Bounties

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Looking at the feverish, distorted faces of the clan members before him, Shisui felt a chill for the first time. If this madness was allowed to spread through the room, the only thing waiting for the Uchiha Clan was destruction.

Having made up his mind, Shisui stood and said, "Clan Head, force is not the way to solve this. And with only our clan's strength, we are no match for the village."

"Shisui, what nonsense are you spouting?"

"Are you afraid?"

"The Uchiha are the strongest. As long as we take down the Third, the people in the village will acknowledge us."

The room immediately erupted into noise.

"Cough, cough..."

Clan Head Fugaku coughed lightly twice, stopping the Uchiha from descending fully into chaos.

Shisui did not back down at all. "Rash action will only push the Uchiha Clan into the abyss."

Fugaku looked deeply at Shisui, then waved his hand. "That is enough for today. Everyone, leave."

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

Inside Naoki's home.

Naoki flipped through the scroll for the Four Symbols Seal, looking thoughtful.

The difficulty of learning the Four Symbols Seal was far higher than he had expected. It even involved transformation of chakra nature. In the truest sense, it was a sealing technique that pierced into the changes of chakra itself.

Perhaps because of that, many powerful forbidden techniques had been developed on the foundation of the Four Symbols Seal.

At that moment, Suzu entered the room carrying a fragrant meal.

Smelling the food, Naoki's appetite stirred. He smiled. "That smells amazing."

Suzu sat on her knees beside him and said quietly, "There was no news from you for so long. I thought something had happened to you. I..."

Naoki smiled gently. "Didn't I tell you already? You don't need to worry. This mission actually wasn't that dangerous. We just spent a lot of time hiding and moving around."

Suzu pouted. "You always do this. To keep me from worrying, you make things that were obviously dangerous sound easy."

Naoki quickly changed the subject. "By the way, were the clan's losses heavy this time?"

Suzu sighed, her mood dropping. "Including Takashi's father, the clan lost more than ten people this time."

Takashi Hyuga was Suzu's neighbor, and the two had a good relationship. His father had been one of the Hyuga Clan's few elite jonin. During this conflict, he had died at the hands of Aida, Kumogakure's Storm Release user.

With Takashi Hyuga's father dead, the number of elite jonin in the Hyuga Clan, including retired elders, could probably be counted on one hand.

Thinking of the many new orphans in the clan, Naoki's expression darkened as well.

Suzu continued, "Lord Clan Head said that if you have time, he would like you to visit the clan compound."

Naoki nodded. Now that his Tenseigan could be freely opened and closed, there was no longer any need to avoid his clan members.

After eating the meal Suzu had made by hand, Naoki headed toward the clan compound.

Although the Hyuga Clan had not moved the entire clan into one district the way the Uchiha had, most of the clan members still gathered near the main family's old residence. Because of that, the villagers referred to that area as the Hyuga Clan compound.

When Naoki reached the gate of the main family's old residence and was about to knock, an attendant came out to greet him. "Lord Naoki, the clan head is waiting for you inside."

Naoki was briefly dazed.

This was the first time he had been addressed as "Lord" inside the clan. Not only that, but the attendant addressing him was a chunin, something that would have been impossible in the past.

He walked casually into the main family's old residence. After passing through a corridor, he finally saw Hiashi Hyuga, the current head of the Hyuga Clan.

"Lord Clan Head."

Naoki gave a polite bow.

Hiashi, seated upright, nodded. "Sit."

Naoki sat across from Hiashi and asked, "Why did you call me here, Clan Head?"

Hiashi was silent for a moment before saying, "Uchiha Shisui is your teammate in the ANBU, correct?"

"Yes."

"Then you should have heard at least something about the Uchiha."

Naoki frowned. "Clan Head, what are you referring to?"

Hiashi said frankly, "This conflict with Kumogakure has fully exposed the village's suspicion and fear of the Uchiha. I worry the village may move against them."

As the head of the prestigious Hyuga Clan, Hiashi understood the art of balance very well. Whether the village eliminated the Uchiha, or the Uchiha grew powerful enough to control the village, neither result was acceptable to the Hyuga.

Only when the Uchiha and the village remained in balance could the Hyuga Clan become a target both sides sought to win over, ensuring its own safety.

Now, that balance between the Uchiha and the village was collapsing bit by bit. To anyone who could read the situation, a violent conflict was drawing closer.

Hiashi continued, "The Uchiha and the Hyuga are both prestigious clans, and both possess dojutsu kekkei genkai. If they are removed too easily, the Hyuga Clan's standing in the village will be affected as well. But if they seize control of the village, we will inevitably face suspicion and exclusion. So I hope that, using your identity as an ANBU, you will do everything you can to prevent this conflict."

Naoki's position was similar to Shisui's within the Uchiha Clan. Because Naoki was currently the only Hyuga serving in the ANBU, anything the Hyuga Clan wanted to do would require his support.

Naoki answered at once, "I understand."

On the matter of the Uchiha, Naoki and the clan had the same position: the Uchiha could not fall.

Why was the Hyuga Clan's reputation so good? Was it not because the Uchiha had spent years making them look better by comparison?

Once the Uchiha were gone, the Hyuga might become the next group quietly treated as outsiders.

After all, dojutsu kekkei genkai shinobi truly surpassed most ordinary shinobi in many areas.

After discussing the Uchiha, Hiashi took out several bounty notices and handed them to Naoki. "You had better be careful in the near future."

Naoki accepted the bounty notices and saw that the portrait on the first one was his own. Beneath it was a long string of zeros. After counting for a while, he clicked his tongue. "Twenty million ryo?"

Hiashi said calmly, "There is a second one."

Naoki quickly flipped to the second bounty notice. This one also bore his portrait, and the number beneath it was another long string of zeros. The amount even exceeded the first bounty.

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

Hiashi did not seem too concerned. "You may have offended someone. A bounty of this size is rare. It may attract bounty hunters, so be careful for a while. Do not leave the village casually."

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