A Hyuga Main Family ninja suddenly rushed in and bowed anxiously.
"Lord Gensuke! Something has happened in the Archives Room!"
"Archives Room?"
Hyuga Gensuke's face drained of color. Just as he heard the alarm sound from Hinata's residence, another disaster had emerged. Without saying a word, he stood up and sprinted toward the secret Archives.
The Archives Room stored over a thousand years of Hyuga Clan history. Among those ancient scrolls was the most important one—the casting scroll of the Caged Bird Seal. If that scroll was ever stolen, the fate of every Branch Family member carrying the seal would instantly fall into foreign hands.
The Main–Branch system that had lasted centuries would collapse overnight.
Moments later, Gensuke arrived at the hidden Archive Room.
"Byakugan—activate!"
His vision expanded as he carefully scanned every shelf and drawer. Slowly, some tension left his shoulders. The cabinet holding the Caged Bird Seal scroll was intact. The scroll was still inside.
Yet when he opened the cabinet and checked it more closely, Gensuke's relief faded again.
The complex sealing formation surrounding the scroll had been triggered.
The thief had attempted to open it—but had failed.
Only the Hyuga Clan Master and a few high-ranking Main Family elders were capable of unsealing the scroll. Anyone else attempting it would trigger the defensive layers. But whoever broke in was clearly not versed in sealing arts and failed to open it.
Gensuke continued searching the rest of the room. None of the high-level jutsu scrolls were disturbed, but when he reached the shelves storing the clan's historical records, he froze.
One of the historical texts—specifically the one detailing the origin of the Caged Bird Seal—was missing.
Gensuke narrowed his eyes.
"Orochimaru… so your goal isn't only the Byakugan, but the Caged Bird Seal as well?"
Hinata's kidnapping, the triggered seal, the stolen clan history—everything pointed toward the same enemy. Orochimaru had already slain Hiruzen Sarutobi and sent people after Hinata; naturally, Gensuke assumed he was also behind this.
After one final inspection, he left the Archive Room with a heavy expression.
Outside, the Main Family Elder and several guards waited with restless faces. First Hinata had been kidnapped, now the Archives breached. Shame and anger simmered among both Main and Branch members. It was only a matter of time before the entire village mocked the Hyuga Clan again.
When Gensuke emerged, the Elder immediately asked, "Is the Caged Bird Seal scroll still there?"
Gensuke nodded. The elders exhaled in relief.
The scroll was protected by a sealing technique more sophisticated than even the Uzumaki Clan's Four Symbols Seal. Its theft had always been unlikely—but the mere possibility was enough to terrify the Main Family elders.
The nearby Branch Family members wore complicated expressions. They resented being bound by the Caged Bird Seal, yet they were equally afraid of that power falling into improper hands.
---
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Hyuga compound…
In a dimly lit hidden room, Hyuga Taichi wheeled himself toward a small square table. He placed an aged, yellowed clan history scroll on the surface and quietly began reading.
His legs were crippled, severed long ago.
But no one knew he was an expert in the Spirit Transformation Technique and Puppet Secret Technique. His disability had never hindered him—and in fact, it had become his greatest camouflage.
The Main Family elders would never suspect a cripple.
During the Third Great Ninja War, Taichi had accompanied a Main Family elder to the eastern border. Underestimating the enemy and advancing carelessly, the elder had led them straight into a Kirigakure ambush, resulting in the loss of a Byakugan.
Hyuga Taichi was punished heavily as the escort. His legs were taken, his future shattered.
From that moment on, a burning hatred toward the corrupt clan system began to grow within him.
As he continued reading, his movements gradually slowed. Eventually he stopped and fell into deep contemplation.
This record described the origins of the Main Family–Branch Family system, and the creation of the Caged Bird Seal.
Contrary to common belief, the Branch Family system did not exist from the beginning. Nor did the Caged Bird Seal.
Roughly three hundred years ago, after a devastating Shinobi World War, the Hyuga Clan suffered immense losses and was nearly incapable of defending itself. To protect the Byakugan from being harvested by other clans, an exceptionally gifted Hyuga elder developed the Caged Bird Seal.
Only later was the Main–Branch system formed around it.
In other words, the seal came first—the hierarchy came after.
The seal had originally been meant as a protective measure. But over centuries, it was modified, twisted, weaponized… until it became a system of control imprisoning every Branch member.
After finishing the record, Taichi's brows furrowed tightly.
History is written by the victors.
The authors of clan histories would never record the clan's darkest secrets. If they had, those histories would never have been preserved. Taichi did not fully believe everything written.
Something felt wrong.
The Hyuga Clan was not as powerful as Senju or Uchiha, but it was still one of the greatest bloodline clans in history. What war could have crippled them so severely?
That was the first inconsistency.
The second was even stranger.
The Caged Bird Seal far surpassed even the Uzumaki sealing arts in complexity. No Branch Family member had ever escaped it. How could the Hyuga Clan—who possessed no deep sealing heritage—have created such a technique alone?
Unless…
Taichi's eyes sharpened.
"If the records are true, then the one who created the seal… could it have been Hyuga Ichizoku?"
There was no mention of that name in any clan history. Yet the Yotsuki Clan's records—connected now through Neji—contained clear references to a Hyuga Ichizoku, real name Hyuga Zechen, the strongest Hyuga of his era.
The Yotsuki wouldn't invent an enemy out of thin air. If their records mentioned him, then he existed.
Taichi sighed, tossing the record onto the brazier.
"I can't rely only on these edited records. I can't find Ichizoku or the Giant Tenseigan like this."
But as the scroll burned, he noticed something strange—a single page refused to burn. Its original ink vanished, replaced by faint crimson characters.
Shocked, Taichi activated his Byakugan and examined it.
The page revealed hidden text:
---
Secret Iron-Blooded History of the Hyuga
In the 321st year of the Sengoku Era, the Hyuga Clan rose to unprecedented power. The designated successor, Hyuga Zechen, stood equal to the leaders of the Senju and Uchiha Clans.
Ambitious, the Hyuga Clan began expanding outward, conquering clans such as the Aburame and Kazematsuri.
Threatened, the oppressed clans recruited Senju and Uchiha to launch a joint siege on the Hyuga, paying a heavy price.
The Hyuga's ally, the Kaguya Clan, was embroiled in war with the Hozuki Clan and could not assist.
Surrounded by two great clans, the Hyuga suffered catastrophic losses and faced annihilation.
In the third year of the war, the Hyuga Clan Leader sacrificed hundreds of clan members to create a war weapon.
Hyuga Zechen wielded the Giant Tenseigan, crushing the allied forces. The Senju Leader died on the battlefield, and the Uchiha Leader was gravely injured.
The Hyuga did not pursue victory; instead they negotiated peace with the other clans, ending the four-year war.
Shortly afterward, a horrific calamity occurred—the Hyuga Clan was struck by a mysterious curse, and their population began to collapse rapidly—
---
The record ended abruptly.
Taichi's heart pounded in excitement.
"Hyuga Zechen… Ichizoku… a war weapon… the Giant Tenseigan… It all makes sense now! And a curse on the clan? What kind of curse? I must investigate the histories of other clans. I'll need to infiltrate the Archive Room again."
---
Two days later — In the warfront camp
News of Hiruzen Sarutobi's death reached Jiraiya.
He froze.
While he fought desperately on the battlefield, the old man—his teacher—had died far away.
When he learned that Orochimaru was the killer, Jiraiya's emotions tangled painfully. He could not understand how a master and student could fall into such hatred.
At that moment, Nara Shikaku approached.
"Lord Jiraiya, the Third Hokage is gone. Continuing this war is meaningless."
Jiraiya exhaled softly.
"Shikaku, send envoys to the Kumogakure outpost in the Land of Hot Water. Initiate peace talks."
He had already considered this when Kikyō Castle fell and the Konoha forces were routed. Even if Hiruzen had lived, Jiraiya would not have wanted to continue the war. His only concern previously was Danzo's objections.
Now, Hiruzen's death provided a justification to bypass the village elders and personally begin negotiations.
Shikaku nodded. "I will handle the ceasefire. But there is a more important matter."
Jiraiya raised a brow. "You mean… the Hokage position?"
"Yes." Shikaku's tone was heavy. "The village has fallen far below its former glory. You know very well what has caused it."
"Konoha cannot continue rotting like this."
"Lord Jiraiya, you must become Hokage. Only you can change the village."
Aside from Jiraiya, only Inoichi Yamanaka remained in the tent. Kurama Murakumo had died, and Choza was bedridden with illness. Shikaku and Inoichi were among Jiraiya's last remaining comrades.
Inoichi added, "The choice is between you and Danzo. And you know what kind of leader Danzo would be. If he becomes Hokage, the village will suffer ten times more."
Jiraiya's expression hardened. He had felt similar concerns during the Third Great War.
"Shikaku, Inoichi… I'm not suited for this. I'm lazy, unreliable, and I can't protect the Hokage position properly." He paused. "But you're right about one thing—Danzo must not become Hokage."
"I cannot be Hokage. But there is someone who can."
Shikaku's eyes brightened. "Lady Tsunade?"
"Exactly." Jiraiya nodded. "The Hokage position originally belonged to the Senju Clan. It's only right that it returns to its rightful heir."
Inoichi agreed. But Shikaku was not convinced.
"Lady Tsunade is wandering the world, avoiding all contact. Even if we find her, will she agree to become Hokage? She left Konoha for reasons far deeper than blood phobia."
Tsunade had lost her brother and lover on the battlefield—but that was not the true reason she left. The true reason was Konoha's leadership.
When the Uzumaki Clan was wiped out, Konoha had turned a blind eye. Later, Konoha's higher-ups performed inhumane experiments on Senju members to recreate Hashirama's Wood Release. The Senju Clan was nearly destroyed as a result, forced to disperse into the general population.
Her hatred was not toward Konoha itself—but toward its corrupt leaders.
Jiraiya shook his head. "The old man is gone. Konoha is changing. I believe she will return."
Shikaku sighed. "But Danzo won't sit still and wait for Tsunade. He'll seize power before she comes back."
Jiraiya clenched his fist.
"Before Tsunade returns… I will appoint her as the Fifth Acting Hokage."
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