Chapter 4: The Intolerable

In the dense forest, Hyuga Yuto gripped the handle of the kunai, its sharp blade sinking into Sugisaki Tetsujiro's body, severing his spine.

He couldn't use the Gentle Fist, of course.

A ninja's corpse held a wealth of information. When Sugisaki Tetsujiro's body was returned to Konoha, it would be examined by experts in medical ninjutsu. Using the Gentle Fist would be like carving "I am the murderer" on his forehead.

A kunai, a tool used by ninjas all over the world, was untraceable. As long as he paid attention to the angle and force of insertion, it was the perfect tool to kill one of his own.

The kunai was pulled out, bringing with it a torrent of blood.

Sugisaki Tetsujiro groaned and raised his hand with lightning speed.

However, Hyuga Yuto used the Body Flicker Technique to move in front of him, swinging the kunai and mercilessly severing his wrist.

The Konoha Jonin could no longer form hand seals.

Hyuga Yuto lifted his leg and delivered a fierce front kick directly to Sugisaki Tetsujiro's chest. The sound of bones cracking filled the air as the Jonin flew back more than ten meters, crashing against a large tree.

He collapsed to the ground, his eyes glazed over.

His spine was severed, his hands were crippled, his chakra was nearly depleted, and the traitor before him possessed the Byakugan.

There was no escape.

He would die from blood loss.

"Tetsujiro-senpai, please don't move."

Hyuga Yuto exhaled slowly and said calmly, "I have no intention of torturing you. Please sit here and wait for your blood to drain. Believe me, this way of dying is not very painful..."

His words were interrupted by Sugisaki Tetsujiro's sneer: "Konoha scum... Putting on an act. How could the Hyuga clan produce such a beast like you?"

Hyuga Yuto shook his head expressionlessly: "Tetsujiro-senpai, if you want to provoke me to get closer to you with words, this level is not enough."

"You are a very talented ninja. I have experienced this deeply in the more than ten days I have been under your command."

"Before your blood runs dry, I will not approach you rashly... That would be too dangerous."

Sugisaki Tetsujiro's heart sank.

The shortened "senbon" hidden under his tongue also faltered slightly due to his master's despair.

Although his chakra was almost depleted, it only took a sliver of chakra to activate the Hidden Technique: Thousand Needles Rain. It was a foolproof technique against enemies who thought they had the upper hand.

Unfortunately... The young traitor before him was too smart and too steady, showing no weakness at all.

He was worthy of the title... [Hyuga's Jewel], Sugisaki Tetsujiro thought bitterly.

After a brief silence, Sugisaki Tetsujiro stared intently at the young man with snow-white eyes: "Hyuga Yuto, do you want my body?"

"Yes." Hyuga Yuto nodded, rubbing the scroll: "The reconnaissance team was wiped out, but brought back valuable intelligence. I am the only one who survived. With all the enemies dead, there is no reason for me not to protect the body of you, the Jonin captain. If all your bodies were disposed of without a trace, it would seem too deliberate."

"Aren't you afraid that the people in the village will find something from my body?"

"I am afraid, and I know that some forbidden techniques can ask for answers from the souls of the dead." Hyuga Yuto thought of the infamous "Edo Tensei": "But there's nothing I can do. Doing this kind of thing always involves risks. If I'm discovered, I'll just die."

"Doing this kind of thing..." Sugisaki Tetsujiro's face paled, and his consciousness began to blur due to prolonged blood loss: "Betraying the village, betraying your clan, betraying your comrades, you can say such things so lightly."

The Jonin paused for a long time before continuing: "Can you tell me... your reason?"

Hyuga Yuto looked at him calmly and slowly removed his forehead protector.

Revealing the green curse mark.

The Caged Bird.

All members of the Hyuga Branch Family had this curse mark branded on their foreheads at a young age, and from then on, until death, they could never get rid of it.

This curse mark could seal the abilities of the Byakugan and could completely destroy the eyeballs and brain after the recipient's eyes were removed or they died.

Not only that, but members of the Main Family could also use this curse mark to control and destroy the brain nerves and brain tissue of Branch Family members.

In the Hyuga clan, this was an ironclad hierarchy.

It had been this way for generations, and the curse mark known as the Caged Bird had been passed down for thousands of years.

Sugisaki Tetsujiro widened his eyes in disbelief: "J-Just... because of... the Caged Bird?" He breathed rapidly, and for the first time, an emotion of incomprehension and anger appeared in his voice: "Hyuga Yuto, for a mere curse mark, you would betray the village and the clan? The Caged Bird does restrict your freedom and abilities, but it is a tradition and rule of a powerful ninja clan!"

"And this curse mark has successfully prevented others from stealing the Byakugan, protecting you!"

"Even I, an outsider, know that in the Hyuga clan, the Main Family are the true inheritors, bearing the responsibility of protecting and developing the Hyuga clan; the Branch Family are the guardians of the Main Family, bearing the responsibility of protecting the Hyuga Main Family!"

"With sacrifice, the clan will become stronger, the village will prosper, and Konoha will flourish..."

Hyuga Yuto put on his forehead protector, covering the Caged Bird.

He looked down at the dying Jonin and said softly: "For some reason, I remember things very early, and I understood things very early."

"From a long time ago, I have been thinking about one question—"

"Why not just endure it?"

"Konoha is a good village. Although there is a lot of filth, it is generally... positive and upward. The Hyuga clan has a strict hierarchy, but at least on the surface, it is decent."

"Why not just endure it? Work hard on missions, train hard, and after reaching a certain level, life should be manageable. At worst, I could endure it for another thirty or forty years. After the new era arrives, maybe everything will get better."

"I thought about it for a while and came to a conclusion—"

Hyuga Yuto's expression suddenly became no longer calm and gentle, but rather erratic and helpless: "No."

"I can't endure it."

"I cannot tolerate myself being branded as a slave, being treated as someone's guard for life."

"I cannot tolerate my descendants having this ugly Caged Bird on their foreheads."

"What I cannot tolerate the most is the future me who would live a life of repression and never dare to resist until death."

The dying Sugisaki Tetsujiro's expression was filled with confusion.

Hyuga Yuto... What was this guy talking about? Intolerable?

What was so intolerable?

For so many years... Why could the other Branch Family members endure it, but you couldn't? For the sake of the Hyuga clan's prosperity and strength... Shouldn't you abandon your personal feelings and become the most solid shield of the Hyuga Main Family?

You are the "Jewel" of the Hyuga.

With incomprehension and doubt, the Jonin's heartbeat slowed down.

Finally, his blood ran dry, and he was dead, completely dead.

Standing alone, Hyuga Yuto sighed softly and slowly walked towards Sugisaki Tetsujiro's corpse.

"You cannot understand me, and I cannot understand you... Ha, the gap between people is as vast as the heavens from the very beginning."

He squatted down and leaned close to the gradually cooling corpse.

"But, let me tell you one last thing."

"To be honest, I really, really, really..." The Branch Family boy gritted his teeth, excessive anger causing blood to seep from the corners of his mouth, as if he were trying to chew through his forehead bone: "I really, really hate that title."

"Hyuga's... Jewel."