"Can you help me?"
Hyuga Neji looked up at the boy who was about his age, a hint of confusion crossing his face.
But he quickly shook his head.
How could someone his age help him, especially when even his father couldn't?
"I can help you find a way to break the Caged Bird Cursed Seal!"
"I can provide protection; as long as I'm here, no one can activate the Caged Bird seal in front of me!"
"Okay..."
Genya slowly listed his conditions, but it seemed Neji didn't care, showing no reaction.
He realized that his words didn't sway Neji.
Taking a deep breath, he continued, "I know Konoha's top medical ninja, Yuya Toshi. If you follow me, he'll come to treat your mother tomorrow!"
"Really?" A flicker of emotion crossed Neji's otherwise expressionless face. He had accepted his fate, but if his mother could be healed, he would do anything.
Genya nodded, "Of course!"
Thud!
"As long as you can heal my mother, I, Hyuga Neji, will follow you forever. You will be my Lord!" Hearing Genya's affirmative answer, Neji knelt on the ground, his eyes filled with earnestness.
As for why he called Genya "Lord," it was out of respect, just like his father made him call Hinata "miss."
Since the main branch wouldn't help him, why not seek assistance elsewhere?
He owed nothing to the Hyuga clan; rather, the clan owed him a life.
"Ahem, no need to call me Lord. From now on, we're friends, right?" Genya was surprised by Neji's action and helped him up. He only wanted to make a friend.
If he could lift the Caged Bird seal, Neji would be a powerful ally, even if the Uchiha clan fell out with Konoha in the future.
"No! If you can heal my mother, then you are my Lord!" Neji firmly shook his head. He had been unfamiliar with friendship ever since he got the Caged Bird seal; there was only the noble main branch and the lowly branch family.
If Genya could heal his mother, Neji would owe him a life.
Genya felt a twitch in his eyelids at these words.
Neji calling him "Lord"? If the stubborn elders of the Hyuga clan found out, they might come after him.
Although the Hyuga clan didn't care about the branch family, a branch member calling someone else "Lord" was a slap in the face to the main branch.
Currently, Genya didn't have the strength to confront the Hyuga clan, so he needed to be cautious.
When he gained enough power, some rules would change for him, just like Naruto eventually did with the Caged Bird seal.
Now, changing the topic from Hinata Neji, Genya continued, "You must be hungry after a day! I'll take you out for dinner!"
After that, Genya took Neji out for a feast and personally escorted him back home. During the trip, he also mentioned the plan to help Neji's mother with her illness.
Returning to the Hyuga clan's area, Genya felt a mix of emotions. The large family was mostly made up of branch houses, with only a few main family members in the central area.
Sigh… a clan with infinite potential, yet stifled by its own limitations, preventing the Hyuga family from evolving.
How laughable and sad!
"Tomorrow, my mother and I will wait for you!" Neji nodded and went back to his room.
In a dimly lit bedroom, Neji's mother lay on the bed, coughing. Neji had gone to honor his father's memory and hadn't returned yet, leaving her worried.
"Mother, I'm here!" Neji carefully approached his mother, helping her sit up to sip some water.
"Neji, you're back!" Due to her illness, Neji's mother had lost a lot of weight. Looking at Neji, she asked, "Where is your father buried? Take me to see him tomorrow!"
"Mother, once you recover, I'll take you to see Father!" Neji felt a pang of sadness seeing his weak mother.
"There's no time! We have to go tomorrow, cough cough!" She knew her condition was serious. If she didn't see him now, she might never get the chance. Her health was deteriorating rapidly.
"Mother, please rest!" Neji didn't want to upset her but insisted, "You will get better! I've asked Konoha's most famous medical ninja, Mr. Toshi, to treat you. You'll be fine soon!"
"Toshi?" A glimmer of hope shone in Neji's mother's dim eyes. "Did the Hyuga clan leader request him?"
If that were the case, it meant that Hyuga Hiashi still cared about their family. Regardless of whether her illness could be cured, at least Neji wouldn't suffer.
Neji shook his head, hesitating a bit before saying, "He's a friend of mine, Uchiha Genya. He asked Mr. Toshi for help!"
"Uchiha Genya?"
Neji's mother murmured his name, lost in thought.
**In the Hokage's office!**
At that moment, the atmosphere in the Hokage's office was extremely heavy.
The top members of the Anbu were present, all with their heads down, lost in their thoughts.
Just then, Uchiha Shisui and Kakashi walked in.
"Have all the Cloud ninja left?" The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, asked as he puffed on his pipe, looking at Uchiha Shisui who had just entered with another person.
"They've left. The Cloud ninja mingled with the crowd and waited to watch Hyuga Hiashi's burial before departing. The others are waiting outside the village!" Uchiha Shisui reported, bowing his head.
They were watching Hizashi's burial? They left afterward?
That means the Cloud ninja knew that the deceased wasn't Hyuga Hiashi. Perhaps they knew from the beginning.
Thinking this, the Third Hokage's eyes deepened with contemplation.
"Since they dare to target us in Konoha, let's leave some of our own in the village as well!" The Third Hokage revealed his cunning side, his face showing a sharpness. "Kakashi, go call Hyuga Hiashi over!"
Everyone could see that the Cloud ninja had been personally escorted out of the village by the Third Hokage. It would be normal for them to encounter some rogue ninja outside!
It seemed the Hyuga clan would be more than willing to assist with this.
However, considering that most of the Cloud ninja here were elite jonin, he turned to Uchiha Shisui again.
"Shisui, you should call Fugaku over too. It's time to ease the relationship between the village and the Uchiha clan!"
"Understood!"
When Shisui heard this from the Third Hokage, his originally dull eyes lit up with gratitude as he looked at the Hokage.
It seemed their Uchiha clan's decision to give up half of their Police Force duty was finally paying off. The relationship between the village and the Uchiha clan was becoming increasingly harmonious.
The Hokage had even started assigning them missions. Recently, when he was out in the village, the villagers had become friendlier towards the Uchiha clan members.
If Genya knew Shisui's current thoughts, he would probably be furious at him. The villagers were friendly just because he managed the Police Force well and gained their trust and also the Hokage assigned them to missions knowing they were dangerous.
An hour later.
The sky was completely dark, and the Hokage's office was brightly lit.
Hyuga Hiashi and Uchiha Fugaku appeared in the office, with Fugaku particularly excited.
****
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