When Will the Caged Bird Fly?

"Monster..."

Hearing that Akimichi Denji had been training in Strength of a Hundred for less than a week, Hyuga Neji quietly raised his opinion of him.

He had thought himself a once-in-a-decade prodigy in the Hyuga Clan.

Other people looked at him as if they were gazing at the moon in a well. But now, facing Akimichi Denji, he felt like a mayfly looking up at the sky.

If only...

If only I could learn the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.

With the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, perhaps I'd stand a chance.

But that was a secret technique passed down only in the Main House. With his status as a member of the Branch House, he couldn't receive instruction in it.

He had managed to learn four of its moves just by watching, and even that had been a struggle.

He still needed time.

After Shizune finished healing Hyuga Neji, Akimichi Denji tried to strike up a conversation. "Your taijutsu is impressive! I've sparred with Hyuga Hinata, too. Her Gentle Fist didn't seem as impressive as yours."

"Of course not!" Neji replied, a hint of pride in his voice. "In this generation of the Hyuga Clan, no one would dare call themselves better than me—not even the Hyuga Main House."

Neji was still young. He remained hostile toward the Main House, but he wasn't as bitter as he was in the original story. He still had a child's innocence.

After the Main House had beaten him down later on, he probably wouldn't feel so proud.

Denji pretended to be clueless. "What are the Main House and Branch House?"

Neji raised an eyebrow. "You don't know?"

Denji kept a straight face as he bluffed.

"You could ask anyone outside and they'd know. I just got back to Konoha. Before that, I was in the Land of Rain."

Neji nodded, not entirely convinced, but he didn't question it. Anyone could find out this information by asking around, so Denji had no reason to hide it.

He hesitated for a moment, then explained.

"The Hyuga Clan is divided into the Main House and the Branch House. The young lady you mentioned, Hinata, belongs to the Main House. I belong to the Branch House."

Hinata was still treated with courtesy in his words. Denji could tell that the boy before him was tangled up over the distinction between the Main House and Branch House and didn't know how to deal with Hinata.

Later, after being confined by the Caged Bird day and night, he would come to resent her a little.

"Sounds a lot like my situation. I'm not welcome either, now that I've come back from the Land of Rain. Maybe it's because I don't have the build of someone from the Akimichi Clan," Denji said, trying to draw closer to him.

"You're from the Akimichi Clan?" Neji asked in astonishment.

The Hyuga Clan was rather isolated within the village, and news didn't reach them easily. Besides, as a member of the Branch House, Neji was only responsible for teaching the Main House children.

The only people in the Hyuga Clan who probably knew Denji had become Tsunade's apprentice were those in the Main House.

"Without a doubt. Because of it, I was even sent to stay in a remote part of the clan compound for a while." Denji shared the ways their circumstances were alike.

Seeing that the boy before him had faced a similar situation and seemed to have a hard time in his clan, Neji felt as if he had found someone who understood him.

Neji nodded. "Being discriminated against within your clan really does feel awful."

Denji asked, though he already knew the answer, "You don't seem to be treated that badly. You're even good at the Gentle Fist."

What good was being skilled at the Gentle Fist or having talent if he belonged to the Branch House?

They were the same age, but Neji had been utterly outclassed.

Their similar circumstances, combined with his own status as a prodigy, made Neji want to confide in this boy for the first time.

Neji hesitated, then slowly untied the white bandage around his forehead, revealing an ugly seal shaped like an "×".

"As members of the Branch House, our fate is to protect the Main House. The Hyuga Clan divides its members into the Main House and Branch House based on how closely related they are and when they were born. Members of the Branch House have the Caged Bird seal carved into them. It protects the Byakugan of our clan from falling into enemy hands and preserves our Kekkei Genkai."

"Doesn't sound as bad as what I've been through," Denji said, seemingly provoking him.

Neji's face twisted at those words.

"What do you know? The Branch House has to obey every order from the Main House, even if they tell us to die!"

He seemed to be remembering the past. "If we disobey, the Main House can use the Caged Bird to punish us. It feels worse than death."

"I don't get it." Denji shrugged and looked out at the clear blue sky beyond the wooden house. White clouds drifted by, and birds perched on the branches, sheltering from the summer heat in the shade.

"Don't get what?" Neji frowned, wondering if the boy had all his intelligence sacrificed for strength.

"You just said the Caged Bird is fate, didn't you?" Denji turned to look at Neji, his red eyes fixed on him.

"Yeah. Everyone has their own fate. The Caged Bird is the fate of the Branch House. No one can escape it, just like... someone born with the fate to become Hokage will become Hokage. And the son of a scapegoat can only be a scapegoat."

"But from the way you describe it, the Caged Bird just sounds like a Sealing Jutsu to me," Denji said, puzzled. "If it's a jutsu, there must be a way to break it, right?"

Denji flashed Neji a grin, showing all his white, pointed teeth. His smile was bold and bright, and his tone was as casual as if he were saying, "When people get hungry, they eat."

That smile seemed dazzling in Neji's eyes. Denji's red hair burned like a flame, shining in the boy's blank white eyes.

"It's not fate at all, is it? It's just a seal."

"You don't understand. If we try to break the Caged Bird, the entire Hyuga Main House will come after us," Neji said through gritted teeth.

"Didn't you say you were a prodigy? Why give up before you've even tried?" Denji looked at Neji with some disdain. "You really do like giving up, don't you?"

"We'd be going up against the entire Hyuga Clan. It's impossible," Neji said, anger rising in his voice.

"Nothing is impossible. With a build like mine, I shouldn't be able to become the head of the Akimichi Clan either. Someone from the Land of Rain shouldn't be able to become Hokage, either." Denji gazed calmly at Neji, as if stating something he was certain to accomplish.

"But watch me. I'll become the head of the Akimichi Clan, and I'll become Hokage."

The conviction in his eyes told Neji that his words weren't fate. What came out of Denji's mouth was fate.

"I don't understand what you mean by fate, but if things really are the way you say, and people with the same blood are divided into the Main House and Branch House just because of how closely related they are or when they were born..."

"Then why should you care about the Main House? They're nothing but a bunch of parasites."

His words fell into Neji's ears like a pebble tossed into a still lake, sending ripples across the water that wouldn't settle for a long time.

Beneath the trees, a few resting birds suddenly spread their wings and skimmed lightly over the eaves, flying into the clear blue sky.

They circled and called out, as if announcing a long-delayed discovery—that it wasn't raining outside at all.

Neji gazed at the sky beyond the eaves and let out a long breath.

"Break the Caged Bird... insult the Main House... Do you know what you're saying? Even if you're Lady Tsunade's apprentice, even if you're Akimichi Choza's son, if word of this gets back to the Hyuga Clan, tomorrow you'll die by suicide after taking several Kunai in the back."

Denji knew his words had gotten through to Neji. Otherwise, Neji would have turned and left instead of saying all that.

"Status is just an empty title."

"Join me. Together, we'll make Konoha better. If you can't stand the village's flaws, then devote yourself to building it up and changing it. Don't just stand around complaining."

His voice suddenly rose, filled with a fervor and resolve bordering on martyrdom. He flung his arms wide, as if he meant to embrace the entire sky.

"Let this battered village be truly healed by our hands!"

Neji looked at Denji, his expression complicated. "'Our'? We... does that mean we're an organization now?"

"Of course," Denji replied without hesitation.

"What's it called?"

Denji looked at the few pure white clouds drifting outside the window. "We'll call it the Azure Cloud Sect!"

"Azure Cloud, Azure Cloud..." Neji murmured, turning the words over in his mind. He gazed at the drifting clouds, a faint, relieved smile appearing at the corners of his mouth. He liked the name.

Neji had to admit that Denji had convinced him.

His reason was telling him that the red-haired boy before him was Princess Tsunade's personal apprentice, a true-blooded member of the Hokage faction.

And yet the path Denji described, and the stirring words he spoke, were shockingly unconventional at their core.

This Akimichi Denji, a member of the Hokage's faction, was even more radical than him, a member of the Hyuga Branch House!

"Ding! Hyuga Neji's Long-cherished Wish [When Will the Caged Bird Fly?] has been activated.

Complete the first stage [Gently Awaken the Sleeping Heart] to earn a chance to draw randomly from Hyuga Neji's ability panel."

A notification unlike any Denji had seen before appeared on the panel.

The Wish Achievement System seemed to have changed a little. When it came to a complicated matter like a Long-cherished Wish, it awarded rewards as each stage of the goal was completed.

Denji's words had successfully activated the first stage of Neji's Long-cherished Wish.

Denji was very pleased with the result.

He'd thought he would have to fulfill the entire wish before he got a reward. Having the wish divided into stages was much better. Even if he failed to fulfill it in the end, he wouldn't have lost much.

He couldn't help thinking of Uchiha Itachi. He was certain Itachi had a Long-cherished Wish, too; he just hadn't let Denji see it. Perhaps it wasn't strong enough at this point in time.

Denji turned his gaze to the panel. An ability wheel belonging to Hyuga Neji had appeared on it.

It really was a lottery.

"1. Gentle Fist (Master Level)"

"2. Hyuga Neji's chakra reserves (current stage)."

"3. Caged Bird Byakugan."

"4. Three Body Technique (Proficient Level)"

"5. Ninja Tool Throwing (Proficient Level)"

Neji's Three Body Technique and Ninja Tool Throwing were both at the Proficient Level, which was about the standard for most Academy graduates and Chunin.

His Gentle Fist had already reached the Master Level. This probably didn't include the Eight Trigrams Palms.

Otherwise, his proficiency wouldn't be so high.

No matter how talented Neji was, he still hadn't learned the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, a technique belonging to the Main House.

On top of that, two abilities Denji had never seen before had appeared—chakra reserves and the Caged Bird Byakugan.

Denji understood. The system must be drawing from Neji's current abilities. If he broke the Caged Bird in the future, would Denji be able to obtain the Byakugan in its complete form?

Denji tapped the draw button, and the wheel began to spin.

After a while, it stopped on "Gentle Fist (Proficient Level)."

Denji nodded with satisfaction. He was fairly pleased with the result.

The Byakugan's abilities were too conspicuous and difficult to explain. Getting it would have done him more harm than good.

And Neji hadn't yet grown into his full potential. His chakra reserves were pitifully small. The little he had would barely be of any use to Denji.

He couldn't help looking forward to the day the wish was fulfilled. By then, he'd probably be able to draw from the fully developed Hyuga Neji.

"If we want to break the Caged Bird, the two of us probably aren't enough," Neji said to Denji.

Denji nodded. His Wish Points could only improve his mastery of a particular jutsu, but the Caged Bird was controlled by the Hyuga Main House.

If he had the method for training in the Caged Bird, he could use Wish Points to develop it to a high enough level, and a way to break it would naturally follow.

He immediately banished the thought. It was nonsense.

The Hyuga Main House treated the Caged Bird as its exclusive property. Anyone who tried to meddle with it would be dealt with harshly.

"There are two ways." Denji gathered his thoughts and held up two fingers.

"What are they?" Neji pressed him, his brow furrowing.

"The first way," Denji said, lowering one finger, "is to bring more like-minded people together. We find companions who share our goals and are highly skilled in spirit-based ninjutsu and Sealing Jutsu. Together, we can pool our knowledge and analyze the structure of the Caged Bird seal."

Neji fell silent for a moment, then gave a bitter smile. "Easier said than done."

He explained, "First, the Caged Bird is the Hyuga Clan's highest-level secret cursed seal, far more complicated than ordinary jutsu.

"Second, it's the Hyuga Main House's most closely guarded secret! What expert in this field would dare risk making an enemy of the entire Hyuga Clan just to meddle in such a forbidden subject?"

He paused, glancing at Denji and then at himself, his voice tinged with self-mockery. "As for us... at least in the fields of spirits and sealing, we probably don't have much talent."

"Put yourself down if you like, but why drag me into it?" Denji shot Neji a glance. "I've got plenty of brains."

He pointed to his temple, where world-shaking wisdom was supposedly stored.

Neji: "..." He took a deep breath and decided to ignore Denji's self-assessment.

"...Fine. What's the second way?"

Denji grinned, showing his white teeth. His smile was so bright it was almost dangerous.

"We pick a 'lucky day,' put a blade to Clan Head Hiashi's throat—or the throat of some other important member of the Main House—and force them to hand over the method for removing the Caged Bird!"

A vein at Neji's temple twitched uncontrollably.

"Let's think about the first way instead."

He was even more certain now that all of Denji's talent had gone into taijutsu. His brain might be made of muscle, too.

"Really not going to consider the second way? The Caged Bird keeps you from acting, but I can do it."