"Takuma, you hogged all the lines! What am I supposed to say now?" The long-haired girl complained, then punched Hyuga Takuma hard in the back. He stumbled, and his grimace showed just how much strength she'd put into it.
"Akiba, go easy! You're going to break my bones! And don't learn from that little brat Arima and call me by my name! At least call me 'Brother'!"
Hyuga Takuma grumbled in dissatisfaction.
But,
all he got in response was the girl's disdainful eye roll. Hyuga Akiba mercilessly shot back, "You're just Takuma. Why are you acting like some big brother? Don't think I don't know you're always hanging around the adult section of the bookstore!"
"I-I... How did you know?"
Hyuga Takuma was aghast.
"Takuma, you should be asking who doesn't know!"
Hyuga Arima chuckled.
Hyuga Takuma's face turned deathly pale in an instant, almost the same shade as a Byakugan.
"Quiet!"
Hyuga Ritsu rubbed his temples, exasperated. These guys could keep him entertained all day whenever they got together. He didn't mind watching them bicker at other times, but this was no time to take it easy and enjoy the show.
At Hyuga Ritsu's outburst,
the three of them immediately fell silent.
In their little group, Hyuga Ritsu was unquestionably the one at the top.
"Takuma, Akiba, I didn't call you here to joke around. If even Arima knows what happened on the Eastern Front, then you two definitely know as well. I'll spare you the unnecessary details. In short, the Main House plans to pin the blame on me for failing to provide reinforcements, missing the chance to act, and framing the Main House, all to cover up their own incompetence."
"Those Main House scum only know how to use these tricks to bully us in the Branch House!"
Hyuga Akiba gritted her teeth, her face filled with hatred. She was nothing like the refined young lady she seemed when she was quiet.
The girl was Hyuga Ritsu's cousin.
Her father—Hyuga Ritsu's biological uncle—had gone on a mission six years ago with a member of the Main House. Because the Main House member had been too cowardly to fight, Akiba's father was surrounded by the enemy and ultimately killed.
To make matters worse, the Main House member who escaped back alive pinned the blame on Akiba's father, accusing him of recklessly seeking glory and causing their mission to fail. It was only because another shinobi who had accompanied them, but wasn't from the Hyuga Clan, couldn't bear to watch that the truth came to light. He secretly told Akiba's mother what had really happened.
From that day on,
the straightforward girl, who never forgot a kindness or grievance, had harbored hatred for the Main House.
"Brother Ritsu, just tell us what to do. I know you wouldn't have come back now just to take the blame for the Main House. You don't need to explain everything to us. Just tell us what you need us to do."
The girl stared intently at Hyuga Ritsu.
Since neither of Hyuga Ritsu's parents had awakened the Byakugan, he had spent his childhood learning the family's Gentle Fist from his uncle—Hyuga Akiba's father. Though they were cousins, even many siblings weren't as close as the two of them.
She knew Hyuga Ritsu well. She understood that her cousin, who had been called a genius since childhood, wasn't the kind of person to swallow his anger when someone bullied him. There was no way he'd obediently take the blame for the Main House.
"First, let me show you something."
Hyuga Ritsu replied.
"What?"
"You'll see."
As he spoke, Hyuga Ritsu untied the Forehead Protector from his forehead.
"Your head? What's there to—huh? Huh? Brother Ritsu? Y-your Caged Bird Seal? Where did your Caged Bird Seal go?"
Hyuga Akiba nearly screamed herself hoarse.
But,
since Hyuga Arima's parents had died young, the Main House had taken back their home near the center of the clan grounds and sent the orphaned boy to this house on the outskirts. There were practically no neighbors nearby, so they could make as much noise as they liked without worrying that anyone would come to investigate.
That was also why Hyuga Ritsu, after sneaking back into the clan grounds, hadn't gone home but had come straight to see Hyuga Arima.
Hyuga Takuma and Hyuga Arima were both staring at Hyuga Ritsu, their eyes nearly bulging out of their heads. Disbelief filled their gazes as they fixed them on his smooth, fair forehead.
"Brother Ritsu, how did you do it? Did you really remove the Caged Bird Seal?"
Hyuga Akiba stepped closer and, without the slightest hesitation, rubbed Hyuga Ritsu's forehead hard.
"Akiba, go easy! You're going to rub my skin off!"
Hyuga Ritsu swatted away his cousin's clawing hand and pushed her aside. Then he said seriously, "Takuma, Arima, Akiba, you've all seen it. I've already broken the Caged Bird Seal. The Main House can no longer use it to control me."
He paused,
then looked at the three of them and grinned, baring his gleaming white teeth. "I'm going to smash the system of the Main House and Branch House, a system soaked in the blood of our Branch House clansmen, and remove the Caged Bird Seal from every Branch House clansman!"
He made his bold declaration with unwavering conviction.
The next moment,
"Let's do it!"
Hyuga Akiba shouted excitedly, pumping her fist.
She wished she could charge straight to the Main House and beat those disgusting, loathsome faces to a pulp!
"Big Brother Ritsu, just tell us what to do!"
Hyuga Arima eagerly rubbed his hands together.
He didn't have much against the Main House. Even though they'd driven him to the outskirts of the clan grounds after his parents died, he'd always been an optimist by nature. But he was also incredibly loyal. Once he'd accepted Hyuga Ritsu as his big brother, he would follow him without question. If Ritsu told him to cut someone down, he'd do it without a moment's hesitation.
"Ritsu, what are you planning to do?"
In the end, Hyuga Takuma, the oldest of them, was the most levelheaded. Although he often lingered in the bookstore's adult section, it would've been strange if a seventeen-year-old boy had no interest in that sort of thing.
Setting aside that harmless hobby, Hyuga Takuma was quite dependable. He'd been promoted to Jonin at fourteen, making him something of a genius, and he handled most tasks entrusted to him very well.
"It's simple. We eliminate the Main House members physically."
Hyuga Ritsu answered calmly.
Changing a system had always been extremely difficult. Getting those who benefited from it to willingly give up their advantages was next to impossible. A peaceful approach simply wouldn't work. Only violence could smash the old system and make room for a new one.
"Huh?"
Hyuga Takuma's eye twitched.
What kind of plan was that?
Physically eliminating the Main House members... Wasn't that called a coup?
"Isn't that a little too extreme?"
Hyuga Takuma furrowed his brow and lowered his voice. "The Main House may not have many people, and nearly half of them are useless deadweights, but there are still capable fighters like Clan Head Hiashi. Besides, plenty of Branch House clansmen are willing to die protecting the Main House. The few of us can't possibly wipe them all out, can we?"
Before you continue