Chapter 246. Caged Bird Mark
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At the same time.
On the other side—
Asuma casually tossed his disconnected phone aside and quickly refocused on controlling his game character, continuing to fight monsters.
His old man, seriously…
Of all times to call, why did it have to be at such a critical moment?
Didn't he realize he was in the middle of a dungeon run?
Besides, as one of the Twelve Ninja Guardians, he had a stable government job with regular hours from nine to five. It was rare to get a day off to relax and play some games.
And now a phone call? Totally ruining his downtime.
The bald guy next to him sighed and shook his head. "Asuma, that's your father~ Are you sure you should be treating him like this?"
"Honestly, I've thought about switching fathers for a while now. Forget about him. Hurry up and tank! Hold the aggro!"
"…" Chiriku stared at Asuma, speechless. He shook his head and focused on healing his nearly dead character while saying, "By the way, Kazuma-sama has been acting suspicious lately. I don't know what he's up to~"
"Who cares? I make my money; he does his thing. I'm just here to do a job." Thinking about Konoha made Asuma sigh inwardly. "Anyway, that guy always seems to dislike me."
"Kazuma-sama seems to have a poor opinion of Konoha's ninjas in general," Chiriku agreed with a nod. "Especially you, Asuma. Maybe it's because you're the son of the Third Hokage. And the Third Hokage… that embezzlement scandal involving him—it was widely reported!"
"Yeah~ My old man, seriously…" Asuma had a look of frustration. Just when Chiriku thought he was about to criticize his father's misconduct—
"If he was really going to pull something like that, couldn't he have been more discreet? As a Hokage, he got caught for embezzlement? How can you be a ninja?"
"…"
Is that really the point?!
Chiriku sighed helplessly and shook his head. He recalled the information he had heard and muttered to himself, "I'll tell Asuma about it later."
Kazuma-sama…
He seemed to be plotting something.
…
Meanwhile,
Yuto checked his system.
This time, the upgrade had unlocked two new technologies: smartphones and cars. It was a huge upgrade, and his strength had improved once again.
Unfortunately…
He had been stuck in Konoha for a while and hadn't had a chance to test his strength.
Plus, ever since that tree appeared at the entrance, he hadn't seen White Zetsu around. It seemed like they had stopped following him.
He had no idea where they'd gone, and even the number of people online had been steadily decreasing.
Could it be that, because of Sarutobi Hiruzen, those who had spent all their remaining money were now not even logging into the internet and were preparing to leave this sorrowful place?
Yuto sighed and shook his head. Aside from unlocking two new technologies, the upgrade also seemed to have expanded other business options.
For example, his dance hall could be upgraded into a nightclub or a karaoke bar. The movie theater, milk tea shop, and barbecue restaurant could all be merged into a shopping mall.
The minimum customer base had increased, bringing him one step closer to becoming the richest man in the ninja world.
At the same time, the movie industry was booming. Even Kumogakure and Sunagakure had started getting involved. And since Konoha was the birthplace of the movie industry, many clans had noticed the massive profits and started their own film crews.
But since it was their first attempt and they didn't have Danzo's guts to throw money at it, the results so far weren't very impressive.
Still, in general, the movie industry had entered a period of rapid development.
He heard that Kirigakure, having recently tasted success, was also preparing to shoot another movie.
It was really cause for celebration~
Unfortunately…
He wondered if Jiraiya had found Orochimaru yet.
Jiraiya was exploring remote areas with no signal, so there was no way to contact him by phone.
Yuto sighed and shook his head.
Just then—
Suzune came back.
It seemed like the Hyuga Clan was holding another clan meeting today, so Suzune, who had not yet married, really needed to go back to the Hyuga Clan.
Of course…
Ever since Danzo had run away and left Sarutobi Hiruzen to carry the debt, the atmosphere within the Hyuga Clan had noticeably lightened.
Suzune mentioned that the once-lost elders were now cheerful and carefree.
But…
"Did something happen with the Hyuga Clan again?" Yuto raised an eyebrow at the troubled look on Suzune's face. "Don't tell me those elders are causing trouble again?"
That didn't make sense~
Lately, hadn't Elder Hana and Elder Setsuna been in unusually good spirits?
It didn't look like something was wrong.
Anyway, when Hyuga Hanabi saw the Hyuga elders and Uchiha elders getting along so well, she was completely stunned.
After all, as the two major dojutsu clans of Konoha, the Hyuga and Uchiha had never been on good terms.
Of course…
Aside from her connection with Suzune, Elder Hana, and the Chief Elder, in general, the Hyuga and Uchiha clans were still not on good terms.
"It's not that," Suzune shook her head helplessly. "It's a matter within the Hyuga Clan."
She hesitated for a moment, then, noticing the curiosity in Hanabi and Yuto's eyes, continued, "Some of the elders have proposed starting the Caged Bird Mark ceremony for Neji. But it seems that Second Brother disagrees, which has strained relations between the main family and the branch family."
Suzune couldn't help but feel emotional at that thought.
After all, she herself bore the Caged Bird Mark!
But…
When she noticed the serious expression on Hanabi's face after hearing her words, Suzune frowned.
She was curious.
Hanabi possessed the pure Byakugan and didn't have the Caged Bird Mark—she was presumably part of the Main Family. Why was she never called to attend clan meetings?
"What's wrong with you?"
After a brief silence—
"I…" Hanabi snapped out of her thoughts, shook her head, and smiled faintly. "It's nothing. Just thinking about something."
Here…
Was this just an illusion?
Was Brother Neji truly unable to escape his fate?
Traditionally, members of the branch family would undergo the Caged Bird Mark ceremony at the age of three.
Hanabi thought of her brother Neji, who had sacrificed himself to protect her sister. Her heart tightened at the thought. But… what could she do about it now?
After all, she wasn't the Clan Leader of the Hyuga Clan here—she was just a member of the Otsutsuki Clan who had been temporarily accepted by the Hyuga.
That was why the Hyuga Clan held a meeting without informing her.
And considering the timing… It wouldn't be long before the Otsutsuki from the moon came to the Hyuga Clan. At that point… her true identity would probably be exposed.
Hanabi sighed helplessly, lowered her head, and murmured, "Brother Neji…"
"What did you say?" Suzune, surprised, glanced at Hanabi. She sighed and was about to say something when she noticed the time. Estimating that Honoka would be home soon, she put on an apron and said, "Sorry, I'm going to prepare dinner."
With that—
She turned and walked toward the kitchen.
Just like a housewife.
Yuto shook his head helplessly, but he didn't care much. This was a Hyuga Clan matter. Besides, in the future… Suzune would eventually take on the Uchiha name.
Uchiha Suzune…
Hanabi watched Suzune's departing figure with a complicated expression.
Hyuga Suzune…
Her aunt.
Someone who was supposed to have died but was now the second-in-command of the Yuto Group.
[If this isn't an illusion…]
Hanabi's gaze gradually became firmer.
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