"I'm sure more than one person resents the Main Branch. No one dared to resist before, but things have changed now."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression was complicated.
"Where there's one, there'll be another. Whether they're copying someone or have already banded together, it'll be difficult to find out who's behind this."
Danzo's face darkened. "That still doesn't mean we can abandon the Main Branch. There's no chance of winning over the Branch Family. We've ignored their feelings for all these years. They may well resent us!"
"But... without the Branch Family, is the Main Branch still of any use?"
"Th-that..."
Danzo was momentarily at a loss for words. He was beginning to understand just how troublesome the Hyuga Clan was.
If his guess was right and the one behind this was a member of the Hyuga Branch Family, then the Branch Family ninja who resented the Main Branch would surely try to protect him.
Even the ninja whose resentment had been stirred up was already a problem. What would the village do if more and more Branch Family ninja began to rebel?
Strictly speaking, this was an internal conflict within the Hyuga Clan.
When Konoha was founded, it had been stated that ninja clans had the right to govern themselves. Even the Hokage couldn't interfere in a clan's internal affairs.
Even if the village forcibly intervened on the grounds that they were at war, which side should it support?
As Hiruzen had said, what use was the Main Branch without the Branch Family?
Were they supposed to send them onto the battlefield to hand their Byakugan over to the enemy?
"If we keep tying our own hands, the enemy will only grow bolder. We have to cut through this mess quickly!" Danzo closed his eyes. "Leave it to me. You know I've always had a few ways of handling this sort of thing."
Sarutobi Hiruzen puffed away at his pipe, but in the end, he gave no answer.
No comrades, no strength... Am I doomed to never escape the cage?
Watching Hyuga Hane head toward the Main Branch's inner quarters, Hyuga Yuki clenched his fists and turned to leave.
He would wrest the hope of breaking the Caged Bird from the village's leaders, no matter what!
"The fourth pair."
The following night.
Hyuga Hane looked at the Hyuga Jonin he had knocked down with a single strike and strolled over.
He grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the ground.
"Hyuga Hane! Are you the one attacking your own clan members?"
Forced to meet Hyuga Hane's gaze, the attacked Jonin gritted his teeth.
"You have strength far beyond that of a Jonin, yet you refuse to serve the Main Branch. What a shameful traitor!"
Hyuga Hane ignored him and formed several hand seals with one hand.
Sealing Jutsu—White Prison!
"Argh!!!"
The Jonin's anguished cries poured out, but the barrier Hyuga Hane had set up beforehand muffled them, keeping them from reaching anyone outside.
White Yin Release Chakra and the Byakugan's visual prowess formed a ribbon-like passage between the two pairs of eyes.
The Jonin felt the Byakugan he had awakened at the age of seven begin to regress. Its visual prowess was draining away, and his eyes were gradually returning to their unopened state. Terror crept across his face.
"What are you doing? What is this Sealing Jutsu?"
"If you have questions, I'll answer them after you're dead."
Feeling his eyes throb, Hyuga Hane raised his empty right hand and grinned. "Thanks for the gift!"
His palm came down, and blood sprayed into the air.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two Anbu appeared with the sound of rushing air.
"Hyuga Hane, you killed a fellow clan member. You're coming with us!"
"Heh. Have you been working with the Hyuga Clan for so long that you've gotten too comfortable?"
Dropping the corpse, Hyuga Hane looked at them with his sky-blue Byakugan.
"I have the Byakugan, so I spotted you coming a long time ago. Don't you find it strange that I took my time finishing him off?"
The two Anbu's expressions changed sharply behind their masks.
Bang!!!
An Anbu wearing a fox mask fell from afar in front of them, slamming into the ground and leaving a huge crater.
The sudden development made the two Anbu quickly regroup, standing back-to-back and on guard. One of them asked their fallen comrade, "What happened? Weren't you lying in wait?"
The Anbu wearing the fox mask got to his feet, spat out a mouthful of blood, and panted. "He has an accomplice. He has the Byakugan, but he isn't in the Hyuga Clan records."
They had been sent by the Hokage to investigate the Hyuga attacks. In the end, Sarutobi Hiruzen hadn't dared let Danzo interfere in the Hyuga Clan's affairs, worried he might use the opportunity to take control of the Hyuga Branch Family.
So they had reviewed the records of every member of the Hyuga Clan.
And this Anbu Jonin was certain that the Hyuga Clan had no one this terrifying!
"The enemy is in the seven o'clock direction. He has the Byakugan and strange cracks all over his body. Be careful. He may be as strong as Lord Hokage!"
"As strong as Lord Hokage? What are you talking about?!"
The two Anbu cried out in alarm, but in the next moment... they understood.
Clack, clack.
With the clatter of armor, a Hyuga ninja clad in armor from the Warring States Era appeared before the three of them. His powerful Chakra seemed almost tangible, inspiring awe and fear!
Seeing this, Hyuga Hane strolled toward the three Anbu as well.
"Being confined to the village and watched from all sides makes it hard to find sacrifices for Impure World Reincarnation. It's an ordeal for a researcher."
"I don't usually disturb the dead, but asking them about secrets directly is more convenient."
"So I'll have to trouble you three to become the sacrifices."
As soon as he finished speaking, a formation of Eight Trigrams appeared beneath the Reanimated Ninja's feet.
Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!
The Reanimated Ninja's Gentle Fist was so swift it struck like lightning, shutting down the three Anbu's Chakra before they could react.
His Gentle Fist technique had reached an astonishing level of mastery.
"Using a Main Branch ninja as the sacrifice, with the same Kekkei Genkai and bloodline, gave the ninja brought back by Impure World Reincarnation seventy percent of their original strength."
Hyuga Hane watched it all and praised him. "But if their strength wasn't much to begin with, it doesn't matter. As expected of Hyuga Meigoku, the Main Branch's clan head during the Warring States Era. In this era, you're strong enough to rival a Kage!"
"Wicked Branch Family brat!" Hyuga Meigoku had evidently retained his consciousness. "You developed a jutsu that desecrates the dead. Aren't you afraid you'll have no peace after you die, either?"
"Heh." Hyuga Hane chuckled. He didn't bother defending the Second Hokage's claim to the jutsu, and simply asked, "What are you angry about? Being controlled?"
"I'm just furious that one of my descendants turned out to be so unfilial!"
"Your gentle Byakugan eyes can't hide your anger."
Hyuga Hane shook his head, applied a Sealing Jutsu to the three ninja, and stored them in a scroll.
"You're only angry because you've been controlled by a member of the Branch Family. Just like the Branch Family you used to dominate, you can't accept being put in the same position as them."
His words only made Hyuga Meigoku angrier. "I had no trouble finding your personal records in the Main Branch cemetery yesterday."
"There wasn't a single obstacle or unexpected incident."
"At first, I only summoned you to play it safe and add to my strength. But after doing so, I couldn't help thinking it was a kind of karmic retribution."
"In life, you ruled the Branch Family. In death, you're ruled by them. Isn't that nice?"
Before you continue