A man in a dark kimono stood beneath the eaves with his back to the room, looking out at the garden and its rock formations under the fading light. He did not move as he spoke.
Behind him, on the tatami mats, Ryoma knelt with his head lowered. His clothes were dusty and wrinkled, and bruises still marked his face along with clear traces of humiliation.
"So you are saying," the man spoke in a hoarse, low voice, "you forced Takao Hyuga into a duel, deliberately chose the Training Ground instead of a clan ground..."
He slowly turned around, his sharp Pure Byakugan fixing on Ryoma. "And in front of everyone, you lost to him?"
"No! I did not lose to him!"
Ryoma suddenly raised his head, his eyes burning with resentment and hatred. His voice grew agitated as he spoke.
"That man used despicable methods, he..."
Smack!
A sharp, loud slap cut off Ryoma in mid defense. The man's dry palm struck his face without mercy. The force sent him crashing down onto the Tatami before he could react, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth where the lie had been broken.
"Idiot!" The man looked down at his son on the floor, his voice shaking with Wrath and lost composure.
"I told you to endure it, endure it again and again. Do not clash with the Branch Family Members at a time like this. Someone would deal with them sooner or later. You treated my words like air, didn't you?" His chest heaved as he pointed and cursed. "Now look at this. Because of your stupidity, the entire Otsutsuki Clan Main Family has become a joke, a joke of Konoha!"
He broke into a violent cough as his emotions surged. After forcing it down with several deep breaths, he pointed at the door. "Get out of here."
"For this period, you are forbidden to step outside even once. If you cause trouble again, I will break your legs."
Ryoma slowly sat up from the floor with his head lowered. His messy black hair covered his eyes, hiding his expression from view. Only his clenched fists with whitening knuckles and his slightly trembling shoulders revealed the resentment and hatred inside him.
He said nothing as he stood up in silence. Staggering step by step, dragging his heavy feet, he left the room.
Watching his son's departing back, a trace of worry passed through the man's eyes. He sat down wearily, closed his eyes, and leaned against the pillar on the Engawa. The fading sunlight fell across his face, making him look especially desolate.
At that moment, a steady voice with a hint of chill came from the courtyard entrance. "Lingren."
Lingren Rixiang opened his eyes to see Fugaku Uchiha walking over slowly. He wore a dark kimono as well, his face rigid and stern, with an unreadable glint deep in his eyes.
"Elder Riwugo," Lingren Rixiang said hoarsely, his voice tired and complicated. "I heard about what happened today."
Fugaku Uchiha stopped in front of the Engawa and glanced at Lingren Rixiang's drawn face. He spoke in a low voice. "Those Branch Family Members people are getting more and more outrageous."
"They do not even respect the clan rules anymore. They dare to secretly learn, use, and even alter the Zongjia Secret Technique in public. It is pure lawlessness."
Lingren Rixiang remained silent and did not respond.
Seeing this, Fugaku Uchiha cut straight to the point. "Have you considered the proposal I made that day?"
Lingren Rixiang frowned slightly.
A few days earlier, Ryoma had led the Branch Family Members to give them a harsh warning. After that, Fugaku Uchiha had secretly gathered several Main Family Elders and proposed an extremely radical plan, one that could even be called insane.
He wanted to take advantage of Ryoma being out of the village to purge the Branch Family Members forces and clear the air. He would win over some relatively moderate Branch Family Members willing to rely on the Otsutsuki Clan Main Family, while suppressing unruly figures like Takao Hyuga and Iroha Hyuga who openly challenged Otsutsuki Clan Main Family authority.
When Ryoma returned, they would activate Caged Bird curse mark to force him to kneel and beg in public. That would shatter the fear he had built among the Branch Family Members and break the spine of the Branch Family Members.
Among the Otsutsuki Clan Main Family present, only Lingren Rixiang had refused. Or rather, only he had hesitated.
The plan was far too risky.
Ryoma was a lunatic who did not fear death, and he belonged to Root. Moreover, Lingren Rixiang knew this well.
"You can indeed use the Caged Bird curse mark to make Ryoma kneel and beg," Lingren Rixiang said hoarsely. "But you cannot kill him, because he is useful to Hiruzen Sarutobi."
"With his reputation and contributions, killing him would only put our Ryoma Clan in a worse position in Konoha.
Because of the incident that had indirectly caused a war between Konoha and Kumogakure, the Ryoma Clan already had a terrible reputation. No, it was not the Ryoma Clan as a whole, but specifically the Ryoma Clan.
The Branch Family Members had first seen Fugaku Uchiha make an active sacrifice as a stand in, and later Ryoma had captured a Jinchuriki on the battlefield. By now, the Otsutsuki Clan Main Family and Branch Family Members were completely separated in public perception.
No matter what, they could not kill Ryoma without cause. If they could not kill him and only humiliated him instead, then there was another problem.
"Aren't you afraid that madman will kill you afterward?" Lingren Rixiang asked coldly.
"Kill me?" Fugaku Uchiha sneered, madness flickering in his eyes. "Doesn't he like trading one life for another? If he dares to kill me…"
He paused, his voice filled with a zeal close to martyrdom. "Then you will have every reason to kill him. Clan punishment, justified and proper."
"Even that old man Hiruzen Sarutobi would find no reason to stop it. At most, he could only express dissatisfaction afterward."
Lingren Rixiang's expression changed slightly. "You are insane."
"If he dares to gamble his life with mine, why wouldn't I dare?" Fugaku Uchiha's voice rose sharply, twisted with ferocity. "One old life of mine for his, Ryoma's life."
"It is worth it. Completely worth it."
Seeing the shock in Lingren Rixiang's eyes, Fugaku Uchiha continued in a low, coaxing tone. "Lingren, can't you see it clearly yet?"
"The Branch Family Members below no longer obey us. The Otsutsuki Clan Main Family suffers more and more humiliation from the Branch Family Members. It is already a case of servants bullying their masters."
"They not only dare to trample clan rules now, they dare to secretly learn, use, and modify the Zongjia Secret Technique in public. They have even begun to reduce the mission rewards they hand in."
"With their growing arrogance, if this continues, it will not be enough for them to stand equal with the Otsutsuki Clan Main Family. One day, they will want more."
His voice turned colder. "They will force us to Remove the Caged Bird curse mark, or even try to place the Caged Bird curse mark on our own heads."
He stepped closer and stared straight into Lingren Rixiang's eyes. "When that happens, you, I, and the entire Ryoma Clan will be controlled by others and completely destroyed."
The words struck Lingren Rixiang hard. Images flashed through his mind, his son Ryoma's humiliated and hateful eyes, and the growing desires and ambitions of the Branch Family Members.