In the Ninja Academy, the domineering and arrogant Suke now resembled a chick spotting an eagle.
Seeing his elder brother’s furious expression, he kept shrinking backward.
But fearing this would further provoke the other, he dared not actually retreat.
Just then, the sliding door was pulled open from outside.
An old man with a sinister face walked in wearing wooden clogs.
After glancing at the situation inside, he said nothing and instead took a seat on a nearby chair.
Yet his equally gloomy expression revealed his intense dissatisfaction.
“Grandfather.” Upon seeing the old man’s arrival, both Setsuna and Suke respectfully greeted him.
The old man was named Uchiha Hosai, a senior elder of the Uchiha Clan and the grandfather of the two.
Unlike the Hyūga Clan, the Uchiha Clan had no distinction between the Main Family and Branch Family.
Apart from the clan leader, those holding the most power within the clan were these elders.
Hosai was also one of the leading figures of the Uchiha Clan’s hawkish faction.
“It seems I still underestimated that Senju Clan brat.
I never expected he could already hold his own against Sarutobi Hiruzen,” Hosai said in a low voice.
“Grandfather, after I graduate next year, I will definitely…” Suke still felt somewhat unwilling.
“Shut up.
Did I allow you to speak?” Hosai glared at him.
Then, as if remembering something, his expression softened slightly.
“However, there is one thing you did well—provoking him to go all out during the Graduation Exam.” “Although the outcome differed from what we anticipated, at least our objective was achieved.” Indeed, Suke’s earlier belittling of Tsukuyomi and his provocation of Matsuake were all secretly orchestrated by Hosai.
The purpose was to test the strength of the Senju Clan’s younger generation in preparation for future plans.
Otherwise, even with Suke’s inherently arrogant nature, he would not have been so explosively confrontational at that time.
This was one of Hosai’s underhanded schemes.
Since Hashirama and Tobirama were powerful, the Uchiha would avoid confronting them directly and instead target the younger members of the Senju Clan.
If the Senju Clan had no worthy successors and no future pillars of strength, then the Uchiha Clan would naturally become Konohagakure’s foremost clan.
“Grandfather, then I…” Setsuna’s face darkened with malice as he made a throat-slitting gesture.
This was also the ultimate goal of their testing Matsuake’s strength.
If Matsuake were merely a person of average talent, they would not risk exposure by stirring up trouble unnecessarily.
Just like Hashirama’s son, Senju Kazuma, whose talent was ordinary and who would soon leave Konohagakure for the capital of the Land of Fire.
Thus, they had never considered Kazuma a thorn in their side.
But Matsuake, with his outstanding talent, was clearly a major threat to the Uchiha Clan.
According to their original plan, the next step would be to find an opportunity for an assassination.
“Hmm…” After pondering for a moment, Hosai shook his head.
“Acting now would be too conspicuous.
We’ll wait for an opportunity later.” “Besides, your current strength hasn’t reached Jōnin level yet.
You probably can’t even match Hiruzen.” “In a while, I will dispatch some personnel.
Then, you can carry out the assassination in disguise.” “Yes, Grandfather.” Setsuna replied with lingering resentment.
…
On the other side, within the territory of the Hyūga Clan.
In a mansion located in the most central area.
Two adult men knelt facing each other, with two steaming cups of tea placed on the low table between them.
One was a young man with a calm demeanor, while the other was slightly older, with strands of white hair already visible at his temples.
What they shared in common was that both had extremely unique white eyes—the Byakugan of the Hyūga Clan.
“Clan Leader Terudake, according to the rules of the Hyūga Clan, your younger sister Tsukuyomi must now be marked with the Caged Bird seal.” The elder spoke respectfully, but his tone carried a hint of stiffness.
“That’s right.
Tsukuyomi graduated from the Ninja Academy this year and officially became a ninja.
According to the rules, it can no longer be delayed.” Contrary to his expectations, Hyūga Terudake, who had always evaded and delayed this matter, now appeared compliant.
As a result, the elder’s expression softened considerably.
“If the Clan Leader thinks so, then it’s good.” According to the rules of the Hyūga Clan, when the eldest son of the Main Family turns three years old, the Branch Family should have the Caged Bird seal applied to their foreheads.
In other words, when Terudake was three years old, his younger siblings, as members of the Branch Family, should have been marked with the Caged Bird seal.
Aside from Tsukuyomi, he had several younger brothers.
When they were young, he had a close relationship with his brothers.
Outside of training, he often held their hands and took them out to play.
However, after the Caged Bird seal was applied, the bond between the brothers gradually grew distant.
Their address also changed from “elder brother” to “sir.” At that time, he was still very young and powerless to change this situation.
Moreover, this was a system that had been upheld by the Hyūga Clan for many years, deeply ingrained and unshakable.
If he were to express any intention of overturning this system, he would likely be swiftly stripped of his position as Clan Leader by the other Main Family elders.
Thus, even though he had now inherited the position of Clan Leader, he could only delay his sister’s fate of being marked with the Caged Bird seal by procrastinating.
“…” Terudake suddenly shifted the topic, causing the elder before him to frown, sensing something amiss.
“Today, I heard from Tsukuyomi that the Hokage is now her supervising Jōnin.” “After all, it’s the Hokage.
Perhaps we should inform him in advance about this matter,” Terudake said with a smile.
“What does this have to do with Lord Hashirama?” the elder instinctively retorted.
Hearing this, Terudake calmly shook his head.
“The Hokage is willing to personally instruct Tsukuyomi, likely because he recognizes her talent and knows she awakened her Byakugan at a young age.” “If the Caged Bird seal is applied, causing Tsukuyomi’s Byakugan to be flawed and her talent diminished, who will bear the Hokage’s wrath?” “What?
She awakened her Byakugan?!” The elder caught the key point and widened his eyes in shock.
“How come I didn’t know Hyūga Tsukuyomi awakened her eyes so early?
Terudake, you kept this from us?!” The elder frowned deeply, struggling to contain his rising anger.
The reason they had previously agreed to delay marking Tsukuyomi with the Caged Bird seal was twofold.
On one hand, it was to show respect to the newly appointed Clan Leader and avoid escalating tensions.
On the other hand, it was because Hyūga Terudake had consistently concealed Tsukuyomi’s talent, allowing her to keep a low profile at the Ninja Academy.
“You should know that the Caged Bird seal is also meant to protect the Byakugan.
Without it…” Upon hearing this, Terudake’s expression also darkened.
“Then I’ll trouble the Fourth Elder to report this matter to the Hokage.
I will not interfere in this affair, and the consequences will be borne by you.” “You…
Humph!” The Fourth Elder of the Hyūga Clan’s Main Family felt as if his throat had been choked, unable to utter another word for a long time.
In the end, he simply slammed the table forcefully and stormed off.