The Bird That Broke Its Cage

An autumn rain had fallen the night before. Fallen leaves carpeted the courtyard, and an old tree swayed in the wind, looking bleak and desolate.

Steam rose from the teacups on the low table. The room was silent, as though everyone were waiting for something.

A servant hurried in through the doorway and bent down to whisper to the young man seated at the head.

"Lord Hiashi, he's here."

Everyone seated along both sides of the room turned toward the entrance. A figure was already standing there.

The boy had clear, handsome features and a cool, indifferent air. Though he was a member of the Hyuga Clan, his eyes were unusually black. His smooth forehead was bare as well, without the forehead protector or silk band most of those present wore to conceal it.

All manner of gazes examined him, each face showing surprise.

The meeting called specifically for this boy had been filled with endless arguments beforehand, with everyone stubbornly holding to their own views. Yet after seeing him, they all fell silent.

A bird that had broken its cage...

The unattainable wish of every Branch Family member.

"Lord Hiashi."

Hyuga Shin walked to the center of the council hall and bowed to greet Hyuga Hiashi in the seat of honor. Then he saluted each of the clan elders seated in two rows on either side.

As one of Konoha's great clans, the Hyuga Clan had countless cumbersome rules, with all sorts of needless formalities. The hierarchy between the Main Branch and Branch Family was strict, and no one could act as they pleased.

A graceful, dignified woman knelt to Hyuga Hiashi's left. As she looked at Hyuga Shin entering without a forehead protector, then swept her gaze over the barely concealed fervor in the elders' eyes, she could not help frowning inwardly.

The Caged Bird Seal of the Branch Family was branded on the forehead and was never easily shown. It was usually covered by a forehead protector or silk band. Only members of the Main Branch would leave it exposed.

"How is your recovery?" Hyuga Hiashi asked calmly.

"The doctor said there's nothing seriously wrong anymore."

Hyuga Hiashi nodded slightly. "The battlefield is full of dangers. You must have changed eyes only as an emergency measure, out of necessity. That is understandable."

He paused, his pale white eyes fixed on the boy before him.

"We will not blame that girl, either. Your survival is what matters most to the clan."

Hyuga Shin lowered his eyes, his tone calm. "Thank you, Lord Hiashi."

"Your current condition is also unsuitable for returning to the front lines. Stay in the village for now. Once the clan finds a Byakugan among those in storage that is compatible with you, we can replace your eyes again."

As the first person to survive after the Caged Bird Seal had fully activated, he was the reason for this gathering.

He had unexpectedly arrived in this world of Hokage, his soul taking the place of this Hyuga Branch Family ninja who had already died on the battlefield.

When Konoha's ninja found him among the piles of corpses, he was already blind. The battlefield medical ninja had temporarily replaced his eyes with someone else's.

The reason he had gone blind was that, at the moment this body had been dying, it had activated the Caged Bird Seal on its own and destroyed his eyes.

After he was brought back to Konoha as a wounded soldier, the matter had alarmed the entire Hyuga Clan. Hyuga Hiashi had no choice but to rush back from the battlefield himself. This concerned whether the status of the Hyuga Main Branch could remain as unshakable as a rock; he could not afford the slightest negligence.

The clan had conducted several thorough examinations of Hyuga Shin's body, but every conclusion had been the same.

His body had suffered fatal wounds, but they had been treated in time at the front. The Caged Bird Seal had indeed activated and vanished. His destroyed eyes were still there, while the eyes he had received were merely ordinary human eyes...

Nothing seemed amiss. Or rather, the only thing amiss was that Hyuga Shin was still alive. The Caged Bird Seal should have destroyed his cranial nerves.

Had the Caged Bird Seal failed, or had something gone wrong? Otherwise, how could an anomaly like Hyuga Shin have appeared?

Watching the expressions of the clan members shift, each harboring different thoughts, Hyuga Hiashi understood why.

The divisions and estrangement had long taken root. They could not be changed by one man alone.

Of course, he did not need to change anything.

He was a beneficiary.

What Hyuga Hiashi had to do was continue maintaining it, so that its benefits would extend to his own descendants.

They were only a pair of Byakugan from a Branch Family member. If they could not fall into someone else's hands, then so be it if they were destroyed. But he would never allow an outsider beyond the Main Branch's control to exist!

The meeting ended.

As everyone left, they still cast frequent glances at Hyuga Shin, their gazes lingering on his forehead.

Though they all knew it was impossible, every one of them wanted to know what it felt like to cast off those shackles.

"Shin."

Just as Hyuga Shin was about to leave, a voice suddenly called out to him.

He followed the sound and saw the beautiful woman who had been seated to Hyuga Hiashi's left walking toward him with measured steps.

Though she was called a woman, she was only around twenty years old. Her mature, exquisite makeup and white kimono gave her a gentle, dignified bearing, making her seem like a married woman.

Hyuga Ayano, Hyuga Hiashi's fiancée. Barring any surprises, she would also be Hinata's future mother.

"Lady Ayano."

Hyuga Ayano smiled. "No need to be so formal. You call Ayari big sister, so you can call me big sister too. Ayari has been worried about you."

Ayari was her younger sister. When the original Hyuga Shin had been little, he often played around at Ayari's heels.

But the sisters' fates were completely different. She was destined to become the future clan head's wife.

Hyuga Shin's gaze inadvertently swept over her smooth forehead.

The entire Hyuga Clan was filled with the word fate.

Hyuga Shin merely said, "I made Sister Ayari worry."

Hyuga Ayano quietly studied Hyuga Shin's face. After surviving such a brush with death, could someone's temperament really change so much? He seemed like an entirely different person.

"As long as you're all right now. Didn't Ayari go visit you too?"

"Yes."

"The clan is actually very concerned about you. It must be hard getting used to life without the Byakugan, isn't it?" Hyuga Ayano spoke gently, like a considerate older sister.

Hyuga Shin could see a trace of the grown-up Hinata in her.

"It hasn't affected my daily life much," he said.

"That's good. The clan has quite a few Byakugan in storage, and we'll replace your eyes soon. You needn't worry." As Hyuga Ayano spoke, she took out a white silk band and handed it to Hyuga Shin.

"You should still be more careful when moving about the clan grounds from now on. Don't let the clan members misunderstand anything."

Hyuga Shin looked at the silk band she offered, and his gaze flickered.

Hyuga Ayano was likewise watching his reaction.

"My apologies, Lady Ayano. I failed to consider it properly. I'll be sure to pay attention from now on!" Hyuga Shin accepted the silk band with both hands and lowered his head.

Hyuga Ayano's lovely face paused slightly before she said softly, "It isn't your fault either. No one wanted to see something like this happen. The Hokage also knows about what happened to you. He asked Hiashi about you and is very concerned."

Her eyes shifted, and her words were full of gentle concern. After speaking, she reached out and lightly stroked Hyuga Shin's shoulder in comfort. From this close, he could truly smell the faint fragrance on her body.

"Stay in the village and rest easy for a while."

Hyuga Ayano left, and the people before the council hall gradually dispersed as well.

The courtyard became cold and empty, leaving him standing there alone.

Whoosh—

The wind suddenly rose, carrying a chill that struck him head-on.

Did they expect him to become a bird in a cage again...

Ordinary eyes might not necessarily see any less far.

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