Rengoku looked around and asked Aoto:
"Where are the bodies of Sota and Hiashi?"
Aoto's eyes dimmed. He pointed to a pile of mashed flesh gathered on the ground.
Although it was covered by a white cloth stained red, one could barely see that only the legs had been preserved.
"Lord Sota is over there. The one next to him is Hiashi."
Hiashi's pile was the same, shredded meat, only the lower limbs left intact.
The condition of these corpses clearly showed they had perished in a massive explosion. Likely caused by a large number of explosive tags going off at once.
Their upper bodies were completely blown apart, only the legs remained because they were farther away.
Nearby lay several more piles of flesh. Clearly, all high-ranking members of the Hyuga main family.
From what Rengoku knew, the upper ranks of the Hyuga clan, especially those who had been on the battlefield, were far from weak.
Explosive tags were the best-hidden lethal weapon. After all, unless activated, no one could tell they were stuck inside one's clothes.
That meant that from the very beginning, Sota and the others had already prepared for the worst outcome.
Such conviction moved Rengoku deeply.
He had to admit. He truly admired Sota and those who had carried out the coup with him.
Perhaps they couldn't find a better way, but they possessed astonishing resolve and courage.
This Hyuga coup was clearly prepared with great thoroughness.
Sota had already arranged every possible contingency before the plan began.
Rengoku had no doubt that even if their Hyuga branch failed, they must have left a backup plan.
Sota was truly a capable man.
Rengoku sighed inwardly.
"Hinata and Hanabi will be taken away by me. The Hyuga clan's internal strife is your own affair."
"Konoha will not interfere or intervene."
"From now on, the Hyuga clan will remain an indispensable part of Konoha."
"Whether Hiashi is alive or not does not affect your clan's standing within the village."
Aoto bowed deeply, "Thank you for your consideration, Rengoku-sama."
Rengoku thought for a moment, "How do you plan to explain this matter to the outside world?"
Aoto glanced at him, "We await your instruction, Rengoku-sama."
Rengoku raised an eyebrow, 'The heir Sota chose doesn't lack perception.'
"Since your people already announced that intruders broke in, then make those intruders Obito, Zetsu, Hiruko, and the Moryo."
"Say that today they first failed to attack the Uchiha, and then came to assault the Hyuga clan."
"Hiashi, Sota, the other elders, and many clansmen were all killed by them, their goal was to obtain your Byakugan."
Aoto didn't mind. Whoever Rengoku wanted to blame, he didn't care.
It was just an excuse for outsiders anyway.
After all, what kind of 'good people' would come all this way just to help the Hyuga branch massacre the entire main family?
"Yes, I understand, Rengoku-sama."
Rengoku looked down at the corpses littering the ground. The entire main family was dead, and those Byakugan shouldn't go to waste.
"The Byakugan of your main family is a valuable asset. Rather than let them rot, you might as well make a deal with Orochimaru."
Aoto showed a thoughtful expression. Among their contingency plans, they did have a "Bud Preservation" project.
They weren't as strict about guarding the Byakugan as the main family had been.
If they could trade something with Orochimaru in return, that would be worthwhile.
At least he knew Orochimaru could regenerate limbs.
However, he didn't immediately agree. Instead, he said to Rengoku, "We will safeguard them carefully."
Rengoku wasn't in a hurry. He had plenty of his own affairs to deal with anyway, and couldn't spare much time for this.
"Do Hinata and Hanabi know what happened?"
Aoto shook his head, "They only think someone invaded the clan. They don't know anything else."
"Bring them here. They won't be able to remain in the dark forever."
Aoto waved his hand, sending people to fetch them immediately.
They actually didn't care whether Hinata knew the truth or not.
The whole matter was too complicated. And, truth be told, their branch family were the true victims here.
Sota's vision extended only far enough to know that Hinata had ties to the Uchiha.
So he left Hinata and her sister alive, to earn Rengoku's goodwill.
As for whether Hinata would one day harbor hatred and seek revenge against the branch family, that thought never even crossed their minds.
After all, even if Hinata and Hanabi had incredible talent, there was no way the two of them could take revenge on the entire branch family.
Only Rengoku knew that if Hinata and Hanabi truly chose to seek revenge against the whole branch family, there was indeed a chance they could annihilate them all.
But judging by Rengoku's estimation, Hinata and Hanabi weren't the type to harbor such ruthless hearts.
While he was thinking, Hinata and Hanabi were brought in by the Hyuga clansmen.
Hinata's ribs had been broken earlier, and her leg bones fractured too. Although some elixirs had been used to heal her, she was still in pain.
She limped as she walked, needing Hanabi's support to move.
When they arrived, both girls' faces were filled with fear.
After all, on their way there, they had seen corpses everywhere, covered in white cloths.
They had no idea why so many people had died in their clan.
On the way, Hinata hadn't seen a single familiar elder. When she asked the clansmen around her, no one answered.
When she arrived and saw Rengoku, she finally cried out, "Principal?"
Hinata was surprised and relieved. She was very familiar with Rengoku, the principal of the Ninja Academy.
And now that she was on the same team as Sasuke and Naruto, both of whom admired Rengoku greatly, he was, in her mind, half a mentor figure.
Rengoku nodded slightly and beckoned her over.
Hanabi, timidly, followed right behind her sister.
"Hinata, you must already know something happened within your clan."
"Yes, I know."
After replying, Hinata's eyes darted around. She was searching for someone, for Hiashi, or perhaps other elders.
But aside from some branch family faces, there were only corpses covered in white cloths everywhere.
A terrible premonition welled up in Hinata's chest.
Rengoku pointed to Hiashi's body lying on the ground, "Hiashi is already dead."
Hinata's pupils widened sharply. Then, after a brief pause, she steadied herself and walked toward Hiashi's corpse.
She had already graduated from the academy and was a full-fledged ninja. She could tell the condition of a body even with a cloth covering it.
But still, she bit her lip and lifted the cloth covering Hiashi.
Just one glance, and her eyes rolled back as she collapsed unconscious on the spot.
Hanabi behind her wasn't much better. Her pupils trembled, her eyes rolled back, and she too fainted immediately.
Rengoku glanced once, then waved his hand, signaling for them to cover Hiashi again.
Judging by the state of his upper body, they'd probably have to collect what was left in a basin.
Even Rengoku felt sick just looking at it. He had to admit, Hinata was brave to even try.
Rengoku picked up both Hinata and Hanabi, one in each arm.
"I'll take them away first. The Hyuga clan's duties in Konoha must not be delayed."
"When you're done cleaning up here, make sure to assign people for patrol and guard duty."
Aoto immediately understood Rengoku's meaning, "Don't worry, Rengoku-sama. We'll handle it properly."
"Neji is currently at the Chunin Exam arena. Whether to summon him back or not, you can decide that yourselves."
Without waiting for Aoto's reply, Rengoku carried the two girls and walked straight out of the Hyuga compound.
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
[email protected]/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining P@treon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through P@treon.