center of the room, his expression calm but his heart heavy.

Miyuki hesitated for a moment before stepping toward him, her hand tightening around the scrolls as she knelt before her clan leader.

"…Thank you."

Hiashi opened his eyes and gazed at Miyuki, his expression unreadable.

"Protect them well," he said softly. "Lead them to a future where neither the branch family nor the main family has to live in fear."

Miyuki lowered her head, clutching the scrolls tightly. For a moment, she wanted to say something—an apology, perhaps, or a promise—but no words came.

Instead, she rose to her feet, turned toward the others, and nodded at Yuki.

The remaining branch members who had carried out the massacre began to gather around her, their expressions no longer wild but somber.

The room was silent now, save for the faint crackle of distant flames and the quiet shuffling of feet as the rebels prepared to leave.

Yuki glanced back at Hiashi one final time.

"Today, we've broken free of the chains that bound us. But the cost was steep."

Hiashi didn't respond.

Yuki's gaze lingered for a moment longer before he turned and led the others out of the meeting room.

As they disappeared into the shadows of the night, the once-mighty Hyuga main family was left in ruins.

Only Hiashi and his wife would remain as the last remnants of a legacy that had spanned generations.

From a safe distance, Meijoku watched the retreating figures of the

 branch members, a deep sigh escaping his lips.

"The Hyuga clan has changed forever," he murmured to himself.

Turning away from the scene, he disappeared into the darkness, leaving behind a clan that would never be the same again.