010 Enviable Freedom, Lingering Issues Between Uchiha and Konoha

"Understood! You two, please come with me..."

Hyuga Ko sensed that the Anbu's voice sounded somewhat familiar, but he had no time to think further. He instructed the Branch Family members beside him, "You two, go inform the Clan Head!"

The Branch Family guards carried out the order without a word, like puppets.

"A Main Branch member is going to show me the way?"

Seeing Hyuga Ko's smiling face, seemingly trying to leave a good impression on him, Hizashi Hyuga felt an indescribable emotion well up inside him.

This appearance was truly ugly beyond measure...

He did not want to be like the Main Branch, inexplicably thinking himself superior. He only wanted to live as an independent individual.

Still.

Seeing Hyuga Ko, who had once thrown his weight around within the clan compound, reveal this side of himself...

Hizashi Hyuga could not help but feel a trace of satisfaction.

This scene proved it.

—The Main Branch, or at least a considerable portion of it, only knew how to lord it over the Branch Family by relying on the Caged Bird!

Out in the world, if one lacked ability, that status meant nothing at all!

The Reception Room of the Hyuga Clan Compound.

The Clan Head of the Hyuga Clan, and Hizashi Hyuga's biological father, Hyuga Tenzo.

He sat upright in the seat of honor, waiting for Sakumo and Hizashi to arrive.

Below him were several Main Branch members discussing the situation, as well as the Branch Family members who had accompanied them as usual and served as guards.

When he saw the two step through the doors of the Reception Room, Hyuga Tenzo slowly rose to his feet. With an official yet friendly smile, he walked over. "Why have you two come to the Hyuga Clan Compound today?"

"Does Lord Third have any instructions?"

Hizashi Hyuga stared intently at his father.

He watched his father rise from his seat, watched him walk over to stand before him.

And that smile...

He had never seen any of it before.

At that moment, Hyuga Tenzo was also pondering the Anbu's purpose.

What had happened?

He had seen the scene of Hiruzen Sarutobi and Orochimaru exchanging blows.

As the Clan Head, he was naturally not a useless fool like Hyuga Ko. Within the clan, his mastery of the Byakugan ranked among the very best.

It did not matter if there were one or two useless Main Branch fools drawing a salary for nothing.

The Hyuga Clan was wealthy and powerful enough to support them.

As long as the successors were carefully chosen, that was enough.

Hyuga Tenzo was deeply astonished.

Although the Hyuga Clan rarely used the Byakugan at full capacity within the village to avoid suspicion, there were always opportunities for Hyuga Tenzo to catch glimpses of important figures' condition.

Like today.

Through his Byakugan, Hiruzen Sarutobi's meridian vitality and Chakra reserves appeared as though he had become more than ten years younger...

How had that old man done it?

That was why he had been anxiously awaiting Hizashi Hyuga's report, repeatedly asking Hyuga Ko whether Hizashi had returned.

To maintain neutrality, allowing the Hyuga Clan to enjoy the Hidden Village's protection without having to bleed and toil for it...

Required a crystal-clear grasp of the village's situation...

Riding the fence was not so easy.

"I joined the Anbu of my own accord."

Suppressing his excited heart and trembling hands, Hizashi Hyuga slowly removed his mask. "If the Hyuga Clan has matters that need to be discussed with Lord Hokage, or if there are any unspeakable difficulties..."

"You may tell me. I will write a report and promptly submit it to Lord Third!"

The moment Hizashi Hyuga spoke.

Hyuga Tenzo immediately sensed that something was wrong.

Although Hyuga Tenzo had always strictly enforced Hizashi's status and treatment according to Branch Family standards in order to preserve the Main Branch-Branch Family system of rule.

Because even his own younger son had become a beast of burden, the other clansmen naturally could not voice any objections!

This was the best endorsement Hyuga Tenzo could provide for the clan rules, and its effects had been remarkable.

It only meant making his younger son suffer a little, but in exchange, the rest of the Branch Family became far more accepting, while the Main Branch's opinion of him improved greatly.

Such methods truly made him a battle-hardened Caged Bird warrior.

But after all, Hizashi Hyuga was still his son. He could recognize his voice.

Hyuga Tenzo's heart skipped a beat, his pale eyes slowly widening!

His youngest son had actually joined the Anbu on his own without informing him?

"Hizashi, why is it you?!"

Hyuga Ko's eyes widened as a nameless fury rose within him. He shouted, "Why are you only coming back now?! I told you to return and report immediately after checking it out. Are you deaf?!"

Damn it, he had actually smiled at him so warmly just now!

I'm from the Main Branch!

Hyuga Ko was exceptionally enraged. As a Main Branch member with no real abilities, his sense of superiority came from his absolute control over the Branch Family.

That control had lasted for more than twenty years and had never once failed.

And his anger did not represent only himself. Many of the Main Branch members present were equally displeased.

A Branch Family member like you actually dared to discuss cooperation with the Hokage in private?

If anyone was going to talk, it should be us from the Main Branch. You were only meant to carry out orders and serve as bargaining chips!

And now you were climbing onto the negotiating table yourselves?

This was a shameful betrayal!

Hyuga Ko swiftly swept his gaze over the reactions of the other Main Branch members. Reassured, he was about to continue his outburst.

This was his true duty.

—As a Main Branch member without strength, all he could do was serve as a fleshy loudspeaker for unpleasant words.

With neither strength nor diplomatic finesse, this was the only niche he could fill.

"What's his name?" The silent Hatake Sakumo suddenly spoke, pointing at Hyuga Ko.

Hyuga Ko's expression stiffened, and the torrent of words lodged in his throat.

"Hyuga Ko." No one spoke. After a moment, Hizashi Hyuga answered with a smile.

"I'll remember you." Hatake Sakumo nodded. "I've worked in the Anbu for a long time, but this is the first time someone has demanded, to my face, that the Anbu directly under the Hokage report to a Ninja Clan..."

"Since I heard it, I can't pretend it never happened."

Hatake Sakumo's tone was calm, yet carried a trace of chill. "Hyuga Ko, are you demanding that the Anbu serve you? Are you dissatisfied with Hizashi joining the Anbu?"

Hyuga Ko, who had been raging just moments ago, immediately wilted under Hatake Sakumo's gaze.

"No! That's not what I meant..." Hyuga Ko stammered. "I just..."

He fumbled incoherently for several seconds, unable to say anything.

Hyuga Tenzo watched the scene and gave a slight shake of his head.

Closed management was certainly beneficial to the Hyuga Clan's continued existence, but it did leave the clan members lacking in perspective and social experience—to the point of being immature.

"But this weakness cannot be helped. The Hyuga must maintain the distinction between Main Branch and Branch Family. The laws of our ancestors must never be changed!"

"As long as Hiashi is properly raised, that will be enough. For the clan's continuation, all of this is necessary!"

Such thoughts flashed through Hyuga Tenzo's mind as he smoothed things over for Hyuga Ko.

"My sincerest apologies. Ko absolutely had no other intentions. He rarely leaves the clan grounds and has no concept of the Anbu."

"He does not understand proper conduct. Please forgive him. I will certainly discipline him strictly."

At that moment, Hyuga Tenzo noticed the White Fang Short Sword at Hatake Sakumo's waist, and his expression turned solemn.

So it was that man?

It seemed his youngest son had truly sold himself for a good price...

"Is that so?" Hatake Sakumo nodded. "I understand."

Hatake Sakumo was very satisfied with Hizashi's performance. That was why he was willing to stand up for him.

Hizashi had not said that Hiruzen Sarutobi had invited him. Instead, before his clansmen, he had emphasized that he had joined the Anbu of his own accord.

This was a Pledge of Allegiance.

It left room for maneuvering in the contest between the Hokage and the Main Branch, while taking the matter upon himself in public.

Well done.

"Hizashi, perform well from now on. I think highly of you." Hatake Sakumo patted Hizashi Hyuga on the shoulder, and his figure vanished from the spot like a ghost.

So fast! The Hyuga present cried out inwardly.

At that speed, even with the Byakugan activated, they would probably struggle to keep up.

Even if they could see him clearly, their bodies likely would not be able to react...

Hizashi Hyuga stood in the center of the Reception Room. At that moment, he swept his gaze across the expressions of the Hyuga ninja present.

He no longer lowered his head, no longer acted humble.

The Hyuga Main Branch members who met his gaze naturally felt anger in their hearts, but Hatake Sakumo's questioning of Hyuga Ko still rang in their ears.

The Anbu mask on Hizashi Hyuga's face was still before their eyes.

For a moment, wherever Hizashi Hyuga's gaze fell, the Main Branch members merely snorted coldly and turned their heads away.

At that moment, the eyes of every Hyuga Branch Family member present held a deeply envious glimmer...

What grandeur and freedom was this?

In the end, Hizashi Hyuga and Hyuga Tenzo, father and son, looked at each other.

"I'll go rest now. From now on, please don't send anyone to clean my room," Hizashi Hyuga said slowly. "If you feel I'm causing trouble for the clan, I can move out."

"How could that be, Hizashi..." Hyuga Tenzo's knuckles bulged beneath his sleeves, though he maintained his composure on the surface. "The clan supports you. How could we refuse such small requests? Hahaha!"

Hizashi Hyuga nodded lightly. "Thank you for your understanding."

That gesture caused the anger of the Main Branch members present to flare up once more...

What did that mean?

Was that your clan head—or your father!

What was with that equal, peer-to-peer attitude?

The moment he stepped out of the Reception Room.

"Hahahahahahahaha!" Hizashi Hyuga suddenly burst into laughter.

His laughter was loud and uninhibited, yet faintly tinged with a sob.

Laughing toward the heavens as he walked out the door, today he would no longer be a Caged Bird...

His laughter echoed throughout the Hyuga Clan Compound.

It stirred the fury of the Main Branch, but it also etched itself firmly into the hearts of every Branch Family member.

Hizashi Hyuga looked up. Upon the distant Hokage Rock, the statue of the Third Hokage seemed to have been coated in a layer of gold beneath the lingering light of the setting sun.

"Lord Third..."

Hizashi Hyuga bowed devoutly toward Hokage Rock.

"Thank you for your grace! Hizashi has no way to repay you but with this life!"

#

On the other side of the village.

Uchiha Fugaku led the Military Police Force members in reporting the full sequence of today's events to the current clan head, Uchiha Isshin.

Uchiha Isshin puffed away at his pipe, smoke swirling around him as his brows furrowed tightly.

As Uchiha Setsuna's younger brother, he was the spokesperson of the Uchiha Hawk Faction.

The news Fugaku had brought left him deeply displeased.

How could that rotten old man become youthful again?

"He used a Forbidden Technique left behind by a previous Hokage?"

Uchiha Isshin angrily exhaled a mouthful of smoke and cursed, "Damn it, that fucking Senju Tobirama still won't rest even after he's dead!"

Fugaku gave a dry chuckle.

Within the Uchiha Clan Compound, any elderly member of the Hawk Faction could barely go three sentences without saying that.

They cursed when their Dojutsu Power declined, and they cursed when their children's ninjutsu training went poorly...

Sometimes, Fugaku wondered whether these old men even blamed the Second Hokage when they got constipated.

"Clan Leader Isshin, let's not talk about Senju Tobirama for now. We need to face the problem!"

Uchiha Fugaku's expression was grave. "Do you think anyone in our clan can stand against the strength the Third Hokage displayed?"

"And his disciple, Orochimaru, has a ninjutsu that even Three-Tomoe eyes cannot see through."

At the thought of the ability Orochimaru had displayed, Uchiha Fugaku's expression turned strange.

It was not that he lacked tact or had deliberately called Orochimaru "like a Monster" on the spot.

That appearance had simply been far too grotesque...

Snake Spits Me, I Spit Snake, then the snake spat out a sword?

After being burned by Fire Release of the Third Hokage's level, he opened his mouth and spat out a snake, then the snake spat him out, refreshing his condition?

No, wasn't that a miniature Izanagi?

As a contemporary powerholder of the Uchiha Clan and Deputy Chief of the Military Police Force.

Fugaku knew of the Forbidden Technique capable of rewriting the boundary between illusion and reality...

Izanagi, once hailed as the Uchiha Clan's second life.

That was also one of the sources of Uchiha Fugaku's pride.

After all, such a powerful and mysterious Dōjutsu truly could not be found anywhere else in the Shinobi World...

But after seeing Orochimaru's performance, Fugaku couldn't keep it together.

There truly were as many heroes in this world as carp crossing a river...

"Tricks and gimmicks, not worth mentioning!"

Uchiha Isshin snorted coldly.

"They could never be as miraculous as Izanagi! As for Hiruzen Sarutobi... considering he is Sasuke Sarutobi's son, it is only natural that he possesses some talent."

"True, they're inferior, but Orochimaru doesn't need to go blind either... You keep saying we must remain strong, but we can't be poor and still throw our weight around, can we?"

Uchiha Fugaku rubbed his forehead with a sigh. "You know it too—the number of Three-Tomoe clan members we have now is not high... and there are no particularly gifted youngsters among the children either."

"That Shisui is decent enough, but he is Kagami Uchiha's descendant..."

At those words, Uchiha Isshin fell silent.

After a long while, the old Uchiha man sighed. "Fugaku, I am not a fool."

"The Hawk Faction does not mean rebellion. It is an inheritance of ideology—a vigilance!"

Uchiha Isshin spoke slowly. "The village was founded jointly by the Senju and Uchiha Clans..."

"Granted, no one knows why the Great Clan Leader and Lord Hashirama fought to the death, but hadn't we Uchiha remained loyal?"

Uchiha Fugaku chuckled. "I heard from the clan elders that when the Great Clan Leader left back then, he didn't call for anyone. He simply walked out through Konoha's front gate, and you all thought he was going for a stroll..."

"Then he suddenly started fighting in the Valley of the End. The clan hadn't even had time to react..."

Uchiha Isshin gave Uchiha Fugaku an irritated knock on the head.

"You brat! How could he possibly not have called for us?!"

As he spoke of this matter, Uchiha Isshin's gaze grew somewhat clouded.

"He did call for us, but everyone truly did not want to return to those restless days. So they said they would deliberate further; there really was not much enthusiasm..."

"Everyone thought that with the Great Clan Leader around, and Lord Hashirama being a good man, no matter how awful Senju Tobirama was, he could not do anything to the clan, could he?"

"Who would have thought that Lord Madara and Lord Hashirama would suddenly fight to the death! Lord Madara perished, while Lord Hashirama was gravely wounded, allowing Senju Tobirama to become the Second Hokage—all while they were absent..."

Great Clan Leader was the Uchiha Clan's unique form of address for Uchiha Madara.

As for Senju Hashirama, this old man who had lived through the Warring States Period still maintained a certain degree of respect for him.

But when Senju Tobirama was mentioned, it was entirely different.

A venomous light flickered in Uchiha Isshin's eyes. "That man must never be trusted..."

"Since the Warring States Period, his hands have been stained with the blood of countless Uchiha. He also had a pathological desire to study the Sharingan and Uchiha bloodline. Who knew how many of our clansmen he dissected..."

"After the village was founded, he constantly marginalized the Uchiha, blackened the Great Clan Leader's image, made the village's children believe he was a murderous fiend, and built momentum for the next Hokage election!"

"After becoming Hokage, his methods grew even more ruthless!"

"In order to divide the Uchiha, he took the most gifted 'Kagami' as his personal guard, using this to split the Uchiha..."

Uchiha Fugaku frowned. "Taking him as a personal guard could also be considered accepting a clansman into the upper ranks, couldn't it?"

"Looking at that alone, naturally it could." Uchiha Isshin snorted. "But when Senju Tobirama stayed behind to cover the retreat, why was 'Kagami' the only one who died?!"

"Among 'Kagami's' teammates, who are now the upper ranks, has even one of them ever shown the Uchiha any care?"

"Can all of this be explained away as coincidence?"

"That Shimura Danzō—his malice toward the Uchiha has never faded... Yet he takes pride in it every day, boasting that he is the most like that dog of a Senju Tobirama."

"Those Root ninjas openly watch the clan grounds!"

Uchiha Isshin shook his head.

"I tell you to read more history not to harm you! It is because I fear you will be deceived! How could Senju Tobirama's disciples and descendants possibly be good people?"

"If we do not maintain the stance of the Hawk Faction and let the children inherit this will, then once all the old people are dead and no one remembers these things, that will be the day the Uchiha Clan is swallowed whole—the day we are exterminated!"

"Do you understand?!"

Uchiha Isshin looked at Uchiha Fugaku with bitter disappointment.

Uchiha Fugaku nodded, half understanding. "Then when will we be able to restore our former glory? Are we just going to keep going on like this...?"

"Wait. Endure."

Uchiha Isshin spoke slowly. "We have not admitted defeat. We are waiting for a turning point!"

"Our bloodline contains limitless potential. This is the Uchiha's core advantage..."

"When the next Great Clan Leader and Young Clan Leader Izuna appear, everything will get better!"

And on the following day.

Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived early at the Hokage Office.

He, too, was pondering the matter of the Uchiha...

"The Second Hokage left behind assets, but he also left behind a mess..."

"It is also a historical issue born of millennia of resentment. Difficult to handle!" Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes and sank into thought.

PS: A five-thousand-word chapter is here! Starting tomorrow, updates will be released on schedule at noon!