My Villainous Life Starting with Naruto

Chapter 176 The Gravedigger

"Hizashi, what will you name your unborn child?"

"I don't know, Kyūzōri and I haven't discussed it yet."

"Spend more time with her. After all, once you leave, who knows when you'll be back here, and maybe you won't have another chance."

"I understand the rules. Chieftain, once you enter the tomb, you consider yourself a dead man."

The dead do not leave their graves.

In the quiet room where no one else was around, the steam from the tea rose gently, blocking the two brothers' view of each other.

Chieftain… Hiashi sighed inwardly, feeling the fragrant tea in his mouth turn bitter.

Hizashi, you won't even call me "brother" anymore?

Hiashi Hyuga remained silent for a long time before softening his tone:

"As long as I live, Kyūjūri and your child will not be bullied, and they will have the best of everything."

"Um."

"After you enter the grave, I will announce to the outside world that you died on a mission. Your reputation will not be tarnished. The village and the tribe will only think of you as a hero who sacrificed himself for everyone."

"Um."

"Every year on your birthday, I will visit your grave, tell you about Kumari and the children, and bring you some good wine, food, and novelties from the outside world. If you want, I can get you even the rarest treasures."

"Um."

"Hizashi, I don't want to make this decision either, but the previous grave keeper is dead, the tomb's magic needs regular maintenance, and the body must be treated with medicine every now and then. Hizashi, you understand, you're my own brother, I trust you the most..."

"Brother," Hyuga Hizashi suddenly spoke, forcing a bitter smile.

"All I know is that I will never see Kyūmari and her unborn child again."

Hijikata felt as if something was choking him.

His younger brother, Hizashi, was even better at hiding his emotions than he was. He rarely showed any expression and focused solely on being the head of the branch family who protected him.

Actually, when he was little, Hizashi loved to laugh. Whenever he was scolded to tears by his strict father, Hizashi would laugh and stuff candy into his hand... But since he was six years old, when a caged bird was carved on his forehead, he has never laughed like that again.

Hiashi Hyuga pressed his tongue down tightly with his teeth, afraid that he would say something like, "I will secretly arrange for you to meet your wife and children."

As the clan leader, he must put the overall interests of the Hyuga clan above personal feelings.

What Hizashi said was not a lie. That huge tomb that buried countless corpses did indeed need regular maintenance. If a large amount of external chakra entered, it would cause disastrous consequences. The successor was urgently needed.

After learning of Tennin's death, Hyuga Hiashi began searching for the next guardian of the grave. After much thought, he realized that only his younger brother, Hizashi, could endure loneliness and would never betray him.

"I am the clan leader, and I must set aside all personal feelings..." Hiashi thought to himself.

The brothers' conversation came to an end, and in the quiet room, only the sound of boiling water bubbling could be heard.

……

It wasn't until late at night that the clansmen dispersed.

Hyuga Hizashi was the head of the branch family and the younger brother of Hiashi. He was quite prestigious within the clan. After talking with his brother, he spent a long time entertaining guests in the outer house and was almost the last to leave.

Upon returning to his residence, the first thing Hizashi saw was the woman sitting in the courtyard.

"Kuzhenli." He stepped forward and said unhappily:

"Your due date is in two months. Hurry back. Didn't Tsunade say that pregnant women should exercise in moderation, but they also need to get enough rest..." Hizashi stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.

Under the moonlight, his wife was already in tears.

Having shared a bed for five years, Hinata Hisamari knew her husband's personality all too well. With just a tiny gesture, Hisamari could see the farewell in Hizashi's heart.

"Hizashi... I'll probably never see you again, won't I?"

The head of the family who had divided the property opened his mouth, but remained silent for a long time.

He embraced his wife and gently stroked her hair.

Five years ago, Hizashi and Kumari got married. At first, they didn't get along very well. He even complained to Hiashi in private that Kumari's hair was too long. "As a ninja, you shouldn't care too much about your appearance. With hair that long, it looks like a butterfly. How can you possibly turn the tide?"

The day after he said that, Hisako shaved her hair into a shoulder-length bob.

Last year, when she became pregnant, in accordance with the traditions of the Land of Fire, Kumari rarely touched sharp objects and naturally did not cut her hair, and now her black hair is flowing again.

Looking back now, Hizashi Hyuga thinks he was a complete bastard back then.

What difference does it make whether she has short or long hair? Kumako isn't going to the battlefield, so let her be happy.

Unfortunately, he realized it too late.

……

After several peaceful days, Hiashi, being Hizashi's older brother, gave him a lot of leeway, allowing his younger brother time to focus on spending time with his family.

However, as time went by, Hiashi worried that the magic in the tomb would be left unmaintained, so one evening he officially issued an order for Hiashi to carry out an "important mission".

The next morning, at the main gate of Konoha Village.

Hyuga Hizashi turned around and said to Hisami:

"Go back, there's nothing to give you, you're pregnant."

"Hizashi..."

"Listen to me, if anything happens, go to the clan chief. As long as you haven't committed the capital crime of treason, he will definitely protect you and the child. After all, Hiashi is... my own brother."

The sir stroked his wife's hair, and just as he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something, and his eyes lit up:

"The people at Konoha Hospital said our child is a boy?"

"Yes, although there's a rule against revealing the sex of the fetus, my relationship with Tsunade-sama is alright, and Yuto is from our branch family, so the doctors wouldn't dare hide this from me..."

"In that case, let's name our child Neji."

"Neji?" Kumari stroked her belly:

"What a strange name... Does it mean anything?"

"Neji, Neji, doesn't that sound like a train rumbling forward?" Hizashi's eyes were filled with hope and tenderness.

"I hope that this child will at least not become someone like me."

"Even if you are a caged bird, you should open your heart and live with dignity."

"As a father, I have given up everything for my family and for my brother. This is a decision I made willingly and without regret."

"But if it were a train rumbling forward, it would probably take a different path and have a different ending, right?"

"Neji, Neji... don't become [the person everyone expects]."

"Just be happy, that's enough."

The man who, as a member of the branch family, dedicated everything to his clan and his brother, was named Hyuga Hizashi.

Whether it's the current "entering the desolate tomb and never going to the outside world again" or the original "being killed in place of Hiashi, with the body sent to Kumogakure", Hyuga Hizashi is the sacrifice.

But even such a selfless man, on the eve of his passing, offered his unborn child a blessing that would be "to take another path."

What kind of road is the other one?

Hyuga Hizashi dared not think too deeply about this question; he simply held his wife tightly, savoring their last embrace.

However, what the parting couple didn't know was that in a far-off forest, the boy was closing his eyes and holding his breath, carefully sensing the direction from which the chakra was coming.

He also had a pair of pure white eyes.

(End of this chapter)