Tick… tick…
The steady ticking of a clock echoed in Akira's ears.
Time passed slowly.
When his front door finally creaked open, two Hyuga clan members stood waiting.
"Hyuga Akira," the woman in the lead said coldly. "The Main House has summoned you. You're coming with us."
Akira slowly opened his eyes and rose from the meditation mat.
"Let's go."
The moment the precious Main House heir got a scratch, he knew this would happen.
He stepped outside, the two shinobi flanking him, one in front, one behind, like they were escorting a prisoner.
Well, to the Main House, he was a criminal.
As they walked through the compound, several Branch members paused and glanced at them.
"Wait, what happened to Akira?"
"Didn't he just become a ninja?"
"That's the path to the council hall..."
Whispers followed them.
But the moment they realized what this meant, the chatter quickly died down.
Still, worry lingered in the air. Akira wasn't just any Branch member, he was a prodigy. And he'd always been warm and approachable to the other Branch folk.
Plenty had gotten to know him.
Of course, that was mostly because he'd been trying to test whether the quest system existed, hoping to trigger tasks by raising favorability.
No quests came of it, but he did make a lot of friends.
That said, with the Main House involved, none of them dared speak up.
Akira didn't expect anyone to.
His only real shield now was his status as an active-duty ninja.
As long as he wasn't killed or disabled, they couldn't touch him.
If the Hyuga wanted to risk a confrontation with the Hokage faction, let them.
Worst case? Maybe there's a respawn system.
The game he'd transmigrated from did have resurrection mechanics. Sure, you'd lose a level or two, but you came back.
And anyway, it's not like they'd dare.
Not because they were merciful, but because it just wasn't worth the risk.
The two escorts brought him into the council chamber.
"Chamber" was a fancy word. It was just a traditional tatami room, where four elderly Hyuga sat kneeling on floor cushions, lined up along the sides.
At the head of the room sat a middle-aged man who looked uncannily similar to Hiashi.
Akira scanned the room.
Hiashi wasn't present.
But he recognized everyone else.
The Hyuga Main House's Council of Elders.
The Hyuga had five Main House branches, each overseeing a different area of authority.
Hiashi's lineage held the Clan Leader Line, which governed the entire clan.
The other four:
• Byakugan Preservation Line
• Contingency Line (responsible for last-resort defense and internal secrecy)
• Private Property Line (clan resources)
• Weaponry and Ninjutsu Line
Only the Clan Leader Line was permitted to join Konoha's shinobi forces. The other four lines were forbidden from leaving the village, chained to the clan's compound for life.
It was all to prevent the Byakugan from leaking outside.
Even in later generations, the few Main House members seen outside the clan likely belonged to the Leader Line alone.
Honestly, looking at it from an outsider's perspective?
The whole Hyuga Clan was just… tragic.
The Branch Family lived shackled under the Caged Bird Seal.
The Main House, aside from the Leader Line, was imprisoned in Konoha, forbidden from stepping outside.
They were all just suffering, in different cages.
Only the Leader Line enjoyed true freedom.
Hiashi, for instance, hadn't taken on a single mission in two years. His recent outing was a carefully arranged test by his father, the clan head, not a limitation.
Later, when other Main House members started appearing in the Konoha ranks, it could only mean one thing:
The Hyuga had lost autonomy under growing pressure from the Hokage.
Other clans had been torn apart by outsiders.
The Hyuga? They did it to themselves.
"Hyuga Akira!" shouted the elder seated on the left, Hyuga Hono. "Do you acknowledge your wrongdoing?"
"What exactly did I do wrong?" Akira replied calmly.
"You show no remorse," said another elder, Hyuga Fang, on the right, tone ice-cold.
"You repeatedly disrespected the heir of the clan," Hono snapped. "And you even injured him during the mission. Do you deny it?"
Akira sneered. "So what if he got offended by a few words? He got a boo-boo during combat? We're ninja. People get hurt during missions. And he attacked me first."
"You dared strike back against the clan heir?" Fang slammed his palm down. "Have you forgotten your place as a Branch member?"
"Oh, I remember just fine. But let me ask, if the young lord crumbles under some light banter, and can't beat a freshly graduated genin… does he really deserve to be the Clan Heir?"
That shut them up, momentarily.
One of the elders on the right, Hyuga Kōkū, chimed in, tone sharp:
"If the Branch Family exists to protect the Main House, then this has nothing to do with whether Hiashi is strong or not."
"Don't deflect," said the fourth elder, Hyuga Fu, from the left. "He's been a ninja for two years. You think it's not shameful to lose to someone who just graduated?"
Tension mounted.
The Hyuga Clan Head, Hyuga Masayuki(Hyuga Elder), father of Hiashi, sat at the head, his expression darkening.
That jab hit too close to home.
He finally spoke, voice steady but cold. "We are here to judge Hyuga Akira. A Branch member who defied orders and raised his hand against the Main House."
Kōkū snorted and fell silent.
Akira understood now, there was division even among the Main House.
Clearly, some of the elders resented the freedom the Leader Line enjoyed.
Masayuki turned his gaze on Akira.
But Akira remained unfazed, as if this entire debate had nothing to do with him.
Masayuki frowned. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
Akira shrugged, lips twisting into a smirk.
"What's the point? I'm just a Branch member. I know what that means."
He was just here to play along with the script.
Masayuki's tone chilled. "Hyuga Akira, for insubordination and assault against the Main House, you will be confined for ten days as punishment."
Two guards stepped forward to seize him.
But,
"Father, wait!"
Hiashi burst through the doorway and dropped to his knees beside Akira.
"It was just a heated argument. The punishment is too severe!"
He knew full well,
That ten-day confinement wasn't just a cell. It was the Hyuga's infamous dark chamber.
No food. No water. Pure sensory and psychological torture.
Only trained ninja could survive that long without sustenance, but even they'd be driven near mad with hunger and isolation.
Masayuki's eyes flickered, just for a moment, with what looked like approval.
Then it vanished.
Akira let out a small, mocking laugh but didn't speak.
Better to not be locked up. He still had EXP to farm.
The rest of the elder council fell silent.
All eyes were on Masayuki.
He finally spoke.
"The clan rules cannot be discarded."
Hiashi looked up, voice resolute. "Hyuga Akira is my squadmate. If he's removed, our team cannot function. I ask for leniency, for the sake of the mission."
Akira exhaled quietly.
The strong hold the power. One day…
One day, when I'm strong enough…
He would show them.
If their positions were reversed,
He'd teach them what true cruelty really looked like.
<><>---------------------------------------
200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapters
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🚨 TL/N 💥
Hello guys Fanfic recommendation!
Check out my other work:
💥> Naruto: Mind Control (Highly Recommended)
💥> Bleach: Sephiroth Template
If you like smart and strong MC, this fanfic is for you.
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