Hiashi Hyūga knelt with his forehead touching the ground, his posture one of extreme respect and humility.
He fully understood the gravity of the situation.
Every Main Branch member had now been branded with the Caged Bird Curse Seal—and it was irreversible.
The internal unrest among the Branch members, who already bore deep resentment toward the Main Branch, would surely erupt into chaos.
Power struggles and personal ambitions were insignificant compared to a far graver concern—what truly concerned him was the risk of extremists turning violent against the original Main Branch members!
And today, four towering wooden giants had appeared at the Hyūga compound, causing an enormous uproar. Becoming the village's laughingstock was no longer their top priority.
His greatest fear was becoming targets of retaliation from the new Hokage's loyalists!
If Tsunade and Kei Yamanaka completely lost trust and patience in the Hyūga clan…
Then their fate could be worse than that of the Uchiha Clan—a price they simply couldn't pay!
Faced with both internal turmoil and external pressure,
their only option was to immediately surrender control of the Caged Bird Curse Seal, clearly declaring their stance and fully aligning with the current Hokage faction.
As for the matter of life and death being controlled by others—
Hadn't their lives always been beyond their control?
Moreover, the overwhelming strength demonstrated by Tsunade and Kei Yamanaka today would likely deter the more reckless Branch members to some extent.
A redistribution of power within the clan was inevitable, but at least it could reduce the level of chaos and loss.
"Bring me a cup of tea."
Kei Yamanaka's mind raced as he pieced together Hiashi's strategy.
This man had planned from the beginning to use the clan elders to test the leadership's stance in Konoha. Even if tensions escalated due to a firm stance from the leadership, as head of the clan, he could still leverage his authority to mediate and defuse tensions.
If there was an opportunity, he'd try to preserve the restrictions imposed by the Caged Bird on the Branch members.
If push came to shove, he'd pivot and fight for greater advantages for the Main Branch.
After all, anyone who managed to hold the position of clan leader—how naive could one possibly be?
Just like in the original storyline, when Neji Hyūga spoke out of turn during the Chunin Exams, Hiashi handed him a scroll containing the last will of his father, Hizashi Hyūga.
Regardless of whether the scroll was real or forged.
Then there was Orochimaru's invasion during the Chunin Exams. When Hinata was once again kidnapped by two Cloud ninja, he ordered Neji to rescue her.
At the moment Neji nearly died fighting, barely escaping death, Hiashi suddenly arrived just in time to save him.
That kind of strategy couldn't be called exactly the same,
but the approach was unmistakably the same!
Only this time, Hiashi had miscalculated badly. He hadn't anticipated such a ruthless counterstrike from Kei Yamanaka and Tsunade!
At the slightest disagreement, they killed without hesitation!
A clear message—if you resist, we will kill every last one of you!
With absolutely no other choice, Hiashi had to immediately hand over control of the Caged Bird Curse Seal.
"Yes, Kei-sama."
Facing Kei Yamanaka's icy gaze, Hiashi felt bitterness rise within him.
Though unsure why the other had chosen to drink tea at this moment, he swiftly retrieved a full set of teaware from the rubble of the collapsed ancestral hall and began brewing tea without delay.
As a noble family in the ninja world, nearly every member of the main branch of the Hyūga clan were masters of the Way of Tea.
Yet the elaborate tea culture they had always revered now felt unbearably oppressive in this moment.
A full ten minutes passed before a cup of steaming tea was finally set before Kei Yamanaka.
"Go ahead."
Kei picked up the teacup and gently blew over the surface of the tea, glancing toward the collapsed entrance of the ancestral hall off to the side.
There, Hifumi Hyūga—the first to bear the Caged Bird Curse Seal and the first to recover from the excruciating pain of the bloodline lockdown—was staring unblinkingly at Hiashi Hyūga.
He loathed it!
All because of this useless clan head that he had ended up in such a situation!
"Yes."
Hiashi bowed respectfully again, rose to his feet, and knelt before the entrance of the ancestral hall.
Without the usual elaborate rituals, Hifumi, whose pants had dried, quickly performed the hand seals.
Within just over ten seconds, Hiashi's suppressed growls echoed through the courtyard before the ancestral hall.
Standing over ten meters away alongside many branch members who had gathered upon hearing the commotion, Hizashi Hyūga watched his older brother—his face twisted in rage, his body shaking violently. Pity flickered across Hizashi's eyes—only for it to harden into unshakable resolve.
Back then, when his own Caged Bird seal was first branded into him, hadn't he endured the same torment?
And if the distinction between the main and branch families disappeared forever, perhaps the next generation might escape the fate of the caged bird...
"Recite the control method for the Caged Bird Seal. Speak loudly."
Kei cast a sidelong glance at Hifumi, who looked as if he were avenging an old grievance.
"...Yes! The complete sequence of hand seals is: Rat, Rabbit, Tiger, Dragon..."
Hifumi had long been terrified by Kei's ruthless methods, fearing he might turn into meat pulp any second. He hurriedly recited the sacred controlling techniques of the main branch, once treated as the main branch's most sacred secret.
As for whether the branch family might use this knowledge to oppress him instead…
Well, mutual retribution was always on the table!
At least it was better than being utterly helpless and reduced to bloody pulp!
"Ahh…"
Hiashi wanted to stop him, but the agony of the bloodline lockdown and Kei's cold gaze left him unable to utter a single word.
Kei took a sip of his tea, surveying the expressions of the gathered branch family members around him.
After setting the cup down, he stood and strode toward the Hokage Tower.
Whoosh—
Four wooden giant clones dissolved back into the Boundless Realm.
As faint sounds of chaos rose behind him, Kei inwardly scoffed.
Years of pent-up resentment had long built up, and now they possessed the same rights and means as the main family.
The Hyūga clan wouldn't remain quiet today.
As for how many lives this unrest might cost…
Debts always come due!
Besides, in the future, Hiashi lived on and sired Hinata and Hanabi with his wife.
Who cares about the rest? No one even knows who they are!
——————
Inside the Rain Country.
Kitsuchi, clad in the broad-brimmed Tsuchikage hat, sprinted ahead.
Roshi, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, and Toroi, the Explosion Release ninja carrying Onoki, followed closely behind him.
"What's the big hurry? You trying to deliver snacks or something?"
Onoki grumbled discontentedly from his perch on Toroi's back, tilting his head up at the dense, dark clouds overhead, sighing inwardly.
In just a few days,
Kitsuchi had shown a surprisingly firm side—completely different from his usual gentle nature.
Relying on his considerable strength and natural charisma, he quickly gathered unwavering supporters and seized control of Iwagakure's entire military force, becoming the rightful Fourth Tsuchikage.
Logically speaking, there was no reason for him—a retired Third Tsuchikage—to get involved in what would follow.
But...
Thinking back to that [World-Shaking Wood Release] technique, Onoki still couldn't feel at ease.
The day before, while on the move, they'd received word that Konoha had sent numerous powerful experts to pressure Sunagakure.
The First Hokage. The Second Hokage. Madara Uchiha.
Would Konoha truly treat them as equals as previously promised?
Shshsh!
One after another, the sharp sound of kunai slicing through the air rang out.
Crackling with electricity, A—the Third Raikage—arrived with his son and Killer B, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, blocking their path directly ahead.
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