Chapter 76: Bounty

Chapter 76: Chapter 76: Bounty

Looking at the feverish, almost twisted expressions on the faces of his clansmen, Shisui felt a chill run through him for the first time.

If this madness was allowed to continue spreading through the room, the only thing awaiting the Uchiha Clan would be destruction!

Having made up his mind, Shisui stood and said, "Clan Head, force isn’t the answer. And with the strength of our clan alone, we’re simply no match for the village."

"Shisui, what nonsense are you talking about!?"

"Are you afraid?"

"The Uchiha are the strongest! As long as we take down the Third Hokage, everyone in the village will acknowledge us!"

The room immediately erupted into an uproar.

"Cough, cough..."

Clan Head Fugaku coughed lightly twice, silencing the rowdy Uchiha.

But Shisui refused to back down in the slightest.

"Acting blindly will only lead the Uchiha Clan into the abyss!"

Fugaku stared deeply at Shisui for a moment before waving his hand.

"That’s enough for today. Everyone, dismissed."

Walking home alone, Shisui covered one eye with his hand and thought to himself, "Maybe my Mangekyo Sharingan awakened precisely so I could save the clan. But can Kotoamatsukami really change the Uchiha’s fate?"

At Hyuga Kagami’s home.

Kagami flipped through the scroll containing the Four Symbols Seal, deep in thought.

Learning the Four Symbols Seal was far more difficult than he had anticipated. It even involved the transformation of chakra natures, making it a sealing technique that, in the truest sense, delved into the intricacies of chakra transformation.

Perhaps that was precisely why so many powerful forbidden techniques had been developed with the Four Symbols Seal as their foundation.

Just then, Rei entered the room carrying a plate of steaming, fragrant food.

The aroma immediately whetted Kagami’s appetite, and he smiled.

"Smells amazing!"

Rei knelt beside him and said softly, "There was no news from you for so long... I thought something had happened to you. I..."

Kagami gave her a gentle smile. "Didn’t I tell you already? You don’t need to worry. The mission actually wasn’t that dangerous. We just spent a lot of time hiding and avoiding pursuit."

Rei pouted. "You always do this. Just so I won’t worry, you make things that were obviously dangerous sound like they were nothing."

Kagami hurriedly changed the subject. "By the way, did the clan suffer heavy losses this time?"

Rei sighed, her mood visibly sinking.

"Including Takashi’s father, the clan lost more than a dozen people this time."

Hyuga Takashi was Rei’s neighbor and was very close to her. His father had been one of the Hyuga Clan’s few elite jonin, but during this latest conflict, he had been killed by the Kumo’s Storm Style shinobi, Aida.

With Takashi’s father dead, the number of elite jonin remaining in the Hyuga Clan—even counting the retired elders—could probably be counted on one hand.

Thinking about how many more orphans the clan now had, Kagami’s expression darkened as well.

Rei continued, "The Clan Head said that if you have some free time, he’d like you to visit the clan compound."

Kagami nodded.

Now that he could freely activate and deactivate his Tenseigan, there was no longer any need for him to avoid his clansmen.

After finishing the meal Rei had personally prepared for him, Kagami headed toward the clan compound.

Although the Hyuga Clan had not relocated the entire clan into a single area like the Uchiha had, the vast majority of its members still lived around the main family’s ancestral residence. Because of this, the villagers generally referred to the entire area as the Hyuga Clan compound.

Arriving at the gates of the main family’s ancestral residence, Kagami was just about to knock when an attendant came out to greet him.

"Lord Kagami, the Clan Head is waiting for you inside!"

Hearing this, Kagami was momentarily dazed.

This was the first time anyone within the clan had ever addressed him as "Lord."

And the attendant who had called him that was a chunin.

In the past, something like this would have been absolutely unthinkable.

Kagami leisurely entered the main family’s ancestral residence. After passing through a series of corridors, he finally met the current head of the Hyuga Clan, Hyuga Hiashi.

"Clan Head."

Kagami politely bowed in greeting.

Hiashi, seated upright before him, nodded.

"Sit."

After sitting down across from Hiashi, Kagami asked, "Clan Head, what did you want to see me about?"

Hiashi pondered for a moment before saying, "Uchiha Shisui is your teammate in the Anbu, isn’t he?"

"Mm."

"Then you should have heard at least a little about what’s been happening with the Uchiha, right?"

Kagami frowned slightly. "Clan Head, what exactly are you referring to?"

Hiashi spoke frankly. "This conflict with Kumogakure has completely exposed the village’s suspicion and wariness toward the Uchiha. I’m worried that the village may make a move against them."

As the head of the prestigious Hyuga Clan, Hyuga Hiashi understood the importance of maintaining a balance of power.

Whether the village eliminated the Uchiha or the Uchiha grew powerful enough to seize control of the village, neither outcome was something the Hyuga Clan could accept.

Only by maintaining a balance between the Uchiha and the village could the Hyuga Clan remain a faction that both sides sought to win over, thereby ensuring its own security.

And now, the balance between the Uchiha and the village was gradually crumbling. To anyone perceptive enough to see it, a violent confrontation was drawing closer and closer.

Hiashi continued, "The Uchiha and Hyuga are both prestigious clans, and both possess ocular kekkei genkai. If they are easily wiped out, the prestige of our Hyuga Clan within the village will suffer as well. But if they seize control of the village, we will inevitably face suspicion and exclusion. That’s why I want you to use your position in the Anbu to do everything you can to prevent this conflict from happening."

Much like Shisui’s position within the Uchiha Clan, Kagami was currently the only Hyuga serving in the Anbu.

Because of that, no matter what the Hyuga Clan wanted to accomplish, they could hardly do so without his support.

Kagami immediately replied, "I understand!"

When it came to the Uchiha, Kagami and his clan were of one mind:

The Uchiha could not be allowed to fall.

Why did the Hyuga Clan have such a good reputation in the first place?

Wasn’t it because the Uchiha had spent all these years making them look good by comparison?

Once the Uchiha were gone, the Hyuga might very well become the next clan to be regarded as outsiders and quietly pushed to the margins.

After all, shinobi with ocular kekkei genkai genuinely surpassed the vast majority of ordinary shinobi in many respects.

After finishing their discussion about the Uchiha, Hiashi took out several bounty notices and handed them to Kagami.

"You’d better be careful for the time being."

Kagami took the bounty notices and looked at the first one. Sure enough, the portrait on it was unmistakably his own.

Below it was a bounty followed by a long string of zeroes. Kagami counted them for a while before finally sucking in a breath.

"Twenty million ryo?!"

Hiashi said calmly, "There’s a second one."

Kagami hurriedly flipped to the second bounty notice.

Once again, his portrait was printed on it, and beneath it was another long string of zeroes. The amount was even higher than the first.

"Twenty-five million ryo? What... what the hell is going on?"

Hiashi didn’t seem particularly concerned.

"You’ve probably offended someone. Bounties this high aren’t common, so they may attract some bounty-hunting shinobi. You should be careful for the time being and avoid leaving the village without good reason!"