Chapter 5
HIKARI HYUGA
He had always known that such a day would come. Unlike what the world may believe because of his smiles and laughs, Hikari truly hated his clan. Hated the chains and the fate entrenched upon him just because of his birth, and so for him, the loss of his Kekkei Genkai mattered little.
And when the chains of the Caged Bird Seal were gone, the clan head had simply replaced them, holding him hostage once more, using his brother.
But the burden was gone now, and he had never felt freer in his life than he did so alone in that room, waiting for the judgment of the clan head.
The door to the room opened, and he looked up and saw the clan head standing there, imperious and unfazed as always, as those white pupil-less eyes turned towards him.
The door closed behind him as the man came and stood above him, and while others in his state and position would have prostrated themselves and begged for mercy, he looked the man straight in the eyes.
"You could have waited a day," Hiashi Hyuga said, and he chuckled at those words.
"They were the ones who attacked me," and perhaps he could have tried to de-escalate the situation, accept the beating, or he could have simply run away.
"And I saw no reason to delay the inevitable any longer than we already have," and given his lack of Byakugan, the clan would never let him become a shinobi regardless of his prowess. In the eyes of the clan, he was a disgrace that should have been erased long ago.
And he saw the aged man still at his words, as those lips tightened at his words.
"Your father would not have wanted this for you," and the truth was that he did not care for what his father wanted.
"We can't actually know that, given that he is dead," and he did not blame him for that. His father had made his own choice to replace him as the sacrifice. He had chosen to die in his brother's stead.
No, what he hated was what his brother had done with that sacrifice, or rather, what he had not done with it.
The traditions of the Hyuga clan were both archaic and demeaning, and yet for all his power, Hiashi Hyuga had done nothing but continue them as they were, refusing to stand up for his own twin and his children.
"I tried to stop him," Hiashi added, his voice rife with guilt.
"But he was the one who chose to go," and Hikari knew that. He knew it well.
"I am not angry that he replaced you," for which brother wouldn't sacrifice his life for his own brother. It was just in the nature of siblings to protect one another.
"I just hate the fact that he had to make that choice in the first place," and the reason that Hizashi had chosen to replace his brother was obvious, once one honestly thought about it.
He had done so not for Hiashi Hyuga, but for him and Neji. Because if it had been Hiashi who had died that day, then their father would have continued to lead the clan, and while Hiashi was a cruel man himself, Hittori Hyuga was the very man who had robbed him of his Byakugan.
With him as clan head, his children would have suffered the same fate as himself so Hizashi had chosen to replace his brother, hoping that Hiashi would give his children a better future than their father had given him.
"Do you really want to be a ninja, knowing that it will put your life in danger?" Hiashi asked, and there was kindness in that tone.
"You could have a much simpler and safer life here," but he did not want to have a safe life. He wanted to fulfill his promise and change this clan and its archaic traditions.
"I will be a shinobi, one way or another," he declared, refusing to back down.
"But do you truly understand the consequences of your decision then?" he asked, and just as he was about to nod, the man stopped.
"You don't," he whispered.
"You no longer possess the Byakugan, and so if you were to become a ninja, you would have to forego the name of this clan. You would have to cease being a Hyuga," and that name meant nothing to him.
"That name means nothing to me," he declared as Hiashi's face tightened before the man turned away and walked towards the door.
"Then so be it," and just as he was at the door, the man stopped for a second and cast one final glance at him as Hikari turned away, and offered him sage advice.
"Make good use of this opportunity, Hiashi-sama," he whispered, for it was not every day that a clan head found an opportunity to put two elder families in their place.
"I will," he answered back as he left him alone, as Hikari lay there staring at his hand, as he reminded himself of his goal.
"I will change this clan..." he whispered strongly, for he still remembered his promise to his brother.
"No matter what..."
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HIASHI HYUGA
In the end, Hiashi failed his brother. Years ago, he could not save him from the burdens of his birth, and now the same burdens and chains were about to afflict his son, while all he could do was hope that the next generation would be able to do things differently.
The Hyuga clan was not a complete hegemony, and though he was the clan head, much of the power remained vested in the elders, each of whom was the head of a Main line.
So, despite being the clan head, he was powerless to challenge the traditions that had endured for a thousand years, traditions that granted considerable power to the elders of the main line, who viewed it as their absolute right to rule over the branch family members with absolute power and tyranny.
He had tried to change things, attempted to fulfill the promise that he had made to his brother. But the most significant hurdle in this endeavor was the man sitting behind him, Hittori Hyuga.
His own father.
His only triumph until now had been delaying the sealing ritual for his two daughters, as he prayed and hoped that Hinata and Hanabi would be saved from the fate that had destroyed his and Hizashi's lives.
The whole clan gathered in front of him, comprising both the Branch and the Main families, and the divide and resentment were obvious in the eyes of the Branch family as they sat to one side, while Hikari sat on the floor, waiting for his judgment.
The two main line boys, Shinji and Watanabe, sat there, bodies bandaged and eyes glaring at his brother's son, while the rest of the main line members all eyed him with some fear and anger—all except for his daughter.
Hinata, who sat at the head of the line, watched him with pity and anxiety, and she had come to plead with him twice, offering even to accept the blame for her cousin's perceived crimes, but in the end, Hikari was more like his father than he would ever care to admit.
So, he took a deep breath as he announced his decision to all those gathered here.
"I have made my decision," he announced, and the room grew silent at those words as he gazed at the two affected parties.
"What transpired in the forests was a disgrace to the Hyuga name, and I must reiterate that repetition of any such incident will not be tolerated ever again," for this matter had stoked the lingering hostilities that threatened to push the clan to the brink, and while a part of him could feel that change was near, until then it fell upon his shoulders to hold the clan together.
"For the crime of attacking a fellow clan member, an untrained clan member," he emphasised as he gazed at the two genins.
"Shinji and Watanabe Hyuga shall be stripped of their privileges for the year and shall spend it in confinement," and their surprise was palpable, as he saw them rise in protest.
"This is preposterous!" "Untrained! He nearly kille..." and his chakra roared forth, as he saw the elders behind him splutter and rush to speak up.
"ENOUGH!" Though his words shut them up, and he could feel his father's piercing gaze on his back, contemplating the plot that he had hatched.
Hiashi had long come to terms with the fact that he could not change the clan, that he lacked both the power and fortitude to bring about the needed change. But while he could not do that, he had both the power and the opportunity to give the next generation the best chance to bring about that change.
And this punishment was a step in that direction. He was certain that their fathers would rush to see him the moment this session was over, and when they came to him, Hiashi would lessen this punishment, though not before exacting a heavy toll from him.
Until today, Elder Shinji and Elder Watanabe were his father's men, but if they wished to save their children, they would have to shift their loyalties.
"You went against one of my direct orders! You should be thankful that I have not put that seal upon you to show you what it means to follow orders," and their faces paled at those words, for there was no greater punishment for a Main line member than being branded with the Caged Bird Seal, to be made equal to the lesser branch line.
But if he had been so harsh on the boys just for defying his order, he had no choice but to be equally harsh on his nephew—Hikkari.
Unlike his brother, Hikari had always understood the subtleties of politics and traditions and how they chained their lives. It was why the boy had spoken those words to him last night, for he knew that this was an opportunity for him to shift the balance of power in the clan,
But this shift would come at a cost.
"As for you, Hikari Hyuga," he whispered as Hizashi's son sat straight, refusing to back down under his scrutinizing gaze.
"You not only attacked two members of the esteemed Main Line family, you also went against both tradition and order to secretly train in the ninja arts, despite clear orders from me, the Clan Head," and they grew silent at the accusations.
"Do you have anything to say in your defence?" and the entire Hall waited for his answer, as he opened his mouth and spoke the words.
"No," and he closed his eyes as he sought forgiveness from his brother.
"Then, for breaking the laws of the clan and nearly killing two of your betters," and the boy already knew the punishment awaiting him, and smiled as he finished his words.
Hiashi's gaze swept the room. Silence thickened. Every breath seemed to wait for his next words. For a moment, his eyes softened — but only for a heartbeat before steel replaced them. Finally, his voice cut through the air.
"I, Hiashi Hyuga, strip you of the Hyuga name…"
Yet this was not just harsh. This was cruel for stripping the clan name from an orphan like him meant leaving him poor and helpless, forcing him to find his own way in the world without anyone to rely on.
But if there was any child who could strive and survive against this indictment, then it was Hikari, for though the rest of the clan may think the boy's genius lost along with his eyes, Hiashi knew better.
Hikari Hyuga was once considered to be on par with Itachi Uchiha's genius. While the loss of the Byakugan was a significant blow to his potential, he still retained the mind and the resilience which had made them compare him to the boy genius of the Uchiha clan.
Hinata was the first to react, and just as she was about to speak up in his defence, the boy cut in.
"I accept," and many gasped at his audacity, as he rose from the ground and scoffed haughtily, as he looked around the room.
"I never cared much for that name anyway...."
.
.
.
Late into the night, as he sat in his solar, there was a knock on his door as a servant came in.
"Hiashi-sama..." but before the servant could say anything more, he cut in as he quietly put down the brush.
"Let them in," he said, and the woman bowed as the doors were slid back, as the two elders entered his room, hoping to lessen the sentence of their two children.
"Hiashi-sama," they bowed to him, as Hiashi looked at them with a raised brow.
"Elder Watanabe, Elder Shinji," he greeted, as the two men came and stood in front of him, and began slowly.
"We have come to make a request of you...." and though it was not much, but that night the balance of power in the Hyuga clan shifted slightly, as Hiashi found himself inching closer and closer to his goal.
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