Chapter 2: Neji: A Single Treasonous Thought, and the World Opens Wide
"Waaaa..."
The tears in Hinata's eyes, once a small wellspring, now overflowed like a broken dam. Neji was at a loss. How did his words make her cry even harder?
He had no idea how to comfort a child!
"Hinata-sama!"
A panicked voice suddenly cut through the air. A young man wearing a Konoha forehead protector rushed over. It was Hyūga Tokuma, one of Hinata's attendants.
"My lady, it is time to return. Lord Hiashi will be worried."
Hinata managed to stifle her sobs. She looked up at Neji, her voice timid. "Neji-niisan, can I come and play with you tomorrow?"
Neji glanced subtly at the composed expression on Tokuma's face, a silent sigh of relief escaping him. He smiled warmly and gently patted Hinata's head.
"I am at your service whenever you call, Hinata-sama."
"Promise?"
"It's a promise."
In the grandest mansion at the very center of the Hyūga clan compound, the cold wind howled, causing the withered branches to creak and groan like an old man in his final, painful moments.
"Father-sama, why?"
The veins at the corners of Hyūga Hiashi's eyes slowly receded. He turned to face the elder seated in the main hall, his voice heavy with confusion and doubt.
Hyūga Genkai took a sip of tea, his expression unreadable. "That boy, Neji, is far too exceptional," he explained calmly. "We must cultivate his talent carefully. Allowing him to form a bond with Hinata from a young age... is that not a wonderful thing?"
"Then, the Caged Bird..."
Before Hiashi could finish, he saw his father's face grow cold and severe. The words caught in his throat.
"The laws of our ancestors cannot be changed."
"Hiashi," Genkai said, his tone even but his pale eyes filled with a chilling indifference that made Hiashi's skin crawl, "let go of these unrealistic fantasies."
Hiashi slowly bowed his head.
Long ago, in the Warring States Period, the power of the Hyūga clan was second to none, not even to the Senju or the Uchiha. But over the centuries, the clan's influence had waned, its former glory a distant memory.
The root of this decay was the system of the Main and Branch families.
The children of the Sōke, the Main Family, would forever be the Sōke, tasked with leading the Hyūga. The children of the Bunke, the Branch Family, would forever be the Bunke, tasked with protecting the Sōke.
In Hiashi's view, this was completely detrimental to the clan's future. The foolish are designated as the Main Family, wasting resources. The talented are relegated to the Branch Family, their potential buried.
Hiashi had a mind to reform the clan, to distinguish between Main and Branch based on talent and merit. A genius like Neji should be given the status of the Main Family, to carry the future of the clan on his shoulders. The less talented children would be designated as the Branch Family and given the Caged Bird Curse Seal, receiving the clan's protection in return.
That's right!
For the weaker members of the Hyūga, the curse seal was not a cage, but a form of protection. Its very existence deterred those with sinister intentions from coveting their Byakugan.
Hiashi believed this philosophy could restore the clan's honor, that it could make the Hyūga great again. But to his astonishment, not a single member of the Main Family supported him. Not even his own father.
The Main Family did not care for the clan's interests, only their own.
Throughout history, individuals might betray their own interests, but a social class never would.
A bitter smile touched Hiashi's lips. The Clan Head must obey the will of the clan, or else he will be abandoned by all. Uchiha Madara was the perfect example. He defied the will of his clan and was ultimately ostracized, forced to leave Konoha alone, an outcast. Changing a clan was not something one or two people could accomplish.
If he insisted on pushing his ideals, his fate would be a hundred times worse than Madara's. It probably wouldn't be long before he would 'commit suicide' after being stabbed in the back eight times.
Hyūga Genkai nodded, satisfied. "Granting Neji one more year of freedom is the greatest tolerance the Main Family can show a genius. On the day of Hinata's birthday, you will place the Caged Bird upon him!"
"I understand, Father-sama."
"Look, the Kumo delegation is here!"
"The war... it's over."
"Long live the Hokage!"
As several Kumogakure shinobi, led by their Konoha escort, stepped through the village gates, the crowd of villagers gathered nearby erupted into cheers. Many spontaneously lined the streets, waving to show their goodwill to the Cloud ninja.
The villagers hated the Cloud shinobi, but they hated war even more. The conflict that had raged for nearly eight years was finally coming to an end. Every single villager's face was alight with a brilliant, heartfelt smile.
Neji watched the scene, but he couldn't bring himself to smile at all. The joys and sorrows of others are not connected. To him, it was all just noise.
It was a scene of vibrant celebration, but to Neji, it was like oil being poured on a raging fire, a beautiful display just before the inevitable explosion.
He knew the truth. This Kumo delegation was here under the false pretense of signing a peace treaty. Their real mission was to kidnap Hinata. When the plot was exposed, the head Kumo envoy would be struck down and killed by Hiashi on the spot. And then, who could have predicted that Kumogakure would have the audacity to demand Hiashi's life in return? In the end, his father, Hizashi, would be offered up as the sacrificial lamb.
Once his father was dead, his own life would become even worse.
"Huh?"
A sudden thought struck Neji, and his body began to tremble with a faint, excited shiver.
'What if... what if the Kumo ninja kidnap me instead of Hinata? When heaven closes a door, it opens a window! It opens a window!'
Kumogakure was a village that valued power above all else. The Raikage, while possessing the vision and courage befitting a Kage, were not above using underhanded tactics. If it would strengthen their village, they would take it. If they were strong enough, they would seize it by force. If not, they would steal it.
First, it was Uzumaki Kushina. Later, it would have been Hyūga Hinata.
Kumogakure was the best village in the Shinobi World to live in, bar none. You never heard of the Raikage abusing or assassinating their Jinchūriki. You never heard of the Raikage's students becoming international terrorists. You never heard of the Raikage suppressing clans with Kekkei Genkai through cruel policies. And you certainly never heard of any notable Missing-nin from Kumo. As for the Gold and Silver Brothers who assassinated the Second Raikage, that was just a coup d'état. A failed one is a coup; a successful one is a revolution.
Hah!
With a plan forming in his mind, a weight lifted from Neji's chest.
If he was stolen away to Kumogakure, the worst that could happen is that they'd force him to be a stud to propagate the Byakugan. When he thought of blonde bombshells and dark-skinned beauties, Neji found that he could accept such a fate.
The Branch Family had been so thoroughly oppressed by the Main Family that they had lost all their spirit. But Neji was different. He would rather be a breeding horse than a Caged Bird.
For the sake of freedom, all else can be cast away!
"So this is Konohagakure, the most powerful of the Hidden Villages?!"
Samui walked down the bustling street, her beautiful eyes wide with wonder as she took in the sights. Kumogakure was built on high mountain peaks, a vast and sparsely populated plateau where resources were incredibly scarce. Ninjutsu, secret techniques, even food and drink—everything had to be fought for.
Konoha, by contrast, was nestled in a temperate, hilly region with vast tracts of fertile land and a thriving economy. It was the most resource-rich village in the world. Nominally a "village," its size and population were no less than that of the Land of Fire's capital city.
Beside her, a stern-faced, purple-haired man spoke slowly. "The last time I was in Konoha was over twenty years ago."
Samui smiled. "I hope my next visit isn't another twenty years from now."
The man's gaze was firm. "It certainly won't be."
As they turned a corner, a child in a hurry bumped squarely into Samui's leg.
"Oof!"
With a cry of surprise, the child fell backward onto the ground.
"Hey, you little brat! Watch where you're going!" the Konoha ninja escorting them snapped, his face clouded with anger. The peace treaty was about to be signed. He couldn't afford an incident caused by some kid offending a Kumo kunoichi.
"Ugh, I hate sweets."
Samui felt a sticky, unpleasant sensation on her leg, as if she'd been smeared with something unclean. Looking down, she saw a stick of three-colored dango on the ground. It was the sugary syrup.