Iroha Hyuga's eyes hardened, and his body tensed as he turned and strode toward the door. Before his hand could touch the handle, the door was slammed open from outside with brutal force. The door panel crashed into the wall, echoing loudly through the room.
Several cold-faced guards in Ryoma Clan attire stood at the entrance, crowding the hallway and the ward. The leader was Land of Fire Gate. Iroha Hyuga's face darkened as he demanded to know what they were doing, but he was not allowed to finish.
Land of Fire Gate closed the distance in an instant. His right palm gathered Chakra and struck viciously into Iroha Hyuga's abdomen. The Chakra invaded like a venomous snake, throwing the Chakra in his body into chaos as pain exploded.
Iroha Hyuga coughed as his legs gave out. He staggered back and dropped heavily to his knees, sweat covering his forehead as his face turned pale. For the moment, he did not even have the strength to stand.
"Brother Iroha Hyuga."
Both Neji Hyuga and Takao Hyuga changed expression at the same time. Neji Hyuga jumped up and placed himself in front of the bed, shouting angrily at Land of Fire Gate. He demanded to know what they thought they were doing.
Land of Fire Gate's gaze swept across the room before stopping on Takao Hyuga lying on the bed. Takao Hyuga's face was pale, his eyes filled with panic and wrath. Land of Fire Gate spoke his name coldly.
He announced that yesterday at the Training Ground, Takao Hyuga had openly violated clan rules by secretly learning, using, and altering the Otsutsuki Clan Main Family's secret Gentle Fist. He accused him of sneaking into the Otsutsuki Clan Main Family estate late at night to assassinate Ryoma, using extremely cruel methods. When discovered, he claimed Takao Hyuga had escaped after gouging out both of the victim's eyes, matching several previous Otsutsuki Clan Main Family cases.
Land of Fire Gate raised his hand sharply and gave the order. He declared it was by command of the Otsutsuki Clan Main Family Elder to seize him immediately. The words hit like a blow, and all three froze in shock.
Before they could react, several guards spread out and surrounded the bed. Two of them leapt straight toward Takao Hyuga without hesitation. Neji Hyuga roared for them to stop, veins standing out as he assumed the opening stance of Gentle Fist.
As the guards reached the bed, both of Neji Hyuga's hands shot forward. His index and middle fingers came together, Chakra concentrated at the tips. Two soft popping sounds followed as he struck their chest and abdomen at key chakra points.
The two guards groaned and collapsed to the floor like boneless heaps. The strike was clean and decisive. Under Neji Hyuga's guidance and with improved Pure Byakugan purity, Neji Hyuga's perception had reached a level that fully displayed his talent.
The sudden reversal made the remaining guards hesitate. They looked toward Land of Fire Gate with unease, clearly wary of Neji Hyuga's identity and strength. After all, he was the son of the former Branch Family Members family head Fugaku Uchiha.
Land of Fire Gate stared at Neji Hyuga, cold intent growing in his heart. Such mastery of Pure Byakugan and Gentle Fist at such a young age made him dangerous. In his eyes, these ambitious Branch Family Members rebels were a hidden threat to the Ryoma Clan and had to be removed early.
"Neji Hyuga." He stepped forward and shouted sternly. He accused him of sheltering a murderer and defying the Otsutsuki Clan Main Family's orders.
"This is a setup," Neji Hyuga shot back without fear. His voice carried anger as he argued that Takao Hyuga had been in the hospital the entire time, with doctors and nurses as witnesses. There was no way he could have attacked Ryoma.
Land of Fire Gate sneered and said it would be easy for someone like him to slip past staff unnoticed. He insisted that the attacker used Kaguya Otsutsuki, and claimed no one else in the Ryoma Clan could use it. He added that they had not come empty-handed after all this time.
As he finished speaking, he reached into his clothes and carefully took out a transparent glass jar. The jar was filled with green nutrient fluid. Inside it floated a pair of lifeless Pure Byakugan.
The entire ward fell into sudden silence. Even the sound of breathing seemed to stop, and no one moved. Sunlight passed through the window glass and reflected off the lifeless Pure Byakugan, giving off a cold and unsettling shine.
"How is that possible?!" Neji Hyuga cried out, his voice shaking with disbelief. He stared at the pair of Pure Byakugan floating in the Glass Jar like dead fish eyes, and the color drained from his face. A chill ran straight up his spine, leaving his body stiff.
No one understood better than him who had killed those two members of the Otsutsuki Clan Main Family. He was the one who had done it. That was why he had stayed by Takao Hyuga's side all night, carrying guilt toward Takao Hyuga and the entire Branch Family Members.
In Neji Hyuga's mind, if not for him, Takao Hyuga would not have been deliberately targeted and pressured by Ryoma. The conflict between the Ryoma Clan and the Branch Family Members would not have grown this sharp. Yet those pairs of Pure Byakugan should have already had their Ti Ze Nv Ming Power drained and turned to dust.
So what exactly were the Pure Byakugan in Homura Mitokado's hands?
"The evidence is conclusive," Homura Mitokado said coldly. "Takao Hyuga is the one who attacked members of the Otsutsuki Clan Main Family and dug out their eyes." He put the Glass Jar back into his robe and fixed his gaze on Takao Hyuga, who was trembling on the hospital bed from pain and fear.
"Anyone who resists will be treated as an accomplice," he continued. "They will be judged as traitors and executed on the spot."
Those words struck the guards like a blow. Most of them were Branch Family Members, who had submitted to the Otsutsuki Clan Main Family, just like Homura Mitokado and Tokuma. Even if they felt some hesitation toward Neji Hyuga because of Fugaku Uchiha, they could no longer waver after hearing that order.
The guards' expressions hardened, and hesitation was replaced by cruelty. At Homura Mitokado's command, several of them rushed forward again. Chakra wrapped around their fists and legs as fierce Gentle Fist strikes surged toward Neji Hyuga, who stood in front of the bed.
Others moved around him, charging from the sides and rear straight toward Takao Hyuga, who looked panicked as he tried to sit up. The sound of blows cutting through the air filled the room. Neji Hyuga clenched his teeth, pushing his Pure Byakugan to its limit as his hands blurred while he blocked, dodged, and struck back.
But he was only one person, and still young. Facing several experienced Ninja working together, and while protecting Takao Hyuga behind him, he quickly fell into a losing position. A sharp Gentle Fist palm strike landed hard on his left shoulder.
Neji Hyuga let out a muffled groan as pain shot through him. His Chakra went unsteady, and he staggered backward before dropping heavily to one knee. Seeing this, Takao Hyuga gritted his teeth and tried to raise his usable left hand, while Iroha Hyuga, kneeling near Homura Mitokado, struggled to his feet.