Ch.164 Interrogation

Hidden Leaf Village, Interrogation Room.

"Think carefully again. Is there anything you might have missed?" Morino Ibiki paused, setting down the pen and paper. "Let me remind you one more time, the Akatsuki has now been classified as an SS-rank, extremely dangerous criminal organization. If you lie or conceal any information related to them, it will be considered a severe crime, and you will face the harshest punishment!"

Sitting in the interrogation chair, Neji shook his head, "I'm sorry, but this is all I remember."

Ibiki gave Neji a deep look before picking up the pen again and continuing to record.

In the observation room, separated from the interrogation room by one-way glass, the Third Hokage puffed on his pipe and glanced at Hyuga Hiashi. "Do you think Neji is trustworthy?"

Hiashi replied, "As soon as he returned to the village, he reported the situation to me."

The Third Hokage asked further, "Do you think he's hiding something?"

"He wouldn't. Don't forget, he's a branch member. He can't betray the family!"

Hiashi spoke with confidence.

The existence of the "Caged Bird" seal gave the main family power over the life and death of the branch members, which meant that for years, the branch members never dared to defy the main family.

Satisfied with Hiashi's assurance, the Third Hokage nodded.

Unlike the rebellious Uchiha clan, the Hyuga clan was much more compliant, and the Third Hokage was quite pleased with them.

After a moment, the Third Hokage suddenly asked, "Why do you think the Akatsuki let Neji go?"

Hiashi hesitated.

The question was clearly a trap, so he took a moment to think about his response.

The Third Hokage didn't seem to expect a direct answer from Hiashi, as he continued, "We can now confirm that the Akatsuki member who attacked Neji and captured Yugito was the same person—the one designated as 'A' in the files, a Mangekyo Sharingan Uchiha."

Hiashi quickly replied, "Neji couldn't possibly have any connection with a Mangekyo Sharingan Uchiha!"

The Third Hokage gestured with his hand, signaling Hiashi to calm down, and said, "I also believe that Neji has no connection with 'A.' However, it's a fact that 'A' let Neji go, and we cannot ignore that. We need to understand why he was spared."

"What do you mean?"

"Keep a close watch on Neji!" The Third Hokage removed his pipe, his expression serious. "I have a feeling that this attack on Neji wasn't a coincidence. 'A' might be planning something."

Hiashi's eyes flashed with realization, and he nodded.

A little later, Hiashi led Neji out of the interrogation room.

Back at the Hyuga compound, Hiashi brought Neji to the main family's mansion and said, "Neji, the family will vouch for you this time, so you don't need to worry."

Neji bowed. "Thank you for your trouble."

Hiashi accepted Neji's bow, then said, "For the time being, you should stay in the village. It's not safe outside right now."

"I understand."

"You—"

Hiashi looked at Neji, who appeared more compliant than before, and a question rose in his mind.

Previously, he could clearly sense Neji's dissatisfaction and resentment. But this time, after returning from his training, those feelings seemed to have diminished considerably.

"Has this child matured, or is it because the family protected him this time that he understands the importance of the family?" Hiashi wondered briefly.

In any case, he was pleased to see this change in Neji.

So, after a moment's hesitation, he decided to share the Third Hokage's speculation with Neji: "The village suspects that the Akatsuki member who attacked you has some ulterior motive regarding you. Do you have any clues about this?"

Neji was startled but quickly shook his head, "Master, I'm just a student at the academy, and my Byakugan is restricted by the Caged Bird Seal. What could a Mangekyo Sharingan Uchiha possibly want from me?"

"Indeed."

Hiashi also believed this to be true because, from a motivational standpoint, there was little about an eight-year-old branch member like Neji that would interest a Mangekyo Sharingan Uchiha.

As for any classified information...

Neji hadn't even graduated from the academy, so he had no access to core secrets. If that Mangekyo Sharingan Uchiha wanted to recruit a spy to gather information on the Hidden Leaf, Neji would not be the logical choice.

Hiashi then said, "Go and rest."

"Yes."

Neji bowed again and turned to leave.

Hiashi suddenly added, "If that Akatsuki member seeks you out again, you must report to the family immediately!"

"Yes!"

Neji nodded in agreement.

After leaving the main family's mansion, Neji let out a long breath.

He had barely managed to pass this hurdle.

After returning to the village, instead of reporting directly to Hiashi, Neji had first snuck into the secret vault of the main family's mansion. There, he returned the scroll used to contact the Otsutsuki clan on the moon back into its hidden compartment. Only then did he reappear openly, walking into the main family's mansion to report to Hiashi.

As he had expected, the village was overwhelmed.

And given his status as a member of the Hyuga branch family, the village wasn't concerned about him defecting. If he were to attempt to defect, the main family could immediately end his life using the Caged Bird Seal. So, after a simple interrogation, they let him go.

Glancing back at the main family's mansion behind him, Neji turned away.

The change in his attitude toward Hiashi wasn't entirely an act.

After learning about the power struggles between the Otsutsuki main family and the branch family on the moon, and how the branch family sacrificed many of their kin to concentrate the Byakugan into the Tenseigan solely to annihilate the main family, Neji felt unprecedented confusion about the conflict between the Hyuga's main and branch families.

Previously, he deeply resented the Caged Bird Seal, viewing it as a shackle used by the main family to oppress the branch members.

But after seeing how the Otsutsuki branch family used the giant Tenseigan to overturn the situation and brutally slaughtered all members of the main family, he began to see the Otsutsuki branch as excessively ruthless.

"Is it really impossible for people to coexist as equals?" he sighed quietly.

Then, shaking his head, he pushed aside these thoughts, thinking, "Now is not the time to dwell on that. If we don't stop the Otsutsuki branch on the moon, all living things in the shinobi world will be destroyed by the 'Fist of the Moon.' I can't let that happen!"

The thought of the giant Tenseigan on the moon filled Neji with both fear and hope.

He feared that such a pure, powerful force was in the hands of the mad Otsutsuki branch family. Yet he hoped that this same power represented the direction he should pursue.

It had shown him that beyond the Byakugan, there existed an even greater power—the Tenseigan.

If he could gain the Tenseigan, he would possess the strength to stand against even an Uchiha with the Mangekyo Sharingan!