Neji Hyuga left the Hokage Building and headed toward the Hyuga Clan compound.
Takashi Hyuga, who had been waiting for a long time, appeared at Neji Hyuga's side in a Body Flicker. Following behind him, he lowered his head and reported, "Lord Neji, every member of the Hyuga Clan has gathered at the Hyuga family ancestral shrine."
"Mm." Neji Hyuga answered, then led Takashi Hyuga directly into the Hyuga Clan compound and arrived before the ancestral shrine, where nearly every Hyuga family member had assembled.
Even members of the Hyuga Branch Family stationed in other countries from the Land of Rain had all returned to take part in this long-awaited reform.
When Neji Hyuga appeared, the gathered members of the Hyuga Branch Family stepped aside one after another. The crowd split down the middle, allowing Neji Hyuga to walk into the center.
At the center stood the Main Family, represented by Hiashi Hyuga, their faces grim as they glared hatefully at Neji Hyuga.
"Neji Hyuga, as one of Konoha's great clans, you appear without even the courtesy of prior notice. As a member of the Branch Family..." The Main Family's Fifth Elder angrily rebuked him, flicking his sleeve. He berated Neji Hyuga over morality and upbringing, his words fierce, as though Neji Hyuga had become an utterly unforgivable sinner of the Hyuga Clan.
Yet the Fifth Elder of the Main Family could only curse Neji Hyuga verbally. The Third and Fourth Elders, who had once wanted to deal with Neji Hyuga directly, had died at Neji Hyuga's hands. Later, Hiashi Hyuga, the head of the Main Family, had tried to use the Caged Bird Seal against Neji Hyuga, only to be beaten so badly by Neji Hyuga that he had spent two and a half years recovering.
Before the Chunin