Naruto: Hyuga Warlord

When Hizashi Hyuga finally returned to the clan compound after completing his duties, he was immediately summoned by his older brother Hiashi. The latter made a peculiar request—he wanted Hizashi to persuade Hyuga Soushu to cooperate in staging a fake engagement scene.

Upon hearing this, Hizashi Hyuga nearly froze in horror!

Although during their diplomatic mission to the Fire Daimyo's court, Hizashi Hyuga and Hyuga Soushu had worked together relatively smoothly—some subtle manipulations were even accepted and executed by Soushu beyond expectations—this did not mean that Hizashi had rekindled any kind of closeness with him.

Especially when it came to interfering with someone else's relationship or expecting compliance with an arranged marriage scenario—Hizashi Hyuga wanted no part in this tangled business!

After all, once his elder brother succeeded as head of the Main House and chief of the entire clan, he himself would become the leader of the Branch House!

If Hyuga Soushu held a grudge and started stirring things up among the Branch House ninja ranks, how could Hizashi possibly maintain control?

Despite Hyuga Soushu's current lack of strong support or allies, if he truly decided to go independent and rallied under him the war hero Tamaki—who had slain the Sunagakure Advisor Elder—there would undoubtedly be plenty of reckless martial faction ninjas, and even more restless Branch House members, eager to follow his banner. This would cause major headaches not only for the Hyuga Main House but also for Hizashi himself, the appointed leader of the Branch House.

Moreover, Soushu's rise had opened a new path for confused Branch House ninjas—an alternative road to influence through active contributions to the village, forcing the Main House to think twice before exerting pressure. Otherwise, public backlash from fellow ninjas who fought alongside him could easily overwhelm the Hyuga Clan under waves of outrage over "persecuting a hero."

"This is a direct order from Father!"

Hiashi saw the hesitation in his younger brother's eyes and put an end to any objection with a single light yet decisive sentence.

"I'll find Hyuga Soushu first thing tomorrow morning."

With a sigh, Hizashi Hyuga accepted this difficult assignment.

As for whether it was truly their father's command—at this point, irrelevant. The difference in status between Main House and Branch House alone was enough to crush any objections.

Early the next morning, just as Hyuga Soushu emerged from his meditation, Hizashi Hyuga—who had been waiting impatiently outside his door—rang the bell.

"Come in!"

Too lazy to bother getting up and opening the door himself, Soushu shouted from inside while preparing breakfast.

Though deeply reluctant, Hizashi forced a smile that said, "You're the first person I thought of for something good," trying to gently nudge Soushu in the desired direction.

"I apologize—the humble setting doesn't do justice to your distinguished presence."

Hyuga Soushu already suspected why this somewhat familiar clansman had come, but he had no intention of giving him the chance to voice his purpose. After guiding Hizashi to the living room, he placed a few cheap clay teaware sets on the table, motioning for Hizashi to help himself while he continued cooking.

"I should've brought some gifts along before visiting."

Hizashi looked at the empty, low-quality teaware set, unsure what to do.

Even if he was skilled at self-deception, there was no way he'd go as far as using a pot of boiling water to pretend he was brewing tea.

"There's the High Mountain Cloud Mist Tea gifted by the clan head inside the cabinet in the Reception Hall. Go get it yourself!"

Soushu Hyuga said this just as clanging and clattering from pots and pans filled the kitchen.

"Alright."

Hizashi Hyuga rose slowly and made his way to the Reception Hall Soushu had mentioned—the room where Soushu displayed portraits of his deceased parents and arranged offerings for worship.

Hizashi stared at the black-and-white photos on the wall, then turned to the clearly worn cushion resting before the altar table. He found himself lost in thought.

From the indentation left on the cushion, someone must have sat cross-legged on it frequently to create such a noticeable mark.

And yet this cushion happened to be placed in such an intriguing spot—

What did that imply?

Remaining true to one's roots? Remembering the blood feuds?

Moreover, could this very scene have been deliberately set up by Soushu Hyuga simply to let him witness it—as a way to express his intentions?

Regardless, as the officially designated leader of the Branch House, Hizashi Hyuga still wished to bridge and ease the tensions between the Branch members and the Main House.

"Did you find it?"

A shout came from the direction of the kitchen.

"I see the cabinet!"

Not wanting to dwell too long or ponder further, Hizashi immediately pulled out the tea leaves from a cabinet at the side of the hall and returned to the living room.

Yet burdened by his thoughts, even the precious High Mountain Cloud Mist Tea tasted bland in his mouth—perhaps even bitter.

"Taste my cooking."

Rolling up his sleeves and looking like a real homemaker, Soushu exited the kitchen carrying two servings of breakfast. He placed them on the table, sat down, and pushed one plate toward Hizashi.

"Soy milk, sandwiches, and bacon with fried eggs."

Hizashi glanced at the generous serving size with mild surprise.

"Except for the freshly ground and boiled soy milk, everything else was seized during the Sunagakure blitzkrieg. I brought it back stored in Sealing Scrolls."

Soushu took a sip of his soy milk before adding, "I cooked based on Mahiru-chan's taste preferences though—I hope you like it."

Mahiru-chan...

Hizashi picked up his soy milk to take a sip as well, using the cup to hide his shifting expression.

Meanwhile, accustomed to the principle of silence while eating, Soushu ignored the heavy-hearted Hizashi and focused instead on enjoying the rare meal he had cooked with his own hands.

"You know why I came here, right?"

Hizashi didn't lag behind in speed while eating—barely finishing his flavorless breakfast before quickly steering the conversation forward.

He was afraid even a second's hesitation would rob him of the chance to speak at all.

"I know. But as long as you're not repeating word-for-word what the clan head said, I won't throw you out."

Soushu's reply was equally direct, swiftly shutting down any possible angle Hizashi might use.

"Oh… wow…"

Hizashi felt slightly helpless.

The real problem was—he had no idea what his father had actually said to Soushu Hyuga face-to-face!

Though Hizashi Hyuga had done some background checks after Hiashi assigned him this communication task, due to limited manpower and time constraints, he only discovered that his father had a conflict with Soushu Hyuga—and even witnessed the latter venting his frustration upon leaving the Main House Mansion.

But that still didn't prepare Hizashi for just how explosive certain words could be!

"Really, you won't even pretend to submit to the clan head's wishes?"

With no choice, Hizashi gave up on elaborate phrasing and decided to just come out and ask.

"Haku and I have spent nearly every moment together for almost three years now. Whether it's our bond or how well we understand each other, there's absolutely no way I could ever give her up."

Soushu casually grabbed a napkin to wipe his mouth and replied with equal sincerity, "If I can't be myself even now, I may as well stay back at the Compound and breed like a stud pig!"

"You shouldn't say it like that."

Hizashi immediately responded.

But then he caught a key phrase in Soushu's statement.

"You said 'understand each other completely'… You mean…?"

"Exactly what you're thinking—we've done it all, both what we should and definitely shouldn't have!"

Soushu remained completely honest.

"This…"

Hizashi was left speechless.

Although ninja—especially aristocrats—didn't particularly value chastity, they certainly wouldn't treat it as worthless either. This was especially true with the notoriously unstable Uchiha Clan. Once they learned their female relative's partner was someone who would abandon her after intimacy, those two prestigious clans would likely never find peace again.

"For the future of our clan, I'm willing to personally broker a political marriage between the Hyuga Clan and the Uchiha Clan!"

Soushu got up to clear the dishes while continuing to ramble, "Of course, I don't expect the noble lord of the Main House to comprehend such lofty and selfless sacrifice. But if they had interfered less, the Hyuga Clan wouldn't have fallen into its current state!"

"The clan head truly has your best interests at heart."

Hizashi's defense sounded weak.

"You can save that line for other Branch House jonin—they might actually believe it."

Soushu tore through the fragile veil everyone had silently maintained all along. "Whatever the Main House supports probably isn't good for us—but whatever they oppose? That's exactly what benefits the Branch House!"

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