Inside the Hokage Office of Konoha.
"Called me over for something?"
Kei Yamanaka lounged lazily on the sofa, brewing his own tea with steaming water.
Just back from a visit to Orochimaru, he'd originally planned to sneak off to Kiri first to meet up with Hikaku Uchiha and talk through what came next.
But who knew Tsunade would go as far as sending people to hunt him down across the entire village?
"I issued a public announcement targeting the Hyūga clan today, along with an official rectification order. This should be the final hurdle when it comes to the village's reforms."
Tsunade lazily kicked her legs up, slouching sideways in her leather office chair—a luxury model that could recline nearly flat. With a lazy flick of her wrist, she tossed two scrolls toward Kei.
With the ongoing reforms in the village, there was now much less work requiring her personal involvement, especially with Nara Shikaku helping sort out and take over many responsibilities.
She even thought to herself that coming into the office for just two hours each day was more than enough—no need at all to stay cooped up inside all day!
"Hyūga? Caged Bird?"
Kei activated Fire Release chakra nature transformation in his left palm to heat the water while using his right hand to unfurl the scroll.
The public announcement released to the entire village was carefully worded, brimming with bureaucratic jargon and diplomatic language.
To summarize: advocating for equal rights, strictly forbidding the misuse of personal punishment, and outlawing any sealing techniques designed to control someone's will or endanger their life.
Anyone with half a brain could tell it was aimed straight at the Hyūga.
As for the separate compliance notice sent exclusively to the Hyūga, its tone was blunt and unforgiving.
It was basically notifying them they had to remove every last Caged Bird cursed seal by the given deadline.
"Mm-hmm."
Tsunade responded lazily.
"Do they have any objections? How about Hiashi Hyūga? No reaction at all?"
Kei poured the steaming water into his cup, inhaled deeply, then nodded approvingly.
This tea smelled ten times better than whatever stale stash Danzō used to hoard!
"The main branch members are still arguing inside the ancestral hall—it won't be long before they explode. As for Hiashi, he's playing it smart—he hasn't gone home since this morning, hiding out in the Intelligence Division training rookies."
Trying not to get dragged in? Or just waiting for the elders to speak up first?
Who cares. Not my problem. Don't feel like guessing.
Tsunade waved a dismissive hand, then pushed herself upright, pulled out a stack of instant lottery tickets from a drawer, and began scratching them off like mad.
"...So you called me over just to be your backup? That's crossing a line! You were supposed to be my subordinate!"
Kei rolled his eyes in annoyance.
Noticing the tea was still too hot, he stood and walked over to Tsunade's desk, casually pulling one of the lottery tickets from under her pile.
"Hey! These aren't from the arena—I bought these myself with my advance pay!"
"Tightwad. You look skint anyway. Need some pocket money?"
"Pfft. Your cash is all with Kushina anyway."
"Consider it a reward."
Kei examined Tsunade's fate line with the Fate Mechanism Sundial—her Wealth thread was pitch-black, pathetically deep in the red. Then he tossed the winning lottery ticket—worth a cool million ryō—into her lap.
"Not winning is no big deal..."
Tsunade stared at the numbers on the scratch-off lottery ticket, double-checking them several times. Her beautiful eyes gradually widened.
"Next time remember to say, 'Thank you, sir, for your generosity.'"
Kei Yamanaka chuckled softly, perched halfway on the edge of the desk while turning his head toward the door of the Hokage Office.
Thump~ Thump~ Thump~
Someone knocked on the door.
Snapping back to reality, Tsunade quickly shoved the instant lottery ticket into her cleavage and called out, "Come in."
Hyūga Tenkai, the elderly Hyūga Elder, entered the Hokage Office with the bearing of an aristocrat. Dressed in a pale blue and white kimono and wearing the Hyūga clan's haori over his shoulders, he was accompanied by two Main Branch members with clearly visible foreheads. He gave a slight bow of greeting to both Tsunade and Kei Yamanaka.
"Please have a seat, Elder Tenkai."
Raising one delicate eyebrow, Tsunade motioned for them to sit down.
"Thank you, Lady Hokage."
Elder Tenkai inclined his head again, then calmly walked over and took a seat on the designated sofa. His sharp eyes flickered briefly as he glanced at the tea freshly brewed on the table.
Before Tsunade could ask what was going on, he picked up the teacup and continued speaking.
"Lady Hokage, today we have come on behalf of our clan elders to express that after thorough discussion, we unanimously believe your previous orders are not suited to the actual circumstances of the Hyūga clan."
Ssllluurrrp~
Taking a sip of the fragrant tea, Elder Tenkai's aged face bore a confident smile, as if everything were completely under control.
"...Why are you looking at me? I didn't even drink it!"
Tsunade barely held back her twitching lips. She was genuinely afraid she'd burst out laughing.
Gagaga~
This old man actually dared to show off in front of Kei!
And even drank the tea that Kei had patiently prepared just now!
Bring on the storm! The stronger, the better!
She was loving this!
"Elder Hyūga Tenkai, do you have any idea what's been happening in Konoha recently?"
Kei's expression turned unusually odd.
Although news about the recent turmoil surrounding the Third Hokage's resignation and the reappearance of the First, Second, and Madara Uchiha hadn't reached everyone, those of high standing in Konoha should certainly be aware.
So how dare this Hyūga Elder barge in like this?
"My apologies, I did behave rather impolitely."
Frowning slightly at the teacup in his grasp, Elder Tenkai realized it wasn't meant for him, and felt a slight embarrassment internally.
He gently placed the cup down and spoke as though nothing had happened.
"Director Yamanaka, I've heard whispers about recent events. However, when the Hyūga joined Konoha, an agreement was put forth by the elders with Lord First Hokage—that the village would not interfere with internal clan affairs. Since Hashirama Senju is reportedly still in Konoha, Director Yamanaka, if you have any questions—you should take them directly to the First Hokage himself."
"Tch. Got it. He's pulling the Hashirama card."
Kei looked at Tsunade and finally understood why this older sister had insisted he come along.
Tsunade couldn't take direct action in this kind of situation.
"I hope Lord Hokage and Director Kei can understand my difficulties. It's not that the Hyūga clan refuses to obey the village's orders. Our clan's Divine Eye Technique is renowned throughout the ninja world, and our bloodline has often been coveted by others. The Caged Bird Seal is merely for preserving our family's legacy."
Hyūga Tenkai bowed once more, appearing sincere and humble on the surface, yet his demeanor exuded an underlying arrogance, confident that Tsunade and Kei Yamanaka would surely back down.
"Fair enough. The Caged Bird Seal is indeed a fine thing."
Kei Yamanaka stood up and approached Hyūga Tenkai.
Two main branch Hyūga members who had been standing behind Tenkai immediately stepped forward as well, their faces tight with tension.
"Our ancestral laws are indeed valuable. The First Hokage himself understood this point clearly, which is why he granted our Hyūga clan the right to handle special matters independently."
Hyūga Tenkai waved his hand dismissively at the two main branch members, maintaining his usual air of calm confidence.
"Senior Elder Tenkai, actually there's one thing you haven't quite grasped."
"Please enlighten me, Director Kei."
"Hashirama Senju couldn't beat me either. In today's Konoha, he no longer calls the shots."
With that, Kei Yamanaka suddenly raised his hand and slapped Hyūga Tenkai across the head!
You old bastard! Daring to throw Hashirama's name around—like you have any right to wield his legacy?!
Boom~
As if a watermelon had exploded.
The wall on one side of the Hokage Office was instantly splattered with red and white matter.
"You!"
The two main branch Hyūga were so terrified they nearly lost their wits.
They hadn't seen the blow coming—before they could react, it had already landed on the Grand Elder's head!
"Choose: Either bear the Caged Bird Curse Seal, or let me crush your heads twice."
"Kei Yamanaka! You—"
Smack~
Another deafening crack echoed through the room.
The main branch member who had just spoken was now also a headless corpse.
"T-The Cage! The Cage! The Caged Bird!"
The other main branch member, already beyond terrified, had pissed himself instantly!
Murdering a main branch Hyūga clan member right in front of Lord Hokage herself—with no hesitation or concern whatsoever.
This guy was mad!
A total madman!
"Will you apply the seal yourselves?"
Kei Yamanaka's faint smile remained unchanged despite having just killed two people moments ago.
Just a bunch of parasites who'd grown too accustomed to their superiority.
Even if every last one of them died, what of it?
The branch families might even applaud.
"N-Need someone else to p-perform the ritual... O-One person alone cannot apply the seal..."
"Heh. Then bring them along. Don't you Hyūga always love conducting these ceremonies in your ancestral hall? This will also be the perfect time to gather all your main branch members."
Kei Yamanaka turned around first, heading straight for the Hyūga compound.
Hyūga Hifumi, the trembling main branch member, awkwardly picked up both his clansmen's and the Grand Elder's corpses and staggered after him in haste.
"Somebody, somebody come clean this mess up! Don't wait till it starts stinking in a couple days! I still have to sleep here later!"
Tsunade watched the two leave with an expression of disdain, her eyes fixed on the bloodstained wall beside her office.
She plopped back into her chair and pulled out the instant lottery ticket she'd hidden between her breasts, a dreamy, lovestruck grin spreading across her flushed cheeks.
One million ryō! One million goddamn ryō!
Hahaha!
I hit the jackpot!
Hugging the instant lottery tickets, she kissed them repeatedly. Tsunade handed them over to an Anbu member with a wide grin and told him to go cash in the prize at the store.
As she watched the Anbu remove the debris and spray a special disinfectant to eliminate the smell,
Tsunade leaned back in her office chair.
She started counting on her fingers, trying to squeeze in a day off to enjoy herself at the fighting arena.
But before she could savor her good mood for long,
a sudden massive explosion echoed from the village behind her.
She spun around sharply.
Four wooden giants, hundreds of meters tall, had crushed countless buildings as they landed within the Hyūga clan compound.
The four terrifying wooden giants stood facing one another, their bodies slightly bent forward.
Extending their index fingers like poking ants, their arms swung down with terrifying wind pressure, stabbing repeatedly into the Hyūga compound!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
After about a dozen strikes, these four wooden giants finally stopped moving.
A piercing alarm rang throughout Konoha, and countless ninjas leapt onto rooftops from alleyways and corners of the streets.
That was way overkill... Stand down the alarm. Everyone go back to work.
Tsunade saw the Anbu return quickly with a money box in hand, and ultimately decided not to get angry at that reckless bastard anymore.
After all, it wasn't her who did this, and the Hyūga wouldn't come asking her to pay for repairs.
Maybe now they would obey orders more readily.
Let that guy keep causing chaos!
Before the ruined remains of the Hyūga ancestral hall,
Kei Yamanaka sat calmly on a chair, facing more than ten deep pits filled with mangled flesh and blood.
He was staring at the remaining fourteen main branch Hyūga members, engraving the Caged Bird seal upon each of them one by one.
Earsplitting screams filled the air as the main branch members clutched their heads, writhing in unbearable pain from the bloodline restriction.
Yet Kei Yamanaka's gaze showed no trace of sympathy or mercy.
Didn't you always say this wasn't how the Hyūga worked?
That you wanted to protect your precious bloodline?
Well then — let's be fair.
Everyone gets marked!
And I'll hand over full control of the Caged Bird Seal to every single branch member.
With the main house treating them like dirt for so long, just wait a few days — let's see how many of them are still breathing.
You lowlife scum.
Kei scanned the faces pale as paper, silent as frightened birds among the main branch members.
Then he turned his head toward Hiashi Hyūga, who had rushed back in haste.
As the head of the Hyūga clan, I have failed in my leadership. I've brought shame upon Konoha, and therefore, I willingly accept the Caged Bird Curse Seal, offering its control to Lord Hokage.
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