This time, Minato Namikaze was determined to thoroughly root out this group of brutal individuals.
Ever since assuming the role of the Fourth Hokage, Minato had felt things gradually spiraling out of control. Now, with mounting pressure, he sought to vent his frustrations on a mysterious faction operating from the shadows.
Yet even as night fell, the targets he had been monitoring failed to appear.
"What's going on?" he muttered. "Judging by their prior movements, they should have chosen a new target by now and made a move."
Could it be that the enemy had sensed the trap?
Minato frowned. His operations were meticulously concealed. Every critical action had been carried out using the Flying Thunder God Technique personally to ensure absolute secrecy.
He had taken every precaution. How, then, could the enemy have been tipped off?
To be sure, Minato personally visited each patrol and recon team stationed around the village. Everything was normal—no noble clan had reported an incident.
"Could it really just be a coincidence? Did they retreat? Or perhaps they never intended to strike here again?"
Elsewhere in the village, Kawaki Aoba remained unaware that his hastily coordinated assault—particularly the Qingke operation—had completely invalidated the elaborate trap laid by the Fourth Hokage.
"Lord Aoba," a subordinate reported, kneeling, "Qingke's team has succeeded. The other teams report similar results. All identified Hyuga branch family operatives are now in custody."
Aoba nodded, unsurprised. He had already deployed a modified version of the incomplete Caged Bird Control Jutsu. If they had failed to secure the targets, he would have questioned the competence of his entire force.
Now that the operation had begun, time was of the essence.
If the Hyuga main house detected the absence of branch members for too long, suspicions would be inevitable.
Aoba made a quick decision—to transport the captives out that very night.
As for the method? Instantaneous space-time teleportation.
Some might call it a technique reserved for Akatsuki leaders.
But Aoba scoffed at such assumptions. He was using the Flying Thunder God Technique, the pride of Konoha's legacy.
With his current influence and power, who in the village would challenge his claim? His word was law—or so he believed.
Luckily, the confinement site was already prepared.
Earlier that day, a group of lower-ranking Hyuga branch members had been discreetly relocated. By nightfall, they were replaced by dozens of elite Hyuga warriors—valuable assets far more critical than any ordinary shinobi battalion.
Among the captives was Hyuga Hizashi. He sat quietly, his chakra sealed by Chakra Suppression Needles, surrounded by fellow branch members in a similar state of helplessness.
The fact that a method to override the Caged Bird Curse Mark had fallen into enemy hands was dire enough. But to be captured without resistance? It painted a bleak future for the Hyuga clan.
Hizashi's heart weighed heavily. He closed his eyes, seeking solace in stillness. In his mind, he prayed for the safety of his infant son, barely a month old.
There was only one person he could entrust his hope to now: his twin brother, Hyuga Hiashi.
But what came next would only deepen Hizashi's despair.
A ninja arrived and unfurled a white projection curtain—just like they had during the earlier interrogations. Visuals flickered across it, revealing crystal-clear recordings of their recent actions:
Infiltration. Extortion. Assault on noble clans. Execution of informants.
Every movement, every word, had been recorded.
Gasps and horrified whispers spread through the captives. Their own faces appeared on the screen, proving they had been under surveillance all along.
The psychological blow was immense.
But Hizashi, already braced for the worst, remained impassive. Death, it seemed, was no longer something to fear—it was something to await.
That's when Kawaki Aoba entered.
He stood before the subdued Hyuga elites, his expression unreadable.
"You are all intelligent men," he began, without pretense. "You know the situation. So I won't waste time."
His tone sharpened.
"You have two paths ahead. One—remain loyal to a fading house and die with it. Or two—adapt, and rise as Konoha shinobi under my leadership."
Though his words were veiled in diplomacy, the message was clear: serve or perish.
He raised a hand to silence any protest.
"I don't need your answer now. Before you decide, there's one more thing I'd like to show you—a performance, if you will."
He paused, then added with a small, dangerous smile, "And regarding the Caged Bird Curse Seal—if you choose hope, I will do everything in my power to free you from it."
After saying that, Kawaki Aoba ignored everyone's reactions and turned to leave without another word.
At the same time, the images on the projection curtain before them abruptly changed, switching to a live feed.
Such a sudden transition, coupled with Kawaki Aoba's parting words and abrupt departure, left the Hyūga clan members exchanging confused glances. For a moment, silence hung in the air.
Regardless of what they were thinking, all eyes turned instinctively toward the live broadcast. They wanted to know—what was the "big show" Kawaki Aoba had mentioned?
The screen shifted, showing a hallway before suddenly going dark. It was obvious the camera had been covered deliberately.
A few tense moments passed before the feed returned. This time, it revealed a dimly lit underground corridor. Kawaki Aoba's figure soon came into view.
At the far end of the corridor was a larger chamber, guarded heavily by shinobi. Aoba approached and asked flatly:
"Have they said anything?"
A ninja responded respectfully, "One is being extremely tight-lipped. We haven't extracted any useful intel. But the other one... surprisingly soft. He's confessed everything—though we still need to verify some parts."
He handed Aoba a stack of documents.
Aoba took the papers and glanced through them casually before waving a hand. "Take me to see the stubborn one. It's rare for an elder of the Hyūga Main House to show such resolve after capture. How can I not pay him a visit?"
Captured? An elder of the Main House?
The Hyūga clan members were stunned. Their eyes widened as murmurs spread among them. Even Hyūga Hizashi, standing quietly in the corner, couldn't hide his shock.
Could this be true?
How had Kawaki Aoba captured an elder of the Main House? The village wouldn't approve such an arrest casually. What gave him the authority to act so boldly?
And if it really was based on video evidence, why only two elders? Knowing Kawaki Aoba's character, he wouldn't stop until the entire Hyūga Main House was uprooted.
Their questions were soon answered.
The screen followed Aoba into a dark interrogation chamber.
There, restrained in a metal chair and covered in bruises, sat an elderly man in a bloodied Hyūga robe. His disheveled hair and weary expression painted a grim picture.
When he heard the door open, he struggled to lift his head. Upon seeing Aoba, he writhed in defiance—but quickly collapsed, drained of strength.
It was one of the two elders Aoba had mentioned.
None of the branch family members watching could forget his face. He was unmistakably a Main House elder—one who had once looked down upon them with cold arrogance.
Now, he was reduced to this.
The elder coughed hoarsely and rasped, "Kawaki Aoba... don't expect to get anything useful from me."
Watching the elder's proud yet broken state, many branch family members felt conflicting emotions. Some even found their resentment softening—if only briefly.
Which was exactly what Aoba intended.
Only by first evoking sympathy would the eventual betrayal sting harder, and the hatred flare hotter.
Aoba sat across from the elder, flipping through the documents. Without looking up, he said calmly:
"You don't need to speak. Even if you do, it's too late. The other one already confessed."
His tone remained level, but the words were like cold steel.
"I never imagined that members of the Hyūga Main House could be this cruel."
The elder's expression stiffened—but only for a moment. He quickly recovered and scoffed, "Hmph. Trying to play tricks on me? Pathetic. I'm a Hyūga elder. You think cheap tactics like that will work?"
Aoba's gaze was cold. This old man really is a fine actor, he thought. Even under my genjutsu, he sells the performance so well.
He continued, sticking to the script.
"You were preparing to smuggle all unmarked children—those who haven't been branded with the Caged Bird Seal—out of the village. Your plan was to join distant Hyūga relatives and, once secure, activate the seal remotely to eliminate all the branded branch family members still in Konoha."
"I have to say—it's madness. All for the sake of bloodline purity?"
Aoba shook his head.
"This isn't the Warring States Era anymore. It's the age of the Hidden Villages. The Hyūga are part of Konoha. And yet after all these decades, you still haven't learned that."
Those words echoed through the prison chamber where the Hyūga branch family watched.
A deadly silence followed—then a wave of disbelief and outrage.
Had the Main House truly planned to exterminate them? Had all their vows of unity and elevation into the Main House been lies?
"It's fake! Aoba's trying to divide us!" a loyalist to the Main House shouted. "Don't be fooled! Don't believe anything you're seeing!"
But no one responded.
All eyes remained fixed on the screen.
There, in the dim glow of the broadcast, the elder's face trembled.
For the first time, fear crept into his expression.
In the corner, Hizashi quietly closed his eyes and sat back down. His mind was in turmoil.
On screen, Aoba looked at the elder one last time and said coldly:
"Judging by your face... it's all true. Tsk. You really are merciless."
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