Chapter 59: The Secret Archive  

Hyūga Clan Compound. 

Deep within the Main Family's estate, there stood an unremarkable room. 

From a distance, Neji activated his Byakugan, scanning the area. 

Today was a day off—no school. 

The perfect opportunity to infiltrate the Main Family's secret archive and steal its techniques. 

Hikari is still growing. Her safety comes first. 

His goal was clear: 

Eight Trigrams Palms: Heavenly Spin (Kaiten). 

One of the Hyūga's secret techniques, hailed as the "Absolute Defense." 

It created a hemispherical chakra barrier that enveloped the user from head to toe, capable of repelling most ninjutsu and even deflecting physical attacks. 

His Byakugan's vision sharpened, rendering the world transparent— 

Except for the archive room. 

A flowing layer of chakra blocked his sight completely. 

Neji wasn't surprised. 

It had been the same last time. 

The thick walls and door were impervious, clearly sealed against the Byakugan. 

His purpose wasn't futile—he was scouting for hidden guards. 

Hum. 

His invisible ocular pulses acted like sonar, mapping the shadows around the room. 

Two visible, four hidden. 

Six guards in total. 

All familiar faces. 

Thanks to the Main Family's restrictions, the Branch Family had few elites left—most were his father's former subordinates. 

After Hizashi's death, these men had often visited him, even treating him as the future Branch Family head. 

In the past, he'd resented that role, feeling like an accomplice to oppression. 

Now? 

He was almost grateful. 

Without this status, the hope of breaking the Caged Bird Seal would be even slimmer. 

Neji's gaze swept the area, checking for Main Family surveillance. 

The Branch uncles wouldn't care if he stole techniques—but he knew better. 

Negligence is one thing. Complicity is another. 

They turned a blind eye out of respect for his father. He wouldn't abuse that goodwill. 

"N-Neji-nii-san, I'm scared..." 

"Shut up." 

Hinata bit her lip, shrinking behind him. 

That morning, during Gentle Fist sparring, Neji had blackmailed her—threatening to expose her leaking secrets to Hikari unless she helped him steal from the archive. 

This place housed every Hyūga secret technique from the Warring States era onward—except the Caged Bird Seal. 

Some techniques were incomplete, others dangerously difficult. 

Even the Main Family needed elder or clan head approval to enter. 

Getting caught meant severe punishment. 

Hinata trembled. 

But compared to Hikari's death threats and the proof of her treason, stealing a technique seemed mild. 

Choose the lesser evil. 

She had no choice. 

Neji turned to her. 

"Remember the script I taught you?" 

"U-um... I almost forgot..." 

Neji's eye twitched. 

Two sentences. How?! 

This is the future Main Family heir? 

The thought was terrifying. 

He suppressed his frustration. 

Don't think about it. The more you do, the angrier you get. 

At least Hikari wasn't this useless. 

If their roles were reversed, he'd sooner believe the Main Family would abolish the Caged Bird than trust Hinata to overthrow them. 

Then again— 

Maybe her incompetence was a blessing. 

With an heir like this, his and Hikari's job just got easier. 

The realization softened his glare. 

"I'll repeat it. Say the clan head sent us—" 

"O-okay!" 

His calm tone eased Hinata's nerves. 

Is Neji-nii-san... not mad at me anymore? 

For a moment, it felt like before the Caged Bird—when they'd been close. 

"Got it now?" 

Hinata blinked. "Eh? I... didn't listen..." 

Neji's fist clenched. 

Hikari, her age, can kick through jōnin. 

This one can't even memorize two lines. 

The gap was staggering. 

But Hikari needed that technique. 

No matter how many tries it took, he would memorize Kaiten perfectly. 

"...Fine. Let's go again." 

Thirty minutes later, Hinata finally remembered. 

The actual theft wasn't hard. 

The real challenge? 

Getting her to stop shaking long enough to lie convincingly. 

Which was almost comical. 

The future Main and Branch Family heads, teaming up to steal clan secrets for an outsider? 

Who'd believe it? 

When they reached the archive, the guards didn't even question them. 

A few warnings— 

"No notes. Don't damage the scrolls." 

—and they were in. 

The room held only two cushions and a three-tiered bookshelf. 

Bottom shelf: Basic techniques (e.g., Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms). Middle shelf: Intermediate secrets (Kaiten, pressure point strikes) for Main Family only. Top shelf: A large sealed scroll rumored to contain hazardous advanced techniques—including: Yang Trigram's ultimate: "Mountain Crusher." Yin Trigram's ultimate: "Twin Lion Fists." 

Unsealing it required specific hand signs. 

Neither dared touch it. 

With Hinata nervously seated, Neji grabbed the Kaiten scroll, memorizing furiously. 

If time allowed, he'd also learn Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm. 

 (•̀ᴗ•́)و