"Lord Hokage, is there really no chance of changing the Hyuga Clan's system?" There was no point in just waiting around, and Namikaze Minato also wanted to know what was going on with Hyuga Ritsu. So he stayed in the office and humbly asked Sarutobi Hiruzen for advice.
"The flaws in the Hyuga Clan's system are glaring. Anyone can see them."
Sarutobi Hiruzen held his pipe, his face full of helplessness. "But as I just said, allowing the Hyuga, Uchiha, and other ninja clans to decide their own internal affairs was a policy established by the First. It can't simply be changed on a whim. The other clans in the village would never agree."
"Besides, the Hyuga Clan's Caged Bird Seal gives the Main House absolute power over the Branch House's lives and deaths. The Branch House has no power to resist change."
"And in my view, change is far more likely to succeed from the bottom up than from the top down. The Hyuga Branch House is powerless to resist. The village's intervention alone would be useless. Forcing the issue would only alienate the people of the Hyuga Main House from the village!"
He spoke with complete candor, without a trace of insincerity.
Minato was his grand-disciple and, in his heart, the successor he had already chosen. That was why he could share thoughts he wouldn't even tell his own son.
"Doesn't that leave us at an impasse?"
Minato furrowed his brow. "The Hyuga Branch House can't resist the Main House because of the Caged Bird Seal, yet changing the Hyuga Clan's system requires the Branch House to fight back on its own."
"The key is the Caged Bird Seal. It's the foundation of the Hyuga Clan's Main House and Branch House system. If we could break the seal, we could free the Branch House from its shackles. But that's incredibly difficult. The ancestor of the Hyuga Clan who created the Caged Bird Seal was undoubtedly a genius."
"Minato, to be honest, I secretly studied the Caged Bird Seal in the past, hoping to break it and reform the Hyuga Clan. But my research revealed that the seal is rooted in the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan Kekkei Genkai. To break it, we'd have to interfere with the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan—"
At that, Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head and sighed. "But that's far too difficult. I spent three months studying it and got nowhere, so I didn't dare waste any more time on it!"
If even the renowned "Professor of Ninjutsu" called it too difficult, Minato could only imagine how troublesome it was, even though he'd never dealt with it himself.
After a few seconds of silence,
Minato finally asked, "Lord Hokage, how do you plan to handle Hyuga Ritsu's situation? Let's say he really did return to the village intending to flee with his family."
"Making a decision based on one hypothetical after another is pointless."
Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head without answering Minato's question.
Just then,
the Anbu member who'd left earlier appeared again, soaked from head to toe. He knelt on one knee before the desk and said gravely, "Lord Hokage, I've confirmed it. Hyuga Ritsu entered the village at 1:17 p.m. He was carrying a document signed by Orochimaru. The ninja on gate duty assumed it was a routine transfer."
"A document signed by Orochimaru?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen furrowed his brow.
But he soon set the matter aside. Whether Orochimaru had really signed the document or Hyuga Ritsu had forged it, there was no doubt that Ritsu had returned to the village.
So,
how should they handle this?
After thinking it over, Sarutobi Hiruzen found it surprisingly difficult to deal with. If the document Hyuga Ritsu had was genuine, then his return to the village was perfectly legitimate. They couldn't just assume it was forged and act on that guess, could they?
"Minato, I'll have to trouble you to make a trip. Visit Hyuga Masamune, the Hyuga Clan's Main Family Elder, and ask whether he can show Hyuga Ritsu some leniency. While you're there, find out what's going on with the Hyuga Clan."
After weighing it over,
Sarutobi Hiruzen came up with a plan.
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Minato didn't refuse.
He also wanted to know what was going on with the Hyuga Clan. And if possible, he truly wanted to protect Hyuga Ritsu—not because Ritsu was Hiruko's senior, but because he believed a talent like him shouldn't be wasted.
He'd heard the title of the Hyuga Branch House's greatest genius many times.
Given the state of the Hyuga Main House, the Branch House's greatest genius was effectively the Hyuga Clan's greatest genius. Hyuga Ritsu wasn't just a prodigy of the clan; he was a precious asset to the village as well.
Minato, having received his orders, put on a transparent, bright-yellow raincoat.
He looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen and said, "Lord Hokage, I'm heading out."
The next moment,
Minato vanished, then appeared beneath an old tree with a broad canopy outside the Hyuga Clan's grounds. Rain poured down with a roar, shaking the branches and leaves as large droplets gathered and fell.
"This rain is really coming down hard!"
Minato squinted toward the Hyuga Clan's grounds in the distance. The rain was so heavy he could barely see anything, and the barrier around the grounds interfered with his sensory abilities.
He set off at a brisk pace.
But
when he reached the entrance to the Hyuga Clan's grounds, there was no Hyuga ninja on guard.
Minato's heart sank.
Something wasn't right!
The Hyuga Clan was one of Konoha's most powerful clans, second only to the Uchiha at most. The people of the Hyuga Main House were strict about the rules and cared greatly about appearances. Even if knives were falling from the sky, there would still be someone guarding the entrance to their grounds.
He didn't hesitate and continued forward.
The more suspicious things seemed, the more determined he was to get to the bottom of them.
He hadn't gone far into the Hyuga Clan's grounds and was still wondering whether to find someone nearby and ask what was going on when a Hyuga ninja came charging straight toward him.
The ninja was coming to find him.
Minato stopped and waited, alert.
"So it's the Yellow Flash! I'm Hyuga Arima. I've come on the Clan Head's orders to welcome our honored guest!" Hyuga Arima stopped in front of Minato and politely explained why he was there.
He was a little impulsive and had a somewhat restless personality, but he never slacked off when it came to getting things done—especially when it came to Hyuga Ritsu's orders. He would never let himself mess them up and disappoint Big Brother Ritsu.
"Clan Head?"
Minato was taken aback.
What the hell was going on?
It was one thing for Hyuga Ritsu to sneak back into the village. But now Hyuga Hiashi was also sneaking into the village—no shooting? Was that some kind of shared Hyuga Clan quirk?
What was the Hyuga Clan up to?
"Your Clan Head is back? When did he return?"
"Honored guest, please come with me. The Clan Head is waiting for you at Tamagushi Shrine." Hyuga Arima didn't explain that the Clan Head he meant and the one Minato meant weren't the same person at all.
His mission was to escort the honored guest, the Yellow Flash, to Tamagushi Shrine. He wasn't about to do anything unnecessary.
"Then lead the way."
Minato agreed without hesitation.
He figured he could ask Hyuga Hiashi about any questions when he saw him. There was no need to waste time questioning this young ninja from the Hyuga Branch House.
Before you continue