Chapter 234 – Breaking the Caged Bird
> "But… Hyuga Neji has said so.
The main family and branch family system should be abolished."
The words were spoken lightly by Uchiha Yuta, yet they hit like a thunderbolt.
Hiashi Hyuga felt his body go cold and rigid, his knees weak.
What…? He actually agreed?
The Fifth Hokage—Uchiha Yuta, the man who now carried all of Konohagakure on his back—had just sided with Neji's shocking proposal.
Hiashi's mind reeled. Fear crawled down his spine.
How… how could this happen?
He had sensed trouble when Neji's words first came out, a creeping premonition, but now that dread was a storm.
The Fifth Hokage himself wants the Hyuga clan's system dismantled… what am I supposed to do?
Hiashi's thoughts churned, trapped between the impossible weight of tradition and the overwhelming power sitting across from him.
---
On the other hand, Neji—standing silently to the side—was struck not with fear, but with stunned joy.
He… agreed?
Neji's heart hammered in his chest, his Byakugan flickering.
I came here only to try my luck, to speak a forbidden wish aloud… but the Fifth Hokage not only intervened, he decreed it with a single sentence.
It was as if the heavens themselves had opened.
---
Neji clenched his trembling fists. Calm down. Stay calm. Don't lose yourself in front of him.
At last, after what felt like an eternity, Neji's voice broke the silence.
> "L‑Lord Uchiha… are you truly serious?"
---
Yuta sipped from his teacup and let out a soft chuckle.
> "Of course. I don't speak lightly.
The Hyuga clan should never have been divided into main and branch families.
You claim it protects your bloodline limit, but in truth…"
His gaze sharpened.
"…it only enslaves your own kin."
The words cut deep. Hiashi flinched, sweat beading at his temples.
Yuta didn't mention the other truth burning in his heart—that he had despised this cruel system for years. Now, as the strongest Hokage in history, why should he tolerate it any longer?
The division only created conflict and stagnation, chains that held the Hyuga back.
The Uchiha clan has risen to new heights under my rule… why should the Hyuga remain stuck in the past?
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> "Godaime Hokage, please…"
Hiashi's voice trembled as he tried to gather himself.
"Please be careful. The division between main and branch is an iron law of the Hyuga clan. Even I… I cannot simply abolish it—"
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> "Heh…" Yuta's smile turned razor‑thin.
"Are you saying my word carries no weight?
Or has the Hyuga clan grown too comfortable in its own cage?"
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> "N‑No, that's not—!"
Boom!
Hiashi's words cut off as he fell to his knees, unable to withstand the sudden pressure Yuta unleashed.
His chakra flared like a storm, a raw power that only those attuned to the Byakugan could feel vibrating in their bones.
> "Lord Hokage!" Hiashi gasped, clutching his chest. "Abolishing the system… it is not something I can decide alone…!"
---
> "Not dare?" Yuta's voice dropped to a cold whisper.
"You don't dare?"
Boom!
The pressure slammed down again, and this time Hiashi coughed blood, his face going pale as chalk. His body shook as though he had been struck by an invisible hammer.
---
> "You know as well as I," Yuta said, standing slowly, his voice like distant thunder,
"what the main and branch division truly is.
Back when the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, ruled… the Cloud Ninja incident happened.
Do I need to remind you what the Hyuga clan did back then?"
Yuta's eyes burned with quiet fury.
> "There are many things I've ignored.
That does not mean I do not know."
---
Hiashi knelt trembling, cold sweat dripping down his face. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came.
The truth was clear: Yuta had spoken, and there was no room for negotiation.
If the Hyuga clan obeyed, they might survive and grow stronger.
If they defied him… the consequences would be unthinkable.
---
> "G‑Guru…"
Neji swallowed hard, his throat dry. The sight before him felt unreal.
The leader of the Hyuga clan—the proud Hiashi—was kneeling, blood on his lips, silenced with a single glance from the Fifth Hokage.
This power… this presence… so this is what it means to be a true Hokage.
---
> "So… domineering?" Neji whispered under his breath, awe filling his eyes.
This is the strength needed to change destiny.
---
Across the room, Hinata and Hanabi exchanged stunned looks.
> "F‑Father… Father was… suppressed?" Hanabi murmured, clutching her sister's hand.
Hinata's lips parted slightly, but no words came. Their father, the head of the Hyuga clan, now knelt pale and trembling before Uchiha Yuta.
---
But neither sister spoke up.
Despite their youth, they weren't fools. They knew exactly what was at stake.
On the surface, the Hyuga clan seemed strong. But within, the endless friction between main and branch families was already rotting its core.
Now, with the Fifth Hokage willing to intervene, this was their chance to cut away the rot and heal—no matter how painful.
As for those who still worried about protecting the Byakugan bloodline?
Hinata's lips curved faintly.
With Lord Uchiha here… who in the entire shinobi world would dare to make a move against us?
To try would be to court death itself.
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To be continued…
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