I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 682 Not all victims deserve sympathy, such as gambling addicts.

"Shh~ shh~"

The Hokage's office was very quiet. Tatsuma was processing battle reports and documents. After a war operation, the general direction of follow-up work such as rewards, compensation, and personnel transfers had to be determined by Tatsuma, the Hokage.

Beside him, Shisui looked anxious but dared not make a sound to disturb him. Opposite Tatsuma sat Hyuga Hiashi, who seemed even more agitated than Shisui.

Hiashi had a bad feeling, not just a random whim, but because today was the day the Konoha team was returning to the village, and he had been notified to come for a meeting after returning. Shisui, who had returned from the Land of Water, also kept looking at him.

As for Tatsuma, his expression didn't change. He seemed to be focused on his work. Since Hiashi arrived, Tatsuma had been writing non-stop except for asking him to sit down and wait.

Time passed slowly, and it was almost midnight when Tatsuma finally put down his pen, looked at Hiashi, and said, "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting so long."

"No! No!"

Hiashi quickly shook his head, then tentatively asked, "Fourth Hokage, is there something you need from me?"

"Yes, it's an important matter concerning your Hyuga clan."

Tatsuma nodded, then looked at Hiashi and asked, "Are there any members of the Hyuga clan who aren't on the list and weren't subjected to the Caged Bird Seal?"

Neji.

Hiashi thought of his nephew, but quickly dismissed the thought, realizing that this was probably not what Tatsuma wanted to ask.

Since the Hyuga clan was "divided" by Tatsuma, Konoha did not directly abolish the Hyuga branch family system and the Caged Bird Seal in order to better protect the Byakugan.

Even all newborn children need to be reported and branded with the Caged Bird Seal by the Hyuga main family.

The Hyuga branch family is not opposed to this, or rather, they are not opposed to it now. After all, although most of them are sent out and are not directly managed by the Hyuga clan, a little over a year is not enough to change their mindset.

Moreover, they are only branded with the Caged Bird Curse, unlike before when they would live by the main family's side and be manipulated and threatened at any time, which makes them quite satisfied.

Therefore, the Hyuga branch family was extremely cooperative in both handing over the list of newborns and accepting the Hyuga clan's Caged Bird Seal.

There are two copies of the list. One copy is held by the Hyuga clan leader, Hiashi Hyuga, and the other copy is held by the Hidden Leaf Village. There is only one newborn on this list that has not yet been recorded.

That is, Neji, who was just born. Perhaps out of selfishness, or perhaps as compensation, although Hiashi himself had recently gotten married, he did not ask his younger brother's son to immediately be branded with the Caged Bird Seal.

Hiashi's reason for this was that he had no children yet, and if something happened to him, Neji could inherit the main family authority of their branch, just like Sento.

Perhaps this self-deceiving reason will continue for a long time, and he may even completely forget that he did not include Neji on the list or brand him with the Caged Bird Seal.

But Neji, who is still just a baby, shouldn't attract Tatsuma's attention at this time, and Shisui's behavior... Hiashi licked his lips, thinking of someone else.

His dead father, and the fact that his father had gone missing with one of his white eyes.

At the funeral, Hiashi had always suspected that Tatsuma had discovered something. Now, recalling it and considering their conversation, Hiashi felt a chill run down his spine.

"There is one child of Hizashi, Hyuga Neji, who has not yet been branded with the Caged Bird Seal."

Although he had a feeling that Tatsuma was probably talking about his father, Hiashi pretended not to know and even deliberately revealed Neji's situation.

Tatsuma nodded and said, "It seems Hizashi hasn't left the village, has he?"

"Yes, he's currently working in the garrison and hasn't left the village."

Hiashi replied, and Tatsuma continued, "That's strange, Shisui. Tell the Hyuga clan leader about your discovery."

Shisui nodded, and finally managed to say what he had been holding back for so long: "This morning, while I was on a mission in the Land of Water, I discovered chakra fluctuations that resembled the Byakugan."

During my pursuit, I discovered that the person was rushing back to Kirigakure. At that time, I had no outside help or means of communication, so I suspended the pursuit. After returning to the camp, I also checked with the other Hyuga ninjas.

The Byakugan fluctuations I detected don't match the actions of the Hyuga ninjas today, so I suspect there's a Byakugan ninja in Kirigakure.

Lord Hiashi, you were previously in charge of the war against the Mist Ninja within the Land of Fire. I wonder about you...

"alright."

Tatsuma interrupted, saying, "Shisui, it's good to know the truth, but you can't use it as a means to arbitrarily question others."

If we slightly misinterpret Shisui's question, which he hadn't fully uttered, it means that Shisui was questioning the Hyuga's ineffectiveness in fighting the Mist Ninja back then. However, Shisui's identity was too sensitive, so he couldn't say such things.

Regardless of whether Hiashi misinterprets the situation or whether the impact of this matter expands, as a teacher, Tatsuma will not let Shisui take the blame.

Moreover, although Shisui did not ask all the questions, he only touched on them, which was enough for Hiashi to understand what Shisui wanted to ask.

Hiashi swallowed hard, looked at Tatsuma, whose face held a hint of mockery. Hiashi gritted his teeth and said, "No."

Shisui frowned. He felt that something was off about Hiashi's behavior and wanted to ask him more questions, but it wasn't appropriate for him to do so. He looked at Tatsuma, hoping that his teacher could help him ask the questions.

Tatsuma leaned back in his chair and asked, "Clan Chief Hiashi, this matter is of great importance. You should think about it carefully."

A hint of hesitation appeared on Hijikata's face; he was wavering, unsure whether he should reveal the matter.

If he were to reveal it, the village would definitely retrieve the white eye, and with the village's current capabilities, they could absolutely do it. In that case, the impact of his father's lost white eye would come to an end.

However, his succession will likely lead to a reopening of the case. His father activated the cursed seal, forcing other Hyuga ninjas to their deaths, but failed to kill himself, which will probably be investigated as a result of the theft of his eyes.

As for Hiashi, who covered up this matter, he might not be able to continue as the head of the Hyuga clan. As the head of the main family, he could at least keep his life, but as an accomplice, Hiashi...

His younger brother's face and the scenes of their past interactions replayed in Hiashi's mind. Finally, he saw Neji smiling at him.

"no."

Hiashi firmly stated, "Although the Hyuga clan suffered many casualties back then, and some even perished, among those clan members who were not branded with the Caged Bird Seal, only my father and I truly participated in the war."

My eyes are still intact, while my father lost one eye in the war, but it wasn't stolen, and his body was disposed of properly, so there was no risk of his white eye being exposed.

After saying this, Hiashi felt waves of exhaustion wash over him. With these words out, he could no longer get back the glare his father had cast at him. This was something he already owed his father, but...

Pursuing this further will not be good for anyone.

Shisui frowned, sensing that something was amiss, but he was certain that his teacher would see it, and would see it even more clearly than he did.

"Perhaps Shisui's perception is wrong. Chief Hiashi, I'm sorry to trouble you with this trip. I have other matters to attend to, so I won't see you off."

However, Tatsuma simply turned the page and even blamed Shisui for making a mistake, which made Shisui doubt himself and wonder if there was something wrong with his perception this morning.

"No, Lord Hokage. If there is anything else, please have someone notify me. I will cooperate fully."

After speaking, Hiashi stood up and turned to leave, his steps somewhat hurried. Only after Hiashi had left did Shisui come to his senses and say, "Master, could it really be me?"

"What you sensed was Hyuga's Byakugan, and specifically, the eyes of Hyuga's former clan leader."

Tatsuma said confidently, leaving Shisui bewildered. He asked, "Why does Lord Hiashi deny it? Wouldn't regaining the Byakugan from the Hyuga clan be a good thing for him?"

"If the people do not report it, the officials will not investigate."

Tatsuma sighed and said, "Victims are generally worthy of sympathy, but there are exceptions. For example, my teacher, who became a victim of usury because of gambling, incurred a large amount of illegal high-interest loans. But I have no sympathy for her at all."

She became a victim because she made a mistake, and it was a deliberate and conscious mistake. She knew this, but she did not report or fight against the loan sharking criminal group.

Such victims do not deserve sympathy; to sympathize with them is to waste your own emotions.

Regarding the theft of the Byakugan, Hiashi, as the head of the Hyuga clan, is indeed a victim, but...

As he spoke, Tatsuma shook his head. He had given Hiashi a chance. If Hiashi had told the truth today, he would have helped the Hyuga clan retrieve the stolen Byakugan, but Hiashi had refused.

Just as some gamblers don't want their gambling to be exposed, and even resort to more wrong methods like taking out loans to pay off other loans and gambling to pay off more loans, Japan is unwilling to bear the consequences of the truth being revealed.

Since Hiashi, as the victim, was unwilling to pursue the matter, Tatsuma was too lazy to waste his emotions. The theft of one Byakugan would have an impact on Konoha, but the impact would be negligible.

Shisui was still puzzled, so Tatsuma rubbed his head and said, "Don't dwell on this. If you encounter that Byakugan ninja in the future, and you have the ability, just help the village minimize its losses."

"Um."

Shisui responded somewhat dejectedly, finally understanding what his teacher meant by "wasting emotions."

He discovered the matter and took it very seriously, even spending the entire day reviewing it. However, after informing the person in charge, nothing changed, rendering his entire day's reflection meaningless.

This is such a waste of emotion; what an apt description.

It's also his fault for not understanding things properly; he thought Hiashi would value the stolen Byakugan as much as the Uchiha clan valued Kakashi's Sharingan.

Shisui sighed, then asked, "Teacher, is this summoning us back to the village a sign of a change in tactical strategy?"

Tatsuma shook his head and said, "No, it's over."

"Huh? But apart from causing Kirigakure to lose some ninjas, we didn't gain anything."

Shisui was puzzled, so Tatsuma explained, "Someone fought this battle for us, so all I have to do now is sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labor."

"Are there really people this stupid?"

"Yes, there are plenty of fools in this world."

(End of this chapter)