Sōgen was unaware of the high praise the departing Genji had for him, but even if he knew, he wouldn't care much. A compliment or two wouldn't make him lose his sense of direction—it's not like they came with any tangible benefits. After sending off Kikuji Yagura and Genji, Sōgen summoned Hyūga Masayuki.
This elder of the Hyūga Clan had followed Sōgen to Kirigakure.
However, given his deep dislike for the Mist Shinobi, the old man had kept a low profile during this period, avoiding interactions with them. After all, their delegation didn't have much work to do, with Sōgen leading the negotiations and the Nara Suzaku-headed advisory team handling the details.
As a result, about two-thirds of the delegation had little to occupy themselves.
Sōgen, unwilling to let these high-level jōnin sit idle, requested Kikuji Yagura to allow his jōnin to spar and exchange techniques with the Mist Shinobi. Yagura understood the true purpose of this "exchange"—it was a display of strength meant to suppress the Mist Shinobi.
However, this suited Yagura just fine.
Just as Sōgen wanted to intimidate the Mist Shinobi and prevent further rebellion, Yagura and the higher-ups also wished to avoid any rash, irrational behavior from their ranks.
So, they selected some of the more rebellious troublemakers from the village to spar with Konoha's shinobi. On one hand, it could temper the wild ones, and on the other, it was a legitimate way to gather intelligence on Konoha.
With the encouragement of both sides, sparring between Konoha and Mist Shinobi jōnin had been ongoing for some time. Naturally, these matches weren't publicized, as Yagura aimed to quell the rebellious spirits of the troublemakers without demoralizing the village.
After all, every Konoha ninja in the delegation was an expert.
Uchiha Fujika and Ringo Ameyuri had sparred four times, with Ringo losing all four. Though she wasn't bothered by the defeats—each loss only made her stronger—the news of her losses, if spread, would further damage the village's already low morale.
Then there was Maito Gai, a man with a bowl-cut, thick eyebrows, and a green jumpsuit, who didn't look particularly formidable but had been using his overwhelmingly powerful taijutsu to teach the Mist Shinobi harsh lessons. So far, eleven Mist ninjas skilled in taijutsu had been crushed by Gai.
Yes, *crushed*, not just *defeated*.
Even those who prided themselves on their taijutsu skills no longer dared to claim expertise after facing him.
So far, the Mist Shinobi jōnin had suffered more defeats than victories. Yagura had achieved his goal—those formerly rebellious troublemakers had become much more subdued.
The jōnin from the Hyūga Clan had not participated in these exchanges. First, the old grudges hadn't faded—the shame of their Main Branch's Byakugan being stolen still gnawed at Hyūga Masayuki. Secondly, the Hyūga Clan jōnin weren't confident of victory. This was the clan's most embarrassing predicament.
The Hyūga had numerous jōnin, and with their clan's signature Byakugan, their average strength surpassed that of the Uchiha. However, their strength was too evenly distributed—there were no standout elites. Even their clan head, Hyūga Hiashi, was only slightly stronger than the average jōnin, far from being a top-tier expert.
Individually, there were Hyūga jōnin willing to fight against the Mist's best, but unlike the Uchiha, they didn't have a powerful clan leader like Uchiha Sōgen. If an Uchiha jōnin lost, it would be seen as their personal failure. But if a Hyūga jōnin lost, it might tarnish the reputation of the entire Hyūga Clan.
Therefore, Hyūga Masayuki simply ordered his clan's jōnin not to act without permission.
"Clan Leader Uchiha, is this...?"
"It's the Byakugan from your clan's Main Branch."
Sōgen casually pushed a bottle containing the Byakugan toward Hyūga Masayuki. He had considered studying the Byakugan, but ultimately decided against it. This particular Byakugan was well-known—everyone knew the Mist Shinobi possessed it, so it wouldn't be suitable for "private collection." Moreover, he wasn't sure what studying the Byakugan would yield. While there were undeniable ties between the Byakugan and Sharingan, making such connections wasn't as simple as theorizing.
Instead of wasting effort on that, Sōgen decided to focus on mastering the *Flame Fan*. This branch contained overwhelming information from the *Divine Tree*, and although Sōgen had fully controlled the fan, digesting all of its knowledge would take considerable time and effort.
In recent days, most of his energy had been devoted to studying the *Flame Fan*.
The rewards were immense, but turning them into actual power would require more time and dedication.
"Is it really coming back to us?" Hyūga Masayuki's hands trembled as he cradled the bottle, his veins bulging as his Byakugan activated. After carefully inspecting the eye several times to ensure it was genuine, he looked up at Sōgen. "Was this returned by the Mist?"
"Yes, it was just delivered."
Sōgen nodded.
"And... what of the thief who murdered our clan's heir?" Masayuki asked.
"What do you mean?"
Sōgen cast a puzzled look at him.
"The one they call the Byakugan Killer—was he punished?" Masayuki clarified, clearly displeased by the mention of the title *Byakugan Killer*.
"Masayuki-senpai, don't insult the Mist Shinobi, please," Sōgen's mood soured at the old man's thoughtless comment. "If someone dies in battle, don't blame the enemy for being too strong. Blame your own weakness. If you want revenge, go do it yourself. Is the Hyūga Clan so incapable that they need others to avenge them? My agreement with the Mizukage only involved returning the Byakugan; it didn't include delivering Ao's head as well."
Returning the Byakugan was a reasonable demand.
But demanding Ao's death would push the Mist Shinobi too far. Even if Ao were willing to sacrifice himself, the Mist's rebellious spirit—seen in their frequent assassination attempts on their own Mizukage—wouldn't tolerate such a humiliation.
Relentlessly oppressing a defeated foe would only lead to total war, which Sōgen wanted to avoid.
"Masayuki-senpai, if there's nothing else, please take the Byakugan and go."