That Ugly Thing Was Naturally Erased!

Hyuga Shunsuke froze. He had long been accustomed to ordering the Branch House members around like dogs and horses, and had never imagined that one day he would encounter someone who would brazenly declare rebellion right to his face.

He instinctively formed a Hand Seal with one hand.

He instinctively tried to activate the Caged Bird Seal.

This was knowledge passed down through the Main House from generation to generation. When dealing with disobedient Branch House members, the Caged Bird Seal would naturally make them recognize their place. If there were truly stubborn ones, the Caged Bird Seal could even send them directly into reincarnation.

However,

Hyuga Ritsu remained completely unaware, without the slightest reaction.

At that moment,

Hyuga Shunsuke finally broke free from his state of being trapped by a cognitive blind spot. Seeing Hyuga Ritsu's fair, unblemished forehead, uncovered by a Forehead Protector, he suddenly realized the most terrifying possibility. His face took on the expression of someone who had heard a ghost story, lost sleep over it, and then actually encountered a ghost.

He roared in a trembling voice, "Hyuga Ritsu, you... your Caged Bird Seal?!"

"That ugly thing was naturally erased!"

Hyuga Ritsu answered with a smile.

"How is that possible?"

Hyuga Shunsuke shrieked without a shred of dignity, his expression as ferocious as a man-eating demon. "The Caged Bird Seal was the life's masterpiece of the Third Clan Head. No one has ever broken it in a thousand years! Hyuga Ritsu, you... what kind of evil technique did you use?"

It was not only the Main Family Elder who had lost his composure.

The Branch House members gathered at the door were all visibly shocked.

Sure enough,

What they had seen was real.

This boy, Hyuga Ritsu, had truly found some way to erase the Caged Bird Seal. He had even come before the Main Family Elder and brazenly declared that he wanted to "rebel" and "smash the slave-like Main House–Branch House system." Hearing it made their hearts itch unbearably, as if twenty-five rats had moved into them, their hundred claws scratching away!

The weeds in their hearts suddenly began growing wildly. Thoughts that had never emerged before now surfaced uncontrollably, and they could not help imagining what the future would look like without the Caged Bird Seal.

They did their best to control their expressions, yet could not resist peeking at one another's faces. When their eyes met, the result was an awkward silence.

Fortunately, at that moment,

Hyuga Ritsu's voice rang out again, drawing everyone's attention. They had no time to dwell on that minor awkwardness and all turned their ears toward him.

"Your life's masterpiece was specifically made to control your own clansmen. If you ask me, the Third Clan Head's capacity was narrow and pitiful. Our Hyuga Clan actually had the misfortune of getting a Clan Head who was so useless and spineless, thinking only about how to discipline his own people!"

Hyuga Ritsu showed no mercy as he attacked the Third Clan Head who had created the Caged Bird Seal.

"Arrogant! Arrogant!"

Hyuga Shunsuke was so enraged that his face flushed scarlet. He shouted, "Hyuga Ritsu, you dare insult our ancestor? Your crime is unforgivable! Everyone, attack together and seize this beast who shows no respect for his ancestors and harms his fellow clansmen!"

"Yes, Elder."

Behind him,

Eight Branch House members answered in unison.

Two of them were Jonin, while the remaining six were Chunin.

At that moment,

After receiving the order, the eight Branch House members who were fiercely loyal to the Main House fixed their eyes on Hyuga Ritsu and prepared to attack.

But—

"Fall!"

Hyuga Ritsu formed a seal with his right hand.

In the next instant,

The eight Branch House members "cooperated" with Hyuga Ritsu's voice and collapsed, curling up like cooked shrimp. They clutched their heads tightly as the Caged Bird Seals caused them to roll across the ground in agony, their mouths releasing waves of miserable wails.

Hyuga Shunsuke was dumbfounded.

The Branch House members outside the door were equally rooted to the spot.

"You... you..."

Hyuga Shunsuke extended a trembling finger toward Hyuga Ritsu, but when the words reached his lips, he no longer knew what to say. Hyuga Ritsu had erased the Caged Bird Seal and was no longer suppressed. His Byakugan Kekkei Genkai had recovered completely, so naturally he could control the Caged Bird Seal just like a Main House member.

It was only natural.

There was simply nothing to say.

The only thing to blame was that no one had ever imagined a Branch House member might erase the Caged Bird Seal. The feeling of disbelief continued to fill his mind. Even now, his thoughts had yet to adapt to this change, leaving him repeatedly at a loss for how to respond.

"Hyuga Shunsuke, if you want to execute me according to the law, you will have to do it yourself!"

Hyuga Ritsu smiled faintly.

But in Hyuga Shunsuke's eyes, that smile was no different from Arlong baring his fangs.

He instinctively took a step back, then immediately realized that the movement made him look rather weak. But... Hyuga Ritsu was the Branch House's number-one genius. Even the veteran Branch House Jonin who had clawed their way through piles of corpses were no match for this boy, let alone him.

Hyuga Shunsuke still had some self-awareness.

Although he had been to the battlefield, he had merely gone through the motions. After taking a few heads with overwhelming superiority, he had withdrawn to the rear. The ones who truly needed to fight to the death had always been the Branch House members.

Therefore,

He could not fight. At the very least, he could not recklessly attack alone.

Hyuga Shunsuke turned around and ran without hesitation, leaping over the wall in the blink of an eye.

He had no chance of defeating Hyuga Ritsu alone, but if he found reinforcements and won through numbers, dealing with Hyuga Ritsu should not be a problem. Clearly, he did possess some self-awareness—but not much.

"Ritsu, aren't you going after him?"

Seeing that Hyuga Ritsu had not moved, Hyuga Takuma asked anxiously.

"No rush."

Hyuga Ritsu remained calm and followed at an unhurried pace, lifting his foot. "Even if you tied all those Main House people together, they still wouldn't be my match. Let them jump around a little longer. It'll give everyone in the Branch House a good look at what kind of useless trash the Main House members have become."

Destroying the Main House physically was the final outcome.

Before that,

They also had to make full use of them as trash, allowing the Branch House members to see the Main House's incompetence and uselessness as clearly as possible, thereby shattering some of their unrealistic fantasies about the Main House.

Of course,

To prevent things from getting out of hand, Hyuga Ritsu had specifically arranged for Hyuga Arima to keep watch outside. If there were any signs that the village intended to intervene, he would deal with the Main House trash immediately.

The residences of the Seven Main House Branches were all clustered together.

Hyuga Shunsuke did not disappoint Hyuga Ritsu. He rushed from door to door at astonishing speed.

In less than ten minutes, all five Main House Jonin in the clan, including him, had gathered. Even two old men over seventy had not been left behind. Surrounded by dozens of Branch House members, they faced Hyuga Ritsu and the others in a broad street outside the residences.

Besides that,

The clan's Branch House members also came after hearing the news, surrounding the two groups facing off in several concentric circles. The Jonin stood at the front, the Chunin in the middle, and the Genin and non-ninja clansmen stood on the outer ring.

The scene was as lively as watching a grand stage play!