What method did Hyuga Kawa use when facing the oppression of the Main House?
Threats!
The threat of mutually assured destruction!
He used every life of the Branch House, considered as worthless as grass, to gamble against the lives of the high-and-mighty Main House elders: If you kill one of us, we will kill Hyūga Hiashi!
It was unreasonable! Overbearing and extreme!
But it was this unreasonable arrogance that, for the first time, tied the lives of every Branch House member to the same scale as the Main House elders, forcing the Main House to be wary and fearful.
And now...
Realizing the implication of Hyūga Neji's words, Hyūga Iroha's body began to tremble violently like a sieve.
"No! No! I can't!"
He shook his head frantically. "I... I don't have the charisma of Lord Kawa. I can't make everyone in the Branch House suppress their fear of death and stand behind me to resist the Main House."
"And, and, Hiashi Hyūga is clearly determined. He wants to gamble lives with us!"
"If he dies, more of our Branch House members will die! And then the Main House will also have more people killed by the Branch House..."
The current relationship between the Main House and the Branch House is almost equivalent to the Trisolarans and the Earthlings in The Three-Body Problem; both sides are trapped in the "Dark Forest" doctrine.
Both sides are suspicious and wary of the other. It was just that Hyuga Kawa was more ruthless, successfully intimidating the Main House and giving the Branch House the dominant position in their relationship.
But now, Hyuga Kawa has left.
Hyūga Iroha, who took over the responsibility of deterring the Main House, is neither ruthless enough nor strong enough. He harbors too many reservations and doesn't have the power to flip the table against the Main House by himself.
If he were ruthless enough, he could gamble lives with the Main House, like Hyuga Kawa.
If he were strong enough, he could, like Hyuga Kawa, still secure a greater chance of winning even if the Main House decided to gamble lives.
Alas, he was neither ruthless nor strong enough, and the Main House knew it, which is why they dared to act.
Hyūga Iroha had thought he was already resolved, that he was ready to shatter the jade with the Main House in a destructive clash.
But when he truly faced the choice, countless reservations surged into his mind...
Breaking ties with the Main House? Possible.
Following Lord Kawa's method? Also possible.
But if Hiashi Hyūga was killed, would the other Main House members retaliate madly?
Could the Branch House bear that cost? How many were willing to pay it? If they faced a counterattack from the Main House, could they stand together until the end?
Too many reservations, too much risk!
Even if everyone was willing to take the risk, would the life-for-life approach cause too many deaths, leading to the collapse of the Hyūga Clan?
And after the killing, what then? Defect together?
No. Without Konoha's protection, the Byakugan-possessing Hyūga Clan would be lambs waiting to be slaughtered in the eyes of every other power!
Would the deaths caused by his decision, and the tragic consequences resulting from his decision, ultimately fall on his head?
"No, no, it won't work. It really won't work." Hyūga Iroha kept shaking his head. "I can't, I can't gamble with everyone's lives. I..."
"Iroha!!"
Before he could continue, Hyūga Neji let out a low growl, fiercely grabbing Iroha's collar and violently yanking the limp man to his feet.
Two pairs of Byakugan stared fiercely at each other at an extremely close distance.
The veins on Hyūga Neji's forehead bulged and pulsed wildly like earthworms. A hellish, manic fire burned in his pure white eyes!
"Do you want to live on your knees like a dog, just like before?!"
He slammed every word into Iroha's face, speaking in a low, heavy voice. "Hyuga Kawa prepared everything and handed it all over to us!"
"He's only been gone for a few days, and you're going to let the Main House destroy everything?!"
"If you allow the Main House to force the Branch House to kneel like dogs, when Hyuga Kawa returns, with no one standing behind him, even if he dies, there will be no one to avenge him."
"Then, as the backbone of the Branch House, he will also be broken by a Main House that no longer has any reservations!"
"By then, all of this will still be your fault!"
Each word was like a heavy hammer, viciously striking Iroha's heart, causing his lips to tremble slightly.
With that, Hyūga Neji abruptly released his hands.
Thud!
Hyūga Iroha fell heavily back onto the ground, his body shaking violently from fear.
Neji looked down at him, the hatred and madness in his eyes gradually replaced by an icy coldness.
Why didn't the Main House dare to act against the Branch House when Hyuga Kawa was here?
Why did the Main House dare to act after Hyūga Iroha temporarily took charge?
Why did the Uchiha Clan, who possessed the "Sharingan," not need a "Caged Bird Seal" for protection?
He thought of Hyuga Kawa.
He thought again of the Uchiha Clan.
Hyūga Neji finally realized a truth and understood the question that had previously baffled him.
The plight of the Hyūga Clan, and the current situation of the Branch House, were all because of "weakness"!
"I understand now," Neji's voice was hoarse. "Hyuga Kawa should not have entrusted the Branch House to you, nor to anyone else!"
"Because no one in the entire Branch House, apart from him, can intimidate the Main House like he can."
"The fear of the entire Hyūga Clan led to the creation of the 'Cursed Seal,' and the fear of the entire Branch House led to the Main House's atrocities against the Branch House."
"If the entire Hyūga Clan were as outwardly aggressive as the Uchiha Clan, if you and the other Branch House members were as maniacal and aggressive as Hyuga Kawa..."
He paused here, lowering his voice. "No, not like Hyuga Kawa. Like Uchiha Itachi."
"If we in the Branch House were as insane and extreme as Uchiha Itachi, how would the Main House dare do those things to us?"
Hyūga Iroha hung his head, instinctively shaking it. "No, that assumption is simply impossible."
Because the Hyūga Clan is fundamentally a clan that values ritual and rules, and ritual and rules inherently represent "discipline."
The Hyūga Clan does not possess the Uchiha Clan's characteristic of growing stronger the more extreme they become—and more extreme the stronger they become. Coupled with the constant indoctrination of the master-servant dynamic from a young age, how could a person like Uchiha Itachi possibly emerge in the Hyūga Clan?
"There wasn't before, but there is now."
Hyūga Neji lowered his eyes, his tone calm. "If you don't dare to do it, then let me."
"It won't require many deaths..."
His voice dropped, the whisper reaching Iroha's ear, hoarse with conviction. "It will only require the sacrifice of me, the sacrifice of a very small number of people!"
"Everyone else, all the Branch House members, will be saved, will gain their freedom, and the threat will be utterly eliminated!"
Sacrifice... a small number of people?
Iroha abruptly looked up, his pupils trembling with horror, blurting out, "Wh-What are you trying to do?"
Hyūga Neji slowly turned around, his gaze fixed on the closed infirmary door. The twisted hatred on his face finally coalesced into a cold, emotionless killing intent.
"I will continue what I intended to do, but didn't finish."
His voice was utterly frigid, every word echoing in the dead silence of the room.
"Kill every person who holds the Caged Bird Curse Mark!"
In that moment, Hyūga Neji's mind suddenly became perfectly clear.
All problems and difficulties had a single solution.
Continue what he intended to do... but didn't finish...
Hearing those words, Hyūga Iroha suddenly realized something. His heart felt as if it were gripped by an icy hand.
"Neji!" He stared intently at Hyūga Neji, his voice abruptly rising in shock. "You... you were the one..."
"Yes." Hyūga Neji's answer was terrifyingly calm. "I was the one who killed those two Main House members. I only refrained from touching Hyūga Hiyato."
At that, a sickly flush of color surged onto Iroha's pale face. His teeth ground together, and his body trembled with rage!
It was Neji?! It was Hyūga Neji?!
Hyūga Neji was the true culprit, the one who dug out the Main House Byakugan eyes!
"You!" Iroha let out a low growl from his throat, wanting immediately to pounce on and tear the mad executioner to shreds.
However, when his gaze met Neji's icy, calm Byakugan...
The towering rage was like a bucket of ice water poured over it, instantly extinguishing more than half of its fire.
Is anger useful?
Even knowing Neji is the killer, what good does it do?
It was too late to say anything. It no longer mattered whether Neji or Komon was the killer.
It didn't matter who the murderer was, or who died first. As long as they were from the Branch House, they would become the Main House's excuse to strike at the Branch House.
Having understood all this, the sickly flush on Iroha's face quickly faded, replaced by a deathly, gray despair.
"Neji." He managed a bitter smile, his voice hoarse and weak, filled with exhaustion. "What exactly do you want to do? Why are you telling me all this?"
"Cooperate with me and kill every Main House member who holds the Caged Bird Curse Mark!" Hyūga Neji said heavily. "You should understand, you have no choice."
Yes.
Iroha had no choice.
If he went to inform the Main House now, exposing Neji as the true culprit, even if Neji were executed, what would the Main House think? What would they do?
Would they believe this was just the madness of one individual, Neji?
No!
They would only be more terrified, more wary. Terrified that the Branch House had gone insane, progressing from Hyuga Kawa's threats to an actual assassination attempt by Neji!
This fear and apprehension had far exceeded the limit that Hyuga Kawa had initially imposed. Kawa's threat was ultimately one of mutual destruction—a form of deterrence!
But Neji...
He had already acted. He had killed, gouged out eyes, and now intended to kill all the Main House members.
Would the Main House dare to gamble that no one in the Branch House would follow suit?
To eliminate the threat once and for all, it was possible for the Main House to do anything!
Hyūga Iroha couldn't bear to think further. He was the pillar of the Branch House, the person entrusted by Lord Kawa. His responsibility was to protect the Branch House.
If he informed them, he would personally be pushing the entire Branch House into a state of irreparable doom!
Then...
He was left with only three choices.
Sit back, let Neji continue his madness, and then pray that he succeeds? Or pray that, if he fails, the Main House's wrath won't consume the Branch House?
Stop Neji, imprison Neji, or even kill Neji? But what then? How would he resolve the desperate situation the Branch House now faced?
And then, the final choice...
"Help me. Do everything you can to help me kill every Main House member who holds the Caged Bird Curse Mark."
Hyūga Neji seemed to read his thoughts. Mimicking Hyuga Kawa's actions toward himself years ago, he slowly leaned down and moved closer to Iroha's face.
That young, yet chillingly murderous face, magnified in Iroha's pupils.
"I told you," Hyūga Neji's voice, mimicking Kawa's, was cold. "You, me, and the Branch House have no choice."
"Either you do nothing and watch everything Hyuga Kawa brought to the Branch House be destroyed by you and the Main House, leaving the Branch House even more wretched than before."
"Or you gamble with me. If we win, the Branch House can break free from the Main House, break the cage that binds us, and gain true freedom."
"If we lose, I will die, and your outcome will still be the same as 'doing nothing'."
Every word was a hammer blow to Iroha's heart.
His tightly clenched fists, with fingernails digging deep into his palms, suddenly relaxed, as if the air had been let out of him. Blood trickled down his fingers.
"..."
Hyūga Iroha slowly raised his head, looking at Neji so close to him, at the madness in Neji's eyes. His voice was dry and hoarse, a bitter smile forming on his face. "You truly are a madman..."
"Yes. Like Hyuga Kawa, I am also a madman."
Hyūga Neji's answer remained frighteningly calm. "But only madmen like me and Hyuga Kawa can make the Main House feel the fear of death..."
"And only then can the Branch House possess a sliver of hope for freedom!"
Hearing this, Hyūga Iroha fell into a long silence.
He thought of everything Lord Kawa had done for the Branch House. He thought of the figure of Lord Kawa standing before everyone.
He thought of Lord Kawa's expectations of him, and the instructions he gave before he left.
Finally, Hyūga Iroha exhaled deeply, his body trembling.
"You're right. Lord Kawa shouldn't have entrusted the Branch House to me," he said in a low voice. "I don't have his resolve and courage to make such a choice and bear all the consequences."
"But you have already made the choice for me. If I don't even have the courage to execute it, then I truly am a useless wretch."
With that, he staggered to his feet, coughing violently.
He had heard from the Main House more than once, spoken with disgust and mockery, that the Branch House's wings were growing increasingly hardened.
But...
"Whether the Branch House's wings are hardened is not up to those guys to decide," he said. "We'll only know when we fly."
Hearing this, the slight tension in Hyūga Neji's eyes and his rigid posture suddenly eased.
Was he not afraid?
No. He was just a boy. How could he not be afraid?
Even the words he spoke to Hyūga Iroha were ones he had to force out, mimicking Hyuga Kawa's tone and desperately suppressing the fear churning in his heart.
He was still afraid.
But Hyuga Kawa had already shown him through action that "fear" was meaningless before the Main House; it would only be exploited by those people.
Only struggle, only madness, only fury!
Only by transforming fear completely into hysteria could he make those in the Main House feel fear, and only then could he obtain the very thing he had always craved!
Only then could he shatter that nonsensical thing called destiny!
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