Malphegor
patreon
HTP: Ch. 20
🕑 Added 2025-05-26 22:01:44 +0000 UTCAfter Hiashi left, Hiruzen's work wasn't done yet. The response from Ace had already arrived from the hyperspace.
[Ace]: Thank you.
After thinking it over, he told the other party about how his strength had been enhanced by the hyperspace, and asked what was going on their side.
[Ace]: All the injuries in my body are gone.
Hiruzen read the message and nodded. So this "cheat" was just a light one. That made sense, if it were a full cheat, Ace could've just fought his way out on his own.
[Ace]: If only Pops had been chosen by this space...
If Whitebeard was at his peak again like me, he'd be unstoppable… Hiruzen mused while reading Ace's reply.
[Hiruzen]: Now that you know what will happen next, you're not going to fight Akainu after you're freed, right?
[Ace]: …Absolutely not. I got flamed so badly on the forums over that. If I had been chosen by this hyperspace before getting captured, I'd have turned around and brought people to beat Blackbeard instead.
[Ace]: So, who are you planning to send over? Jiraiya for intel?
[Hiruzen]: Itachi. At this point in time, he's the only one in Konoha both qualified and available to participate in the big battle on your side. Let's also discuss payment, aside from treasure, I hope to get a Mythical Zoan or Logia-type Devil Fruit.
[Ace]: Itachi, huh. Reliable. Whether the mission succeeds or not, I'll pay up. But just to be clear, treasure is fine, and regular Devil Fruits are negotiable, but Mythical Zoans and Logias are rare and may not be immediately available. Even in the Whitebeard Pirates, we've only ever had a few of those. They're truly scarce.
[Hiruzen]: I trust you. Your reputation is known across all the worlds. But what if Itachi actually convinces Whitebeard not to rescue you, and you end up executed?
[Ace]: Then so be it, I'll die laughing, haha.
How the hell do we settle the bill if you're dead? Hiruzen was just about to ask that. But the next message already came through.
[Ace]: Relax. If I really die, I'll ask Pops to deliver the treasure.
[Hiruzen]: Impressive.
[Ace]: Anyway, thanks a lot, God of Shinobi.
[Hiruzen]: You're too kind, Fire Fist Ace.
Ace, Ace... don't tell me you're one of the guys trash-talking me on the forums?
---
Back in the real world, Hiruzen finished signing the last document. His long day as Hokage had finally come to an end.
"Ahem."
Whoosh—
The ANBU duo appeared.
"Let's go. We're going to visit that misguided student of mine."
Hopefully he will wake up soon and return to the right path, he thought.
---
After several days of clan meetings and repeated summons from the Hokage for discussions, Hiashi's expression grew darker by the day. If he could have a proper conversation with Fugaku, they'd probably have a lot in common. Of course, his situation was still far better than Fugaku's, he only needed to convince a few of the Hyūga clan elders.
But "old yet not dead," "stubborn and ignorant," "naive and laughable," "reckless and arrogant"... these words weren't enough to describe those elders.
"This is a matter for the Hyūga clan alone."
"The Uchiha are gone. Can Konoha even manage without the Hyūga? Ignore it."
"The First Hokage couldn't do it, what does the Third Hokage think he's trying to do?"
"Hiashi, as clan leader, you should be protecting the interests of the Hyūga. Your attitude is incompetent."
Who's the clan leader, you or me?
Hiashi phrased it more politely, of course, but in return he was met with even fiercer accusations. They even accused him of supporting the Hokage purely out of selfish motives.
"Is this because of your daughters? You're failing in your duties as clan leader."
"Enough, Hiashi. This topic is closed. The laws of our ancestors are not to be changed lightly."
"If you felt this way, why didn't you speak up when Hizashi was still alive? Becoming a father really has changed you."
Back then, the Third Hokage didn't even concern himself with Hyūga clan matters. But now, he once again held overwhelming power, and his governing style was no longer so "gentle."
Yet the truth was the sharpest blade. When struck by it, Hiashi's face flushed, he was left speechless, cornered by the elders of the main house. He would soon agree with the Third Hokage's proposal, but the main reason, of course, was Hinata and Hanabi. He didn't want either of them to follow in the footsteps of his younger brother.
What's more, pressure from the Hokage's side was unrelenting, repeatedly urging the Hyūga clan to deliver a decision.
Hiashi was like a tightly wound spring, being compressed from both ends.
Either it would snap, or explode.
He had to come up with a solution. Otherwise, what happened to the Uchiha was right in front of him. Besides, the branch house had suffered under the main house long enough. If the Hokage were to issue a direct order, how would the already dwindling main house survive?
And what would become of him?
"Father, what's wrong with you today?" his younger daughter, Hanabi, asked with concern.
His elder daughter, Hinata, though still timid and unable to express concern directly, held a worried look in her eyes that he immediately understood.
He replied gently, "I am going to do something I never had the courage to do before."
You cannot stop me. I won't end up like Fugaku. If I'm the only one left in the main house… don't push me.
"Hinata, go call Neji."
Hinata felt a strange unease, her father, who had always been so strict, was suddenly speaking so gently. She sensed something.
"Father…"
"Go. I just want to thank him for saving your life during the Chunin Exams." Hiashi's voice was calm, but carried a tone of finality.
A short while later, Neji walked coldly into the traditional tatami room where Hiashi was waiting.
"Hiashi-sama," Neji greeted.
They sat facing each other across a low tea table. Behind Hiashi was the Hyūga clan crest and a folding screen painted with a white crane.
Once Neji was seated, Hiashi began by thanking him.
Neji replied coldly that he only acted because he couldn't bear to see someone from the same village die in front of him. If that was all, he would take his leave.
He then slowly began to tell Neji the truth of what happened all those years ago.
But Neji was unmoved. He had not yet been "talked down" by Naruto, and clearly could not just let go.
A father who died for his brother, not the main house? In the end, wasn't it still the Hyūga system that pushed his father to despair? And if Hiashi truly wanted to protect his brother, then as clan leader, he should've tried to change that system.
Then suddenly, Hiashi leaned forward and bowed deeply in a dogeza posture: "Neji. I beg you, please take care of Hinata and Hanabi."
"What are you doing!" Neji was startled by this unexpected gesture.
"Please. Promise me."
Neji froze, unsure how to respond. His eyes flickered from the back of Hiashi's bowed head to the tea set on the table, then to the clan crest on the wall. His heart was a swirl of emotions.
"This is…" Neji's voice was dry and filled with confusion.
Hiashi didn't lift his head. He remained in the dogeza position, his voice low but resolute. "I know you harbor deep resentment toward the main house. You've never let go of your father death. I beg you to forgive me, for failing in my duty as both the clan leader of the Hyūga and your uncle."
Neji's fists clenched slightly.
His feelings toward his two cousins had always been complicated, especially Hinata, who was close to him in age. From protecting her as a child, to resenting her after his father's death, to seeing her constantly fall short of Hanabi, and finally, feeling her share in his pain of being neglected by Hiashi... these emotions were a tangled mess he could never fully resolve.
But his long-standing resentment quickly froze his heart again.
"Do you think this makes everything right? It's not something that can be changed with a simple apology."
Hiashi finally lifted his head, looking Neji in the eyes. "I understand. That's why tonight, this outdated system may finally be abolished."
Neji's pupils contracted sharply, as if he'd just heard something unbelievable.
"If I fail… I entrust Hinata and Hanabi to you."
Now Neji understood completely, this man was preparing for the worst. Entrusting his daughters… was this madness? What was he planning?
"Tonight may be the final meeting of the Hyūga main house regarding the abolishment of the Caged Bird Seal. If they won't agree…"
Hiashi paused, then said firmly, "Then there's no need for their agreement."
Upon hearing those words, Neji's entire body broke out in goosebumps. He was trembling, whether from the thrill of potential freedom or the chilling implication of what was about to unfold.
"I am the leader of the Hyūga clan."
