"Akiba Hyuga pays her respects to the Clan Head."
"Arima Hyuga pays his respects to the Clan Head."
"Takuma Hyuga pays his respects to the Clan Head."
Takuma and the other two were stunned at first. Once they caught on, they cursed Hizashi Hyuga, the Clan Head and younger brother of the former Clan Head, for being spineless. Then, following his example, they swiftly dropped to one knee and shouted at the top of their lungs.
Their ringing voices pierced the rain and reached the ears of the Branch House clansmen, fanning the wildfires in their hearts until they spread like wildfire!
Then,
the three began calling out to their friends.
"Torasaburo, you idiot, hurry over and pay your respects to the new Clan Head!"
"Kaju, what are you standing there for? Have you forgotten that the new Clan Head saved your life from the Mist shinobi?"
"Sister Kyoko, hurry over here! Don't you want to pursue Brother Ritsu? If you marry him, you'll be the Clan Head's wife from now on!"
Their group was a small clique, sure, but in the end, they were all members of the same clan, and they had plenty of friends outside the group. It was just that what Akiba Hyuga had said left Ritsu speechless. What on earth was this girl babbling about?
Putting Akiba Hyuga's absurdity aside, their efforts to call over their friends had worked. And with Hizashi Hyuga, a man of no small standing, leading the way, the Branch House clansmen exchanged glances. Then a few bold ones stepped out of the crowd, came before Ritsu Hyuga, fell to their knees, and cried, "We pay our respects to the Clan Head!"
At that moment,
the first domino fell. One after another, the hundred or so Branch House clansmen who had gathered to watch the commotion dropped to their knees. Their cries of "We pay our respects to the Clan Head!" rang out without end, rising above the clouds.
In the end,
Ritsu Hyuga was the only one left standing in the rain, receiving the bows of his clansmen.
"Go wash up and change. In twenty minutes, all Jonin and Special Jonin are to gather at the training grounds of Tamagushi Shrine."
Ritsu Hyuga issued his first order as Clan Head.
The rain grew heavier.
It was hardly convenient to talk here.
The clan's momentum was now firmly settled, so there was no need to worry about any sudden reversal for the time being.
So,
Ritsu Hyuga didn't rush to take control of things right away. He gave everyone a little time to adjust. Every member of the Main House who could manage things had been killed, while Hiashi Hyuga and the others were far away on the eastern front. The clan's power was now in a complete vacuum, and no one would dare compete with him for it.
Besides, even if someone regretted their decision and tried to turn against him during that time, Ritsu Hyuga wasn't worried. One or two clowns were no threat at all.
What's more, the Caged Bird Seal hadn't been removed yet.
Anyone who dared to turn against him would be signing their own death warrant.
"Yes, Clan Head!"
Everyone answered in unison.
"By the way, Takuma, find a few people you know to deal with these corpses. Then take these men away and throw them in the prison to sober up. We'll see if there's any hope of saving them."
Ritsu Hyuga gave Takuma Hyuga the task of cleaning up the scene.
As an afterthought, he handed over the heads he was still carrying.
The Main House corpses had to be handled carefully. They didn't have the Caged Bird Seal, so their Byakugan could be removed and used—as long as your body could withstand it. The strain wasn't as great as that of the Sharingan, but that didn't mean just anyone could use one right away. The bar was simply a little lower than it was for the Sharingan.
The clansmen got to their feet and dispersed in small groups. The Jonin and Special Jonin moved especially quickly; they had to gather at Tamagushi Shrine in twenty minutes, and time was tight.
"Hizashi."
Ritsu Hyuga called out to Hizashi Hyuga, who was about to leave.
"Clan Head?"
"Why did you support me?"
"My child was born recently. I named him Neji—Neji Hyuga. He's so lively and adorable. I don't want him to have a Caged Bird Seal branded on his forehead like I do, like the mark of a slave."
Hizashi Hyuga answered with remarkable frankness and sincerity.
It was the answer he'd expected,
but hearing Hizashi Hyuga say it aloud still stirred something in Ritsu Hyuga's heart. A parent's love for their child meant planning far into the future for them!
He said seriously, "From this day forward, our Hyuga Clan will never again use that slave-like Caged Bird Seal on our own people!"
"I hope you can do it."
With that,
Hizashi Hyuga hurried away.
"Arima, Akiba, let's go too!"
Ritsu Hyuga called the two of them over.
Ritsu Hyuga and Akiba Hyuga were cousins, and their families lived next door to each other. Their homes were near the outskirts of the clan compound, not too far from Arima Hyuga's home, which stood at the edge of the compound.
"Akiba, you don't need to go to the shrine. Go explain the situation to my parents and Auntie," Ritsu Hyuga instructed her when they reached his doorstep.
"Huh? No way! I want to go to the meeting too."
The girl let out a despairing cry.
"It's an order from the Clan Head."
Ritsu Hyuga replied without batting an eye.
"Brother Ritsu, y-you're cheating!"
Akiba Hyuga was close to tears. She had no choice but to accept the tricky task. She could already picture herself being surrounded by her mother, aunt, and uncle. Well, she could leave her uncle out of it—he was a man of few words—but either her mother or her aunt could talk enough for five hundred ducks.
"Akiba, do a good job, and I'll teach you the Gentle Step Twin Lion Fist afterward."
Ritsu Hyuga dangled a carrot in front of his cousin.
"Promise?"
"Promise!"
Akiba Hyuga's face lit up at once.
Being besieged by her mother and aunt would be "painful," but when she imagined how cool she'd look after learning the Gentle Step Twin Lion Fist, she decided it would be worth enduring the pain.
The two parted ways at the entrance. Ritsu Hyuga took out his key, unlocked the door, and went inside. A middle-aged woman who heard the door open peered over from the kitchen.
"Ah Ritsu? Y-you're back?"
The woman was both surprised and delighted, but worry soon clouded her brow. "I heard the Main House was going to punish you. Are you all right?"
"Mom, everything's fine now. The Main House won't bother me anymore. I still have things to do, so I'll change and head out. If you and Dad have any questions, ask Akiba next door."
Ritsu Hyuga hurried into the bathroom. A few seconds later, he opened the door and stuck his head out. "Mom, bring me a change of dry clothes. Something formal."
"What?"
The woman looked utterly bewildered.
As her husband walked over from the living room, the couple stared at each other for a few seconds.
"I'll get Ah Ritsu some clothes."
Hyuga Kikue wiped her hands, hurried upstairs, and rummaged through Ritsu Hyuga's bedroom. She found a white outfit with a loose robe and long sleeves, then set it outside the bathroom door.
Then,
she looked at her husband, who was still standing at the entrance to the living room.
"Why are you just standing there? Come on, let's go see Akiba. If Ah Ritsu says everything's fine, then it must be, but we still need to find out what happened. There's no way those people from the Main House would have been so reasonable."
"All right."
The taciturn man agreed.
The two hurried out and went next door.
Two minutes later, Ritsu Hyuga finished his bath and changed into neat clothes. He grabbed an umbrella, went outside, opened it, and leaped onto the wall. Then he headed straight toward Tamagushi Shrine, located in the northern part of the clan compound, following a direct route.
Before you continue