Capítulo 176: Chapter 175: The Gravekeeper

"Hizashi, have you and Kujinari decided on a name for your unborn child?"

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

"Spend more time with her. After all, once you leave, who knows when—or if—you'll return. You might never have the chance again."

"I understand the rules, Clan Leader. Once I enter the tomb, I will regard myself as already dead."

The dead do not leave their graves.

In the quiet room with no one else around, the steam rising from the tea obscured the two brothers' faces from each other.

'The Clan Leader...' Hiashi thought with a sigh, feeling the tea in his mouth turn bitter.

'Hizashi... won't you even call me "Brother" anymore?' Hiashi remained silent for a long time, eventually softening his tone: "As long as I live, Kujinari and your child will not be mistreated. They will have the best of everything."

"Mm."

"Once you enter the tomb, I will tell the village that you died on a mission, preserving your honor. The village and our clan will believe you died a hero, sacrificing yourself for everyone."

"Mm."

"Every year on your birthday, I'll visit the tomb and update you on Kujinari and the child. I'll bring good food, drinks, and interesting items from the outside world. If you want, I can get you the most precious treasures."

"Mm."

"Hizashi, I don't want to make this decision either. But the previous gravekeeper is dead, and the tomb's barrier needs regular maintenance. The bodies inside must also be treated with special medicines periodically. You understand this, Hizashi. You are my younger brother, and I trust you the most..."

"Brother," Hizashi suddenly interrupted, with a bitter smile. "I only know that I will never see Kujinari or our unborn child again."

Hiashi's throat tightened, as if something was choking him.

His younger brother, Hizashi, was always better at hiding his emotions than he was. He rarely showed any expression, focusing solely on protecting Hiashi as the head of the branch family.

Yet, when they were children, Hizashi used to smile a lot. Whenever Hiashi was scolded to tears by their strict father, Hizashi would laugh and sneak candy into Hiashi's palm. But ever since that day at the age of six, when the Caged Bird Seal was engraved on Hizashi's forehead, he never smiled like that again.

Hiashi bit his tongue hard, afraid that he might say something he shouldn't—like, "I'll secretly arrange for you to meet with your wife and child."

He was the Clan Leader and had to put the overall interests of the Hyuga clan above personal feelings.

What he had told Hizashi wasn't a lie. The Burial Ground, which had buried countless bodies, indeed needed regular maintenance. If external chakra flooded in, it could lead to catastrophic consequences, making Hizashi's role as the successor urgent and vital.

Ever since learning of Ryusuke's death, Hiashi had been searching for the next gravekeeper. After careful consideration, he realized that only Hizashi, who could endure solitude and never betray him, was suitable.

'I'm the Clan Leader. I must set aside all personal feelings,' Hiashi told himself.

Their conversation came to a halt. The only sound in the quiet room was the bubbling of boiling water.

...

It was late into the night when the clan members finally dispersed.

As the head of the branch family and Hiashi's younger brother, Hizashi Hyuga held considerable prestige within the clan. After his conversation with Hiashi, he stayed in the main hall for a long time, almost the last to leave.

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

"Kujinari," he said as he approached her, displeasure in his voice. "In two months, you're due to give birth. You should head back and rest. Didn't Tsunade-sama say that while pregnant women should exercise moderately, they also need plenty of rest?" Hizashi stopped abruptly as he noticed something.

In the moonlight, his wife's face was already streaked with tears.

After sharing a bed for five years, Kujinari knew her husband's nature all too well. She could sense his farewell in the smallest of gestures.

"Hizashi... it will be hard for me to see you again, won't it?"

Hizashi, the branch family head, opened his mouth but found himself speechless.

He pulled his wife into his arms, gently stroking her hair.

Five years ago, Hizashi and Kujinari married. Initially, their relationship wasn't great. Hizashi had even complained to Hiashi privately that Kujinari's hair was too long. "As a shinobi, she shouldn't care so much about her appearance. How can she use Revolving Heaven with hair like a butterfly's wings?"

The day after he made that complaint, Kujinari cut her hair to shoulder length.

Last year, when she became pregnant, following the traditions of the Land of Fire, Kujinari rarely touched sharp objects and naturally stopped cutting her hair. Now, her long black hair flowed down her back.

Looking back, Hizashi thought he was a complete fool back then.

What did it matter if her hair was long or short? Kujinari wouldn't be going to the battlefield, so she should do whatever made her happy.

But it was too late for such realizations.

...

A few peaceful days passed. Hiashi, being Hizashi's elder brother, granted a generous grace period, allowing him time to spend with his family.

However, as time went on, Hiashi grew worried about the burial ground's barrier not being maintained. Finally, one evening, he formally issued an order for Hizashi to carry out a "significant mission."

The next morning, at the entrance of Konoha.

Hizashi turned to Kujinari and said, "Go back. There's no need to see me off. You have a child to care for."

"Hizashi..."

"Listen to me. If anything happens, go to the Clan Leader. As long as you don't commit a grave betrayal, he will protect you and our child. After all, Hiashi is... my brother."

Hizashi gently stroked his wife's hair. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly thought of something, and his eyes lit up.

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

"Yes. Although there are rules against revealing the baby's gender, Lady Tsunade and I have a good relationship. And Yuto, the medics wouldn't dare hide it from me..."

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

"Neji?" Kujinari said, touching her belly. "It's a strange name... Does it have any special meaning?"

"Neji, Neji," Hizashi repeated, his gaze full of hope and tenderness. "Doesn't it sound like a train rumbling forward? I hope that our child, at least, won't turn out like me."

"Even if he bears the Caged Bird Seal, I want him to live freely and proudly."

"As his father, I've given up everything for the clan and my brother. It's a choice I've made willingly, without regret."

"But if he's a train rumbling forward, maybe he'll take a different path and have a different outcome."

"Neji... Neji... don't become the person everyone expects you to be."

"Just live a happy life, and that will be enough."

The man who sacrificed everything for his clan and brother, who was named Hizashi Hyuga.

Whether it's becoming a "living corpse never to leave the tomb" or, as in the original story, "being killed in place of Hiashi, his body sent to Kumogakure," Hizashi Hyuga was the sacrificial lamb.

But even this man, who gave up his entire being, offered a blessing to his unborn child as he bid farewell: "Take a different path."

A different path... what kind of path?

Hizashi Hyuga dared not think deeply about this question. He simply held his wife tightly, savoring their final embrace in this lifetime.

However, what this parting couple didn't know was that far away in the forest, a young boy with pure white eyes was quietly sensing the direction of their chakra.

(End of Chapter)