Upon seeing the way Kawasaki healed himself, Orochimaru's eyes lit up. "Kawasaki, isn't that Karin's ability?"
Kawasaki nodded nonchalantly. "It is."
Then, he added a cryptic remark.
"If Karin had never come here, her destiny would have been completely different."
It wasn't just her life that would be different; her personality would have changed as well. Kawasaki didn't say the word that came to mind—sycophant. The Karin he knew now was obedient and well-behaved. If she learned the truth of what could have been, she would surely be devastated.
Orochimaru simply nodded, not pressing the matter.
"Now, it's all up to you."
Orochimaru had already prepared Hizashi's body. He waited, eager to see Kawasaki perform Izanagi.
After a moment's thought, Kawasaki first placed his right wrist into Hizashi's mouth, then pressed his left hand against the man's chest.
He activated One's Own Life Reanimation.
Hizashi was already dead, his soul long gone. The jutsu would convert Kawasaki's chakra into a new soul for him, providing the necessary life force. Simultaneously, for the jutsu to succeed, the caster had to die to resurrect the target. It was as if he were swapping a soul from the Pure Land.
Kawasaki had hoped to save a Sharingan, but it seemed that wouldn't be possible.
A massive torrent of greenish-blue chakra poured into Hizashi's body. A faint thumping sound began as Hizashi's heart started to beat again. At the same time, the arm in his mouth was healing his body. Hizashi, who had been lying unconscious, began to stir under the effects of the powerful healing.
The wounds on his forehead slowly closed, and the incision Orochimaru had made on his head rapidly sealed shut. Kawasaki transferred all his excess life force into Hizashi until he felt his own strength completely drain away.
Hizashi's soul had been fully restored.
Kawasaki, however, felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him—the sign of impending death. But as a member of the Uchiha clan, how could he die so easily?
Izanagi!
Kawasaki's body flickered, turning transparent before solidifying once more. His left eye had turned a stark, lifeless white.
He let out a long sigh of relief.
Everything had gone smoothly.
Orochimaru had watched the entire process with rapt attention. Using a Sharingan to cast Izanagi in this manner was a fascinating avenue for research.
Just then, Hizashi's hand twitched, and he slowly regained consciousness.
"Am... Am I not dead?"
He was certain he had died because of the Caged Bird Curse Mark, yet here he was, alive again. Hizashi reached up, his hand touching his eye sockets. His eyes were gone. Even without his Byakugan, his senses were sharp enough to feel the presence of others nearby.
"Hizashi, it's me," Kawasaki said.
Hearing Kawasaki's voice, Hizashi relaxed considerably.
"Who else is here?"
His ears twitched as he heard another voice, one he recognized. "Hizashi, I am here as well," Orochimaru said.
Hizashi was utterly shocked. "Lord Hokage."
"What is going on?"
"Don't worry. I'll explain everything."
As Kawasaki recounted the events, Hizashi learned the grim truth. The Hyuga elders had ultimately caused the deaths of thirty-seven Branch family members, with another sixty-five wounded. The Main House had lost thirteen of its own.
The incident had pushed the relationship between the Main and Branch Houses to a breaking point. If Orochimaru hadn't captured Hiashi, war would have already erupted within the clan.
Throughout the explanation, however, Kawasaki never once mentioned his son's name, filling Hizashi with a deep sense of dread.
"What about Neji? What happened to Neji?"
"Oh, Neji sacrificed himself to save your life," Kawasaki said, his tone deliberately casual.
The news that thirty-seven of the Branch family's finest were gone had already been a crushing blow to Hizashi. But adding the loss of his own son to that weight caused him to completely break down. From his empty eye sockets, a mixture of tears and blood streamed down his face, a sight of both horror and utter despair.
"The Hyuga clan is finished... finished..."
As the leader of the Branch family, he knew better than anyone how precarious the relationship with the Main House had been for years. This blow was fatal. So many of their most talented members were dead. No matter how many survivors were left, they would never again submit to the Main House's rule.
If the Main House tried to cling to their power, a conflict with the Branch family would be inevitable. Although Orochimaru had temporarily diffused the situation by capturing Hiashi, the seeds of resentment had been sown, guaranteeing an even greater crisis in the future.
"Hey, snap out of it," Kawasaki said, nudging Hizashi's body gently. "I didn't go through all this trouble to bring you back just to see you like this."
"Bring me back?" Hizashi pressed a hand to his chest in astonishment, feeling the strong, steady beat of his heart. "Was I not revived with Edo Tensei?"
Kawasaki chuckled. "It seems you know a little about Edo Tensei, but you don't understand the details. This isn't Edo Tensei. Orochimaru and I found a way to truly bring you back to life."
Hizashi was stunned for a moment, then shook his head with a heavy sigh. "Even if I've returned, I have no power to stop the conflict between the Main and Branch families. A child as talented as Neji... He shouldn't have had to sacrifice his life for mine."
Though he was shocked to be truly alive again, Hizashi's heart was filled more with worry for his clan and grief for his lost son.
"Where is Neji?" he asked, his voice thick with sorrow.
Kawasaki guided Hizashi over to Neji's side. "He's right here. He chose to sacrifice himself to save you. His body is still a little warm."
Hizashi's eyes couldn't see, but his trembling hands traced the contours of Neji's body. He even pressed his ear to the boy's chest, listening for a heartbeat, but there was only silence. He caressed the still-warm face and asked, unwilling to give up hope, "Sir, is there any way to save Neji?"
Orochimaru glanced at Kawasaki.
"He can be saved. But it depends on the price you're willing to pay."
Hizashi had only asked out of a sliver of desperate hope, never imagining there might be a real chance to save his beloved son. One often doesn't appreciate what they have until it's lost.
He pleaded, his voice trembling, "Please, save Neji no matter what. I will give you anything you ask."
Seeing this, Orochimaru shot a look at Kawasaki—the two of them hadn't yet agreed on the finer details.
It was Kawasaki who spoke. "The condition is this: the Hyuga clan's Main and Branch family system must be abolished, and the Caged Bird Curse Mark must be eliminated."
Without a moment's hesitation, Hizashi shook his head. "That is impossible. My brother would never agree to such a thing."
Orochimaru let out a cold snort. "If he doesn't comply, then the Main House should prepare for its complete annihilation."
This left Hizashi aghast. "Even if this incident has damaged Konoha, surely it doesn't have to come to that?"
Kawasaki interjected, reminding him, "What if the Third is no longer around?"
Hizashi's entire body shuddered. "Are you saying... the Third Hokage is dead?"
When he received a nod of confirmation, he understood that the situation was far more grave than he had imagined. In the past, the Hyuga Branch family had been forced to protect the Main House because of the Caged Bird seal.