At that very moment, Elder Hyuga Tokko had no idea...
That the Branch member standing behind him would actually dare to attack him!
And not even using the Hyuga Gentle Fist style.
No—it was a chakra-coated kunai, stabbed straight into his back!
How could an old man like him possibly evade such a sudden and unexpected strike from behind?
The next instant,
He was pierced through the chest by the kunai—a heart-piercing blow that chilled him to the bone.
Tokko Hyuga clutched his wound and staggered forward several steps, leaning against a stone door, blood spilling from his mouth.
He stared in horror at the Branch ninja behind him.
"You! How could you...!"
"Cough... cough—"
"You're asking for death!"
Tokko's face twisted with fury as he spat out curses.
If the attacker had used their martial arts techniques, he might have managed to resist or even counterattack.
But who could've guessed this beast of a Branch ninja would just use a kunai for a surprise attack!
Piercing straight through his lungs and heart.
With his already frail, aging body, survival was practically impossible.
Even if he immediately used chakra to seal the wound, it would only delay death by about thirty seconds at best.
Knowing full well he was doomed, he didn't hesitate—
Activating the [Caged Bird Cursed Seal]!
Even if he died, he'd drag this traitor down to hell with him!
However,
The next moment, he suddenly realized something.
The person before him showed absolutely no sign of the [Caged Bird Cursed Seal] on their forehead!
Making it completely impossible for Tokko to activate the [Caged Bird Cursed Seal] himself!
How could this be possible?!
"Old clan leader, stop wasting your strength,"
"The [Caged Bird Cursed Seal] holds no power over me anymore."
The masked Branch ninja scoffed in disdain.
What a bunch of Main House nonsense! Without that cursed seal controlling us, they're nothing special at all!
Stab a Branch ninja, and we bleed just like any other bastard!
We all share the same damn blood.
Why should those bastards be born inherently superior?
Born holding every Branch member's life in their hands?
...
"How is this possible? Who exactly are you?"
"Where did you get the [Byakugan] from!"
Tokko Hyuga's face turned pale with fear, his heart pounding wildly.
This was even more shocking than being attacked earlier!
After all, the [Caged Bird Cursed Seal] was the foundation of the entire Hyuga Clan—it was the unbreakable chain binding the Branch members under the Main House's control!
How could it possibly be broken?
If it truly could be undone...
Wouldn't the whole Branch instantly revolt?
So much so that he now desperately wished this person wasn't a Branch member at all—
And that his Byakugan had been stolen instead...
"Clan leader, your memory must really be failing you in your old age!"
"Don't you recognize me anymore?"
The Branch ninja shook the blood off the kunai, laughing coldly.
Then slowly removed his Anbu mask.
The moment Elder Hyuga Tokko saw his face,
His eyes widened, his face turned colorless, disbelieving what he saw.
"Shinkawa Hyuga! It's really you!"
"This can't be... weren't you supposed to be dead?"
"Wait, your forehead..."
"How?!!!"
"Where's your [Caged Bird Cursed Seal]? How did you remove it?"
"That's impossible! This absolutely cannot be happening!"
Tokko Hyuga denied in madness, his face twisted with insanity, looking as if he'd seen a ghost.
"You old bastard, you still remember me, don't you!"
"Back then, on the battlefield, you used my father's life to save your own. You couldn't even remember his name!"
"For high-and-mighty Main House lords like you, we Branch family ninja are just disposable tools, aren't we?"
"Today, I'll personally send you to your grave."
"In the future, I'll make sure the entire Main House follows you down there!"
"Oh, and many thanks too. You kindly opened the family's secret vault for me..."
Shinkawa Hyuga tightened his grip on a kunai and stepped forward slowly, his eyes burning with rage hot enough to consume everything.
He would never forget — especially not now.
When news came back of his father's death in battle when he was still young.
This scumbag before him couldn't even recall his father's name!
Right there on that battlefield, you used the Caged Bird Seal to commandeer a Branch family ninja like it was nothing, using them as a human shield to avoid certain death.
From that moment on, he had completely lost all faith in the Main House.
And devoted himself entirely to escaping the Hyūga Clan. Even going so far as joining Root and becoming one of Danzo's henchmen...
Today had finally come — the day he could take revenge with his own hands!
"Just... tell me... how you removed the Caged Bird Seal..."
Tokko stared at Shinkawa, coughing up blood while demanding answers.
Unfortunately, he couldn't even finish a complete sentence.
Clearly, his life was nearly extinguished...
"Whatever, no more wasting time."
"Old bastard, rest in peace!"
Having said that, Shinkawa attacked again, instantly plunging his kunai into the neck of the elderly clan leader standing before him and ended the last trace of Tokko's life cleanly and decisively.
...
To be honest, if not for his opponent's carelessness and his own unexpected attack,
Shinkawa wouldn't have been able to kill the other man instantly.
After all, Tokko, who had been the head of the Hyūga Clan, was a master of martial arts whose expertise had reached its peak.
Too bad even the strongest ninja must die when their heart and lungs are pierced by a kunai!
"Huff—"
Shinkawa withdrew the kunai and exhaled deeply.
Only after confirming the death of this old bastard did he feel slightly relieved.
As for the emptiness after personally avenging his father?
Empty? Not on your life!
At this moment, his heart was filled only with immense satisfaction
and infinite longing for the freedom and future ahead.
As for betraying the clan?
Not worth spit.
After all, the Hyūga Main House never regarded any of us Branch members as true clan members.
What's more, he knew clearly now:
At the very least, from this point onward, himself, his descendants, and all his future generations
would never again live under the dominion of the 'Caged Bird Cursed Seal'!
...
Right now, with most of the Branch family ninja dispatched elsewhere,
the Hyūga Main House was practically deserted.
The few ninja remaining were hardly enough to count.
Clearly inferior.
On top of that, the added burden of guarding the Main House's womenfolk…
This left them unable to send reinforcements when such a critical incident occurred at the Main House ancestral hall.
Perhaps a few did attempt to come to the aid.
But they were likely intercepted by the Branch family ninja working in collusion…
At the same time, within the Underground Vault beneath the ancestral shrine.
Shinkawa Hyuga paid no further attention to the corpses on the ground and instead let out a sharp whistle.
"Shoo——"
Moments later, five Branch family ninja rushed into the underground vault.
"Everyone, quickly gather up all the gold and silver!"
"Only take gold and silver! Leave behind all other jewels and treasures!"
"Use scrolls as much as possible. For what won't fit in scrolls, use cloth sacks!"
"We have only three minutes. Once time's up, immediately withdraw!"
Shinkawa Hyuga issued swift orders.
"Yes sir!"
The five Branch ninja sprang into action.
They charged straight into the vault, beginning to plunder this fully packed 'family inheritance.'
After all, this was their reward for achieving 'freedom'!
No one could be more enthusiastic or excited than them.
But then again, why would the Hyuga family bury such a massive fortune beneath their ancestral shrine?
That wasn't strange at all.
After all, the Hyuga clan had been one of the most prestigious families in the Ninja World for nearly a thousand years.
Compared to their long familial history, the mere decades-old village culture felt pale in comparison.
Except for those annoying instances where the so-called "Will of Fire" brainwashed some family ninja.
For most great ninja clans,
their family's survival always came before loyalty to the village.
That's why most noble clans in the Ninja World kept hidden caches of skilled ninja and enormous wealth…
To preserve the bloodline and ensure continuity during times of crisis…
Needless to say, these were all noble houses with a thousand-year legacy.
So storing away a little extra treasure was completely understandable.
Otherwise, how could Tsunade—the legendary gambling addict and walking cash machine—keep losing for decades?
If she hadn't inherited the Senju Clan's colossal wealth, she'd have lost even her last stitch of clothing by now...
Therefore, the treasures stored in the Hyuga vault were solid gold and silver that wouldn't corrode over millennia, along with priceless jewels—
not the paper currency recently circulated in the Land of Fire.
And just like that, they plundered every ounce of real gold and silver within minutes.
Then they swiftly vanished without hesitation.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>