Suddenly, the dull council hall doors swung open.
Katsu Hyuga appeared.
"Elder, Clan Head, the rebelling branch family members have been subdued."
"Thank you for your hard work."
The Elder forced a smile.
He knew Katsu Hyuga's situation wasn't good either.
As a member of the branch family who supported the main family, it was okay in normal times. But now, with the growing hostility, Katsu Hyuga had been branded as a lackey.
That's why he needs to make his stance clearer.
"Elder, what should we do?"
After Katsu Hyuga left, Hyuga Kazushi asked with a bitter face.
A letter from the Anbu of Sunagakure had completely disrupted their plans.
It was pointless to say anything now.
Hearing this, the Elder fell silent.
Hiashi Hyuga clenched and then unclenched his fists. He moved his lips and tentatively said, "Maybe we can loosen the Cage Bird jutsu appropriately?"
"Absolutely not!"
The Elder's reaction exceeded Hiashi Hyuga's expectations.
His face as cold as ice, he said coldly, "The Cage Bird jutsu is the cornerstone for our main family's survival. Do you really think that if we lift the Cage Bird jutsu, the branch family members will be grateful to us? I'm afraid we'll be dead the next second!"
"But..."
"Don't mention this matter again!"
The Elder waved his sleeves and got up. "Let the branch family make a fuss. I'd like to see what waves they can stir up with the Cage Bird jutsu in place."
After saying that, he ignored the two of them and left the council hall.
Hyuga Kazushi looked at Hiashi Hyuga, who was silent with his head down, and sighed.
"What the Elder said makes sense. Once we lift the Cage Bird jutsu, it'll be difficult for the main family to deal with the branch family with our current strength."
"Father, does there really need to be such a clear distinction between the main family and the branch family?"
Hyuga Kazushi was stunned into silence.
After a moment, he said, "It's destined from birth."
Hiashi Hyuga opened his mouth silently.
"Don't go out these days. The main family guards will protect you around the clock."
Hyuga Kazushi patted his shoulder and left without hesitation. He had a lot of things to handle now.
After a long time.
Hiashi Hyuga stood up.
"Hizashi, why are you here?"
He turned around and saw Hizashi Hyuga, who looked exactly like him.
"I'm here to see Father."
Hizashi Hyuga's tone was cold, showing no brotherly affection at all.
"..."
Hiashi Hyuga felt a pang in his heart.
The Cage Bird jutsu.
It was all the fault of the Cage Bird jutsu.
The younger brother who used to run after him and play with him in childhood is no longer there.
"I thought you'd be different from the other main family members."
Hizashi Hyuga stopped at the door. "It turns out you're the same. Am I your real brother or your slave?"
Silence.
It's as if all sounds fade away before death approaches.
Hiashi Hyuga stared blankly at the sky outside the door.
They should have been as free as birds.
But he could do nothing.
What a useless person!
Hiashi Hyuga slumped to the ground.
After a moment, he suddenly jolted.
My lord Haruki!
Thinking of this, Hiashi Hyuga quickly got up and disappeared from the hall using the Shifting Body Technique.
He quickly skimmed over the rooftops and arrived at the Research institute.
"Is Lord Haruki here?"
"Please follow me."
The guard seemed to not seem to find it strange at all and led him to the hall.
"Hiashi, long time no see."
Haruki put down the pen in his hand as he had been working on a novel lately.
Although he had the memories of his past life, he hadn't read the original story.
His writing was just so - so.
So he sorted out the plot of the anime and had a professional writer write it.
"Lord Haruki, please, teach me!" Hiashi Hyuga directly knelt on the ground.
"Why do you think I can teach you?" Haruki glanced at him and asked.
"Because you deliberately gave me the Scroll of the Cage Bird jutsu."
To be honest, Hiashi Hyuga even suspected that Haruki was the mastermind behind everything.
But he couldn't figure out where Haruki got so much power.
Wood Release, Public Opinion, and the Anbu of Sunagakure.
It was simply beyond what a mere Medical Ninja could do.
Maybe it was just a coincidence.
"Not too dumb."
Haruki smiled and said,
"I won't hide anything from you. The reason I studied the Cage Bird jutsu was to invite the Ninjas of the Hyuga clan to be my medical assistants. The Byakugan is very useful in medicine. Coincidentally, I came into contact with many branch family Ninjas during the war. But they were restricted by the Cage Bird jutsu and it was difficult for me to make use of them."
"I see."
Hiashi Hyuga completely dispelled his doubts.
What Haruki said was reasonable.
"Well, Hiashi, since you've got the scroll, why are you still coming to me?"
Haruki feigned confusion and went on, "I'm not pulling your leg. The scroll has all the info."
"I'm not saying that Lord Haruki lied to me."
Hiashi Hyuga quickly shook his head. He sighed slightly and told Haruki about how the Elders had strictly refused his proposal.
"I'm not surprised."
Haruki walked up to him, squatted down, and asked, "Do you know why your Elders reacted so violently?"
Hiashi Hyuga shook his head.
"The system of the Cage Bird jutsu has been around for a long time. It was originally meant to prevent the Byakugan from spreading, but it eventually went astray. Let me ask you, who benefits the most from the Cage Bird jutsu?"
"It's the main clan..." Hiashi Hyuga said absent - mindedly.
"That's right. Does your Elder have such power because he has the strength comparable to that of the Hokage? No, it's not. It's because of the Cage Bird jutsu. He is a beneficiary and defender of the old system. And the proposal you made seriously damaged his interests. If you weren't from the main clan, you might have lost your life long ago."
"Oh, my!"
Hiashi Hyuga was all at sea.
Now that Haruki had explained it, he suddenly saw the light.
Power.
Was this the taste of power?
"Lord Haruki, what should I do?"
Hiashi Hyuga looked at Haruki blankly.
He didn't know where to start. A sense of helplessness welled up in him, and he could only pin his hopes on Haruki.
"It's a tough nut to crack."
Haruki looked troubled and shook his head. "You can't persuade them just by talking."
"Even you don't have a way out?" Hiashi Hyuga asked dejectedly.
"There's only one way."
Haruki took out a Kunai and stuffed it into his hand, saying gently, "Kill him."
Hiashi Hyuga was stunned.
He was so terrified that he dropped it.
The Kunai hit the floor, making a clear sound.
"Oh my god! What... What did you just say?"
His body couldn't help trembling, as if suspecting there was something wrong with his ears.
"The Cage Bird jutsu is like a pair of shackles binding the wings of a bird. If you want to soar in the clouds, you have to break the shackles and stage a revolution."
Haruki stood up and casually said the most dangerous thing.
Hiashi Hyuga stared at his figure, momentarily lost in thought, not knowing how to respond.
He only felt that Haruki today seemed like a complete stranger he had never met before.
The warm and sunny Medical Ninja in his impression simply couldn't overlap with the image in front of him.
Which one was the real Haruki?
"This is your own business in the Hyuga clan. You should make the decision yourself."
Haruki took out a medicine bottle and placed it in front of him.
"This kind of medicine can cause cardiac paralysis and won't be regarded as poisoning. Whether to use it or not is entirely up to you."
<><><><><><><><>
~ 80+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
p-atreon.com/Tansnovel
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
~ Every 50 Powerstones = 4 Bonus Chapters on the weekend!