Chapter 108: The Fall of the Hyuga
Hyuga Clan Compound, Main House Inner Residence.
As Konoha burned and fell into chaos, the elders of the main house—each bearing the purest Byakugan—sat silently together, unmoved by the village's fate.
"What about the branch house?"
"They've all been sent out on special missions. If Hiruzen Sarutobi doesn't see Hyuga on the battlefield, he'll grow suspicious. Afterward, the excuse of 'classified missions' will be our explanation."
"Kumogakure, Iwagakure, the Sound ninja, and even the increasingly restless Kirigakure… If Orochimaru's plan hadn't been exposed, Sunagakure might have acted too. Can Konoha even survive this?"
"Who knows? I've already made arrangements. If Konoha falls, we'll relocate the entire clan to the Land of Frost."
"And what about our assets in the Land of Fire?"
"We'll cut them off, like a warrior severing a poisoned limb."
The unmarked elders of the main house held absolute decision-making power in the Hyuga clan.
They discussed the possibility of abandoning Konoha with eerie calmness, even calculating the loss of their property—yet they spared no thought for the branch house members being sent to die.
At first,
They felt gratitude when the branch protected them. They even shed tears when branch members died for them.
But over time, they became numb—until they viewed the branch as nothing more than tools.
Not every Hyuga had the courage and selflessness of Hyuga Hizashi.
"Hyuga Neji… Though not from the main house, he's extremely gifted. We could reward him by letting him leave with us."
One elder recalled the young shinobi once praised as the 'Glory of the Hyuga.'
The clan still needed talented branch members to carry on the bloodline.
The more branch members they had, the safer the main house would be.
The Byakugan, as a weapon of war,
was coveted by many. The Land of Hot Water wasn't as strong as Konoha. If others dared to make a move, the main house would need protection—and the branch would serve that purpose.
"Who's there?"
Suddenly, an elder's eyes flared with veins as he activated his Byakugan, his vision turning monochrome as he peered through the walls.
Just as he saw the figure approaching, the entire wall exploded inward.
Shuriken laced with wire shot forth like a net.
Eight Trigrams Mountain Crusher.
A basic but powerful Gentle Fist technique sent a mighty blow forward, shattering the net.
The follow-up shuriken and kunai were all deflected by modified Gentle Fist movements—none found their mark.
"Didn't expect the elders who hide in their chambers all day to be this strong."
From the shattered wall, Neji stepped forward calmly.
The burst of chakra from that elder's attack wasn't inferior to that of an average Jōnin.
It was hard to imagine that these Hyuga elders—rarely seen, always guarded by the branch house—could fight like this.
One of the elders' expressions darkened. "Without the clan head's order, for a branch member to barge into the inner compound—and even strike an elder—you've committed an unforgivable crime!"
Behind Neji, dozens of ninja followed closely.
Hearing the elder's words, they instinctively tensed. But after a moment, that tension turned into seething rage. Dozens of Byakugan pairs activated and glared coldly at the elder.
"Hyuga Neji, you don't understand the strength of this clan. You think a few defectives from the branch house could ever stir the waters of Konoha's noble Hyuga?"
Even now,
the elders remained calm—like they were watching weak birds, chained and thrashing uselessly.
"Defectives, huh?"
Dozens of Byakugan pairs narrowed into glacial stares.
"Branded with the Caged Bird Seal, our Byakugan is limited. The main house can destroy our brains at any moment—and we're the defective ones?"
One elder raised his arm, two fingers pressed together—the sign to activate the Caged Bird Seal.
"You hear that?"
Neji's face remained expressionless. He wasn't surprised by their response.
He said, "The branch has given their lives to protect the main house. And yet, we're called defective? A clan this rotten and twisted must be reshaped—by us."
"Fools!"
Though some elders felt it was a waste to kill someone as talented as Neji,
any branch member who dared defy the main house was like a dog that had tasted blood—it could no longer be trusted. Such threats had to be eliminated.
Activation of the Caged Bird Seal.
BAM!
A hand clamped down on the elder's throat and slammed him into the wall.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the surface.
A powerful shockwave of chakra burst from the figure's body, sending gusts through the chamber, tossing the elders' neatly groomed black hair into disarray.
"How…?"
"The Caged Bird Seal didn't activate?!"
"Insolent! Hyuga Neji, you—You dared to remove the Caged Bird Seal?!"
Though they rarely left the compound, the elders had an extensive information network.
They knew of the Samsara Game that could trade for anything.
But they had never imagined that a branch member would dare to exchange for the Caged Bird Seal's removal—right under their noses.
Had he never considered…
That if the truth came out, Konoha's noble Hyuga clan would show no mercy, and kill the offender without question?
Especially since—
Removing the seal took time.
That meant Neji and his fellow rebels had begun removing their seals before they even knew Konoha would fall into chaos.
Brazen. Unthinkable.
The elders were livid—shocked, and even a little afraid.
These unstable elements who violated the clan's doctrine had to be eradicated.
Eight Trigrams Air Palm.
Several elders struck simultaneously, focusing chakra into their palms and unleashing vacuum blasts toward Neji's vital points.
The Gentle Fist style required great chakra control and physical conditioning.
But once unleashed, its power was terrifying.
Even one Air Palm could shatter a Jōnin's bones.
Neji was surrounded, but his face remained calm. Chakra erupted from his arms, spinning at high speed.
The vacuum blasts collided with the swirling chakra sphere, triggering a violent explosion.
The opulent inner residence collapsed, revealing the night sky beyond the rubble.
Without walls to block the sound, they could clearly hear the screams, clashes, and thunderous jutsu of the battlefield beyond.
Rotation!
The elder's expression darkened. "Traitor! You dare use the clan's secret Rotation technique without permission? Are you mocking the clan head and elders?"
"Sorry, I didn't bother stealing your technique. This one's my own creation."
Amid the wreckage,
the elder who first activated the Caged Bird Seal tried to crawl up, but he was too gravely injured to even roll over.
Around him, the other elders had already had their eyes gouged out—still warm corpses.
"Traitor… You've doomed the Hyuga Clan… with your own hands…"
Each word brought fresh blood from his mouth. His organs were damaged—only a top-tier medical ninja could save him.
"Just because no one has done something doesn't mean it's wrong. Only by shattering decay and distortion can the Hyuga achieve true glory."
"Fool… The clan's survived a hundred years because of the Caged Bird Seal. You've brought a curse upon yourself…"
Shunk.
A glowing orb of spirit energy pierced his throat, silencing him.
"The Hyuga survived a century by castrating themselves in shame."
"Even the Sarutobi Clan—without any kekkei genkai—managed to lead Konoha. But the Hyuga, rivals of the Uchiha, never once produced a ninja who stood at the top…"
From this day forward, I will stand at the summit.
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