Chapter 334: Secrets and Manipulation

When Hiashi mentioned that someone might have manipulated the Hyuga clan with malicious intentions, an image of a black creature immediately popped up in Hisoka’s head.

‘Did Black Zetsu do that? Strictly speaking, the Hyuga clan is also a descendant of the Ootsuki clan, so that might be possible. Should I tell the Hyuga clan about it? Although I don’t care too much about the Hyuga clan, I still made some friends here and would rather not see it decline too much, and a common enemy, even if they are unreachable for now, is just the thing the Hyuga clan needs.’

Hisoka pondered some more and then simply shrugged her shoulders and stepped forward.

“I might have an idea who is responsible for that…”

Naturally, everyone gave Hisoka a weird look when those words left her mouth. After all, how could she possibly know about something that happened hundreds of years ago?

Despite that, Hiashi motioned her to continue speaking. But before she started talking, she took out a huge paper tag and put it on the wall, causing the room walls to glow for a short moment. Before anyone could ask what Hisoka had just done, Hisoka began her explanation.

“Extra security measure. The thing I’m going to talk about is beyond slippery, and I would rather not have him know that I know about him. Although this is just a wild guess, a creature called Zetsu might be responsible for the change in the Hyuga clan.”

Naturally, no one in the room knew who that was, so Hisoka simply continued talking.

“He is an ancient creature that has been secretly manipulating the shinobi world for a long time now. Although I am not sure what his end goal is, but he clearly wishes for the decline of the shinobi world.”

Everyone in the room started frowning when they heard Hisoka’s claim, and after thinking about her words for a short moment, Hiashi opened his mouth.

“Do you have any proof for your claim, Hisoka?”

“Mhh~ Not really, but Yuna-sensei meet him once. Apparently, he was the one who was partially responsible for the outrageous policies that caused Kirigakure to decline. Additionally, sensei said that the Kyubi had a very adverse reaction to him as well.”

When Hisoka stopped speaking, everyone in the room started quietly digesting her words, causing her to nod in approval.

‘As Yuna-sensei said, if you want someone to believe you, you need to mix the lies with the truth.’

After another short silence, Hiashi started speaking again.

“It does no matter. An outsider manipulated us and changed our traditions. I say we honor our ancestors and go back to how it previously was.”

Hisoka almost laughed out loud when Hiashi stopped speaking. She did not expect him to be capable of making such a sly move. Instead of changing how the Hyuga clan functions due to being afraid of Yuna’s retaliation, he made it sound like they were just going back to how their ancestors handled the clan affairs instead.

Naturally, quite a few people in the room immediately approved of the idea, making the whole matter even more amusing for Hisoka.

After Hiashi realized that his little trick passed through easily, he nodded in approval.

“Very well, henceforth, the Hyuga clan will go back on using the original version of our seal. Hisoka, due to being Yuna’s student, you should have a better idea about the necessary skills needed to change the seal back into its original form. Any insights?”

Although Hisoka was slightly taken aback by suddenly becoming part of the conversation again, she quickly answered Hiashi’s inquiry anyway.

“Yes! First of all, I need to know whether you are willing to hire the Uzumaki clan for this or wheater you would like an independent seal master to do it, Hiashi-sama?”

Hiashi frowned when he heard Hisoka’s question, and after thinking about it for a short moment, he asked Hisoka a question in return.

“What is the difference?”

“If we want to hire an independent seal master, we will have to pay them for their service, which considering how many seals they will have to modify, will be pretty expensive. Additionally, if no one like this resides in Konoha, we will have to hire an escort for him as well, which would probably be a B-rank or maybe even an A-rank mission.”

A frown appeared on Hiashi’s face when he heard Hisoka’s explanation. Although he knew about the cost of hiring a seal master, he didn’t think about how expensive something like that would actually be. Well, the Hyuga clan isn’t exactly poor, but all the things Hisoka just described would definitely make a dent in their budget, which the other people of the main family will not be too happy about.

“And if I were to be willing to involve the Uzumaki clan?”

“I guess making an Uzumaki-only C-rank mission will do.”

Silence covered the room, and it took Hiashi quite a while to regain his wits.

“Huh?”

Well, “regain his wits” is probably the wrong term to use. Hisoka couldn’t help but chuckle in amusement when she saw the dumbfounded expressions of everyone in the room, so she decided to one-up her precious statement.

“Well, D-rank would probably be enough, but I think we should allow ourselves to have a little safety margin.”

Only after about a minute did Hiashi regain his power of speech.

“Are you claiming that a genin could restore the Hyuga clan’s seal to how it originally was, Hisoka?”

“Of course not; that would be ridiculous. I’m saying that a genin from the Uzumaki clan could do it.”

A deep frown marred with disbelief appeared on Hiashi face as he looked at Hisoka with doubt.

“Aren’t you exaggerating the Uzumaki clan’s skill a little too much? A simple genin can’t attain such a high level of sealing.”

Hisoka could only shake her head in disapproval when she heard Hiashi’s claim.

“Hiashi-sama, let me ask you a question in return. Does a simple genin have the ability to scout something that is ten kilometers ahead of them?”

Hiashi thought for a moment before he nodded his head.

“Yes, they can, but only if they are from the Hyuga clan.”

“Correct! It’s the same with sealing and the Uzumaki clan. It’s simply part of their bloodline. I have seen a two-year-old’s doddles where parts of it were eerily similar to some seals I have seen before.”

Hiashi’s eyes widened in surprise when he heard Hisoka’s words. He had never seen it from that kind of perspective because he always thought that sealing was some form of esoteric art that only very few could learn. Naturally, he knew that Uzumaki’s were supposed to be talented in seals, but he thought it was something along the lines of someone being exceptionally skilled in genjutsu or ninjutsu and not of the level of an Uchiha, who could learn a ninjutsu with just a glance or a Hyuga, who were unparalleled in scouting ahead and detecting chakra.

Many things became much easier for him to digest when he considered sealing as some form of Uzumaki clan exclusive Kekkai Genkai that could possibly be learned by other people to some minor degree.

“I see, so that is why those twins have such an abnormal skill in sealing. It’s part of their bloodline.”

As soon as Hiashi stopped speaking, Hisoka’s expression stiffened, which naturally was noticed by Hiashi.

“Oh? Did I say something wrong?”

“Err, I wouldn’t really call it wrong, but those two are a bit special. First, Naruto’s talent is beyond monstrous. If I were to compare it with the Uchiha clan, it would probably be like an Uchiha who activated their Sharingan directly after birth. Second, Yuna-sensei is somehow even more ridiculous in that regard. Frankly, her very existence is a mockery to everyone who has ever called themselves a genius. Her birth was a perverted freak incident where somehow all the stars aligned and a supreme monster was born.”

Hiashi couldn’t help but look at the now absentminded Hisoka weirdly.

“Isn’t your current position in the Hyuga clan mainly dependent on your relationship with her? Are you sure you are okay with insulting Yuna like that?”

Hisoka looked at Hiashi in confusion. At first, she had no idea what he was talking about, but she realized what was going on after a short moment.

“Ah, sorry about that. I have been spending quite a bit of time with people that are used to Yuna-sensei, so I was confused there for a moment. If she heard I said those words about her; she would only nod in approval before asking why I was praising her like that and whether I was buttering up to her because I wanted her to do something for me.”

“S-Seriously?”

“Yeah…”

Even Hiashi couldn’t help but wonder about Hisoka’s words, but when Hisoka answered his question with a distant look and empty eyes, he decided that he would rather not ask any more questions.

‘There are things that should be known and things that shouldn’t be known, and this case clearly belongs to the second category. Honestly, I would like to know how she managed to train three people who passed the chunin exams on the first try, but I think that might not be the best idea now that I have seen Hisoka’s mental state.’

“*Cough* Anyway, we will create a C-rank mission to change back the seals to how they were supposed to be. From today on, the Hyuga clan shall rise under the guidance of our ancestors!”

“”””””””YES!!!””””””””