The courtyard of the Branch House Leader was dim, the night air biting with a cold that seeped into the bones.
Thud... Thud...
Dull, rhythmic impacts echoed in the silence.
A young boy with pale skin and bandages wrapped tight around his forehead stood before a wooden training post. He struck it repeatedly with fluid, practiced Gentle Fist strikes.
But as he continued, the boy's blank, childish face began to twist. The peace was replaced by ferocity. His strikes lost their gentleness, becoming violent and brutal.
He wasn't using chakra. He was smashing his bare flesh against solid wood. His knuckles were bloody and raw. The indentations in the wood were stained red.
It wasn't training. It was self-harm disguised as venting.
Yet, he showed no sign of stopping.
Neji's mind was filled with the memory of that day, a few days ago. The day he saw the Caged Bird for the first time.
Like every other day, he had gone to spar with the Main House heiress.
He had already been branded, but he hadn't understood what the seal meant. He naively believed the lies of the adults—that it symbolized the Branch House's "responsibility" to protect the Main House.
Responsibility.
The word meant nothing to him. As a big brother, protecting his little sister was something he would have done anyway. He loved Hinata.
Until that moment.
Until he saw his father—his hero—clutching his head, convulsing on the floor, screaming like a dying dog.
He had never understood why his father refused to take off his forehead protector even at home.
When it fell off that day, Neji saw the truth. The ugly green seal on his father's forehead seemed to writhe like a centipede. The veins bulged in agony.
And the man who was supposed to be his "Uncle"—the Clan Head—watched with cold indifference as he activated the seal.
"Just this once," Hiashi Hyūga had said, his Byakugan glinting in the dark room. "Do not forget your destiny."
That was the day Neji learned the true meaning of the Caged Bird.
It wasn't a symbol of duty. It was a slave collar. It gave the Main House the power to destroy their brains at a whim.
If a Branch member showed disloyalty, or failed in their "duty," the Main House could execute them instantly.
Everyone said the only way to escape this curse was death.
Since that day, the gentle Neji had frozen over. His gaze toward Hinata was no longer that of a loving brother, but of a hateful enemy.
Grrr!
Neji gritted his teeth, punching the wood harder. His father's words replayed in his ears.
"Neji, do not hate the Main House. The Caged Bird is not a curse, it is a protection."
"I understand, Father."
"Our Byakugan is coveted by enemies. The Main House does this to protect our secrets, for the future of the Hyūga."
"I understand, Father."
"This is our mission as the Branch House. This is our destiny. One day, you will understand."
"I understand, Father..."
CRACK!!
With a sharp snap, the wooden post finally gave way, snapping in half. Wood chips flew like snow.
Neji stumbled and fell to his knees. He looked at his bloody hands. His long black hair curtained his face.
"I understand, Father..." he whispered.
But I don't understand.
Why can the Main House accept this with such peace of mind?
What gives them the right?
Those people who harm their own kin... what right do they have to sit on our backs and call our sacrifice "destiny"?!
Click.
The sound of a door opening broke the silence.
Warm yellow light spilled into the yard, casting a long shadow over Neji's small form.
"Neji..."
Looking at his son's back, Hizashi's expression was a tangle of emotions.
Usually, Branch children were indoctrinated from birth. They grew up believing their purpose was to serve. They rejoiced at the Main House's praise and feared their anger.
Hizashi should have done the same. But he hadn't.
He had regretted it over the past three years, but seeing Neji's genuine smile when playing with Hinata had stopped him. He didn't want Neji to end up like him and his brother. He hoped Neji would accept the seal willingly out of love for Hinata.
He never expected that his own momentary lapse in control—his killing intent toward Hinata—would lead to this. That Neji would witness his punishment and be shattered by it.
"Father."
Neji stood up, hiding his bloody hands behind his back.
Hizashi walked over and gently patted Neji's head, forcing a gentle smile. "Neji, your Thirty-Two Palms is excellent. Soon, I can teach you the advanced techniques."
"Yes, Father." Neji's face was blank. There was no joy.
Hizashi's heart sank.
"Go clean your wounds," he said, glancing at Neji's hidden hands. "Don't do this again."
"..." Neji looked down. "Yes, Father."
Watching Neji walk into the house, Hizashi stood alone in the yard for a long time.
He had once tried to fight fate. But now he understood. Fate wasn't a person standing in front of you that you could strangle.
Fate had no weaknesses. It could advance or retreat. You couldn't escape it.
"I only hope that as he grows up, he can let go of this hatred," Hizashi whispered to the empty air. "The suffering he endures now... will become a treasure that makes him stronger."
Just as he turned to leave, a sneer carried on the wind reached his ears.
"Truly pathetic."
A voice spoke from nowhere.
"Unfortunate people are always busy creating people even more unfortunate than themselves."