From Now On, You Are the Clan Head's Wife

"Hyuga Akiba, greetings to the Clan Head."

"Hyuga Arima, greetings to the Clan Head."

"Hyuga Takuma, greetings to the Clan Head."

Takuma and the other two were stunned for a moment, but after reacting, they cursed Hyuga Hizashi, the Clan Head's own brother, for being spineless in their hearts. Simultaneously, they followed suit, quickly kneeling on one knee and shouting at the top of their lungs.

The loud shouts pierced through the rain and reached the ears of the Branch House clan members, fanning the flames in their hearts into a wildfire that spread like prairie fire!

Next, the three began calling out to their friends.

"Torasaburo, you idiot, hurry up and pay respects to the new Clan Head!"

"Kaju, what are you standing there傻ly for? Have you forgotten that the new Clan Head saved your life from those Kirigakure Shinobi?"

"Sister Kyoko, hurry up and come! Don't you want to chase after Brother Ritsu? If you marry Brother Ritsu, you'll be the Clan Head's wife from now on!"

While this group of people was a small clique, they were all of the same clan, after all. Outside of this small clique, they still had quite a few friends. It was just that what Hyuga Akiba said made Hyuga Ritsu somewhat speechless; what nonsense was this girl spouting?

Setting aside the unreliability of Hyuga Akiba, their efforts to call out to their friends were effective. Coupled with Hyuga Hizashi, who had an unusual identity and stepped forward first, the Branch House clan members exchanged glances. Then, some of the bolder ones walked out of the crowd, came before Hyuga Ritsu, knelt on the ground, and shouted, "Greetings to the Clan Head."

Thus, the dominoes were toppled. The hundreds of Branch House clan members watching the spectacle one after another knelt down, their shouts of "Greetings to the Clan Head" echoing ceaselessly, reaching the heavens.

In the end, only Hyuga Ritsu remained standing in the rain, accepting the bows of his clan members.

"Everyone, go back and wash up and change. In twenty minutes, all Jonin and Special Jonin are to gather at the training grounds of Tamagushi Shrine."

Hyuga Ritsu issued his first order as Clan Head.

The rain grew heavier.

It was inconvenient to talk here any longer.

Now that the clan's momentum was established, there was no need to worry about any reversals for the time being.

Therefore, Hyuga Ritsu was not impatient to immediately seize power. He gave everyone a little time to adjust. After all, all the capable members of the Main House had been killed. Hyuga Hiashi and the others were far away on the eastern front line, leaving the clan's power in a complete vacuum. He wasn't afraid of anyone daring to compete with him.

Moreover, even if someone regretted their decision during this time and intended to reverse it, Hyuga Ritsu wouldn't be afraid. A few clowns were simply not worth mentioning.

What's more, the Caged Bird Seals had not yet been removed.

Anyone who dared to go back on their word was courting death.

"Yes, Clan Head!"

Everyone responded in unison.

"Oh, right, Takuma. Find a few acquaintances to dispose of these bodies, then escort these guys to the dungeons to sober up and see if there's any room for redemption."

Hyuga Ritsu assigned Takuma the task of cleaning up the scene.

He also handed the head he was still holding to Hyuga Takuma.

These Main House corpses had to be handled carefully. They did not have the Caged Bird Seal. The Byakugan could be removed and used—as long as your body could withstand it. Although it wasn't as taxing as the Sharingan, not everyone could use it immediately. The threshold was just slightly lower than that of the Sharingan.

The clan members got up and dispersed in twos and threes. The Jonin and Special Jonin moved particularly quickly. They had to gather at Tamagushi Shrine in twenty minutes, and time was quite tight.

"Hizashi."

Hyuga Ritsu called out to Hyuga Hizashi, who was preparing to leave.

"Clan Head?"

"Why are you supporting me?"

"My child was born not long ago. I named him Neji, Hyuga Neji. He is so lively and cute. I don't want him to have this slave-like Caged Bird Seal branded on his forehead like I do."

Hyuga Hizashi answered with exceptional composure and sincerity.

This was an expected answer, but hearing Hyuga Hizashi say it, Hyuga Ritsu couldn't help but be moved. A parent's love for their child is far-reaching!

He said earnestly, "From this day forward, our Hyuga Clan will no longer use this slave-like Caged Bird Seal on our own clan members!"

"I look forward to you fulfilling that promise."

After speaking, Hyuga Hizashi left in a hurry.

"Arima, Akiba, let's go too!"

Hyuga Ritsu called out to the two of them.

Hyuga Ritsu and Hyuga Akiba were cousins, and their families lived adjacent to each other. Their location was on the outskirts of the clan territory, not too far from Hyuga Arima's house, which was situated on the edge of the clan territory.

"Akiba, you don't need to go to the shrine. Go and explain this situation to my parents and aunt." When they reached the entrance of his house, Hyuga Ritsu gave Hyuga Akiba a task.

"Eh? No way! I want to go to the meeting too."

The young girl let out a cry of unwillingness.

"This is the Clan Head's order."

Hyuga Ritsu said with an impassive face.

"Brother Ritsu, you, you're cheating!"

Hyuga Akiba was on the verge of tears, having no choice but to accept this troublesome task. She could already foresee being lectured by her mother, aunt, and uncle. Well, maybe not the uncle; he was a silent type, but either her mother or aunt could easily rival five hundred ducks.

"Akiba, do a good job, and I'll teach you the Gentle Step Twin Lion Fist afterward."

Hyuga Ritsu dangled a carrot in front of his cousin.

"It's a deal?"

"It's a deal!"

Hyuga Akiba's face immediately lit up with a smile.

Although being lectured by her mother and aunt was "painful," the thought of how cool she'd look after learning the Gentle Step Twin Lion Fist made her feel that even enduring the pain would be worth it.

The two parted ways at the entrance. Hyuga Ritsu took out his key, opened the door, and went inside. The middle-aged woman who heard the door open peeked her head out from the kitchen.

"Ah Ritsu? You, why are you back?"

The woman was surprised and delighted, but her brow was immediately clouded with worry. "I heard people say the Main House was going to punish you. Are you alright?"

"Mom, it's fine now. The Main House won't bother me anymore. I have things to do, so I'll change and head out. If you and Dad have any questions, go ask Akiba next door."

Hyuga Ritsu rushed into the bathroom with quick steps. A few seconds later, he opened the door again and stuck his head out. "Mom, help me get a set of dry clothes. Something formal."

"What?"

The woman was somewhat bewildered and at a loss.

Seeing her husband walk over from the living room, the couple exchanged glances for a few seconds.

"I'll go get Ah Ritsu's clothes."

Hyuga Kikue wiped her hands and hurried upstairs. In Hyuga Ritsu's bedroom, she found a set of white, wide-sleeved robes and placed them outside the bathroom door.

Then, She looked at her husband, who was still standing at the living room entrance.

"Why are you still standing there like an idiot? Hurry up, let's go find Akiba. If Ah Ritsu says he's fine, he's probably fine, but we still need to figure out exactly what happened. How could those people from the Main House be so easy to deal with?"

"Okay."

The taciturn man agreed.

The two hurried out and went next door.

Two minutes later, Hyuga Ritsu finished his bath, put on his clean clothes, grabbed an umbrella, and walked out. He opened the umbrella, leaped onto the wall, and headed in a straight line towards the "Tamagushi Shrine" located on the north side of the clan grounds.