As Chinya was watching Kushina scolding Kakashi, someone suddenly knocked on the door.
Chinya got up to answer it while Kushina paused her lesson since visitors had arrived.
Kakashi let out a sigh of relief—he'd been saved.
When Chinya opened the door, he found Hizashi Hyuga standing there, holding the adorable Neji Hyuga in his arms.
"Oh, it's little Neji!"
Kushina lit up as soon as she saw Neji and immediately reached for him, eager to play with the little boy in Hizashi's arms.
Neji kept laughing happily as Kushina played with him.
"Kushina, don't stand in the doorway. Let Lord Hizashi in. Kakashi, go make some tea for Lord Hizashi."
Kushina quickly stepped aside to make room for Hizashi Hyuga.
Hizashi smiled and said, "Sorry to interrupt. Just a small gift—nothing much."
He handed the present to Chinya.
Chinya politely replied, "Lord Hizashi, your presence alone is more than enough. There's no need to bring anything."
Hizashi naturally responded, "Of course I should. After all, this is Neji's first visit to his master. We must observe proper etiquette."
After gratefully accepting the gift, Chinya said, "Then thank you very much. Please come in and have a seat, Lord Hizashi."
Kakashi went to prepare tea, glancing unconsciously at Neji in Hizashi's arms.
Kushina had mentioned before that Chinya would soon take another disciple, and he was supposed to be from the Hyuga Clan.
So this must be the one Kushina was talking about.
But… he really is too young.
Hizashi turned to Kushina with a polite smile. "Hey Kushina, mind holding Neji for just a minute? I'd like to talk to Chinya privately."
"Of course! I'd love to!"
Kushina was more than happy to hold Neji—such a tiny Hyuga boy was just so adorable in her eyes.
Kushina picked up Neji while Chinya led Hizashi to sit down.
Kakashi brought two cups of tea, handing one to Chinya and then offering another to Hizashi. "Please enjoy your tea, Lord Hizashi."
Accepting the cup with a smile, Hizashi said, "Thank you, Kakashi."
Both Chinya and Hizashi took a sip of their tea simultaneously.
Setting his cup down, Hizashi spoke, "Chinya, since Neji is still very young now, perhaps we should wait until he turns three and begins training before formally holding a discipleship ceremony."
Chinya shrugged indifferently. "I've never cared much for elaborate formalities. Since you, Lord Hizashi, approve of Neji becoming my disciple, the master-disciple bond has already been established. There's no need for any ceremony."
Upon hearing Chinya's words, Hizashi finally felt completely reassured.
He sighed in relief, saying, "Now that Neji has you as his teacher, I won't have to worry about him quite so much anymore."
Raising an eyebrow, Chinya asked curiously, "The concern you mentioned—is it about Neji being branded with the Caged Bird Seal?"
Startled, Hizashi questioned, "You know about the Caged Bird Seal?"
But almost immediately, he figured it out himself. "Right, everyone in Konoha knows about the distinction between the Main Family and Branch Family within the Hyuga Clan. It makes sense that you would know about the Caged Bird Seal too."
It's certainly not something to be proud of—using the Caged Bird Cursed Seal to control our own people. That's why no one in the Hyuga Clan ever speaks of it openly.
But someone like Chinya, with his status, could easily find out.
After all, this has been going on for a long time, and there's no secret that stays hidden forever.
Hizashi Hyuga sighed, "Yes, that's Neji's fate; there's no way to escape it. I'm the one who brought this upon him as his father... Alas."
Since Chinya was now his son Neji's martial arts teacher, and essentially family, there was no need to pretend or speak falsely with pleasantries.
Though Chinya knew about the Caged Bird Cursed Seal, Kushina Uzumaki didn't. Confused, she asked, "What exactly is the Caged Bird?"
Chinya shook his head toward Kushina, saying, "Kushina, better not to ask."
Hizashi waved his hand, replying, "It's fine. Since Kushina is Neji's master's wife, she will find out eventually anyway. If she wants to know, I'll explain it."
"To talk about the Caged Bird, we must first mention the system of Main Family and Branch Family within the Hyuga Clan."
"To protect our Kekkei Genkai from being stolen by outsiders, the descendants of the Hyuga Clan divided the clan into two parts: the Main Family and the Branch Family."
"The Main Family are the true inheritors of the Hyuga Clan, bearing the responsibility of protecting and developing the clan. The Branch Family serve as guardians of the Main Family, tasked with protecting them."
"There can only be one inheritor of the Main Family. If there are multiple children within the same generation, only one can become the heir while the rest will all belong to the Branch Family."
"In other words, there can be only one Main Family member per generation. No matter how many centuries pass, the Hyuga Clan will still have just a single Main Family line, and the Branch Family will forever remain as protectors of the Main Family. This kind of family structure is the most efficient protection system."
"When members of the Branch Family turn three years old, they receive the Cursed Seal known as the Caged Bird engraved upon their forehead. This seal can suppress the power of the Byakugan, and the Main Family can use this cursed seal to control and even destroy the brain nerves of Branch Family members, thus keeping them under control."
Kushina Uzumaki couldn't believe what she'd heard: "Aren't you all part of the same clan? I understand wanting to prevent the bloodline limit from leaking outside, but can't there be another way? This method seems too inhumane!"
Hizashi answered helplessly: "The Branch Family indeed harbors dissatisfaction against the Main Family because of this system, but we're powerless to change anything, precisely because of the existence of the Caged Bird Cursed Seal. Our lives are literally in their hands…"
Kushina Uzumaki felt her heart tighten as she listened, looking at little Neji Hyuga who smiled up at her from her arms. She couldn't help but feel deep sorrow for the child.
Such a lovely child would spend his entire life under another's control—even over his very life.
Chinya remained silent for quite some time before breaking the silence, "As my disciple, as his teacher, as long as I possess the ability, I won't allow my student to fall into circumstances without choices."
"That Caged Bird Cursed Seal won't be what defines Neji's future. I will give Neji choices regarding his future—whether he chooses to accept his fate complacently or break free from its constraints to do whatever he wishes."
Hizashi didn't understand Chinya's meaning and looked at him with confusion.
Chinya answered, "Hizashi, clan head of the Hyūga, you know that the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Techniques are unparalleled in the Shinobi World. While the Caged Bird Cursed Seal might indeed be powerful, for someone like Kushina, an expert in sealing techniques, finding a way to remove it would be quite easy."
Kushina Uzumaki looked at Chinya in confusion.
When had she ever said she could remove the Caged Bird?
Didn't something that could control and damage the brain sound incredibly hard to handle at first glance?
Chinya turned to Kushina with a smile. "I'm right about this, aren't I?"
With Chinya watching her closely, Kushina could only mumble an uncertain, "Hmm…"
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