Caged Bird Gets Another Seal?

In the snow.

Hinata Hyuga was mocked by three older children, and her innocent eyes filled with tears, which eventually flowed uncontrollably.

A small figure crouched in the snow, surrounded by three older children, clearly of the Ninja Academy age. Perhaps it was their ignorant and fearless envy that led them to mock them.

Just then, a figure appeared, calmly looking at the three children. The three kids were startled. In their eyes Forehead Protector and ninja sword represented ninjas. Naturally, their fear caused them to panic.

"You little brats, didn't your parents teach you not to bully children younger than yourself, especially a girl?"

It was Uchiha Yoru appeared, speaking calmly to the three kids, but his eyes were fixed on the thin child who had just jumped off the swing in the distance. It seemed that the child was about to walk towards them, but froze when he saw Yoru.

At that Hinata Hyuga was shedding tears of grievance when a gentle hand stroked her head. When she looked up, she saw a figure with sharp features.

"The Hyuga Family."

At this moment, Uchiha Yoru narrowed his eyes as he watched this scene. He seemed to have intercepted the Crown Princess, and then looked at the thin figure in the distance.

"Brother Yoru." With a whoosh, Uchiha Shisui instantly appeared behind him. He spoke to his older brother with a solemn expression, but his eyes were fixed on the child in the distance.

Shisui knew the child's identity, but precisely because he did, the Uchiha Clan had to avoid him and absolutely could not make contact with him, otherwise they would only be used by those with ulterior motives.

But the child's thin frame and frail clothes presented a stark irony.

Turning around calmly, Uchiha Yoru took Hinata Hyuga's hand and left. Before leaving, he glanced at the thin figure in the distance, but secretly pondered, "Jinchuriki!"

Uchiha Shisui secretly breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this, as he was afraid of causing any misunderstandings, since contact between the clan and Jinchuriki could easily lead to trouble.

Despite feeling relieved, Uchiha Shisui's feelings were unusually complicated at this moment, because he could clearly see the Jinchuriki's frail appearance with his keen observation skills as a ninja.

"Shisui, you should get a new outfit next time. Don't tarnish the reputation of the Konoha Military Police Force. Don't go to this store again."

Under Shisui's astonished gaze, Uchiha Yoru calmly tossed a gold voucher out of his pocket, as if to say, "We're Noble Houses, how could we possibly go to such a shabby shop?"

In the snow and wind, the coupon was carried by the wind and landed on the head of the thin child in the distance.

At that moment, Naruto Uzumaki looked at the coupon that had landed on his forehead, instinctively took it off, and gazed at the two figures in the distance. Just as he was about to wave or call out to them, a voice suddenly came from afar, as if the other party disliked the coupon.

Naruto Uzumaki's mood immediately plummeted, but then he saw the coupon in his palm. The front had a big "Grand Opening" sign, and the back said that the coupon could be redeemed for a set of winter children's clothing, with limited availability.

On the thin, bony palm with clearly visible blue veins, the palm lines appeared somewhat rough, but suddenly a drop of water fell onto the hand holding the coupon.

The moment he looked up, Naruto Uzumaki's eyes were filled with tears, but a big, innocent smile appeared on his face.

The hidden Anbu frowned upon seeing this, but breathed a sigh of relief once they realized there was no problem.

Uchiha Shisui, however, wore a helpless smile and said to Uchiha Yoru, "Brother Yoru, that's mine."

Despite this, his heart was filled with warmth. His Brother Yoru Ye's calm demeanor seemed to be doing heartless things, yet he was doing heartwarming things.

At this moment, he was filled with complex emotions. Not only did the Third Hokage's brilliance seem less intense, but it also filled him with suspicion.

The two walked calmly towards the Uchiha Clan's territory. As they passed the Hyuga Compound, Hinata Hyuga stood at the clan's entrance and bowed respectfully, saying, "Thank you."

Despite feeling a little shy, Hinata Hyuga bowed at a ninety-degree angle, befitting her status as a member of a prominent family, due to the strict etiquette of Noble Houses.

After passing the Hyuga Clan, Uchiha Shisui shook his head and sighed, "Brother Yoru, that child from earlier!"

Uchiha Yoru scoffed disdainfully, "Ugly political tactics. After all, this is Jinchuriki, not an ordinary ninja. A more prudent approach of persuasion is needed, considering this is the Will of Fire."

Beneath the blatant disdain, Shisui frowned as if he had realized something, and his expression immediately turned extremely ugly.

"Brother Yoru, could it be that...!"

Seeing that Shisui seemed to have figured something out, Uchiha Yoru sighed softly, "Shisui, no matter how unfortunate that child is, the inheritance his parents left behind is enough for him to live a life of plenty. And while it's ostensibly for protection, what rumors are circulating in the village these days? Do you think Jinchuriki doesn't know about Jōnin? And what about the Uzumaki surname?"

The disguise was ripped off, and at that moment, Shisui's face darkened. The child's parents were those two adults!

"Shisui, just like other ninja villages and the Black Market, learned from the Inuzuka Clan how to train Ninja Dog. They would capture wild Ninja Dog, first beat them into submission, then starve them until they were on the verge of death, at which point their master would appear with a bright and hopeful presence."

"If it is a cub, it will be left to die and suffer from the cold. When the owner appears, he will give it warmth and visit it from time to time. In a few months, the animal's instinct will lead it to become attached to the person who gave it warmth. From then on, the Ninja Dog will be loyal to its master."

Beneath his calm tone lay a cruel truth, comparing the Jinchūriki to Ninja Dog, causing Uchiha Shisui's expression to grow increasingly grim.

"Brother Yoru, that child's father is... is he?!"

He was already well aware of the village's ugliness, but that child was from the Hokage Faction! How long had it been? The Nine-Tails Night was only the third year, but all told, it had only been a little over a year, and that child had been treated like this! (The Nine-Tails was the first year on October 10th, the second year, and now, just after the New Year, he was considered three years old.)

At this moment, Shisui couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart. The village was so corrupt, and the Fourth Hokage's child was being treated like this. You have to remember that he was the Fourth Hokage.

If they can treat even the Fourth Hokage's child like this, what wouldn't the darkness in the village dare to do?

In the Uchiha Compound, the heavy snowfall of the New Year did not bring much joy to the Uchiha. Rather, compared to the villagers who had begun to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of the village, the Uchiha Clan was isolated on the outskirts of the village and was met with suspicion.

When he returned to his house, someone had been waiting for him for a long time.

Snowflakes were falling outside, while inside, the steaming aroma of tea filled the air.

"Senior Hizashi."

Hizashi Hyuga came to visit him, and at this moment, the other party's calm face seemed to have made up his mind. He, who usually paid great attention to etiquette, was rude this time.

Hizashi Hyuga respectfully lowered himself to the floor, his head pressed against the floor, and said in a deep voice, "Lord Yoru, I'd like to trouble you with the matter of the Caged Bird!"

Seeing Hizashi Hyuga's resolute expression, Uchiha Yoru smiled slightly. He knew that Hizashi must have encountered something, or perhaps his son Neji had been marked with the shroud bird.

Hizashi may have been loyal to the Hyuga Clan, but no father would willingly watch his child become a slave and be controlled by others for the rest of his life.

"Senior Hizashi, you're too kind. Actually, it's all for Teacher Orochimaru."

At this moment, Uchiha Yoru spoke with the clear intention of securing political resources for his teacher. Hizashi Hyuga raised his head and slowly removed the Forehead Protector, revealing the green Caged Bird Seal that represented the Main Family's control over the Branch Family.

"As long as Lord Orochimaru can remove the Caged Bird Seal from the Branch Family, the Hyuga Branch Family is willing to stand behind Orochimaru."

At this moment, Hizashi Hyuga's firm voice echoed, indicating that this was no longer an ordinary political investment. The so-called political investment was merely my way of showing goodwill, but not a complete gamble.

Such all-in bets are rarely made by Noble Houses and powerful families, because failure could lead to utter ruin. The way Noble Houses and powerful families survive is to invest in multiple areas separately. Although they may not get the biggest share of the profits, they also avoid plunging their family into utter ruin.

"Senior Hizashi, please wait a moment. I need to check your Caged Bird and make a record."

At this moment, Hizashi Hyuga slowly closed his eyes, revealing the seal mark on his forehead that their Branch Family considered a disgrace. Uchiha Yoru, on the other hand, solemnly began to observe the seal and make notes.

Despite the Uchiha Clan's investment in Orochimaru, which led to their isolation, other clans and Noble Houses families that had pledged allegiance to the Uchiha maintained a distance from them, as the suspicion surrounding the Nine-Tails could not be cleared.

Therefore, it is difficult for the Uchiha to gain true allies within the village, but the Hyuga Branch Family is currently a very good ally, as long as the Caged Bird is dealt with.

However, the current Uchiha cannot protect the Hyuga Branch Family, but things would be different if Orochimaru were added to the mix.

"Senior Hizashi, do you know what happened after the Branch Family up and you regained your freedom?"

Uchiha Yoru's voice echoed in his ears. At this moment, Hizashi Hyuga's heart was filled with complicated emotions. How could he not know?

The Caged Bird Branch Family, like a caged bird, is nothing more than a prisoner whose life is controlled by the Main Family. Once the cage is released, the Branch Family will face a complete break with the Main Family.

More importantly, there are the resources! Konoha's resources have already been divided up by the various Noble Houses clans. Although even the Hokage has no right to interfere in the division of the Branch Family, these resources still belong to the Hyuga Clan, and the Main Family represents the Hyuga Clan. Therefore, all these resources are in the hands of the Main Family.

"The Hyuga Branch Family is willing to serve Lord Orochimaru."

At this moment, Hizashi Hyuga had no choice but to gamble. As the head of the Branch Family, though only in name, countless people in the Branch Family had resigned themselves to their fate. He knew that once there was any real hope, the resentment accumulated in the Branch Family would definitely erupt.

Upon hearing the answer he wanted, Uchiha Yoru shook his head with a smile and said, "The Caged Bird is indeed wondrous; it's truly troublesome."

"From a young age, you were Caged Bird Seal. As you learned Chakra, the seal grew along with the Chakra, and the seal has become one with you."

"The Caged Bird Cursed Seal is essentially Sealing Jutsu. It attaches to the brain tissue and pupillary nerves. Once the Cursed Seal is slightly activated, the brain will feel like it's about to explode. Similarly, if a ninja dies, although the brain won't die immediately, the consciousness will sense their death. At that point, the Cursed Seal will be fully activated, instantly destroying the ninja's brain and the connected Byakugan."

Having followed Orochimaru for so long, he had learned a great deal about Sealing Jutsu, as well as Medical Ninjutsu. Combining these, he quickly and thoroughly understood the Caged Bird.

After the inspection, Hizashi Hyuga calmly fastened his Forehead Protector, while Uchiha Yoru- Teacher Orochimaru Caged Bird is another direction of Sealing Jutsu, also known as the Cursed Seal. Moreover, the Branch Family who had the Cursed Seal from childhood have completely merged with you as their Chakra has grown."

"The Caged Bird Seal is integrated with your brain and the Byakugan of your eyes. Releasing the Caged Bird Cursed Seal means eliminating your eyes and brain tissue. Therefore, this Sealing Jutsu cannot be broken, at least not at present."

Uchiha Yoru slowly recounted the situation of the Caged Bird. Hizashi Hyuga listened and calmly nodded slightly. It wasn't that the branch Branch Family hadn't thought of a way to solve the Caged Bird Seal; in fact, every generation had someone from the Branch Family secretly researching and trying to break it, but there had never been a successful case.

He came with only a sliver of hope. It would be understandable if others couldn't do it, but Orochimaru is the most outstanding person, whose talent far surpasses that of the Third Hokage. If Orochimaru can't do it, then perhaps only the Second Hokage, who has researched countless Forbidden Techniques, has that kind of talent.

"But!"

Suddenly, a single sentence from Uchiha Yoru rekindled Hizashi Hyuga's hope. For Neji's sake, he was willing to take this step. Thinking of his child, he croaked, "Please, Lord Yoru, tell me."

Uchiha Yoru smiled and nodded, saying, "The research needed to break the Caged Bird can't be completed in a year or two, but Teacher Orochimaru once said that any Ninjutsu, even Forbidden Technique, carries risks, and there is never a perfect jutsu. The existence of a jutsu naturally means there is a solution."

"Although the method to free the Caged Bird has been around for a long time, there is another method that may be feasible."

"What method!" Hizashi Hyuga's usually stern face finally broke down. This time, he seemed to have grasped at the last straw, staring nervously at the other person.

If he could truly free the Caged Bird, then his son Neji would never have to follow in his footsteps again.

Uchiha Yoruro with a confident smile and said, "Teacher Orochimaru said that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's seal was originally a Forbidden Technique, and then a 'Four Symbols Seal' was added to reinforce the Sealing Jutsu."

"Similarly, although the Caged Bird is Cursed Seal, it is still within the scope of Sealing Jutsu. What if a perfect Sealing Jutsu were added outside the Caged Bird? In that case, unless the ninja himself dies, the seal of the Caged Bird Seal would not be able to be controlled by anyone. It would no longer be a restraint, but a seal to protect itself."

With Uchiha Yoru's confident smile and explanation, Hizashi Hyuga's expression immediately turned excited.

Good news! The editor has announced that we've entered the revival round. We'll continue our competition against Sanjiang next week. Please stay tuned for more reading on Monday and Tuesday.