12 Chapter XII

Chapter XII

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"I'm listening," Tatsuya said, his voice calm yet tinged with urgency.

Mother hesitated briefly, her gaze evading his before she responded, "...But how did you learn about her death?"

Tatsuya's frown deepened at her avoidance, but he pressed on, "I met her daughter, Maya, earlier. She was heading to the Academy. It was from her that I learned about Hayami's passing. And why didn't you inform me that she even had a daughter?"

Noticing it was inevitable, Mother sighed before carefully choosing her words. "After Hayami left her position here as a maid, we lost touch with her for years. Then, unexpectedly, just a few months ago, I received a letter out of the blue."

"I didn't recognize the sender at first, but upon reading the letter, I recognized Hayami's way of writing. The letter didn't contain much, just a brief message about her deteriorating health and a request for help for her daughter if she ever needed it. It ended with a farewell," Mother explained.

Tatsuya's brow furrowed in confusion. "Why would she send a letter instead of reaching out to us directly? We could have helped her find a cure. She was almost like a second mother to me."

"Or was she being threatened?" Tatsuya pressed, his concern evident in his tone. There were many enemies of the Hyugas, not as numerous as the Uchiha, but still a considerable threat, and maids were prime targets, easily coerced into espionage.

"I also considered that possibility, which is why I immediately began searching for her, but by the time I found out…it was too late. She had already passed away, and her body was cremated. I couldn't even find any information about her condition," Mother said, her voice tinged with emotion.

"Why did her daughter say it was suicide?" Tatsuya questioned, puzzled.

"The official report cites the cause of her death as an overdose on drugs," she explained.

But then her tone suddenly turned icy as she continued, "That's when I initiated an investigation, utilising all my resources. I was suspicious of her death; it was too sudden ."

" Yet, after a month of searching, I couldn't find any leads. Even the Central Hospital records stated her death as natural, almost making me doubt my own thoughts. However, then I suddenly received a new piece of information."

Turning to face her son, Mother gently brushed his cheek. "I didn't want to worry you until I had more information."

"What did you find out?" Tatsuya asked, ignoring his mother's touch, his focus fixed on the crucial detail.

Mother sighed and said, "Six months before her death, Hayami was visited by 'Him'. It's the only lead we have, everything else is a dead end." She could feel his grip tense over her body at the mention of 'Him'.

Tatsuya's anger flared, and he released his grip on his mother, a fierce fire in his eyes. "This is it for him, I'll kill him myself," he declared, his voice dripping with venom.

"Stop!" Mother intervened, placing her hands gently on Tatsuya's shoulders to steady him. "I understand your anger, but acting impulsively now won't solve anything. We need more information before we can take action."

She reminded him of the potential repercussions. "His position within the clan is strong now, and we lack concrete evidence against him."

"I know," Tatsuya conceded, taking a deep breath to calm himself.

"I'm not foolish enough to let my emotions cloud my judgement, Mom, and attack him directly in the open," Ace stated.

She nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. "That's my boy."

Tatsuya's attention returned to Maya. "For now, we need to prioritise Maya. Losing her mother must have been devastating for her."

"I understand," his mother replied. "She's endured a great deal; losing both of her parents is incredibly tough for anyone. But she's been resilient and is recovering," she added.

"That's why I also anonymously sent some aid and guards to protect her," Mother said with a sunken expression.

"You are right, she might also have some information about the case." Tatsuya added. "When I spoke to her earlier, I sensed some hidden rage when she talked about her mother, as if she was harbouring some kind of anger towards her mother."

Mother agreed and said, "I've tried talking to her, but she's keeping silent. And I can't use any forceful measures on her to talk, especially considering what she's going through and her being Hayami's daughter."

"We can try to earn her trust," Tatsuya suggested. "I'll ask Hinata to befriend her. Maybe then she'll open up."

"Good idea. I'll speak with Hinata about this," Mother agreed, relieved to have a plan in motion.

Tatsuya nodded, then asked, "Can you give me the files from the investigation you conducted? I want to have as much information as possible about the case."

His mother hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Alright, Tatsuya. I'll gather all the relevant documents and bring them to you. But promise me you'll approach this carefully and with caution."

Tatsuya nodded. "I understand, Mother. I'll proceed cautiously."

With that settled, his mother left to retrieve the investigation files while Tatsuya sat down to contemplate his next steps.

As he pondered, his thoughts inevitably turned to 'him,' a guy named Yami Hyuga. He is a vile and corrupt individual who exploits bloodline superiority as a pedestal to do whatever he wants. The list of his crimes is extensive, enough to warrant spending at least 1000 years in purgatory.

And given that these crimes transpired within the clan's domain, bringing his crimes to light proved difficult.

And also unlike many other characters, his presence has had quite a larger impact on the plot, influencing both the Hyuga's Affair subplot and my father's demise.

He was also one of the characters that wasn't originally part of the Naruto storyline but was still able to become one of the key figures within the Hyuga clan.

As an Elder of the Main family, he also wielded considerable influence and support from other elders.

With Hiashi's death, he had risen to become the second strongest figure within the clan, right after my mother. However, the difference was so close that if they were to fight, both would likely die, and this made him further solidify his power. So accusing him without solid evidence would be tantamount to challenging the very core of the clan's hierarchy.

It could have quite dire consequences given the current balance of power within the clan.

And even if somehow convinced everyone that Yami was indeed involved in Hayami's death, Tatsuya knew that bringing him to justice wouldn't be easy.

Furthermore, the Elder Council of Hyuga clan wouldn't easily sacrifice one of their own main family members for the sake of a former lowly maid.

Bloodline hierarchical racism is the highest in the Hyuga clan among all the clans for a reason after all.

Tatsuya let out a low frustrated sigh as he contemplated the situation. "If it weren't for my foolish father in this life... No, he doesn't deserve to be called a father," he muttered to himself. "This wouldn't have been much of a problem if he was a little more sane minded and less of an idiot. Then as the head of my family, I could easily deal with Yami. But now, things are hard to control within the clan."

As he muttered this, his gaze wandered to a small picture hanging on one of the far walls. It depicted him, his mother, and Hayami, a sight that made him clench his fist involuntarily.

While he may have had difficulty recalling his old memories for now, his emotions were easily able to be recalled, which is why he was so shocked and angered upon hearing of Hayami's death.

Hayami had played a significant role in his early life, caring for him and Hinata until they were five years old, while their mother was preoccupied with complications involving Hiashi. The news of her death stirred up emotions and memories that had been buried deep within him.

As he ruminated on these memories, Tatsuya noticed his mother approaching him, a small scroll in her hand.

Reaching him, she didn't waste any time and directly threw the scroll toward him.

Catching the scroll, he quickly began reading through its contents. However, the more he read, the more his brows furrowed. It wasn't because he had somehow unearthed new information that had eluded his mother all this time.

"This is definitely Yami," he muttered. But it was because of the meticulous covering of tracks and the absence of any evidence that pointed, it was definitely done by someone with considerable skill.

"All the leads and tracks are perfectly covered, leaving no evidence. This level of skill can only be attributed to Yami, or either Danzo, personally came to help him in covering his tracks with such precision."

If Tatsuya had any lingering doubts about Yami's involvement in Hayami's death, they were swiftly dispelled.

Mother nodded in agreement with his assessment. "Exactly. The meticulousness of the cover-up suggests a level of expertise that goes beyond that of an amateur or an ordinary person. If I hadn't somehow received the news of Yami's visit to Hayami prior to her death, I could have easily mistaken it for a natural passing."

Tatsuya nodded in acknowledgment, and after further discussion about their plans, he retreated to his room to ponder their next steps.

Laying in the bed, Tatsuya thought 'With his cunning nature, How did he forget to cover up his visit to Hayami. There is definitely some problem there.'

'I think It's time to become serious now. I can't pass time leisurely like I have been doing for a week.' He thought as he mentally commanded a certain command.

[The Mission 'Operation Go Blondie' has been accepted by the Host.]

- x - X - x -

In a mansion far from the main household in the Hyuga District, a man in his forties lounged in the hall, leisurely smoking a pipe while a woman leaned against him, her head bobbing up and down between his legs.

Knock.

"Who!?" the man barked.

"It's me, Yami-sama, your devoted servant," came the immediate response, with a tone that suggested years of experience in flattery.

"Oh, Murama. Why are you here now? I'm currently... occupied," Yami replied, his tone indicating annoyance at the interruption.

"Yami-sama, I have urgent news for you," Maruna persisted.

"Come later. No news is urgent to me currently. I am in another world right now," Yami said, caressing the woman's head.

"B-But it's about Tatsuya-sama. You had told me to give his every news to you immediately," Murama insisted.

Hearing this, Yami frowned. 'Dammit, can't that brat come a little later,' he thought, standing up and removing the woman from his lap. However, the woman didn't react or stop her actions, as if she were a robot.

No. The more accurate term would be she was a broken robot of a woman, but Yami ignored her and opened the door to see Murama kneeling with a smiling face. He looked quite ugly.

'Tsch, just seeing his face makes me feel like I am going to have a bad day'. He thought. "Say what news you got. It better be good news or else you know how I am," Yami said.

'Then should I lie to you if there is bad news,?' Murama grumbled internally but still had a pleasing expression on his face. He continued, "Of course, master! How can I bring bad news to you? I will alwa-"

"Cut to the chase, don't waste my time," Yami interrupted, slapping Murama's head.

"Right, right. Master, this morning I saw that Maya girl talking to Tatsuya-sama, and Tatsuya-sama had quite a dark expression when he left," Murama reported.

"Hmm… Maya? Who is that?" Yami said, looking confused.

"Master, did you forget? She is that Hayami woman's daughter, whom you…" Murama trailed off.

"Oh, that bitch's daughter. Did she go begging to Tatsuya brat?" Yami asked.

"I don't think so, master. I don't think she even knows what happened to her mother. I think it's just a coincidence," Murama explained.

"Then why are you reporting me coincidences? Have you gotten too lazy nowadays?" Yami said, slapping him again.

Feeling his head ringing from the pain, Murama raged in his mind, 'Didn't you say bring me every news?' But he didn't have the guts to say it out loud.

"Are you swearing at me?" Yami said, his eyes darkening.

"Oh no, master. How could I do that? I am just a mere servant," Murama quickly replied, groveling between Yami's legs.

"Sheh, you better not be. Now scram from here," Yami ordered.

"Y-yes!" Murama immediately scrambled away.

As Yami returned to his room, he ignored the woman who tried to climb back onto his lap mindlessly and thought, 'Maya, huh.' His pale white eyes shining in the dark.