A Secret Talk with Hyuga Hiashi

Neji, who no longer made a move, slowly straightened his body and calmed his agitated blood and qi from the fierce battle.

To be fair, Hyuga Hiashi's strength was not weak. It could be said that below the Kage level, he was among the strongest. If Neji hadn't used Sage Chakra at the end, he might not have been able to defeat this Clan Head with his own strength alone.

The Eight Trigrams Formation at the beginning didn't work, and there was even a tendency to be suppressed by Hyuga Hiashi's formation. It was only by relying on a deeper chakra reserve and faster recovery speed than Hiashi that he gained a certain advantage in the clash of Gentle Fist – Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.

However, before the advantage could be further accumulated, it was neutralized by Hiashi's Mountain Crusher Palm, and he was forced to defend with Lightning Great Rotation.

Even when he finally used the Fourth Hokage's Great Ball Rasengan, a ninjutsu infinitely close to S-rank, it only managed to fight Hiashi's Great Mountain Crusher Palm to a draw.

In the end, Neji could only mobilize his Sage Chakra to bring this battle to a close.

Neji had wanted to slowly display his strength. If not for that, and if he had followed his usual style of using his ultimate moves right from the start, this spar would probably have been easier.

A moment later, Hyuga Hiashi also recovered. Both sides were quite restrained in this battle, and neither was seriously injured, only experiencing chakra depletion.

Looking around, Hyuga Hiashi surveyed the training ground, which was now unrecognizable, and his heart was filled with complex emotions.

Before this, he could never have imagined that his nephew, Hyuga Neji, could have grown to such a level at such a young age. He was simply too monstrous!

Another serious problem lay before him: during the recent life-or-death crisis, Hyuga Hiashi had attempted to sense and activate the Caged Bird, but to his horror, he couldn't sense anything at all, just as his Byakugan couldn't see through Neji's chakra.

The Caged Bird Seal, which he controlled mentally, also showed no reaction!

The times were changing! The Hyuga Clan was about to undergo a drastic change!

Taking a deep breath, Hyuga Hiashi forced himself to calm down. Neji had clearly had the opportunity just now but hadn't delivered a killing blow. There should still be room for negotiation. He had to remain calm.

Seeing that Hyuga Hiashi had adjusted his state, Neji spoke, "Lord Clan Head, would it be convenient for us to continue our conversation? To increase our mutual understanding!"

Seeing Neji take the initiative to speak and request a discussion, Hyuga Hiashi felt a little relieved. He had truly feared that Neji might act impulsively and do something irreversible, which would be a disaster for the clan, for Konoha, and for himself.

Hyuga Hiashi looked up and gave Neji a deep look, saying, "Follow me!"

After a slight tidying up, the two entered a secret room. They sat down, and Neji spoke first, "Lord Clan Head, Neji recently completed his 'Sage Mode' training and used Sage Chakra to break free from the Caged Bird Seal!"

Neji looked up at the Clan Head. Seeing that he didn't have an overly strong reaction, he continued, "Neji has no intention of becoming enemies with the Hyuga Clan and Konoha. He merely wishes to pursue his personal 'freedom.' I hope Lord Clan Head will understand and grant my wish!"

Hyuga Hiashi sighed softly, "About a hundred years ago, the Hyuga Clan faced a major crisis. Clan members went missing frequently. When the missing clan members were found again, their deaths were gruesome, with their eyes gouged out. At first, the clan members were angry, but it was just anger. Until nearly a third of the clan members had their eyes gouged out and died horribly in the wilderness, their emotions turned from anger to fear. This fear of the unknown could no longer be contained, and the clan faced the danger of collapse at any moment."

"To overcome this crisis, all the Jonin and Chunin of the clan held a collective meeting for nearly a month! In the end, they came up with three plans. The first was a policy of isolation. Until the crisis was resolved, all clan members were to cease all outdoor activities unless absolutely necessary! They were all to gather in the clan's main hall, eating and living together."

"The second plan was to seal the Byakugan. The clan gathered all ninjas skilled in sealing and spent a great deal of resources to hire sealing experts from the Uzumaki Clan to jointly research sealing techniques to seal the Byakugan. This research lasted for five years, and finally, through their collective efforts, they developed the current 'Caged Bird' Seal, which was then called the 'Protective Seal,' signifying the protection of the clan and the Byakugan."

"The third plan was the seed project. Due to the success of the second plan, it was not implemented later."

"The Protective Seal was not rejected by everyone at first. Because once this seal was inscribed, although it suppressed the Byakugan to some extent, it could eliminate the risk of being captured, having one's eyes gouged out, and being killed. Compared to these, a slight suppression of the Byakugan was insignificant."

"Therefore, almost all clan members wanted to inscribe the seal on themselves. However, because the seal had only been developed recently, even the researchers themselves were unsure if there would be side effects. So, it was finally decided to leave a small portion of people without the seal, and the rest would inscribe it."

"This small portion of people, because they bore the risk of having their eyes gouged out by unknown enemies, were given greater authority by the clan and the mission to inscribe the seal for the clan members."

"After the crisis passed, and with the passage of time, the Hyuga Clan slowly evolved into the current division of the Main Family and Branch Family!"

"The Main Family does not inscribe the seal, possesses the right to govern the clan, and inscribes the seal on every child of the Branch Family who reaches the appropriate age. The Branch Family does not participate in the clan's major decision-making. The vast number of Branch Family members are the foundation of the Hyuga Clan, engaged in the operation of various clan affairs!"

"Initially, this system had no problems. But when the external danger was removed, and the original generation of clan members grew old while a new generation was born, this system began to be questioned. Some Branch Family members were filled with indignation, asking why they were Branch Family members from birth, managed by the Main Family, and inscribed with the seal by the Main Family. These voices grew louder and louder, showing signs of causing internal strife within the clan again."

"Until a certain member of the Main Family modified the Protective Seal, adding a control component. From then on, everything seemed to return to peace. No one from the Branch Family spoke out against it anymore, and they also became 'obedient'!"

"And the name 'Protective Seal,' which was originally used, was no longer mentioned. Instead, it was called the 'Caged Bird' Seal."

"Since I am a beneficiary of this system, I cannot criticize or judge whether this system is right or wrong. However, as the Clan Head, I can only do my best to control the members of the Main Family, strictly prohibiting the use of ninjutsu to activate the Caged Bird Seal when it is not necessary, improving the treatment of the Branch Family, and giving the Branch Family relative freedom."

"But I am well aware that no matter how much I do, it cannot hide the fact that the fate of the Branch Family is controlled by the Main Family!"

Hyuga Hiashi spoke very sincerely during this speech. Neji could tell that Hyuga Hiashi was not lying. In the past decade, it had become increasingly rare to see the Branch Family being punished by the Main Family using ninjutsu. The Branch Family had also gained a certain degree of freedom.

However, the essence of the matter had not changed. Everything Hyuga Hiashi had done was "cosmetic," a "cosmetic" touch-up for the shackles that the Main Family had placed on the Branch Family!

When shackles are adorned with flowers, some might find them beautiful, but Neji would not forget that they are still shackles, which is why he broke them, shattered them!

Neji remained silent. Although Hyuga Hiashi had said a lot, he had not directly answered his question. Neji only wanted to know if the clan would choose "peace" or "war"!

Hyuga Hiashi looked at the silent Neji and knew that Neji could no longer be treated like a child. He directly addressed the question and replied, "This matter is of great importance. I need to convene the Elder Council for a collective discussion before giving you a reply."

"During this time, I hope you will remain patient. I will do my utmost to strive for your freedom," Hyuga Hiashi solemnly assured Neji.

New book writing, seeking recommendations and collections!