In Sora's home, the confrontation with Hyuga Hizashi continued.
If it had been anyone else, Sora wouldn't have bothered to say so much or been so forceful. But after Hizashi had agreed at Namikaze Minato's wedding to let Neji become his disciple, Sora had already begun to think of Neji as his student.
When he discovered Hizashi's reluctance to challenge the status quo, Sora felt compelled to deliver this harsh wake-up call.
Sora understood that as a father, Hizashi would have the greatest influence on his son's development. He thought about the Neji he'd heard about from the original timeline—cynical, bitter toward the clan, yet paradoxically willing to accept his predetermined fate.
Even though Hizashi had sacrificed himself for his brother when Neji was only four, the boy had still grown up clinging to a pessimistic fatalism, obsessed with the idea that destiny couldn't be changed.
Sora despised this fatalistic worldview. He wasn't entirely sure if he would accept Neji as his disciple if the boy developed such an attitude. So if his words could reach Hizashi now, that would be best. If not, perhaps he and Neji simply weren't meant to have a master-disciple relationship.
Meanwhile, Hizashi was wrestling with a profound internal conflict.
Was the Hyuga clan worth his loyalty? Was the main family worthy of his sacrifice?
Hizashi could answer immediately—not at all.
To prevent their bloodline limit from falling into outsiders' hands, the Hyuga clan had created a rigid division between main and branch families, causing a deep rift among people who shared the same blood. They had devised the "Caged Bird" seal to help the main family maintain absolute control over the branch family.
The main family no longer viewed branch members as relatives or equals, but as subordinates and servants.
Human life might be short, but its impact endured. After his death, Neji would become a second version of himself, and then Neji's children, and their children after them... continuing the cycle.
Was this truly what he wanted?
When Hizashi himself had received the "Caged Bird" seal at age three, he had been indoctrinated with the belief that his purpose was to protect the main family and sacrifice himself for the clan whenever necessary.
Hizashi had gone from initial confusion, to anger, and finally to reluctant acceptance.
Now was he planning to instill these same beliefs in his son, for whom he claimed to have such high hopes?
If Neji would ultimately end up serving the main family just as he had, why harbor any special aspirations for the boy at all? Wouldn't the end result be the same regardless?
Hizashi felt deeply conflicted.
What Sora had said was undeniably true. Facing the main family's oppression, he felt resentment but lacked the courage to resist.
Just like in his recent conversation with Hiashi, his words and manner had revealed his dissatisfaction, yet he'd never seriously considered challenging the system.
What exactly were these "high hopes" he claimed to have for Neji?
Superior strength? Or something else?
If he truly had high hopes, then naturally he would want Neji to accomplish things he himself had never managed to do.
Hizashi's body trembled slightly as realization struck him.
What he had never achieved... was control over his own destiny.
He wanted Neji to have that freedom—to determine his own path.
Yet what was he doing now? He was destroying that possibility with his own hands, killing any chance Neji might have to control his own fate.
"It's truly unfortunate for Neji to have a father like me..." Hizashi said with a bitter smile.
He looked at Sora with sincerity in his eyes. "But he's fortunate to have met you as a teacher, Sora."
Sora smiled. "It seems the head of the branch family has come to understand?"
Hizashi nodded. "I understand now. And I'm also frightened by how close I came to harming Neji. Sora, I hope that as Neji grows older, he can continue to learn from you and benefit from your guidance."
Sora raised an eyebrow. "You want him to follow my teachings? Are you certain? Under my guidance, Neji may develop no sense of belonging to the Hyuga clan—he might even come to resent it. After all, your life as a father within the Hyuga system hasn't exactly been enviable."
"I would rather he hate the Hyuga clan," Hizashi replied helplessly, "than imitate me and become a coward who passively accepts his fate. I will respect and support whatever choices he makes from now on. So please, Sora, educate Neji however you see fit."
Sora nodded in agreement. "Since you've given me your blessing, Master Hizashi, I promise to do my utmost to help Neji become a person of exceptional talent and character."
Hearing that Sora and Hizashi had reached an understanding, Kushina's face brightened with a smile.
As if affected by Kushina's change in mood, little Neji stopped crying and began laughing along with her.
After chatting a while longer, Hizashi stood to leave. Once he and Neji had departed and the three were alone again, Kushina immediately turned to Sora.
"Why did you tell him I could remove the Caged Bird seal?" she asked anxiously. "I really don't know how to do that."
Sora chuckled. "You don't need to know how to do it, because I can."
"If you know how to remove it, teacher," Kakashi wondered, "why did you say that Master Kushina was the one with that ability?"
Sora shrugged. "In their eyes, I'm not skilled with sealing techniques. If I had claimed to be, they wouldn't have believed me."
Kushina pouted. "So I was just used as an emotional tool."
Then she sighed deeply. "But the Hyuga clan truly is complicated. They're all members of the same family, yet they've created this system that divides them so severely."
"It's the most foolish system imaginable," Sora said with disdain. "That's why the Hyuga clan has always been overshadowed by the Uchiha. Even now, with the Uchiha clan significantly weakened, the Hyuga still can't rise to prominence.
"Their system creates serious internal conflicts. The main family holds absolute power. Even if its members are completely incompetent, the branch family must protect them to the death.
"On the surface, the branch family respects the main family, but in reality, they harbor deep resentment. The friction between them creates discord and prevents true talents from being properly utilized. Such a clan can never truly prosper. The family structure is ancient, but it lacks both possibility and creativity.
"Under such a system, if a genius emerges in the main family, they'll have no opportunity to develop their full potential due to excessive protection from the branch family, ultimately becoming mediocre.
"And if a genius appears in the branch family, they'll end up like Hizashi—conflicted and unaware of their own value because they're forced to protect main family members who don't deserve it.
"Although I deeply dislike the Uchiha clan, I've never underestimated them. It's no coincidence that Uchiha shinobi tend to be stronger than those from other clans."
Kushina and Kakashi nodded in agreement. What Sora said made perfect sense.
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