Become My Wings

Is the Hyuga Clan wrong?

Is Konoha wrong?

Is even the world itself wrong?

Niizuki did not know where this person before her gathered so many twisted theories, but why did she feel so moved by them?

Akashi's words were shocking, dismissing the clan and the village as worthless. If everyone was wrong, then what was right?

Niizuki could not help but ask, "Could it be that the Will of Fire is also wrong?"

"The Will of Fire is not wrong, but the people are."

"Who is wrong? The Third Hokage?" Niizuki was being drawn into his rhythm.

She could not believe it, especially since these words came from the person before her—the very one who possessed the deepest understanding of the Will of Fire in their classes!

Akashi shook his head calmly and unhurriedly: "Perhaps it started to go astray with Hashirama Senju."

"How could that be..."

Niizuki was shocked, her eyes filled with deep confusion.

Akashi sighed softly: "The First Hokage established the ninja village system with his own hands, hoping everyone could be protected and live in peace, without having to send children to the battlefield. But the reality is completely inverted; instead, people go to the battlefield to protect the village, and countless children continue to follow in their footsteps."

"The original intention behind building Konoha and the true meaning of the Will of Fire have long been distorted. Hashirama Senju even went so far as to say, 'If the interests of the village are threatened, even a friend will not be spared.'"

"Who defines what the village is?"

"Who decides who belongs to the village?"

"Regardless, the current Konoha is no longer a Konoha for ordinary people; they are merely nutrients that must be produced for this great tree to grow."

"This forced sacrifice is exactly the same as the Caged Bird Seal. The high-ranking officials of Konoha have become the Main House, while everyone else has become the Branch House."

Niizuki was deeply shaken, her original perceptions overturned.

She had never looked at this matter from another perspective. It was true—it should have been the older generation sacrificing themselves to light the path for the future, so how did it become using the blood and bones of countless people to prop up the shell of Konoha?

The high-ranking officials of Konoha becoming the Main House—this metaphor was chilling.

"Akashi-kun, your thoughts are too terrifying."

"I just know a little more than you do," Akashi said indifferently.

Back then, Hashirama Senju stabbed his own friend in the back.

Madara Uchiha said he had put the cart before the horse and that this would become the darkness of the village; there was truth in those words.

Niizuki was already in chaos, lost and bewildered.

Too many voices were arguing in her mind; some said this was a shackle, others said it was fate. Thinking of all that unfair treatment, a sudden, sharp pain pierced her heart.

Akashi knew that only one final spark was needed.

His voice turned stern: "Even if you understand all this, you wouldn't dare to do anything, right? Beneath your strong exterior, you are actually wrapped in a cowardly soul."

"I am not..."

"You are not reconciled, yet you are afraid to resist."

"No, that's not it..."

"When you are humiliated, what are you thinking? That you will carry the mark of the Caged Bird for the rest of your life? Must you endure this just because you are from the Branch House? By what right?"

"I..."

"Your Byakugan is hollow; it has no color of its own!"

"Shut up! You don't understand me at all!"

Niizuki activated her Byakugan, and within her bright, sun-like pupils, a raging fire burned! Her chakra surged, and she raised her palm, ready to strike Akashi's face the next second.

Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Palms.

She had never felt such surging power; in an instant, it was like a mountain torrent unleashed.

But she froze.

Akashi struck back with even greater force, his Sharingan spinning in his eye sockets as he unleashed the exact same technique!

How could this be?

Had he already learned her Eight Trigrams Palms while they were sparring?

The thought vanished in an instant, for the outcome of the contest was already decided.

It took Akashi only two seconds to seize Niizuki, gripping her wrists firmly, pinning her down with his knee pressed against her lower back. Without the Byakugan, she could not unleash the true power of the Gentle Fist, but to deal with an identical Eight Trigrams Palms, one only needed to crush it with superior power.

"You have been hiding your strength all along!"

"So what if I have?" Akashi let go. "Are you a little more clear-headed now?"

"You..."

Niizuki was speechless. After the explosion of anger, she was indeed clear-headed.

Recalling Akashi's words, she felt utterly dejected.

Yes, why?

Why should one be controlled by fate?

She still remembered the expressions on her parents' faces when she cried and refused to accept the Cursed Seal as a child; they spoke words of comfort, but their faces could not hide their sorrow.

Shingetsu finally admitted it: the Branch House respected the Main House, but within that respect was fear, and within that fear was anger.

But what did understanding matter?

What could it change?

She slumped, relaxing her body, and whispered, "I'm sorry... even if everything you said is true, it's useless. No one can undo the Cursed Seal."

"I can help you."

Akashi stood opposite her and reached out his hand. "As long as a technique is created, it must have flaws. One day, the bird in the Birdcage will be able to spread its wings and fly. I want you to take me up to the sky to see it, too."

"You... are you trying to make me stand against the clan?"

"No, I don't have that kind of ability. I'm just seeing your state and offering some advice." Akashi revealed a highly seductive smile. "The path everyone walks is ultimately their own choice. Whether you stand still or move forward, how could I possibly control that?"

It was unrealistic to expect Shingetsu to completely change her mindset based on a single conversation.

Therefore, Akashi did not directly incite her to oppose the Main House, nor did he suggest she act rashly; he simply gave her another path she had never imagined.

What people fear most is waking up from a dream and finding no road ahead.

Not only must he awaken her, he must provide her with a path.

Akashi smiled. "I will fill the void in your Byakugan, and you will become the wings that help me fly. How about it?"

"Only one question: why help me?"

"Because in the eyes of Konoha's high-level officials, the Uchiha are also a branch house." Akashi said each word clearly. "I feel the same pain."

Shingetsu took a deep breath and said decisively, "As long as the Caged Bird Seal can be broken, I can do anything."

"Next time, I look forward to you pinning me down, if you can manage it."

Akashi nodded, feeling satisfied.

To move a girl, one doesn't need to go very deep; the key is to hit the right spot.

He knew that Hyuga Shingetsu's nerve had been touched.

He would seize this opportunity first; as for the Caged Bird Seal, which likely involved the Otsutsuki Clan on the moon, he dared not jump to conclusions about whether it could be broken.

No rush. There is plenty of time.

?

The compound of the Hyuga Clan.

Hyuga Hiashi, 31 years old that year, finished his busy day, sat cross-legged in a quiet room, and stared blankly at the courtyard.

Beside him, birds chirped inside an exquisite cage.

He was already the clan head.

Shouldering heavy responsibilities, he didn't feel much pressure, yet holding a high position, he didn't feel much happiness either.

From the moment he was born, his fate had already been written.

Hizashi had no choice, but did he?

The Main House and the Branch House were divided by a powerful internal consensus. The clan elders and many predecessors strictly adhered to this iron rule; it was not something one person could change.

The larger the clan, the more important stability became.

Everything he did was for the sake of stability, and the best method he could think of was to continue their traditions.

Call it stagnant or unenterprising, at least the Hyuga Clan had survived until now.

And they had become, in name, the strongest clan in Konoha.

"Clan Head, would you like to have dinner?"

Suddenly, a voice came from behind. It was his maid, also a descendant of the Hyuga Branch House.

She was respectful, appearing excessively humble.

"Wait a moment. I'm not hungry yet."

"Yes."

The maid retreated, and the empty room was left with only him once again.

In truth, Hiashi was already used to it.

It was just that when he sat in silence, he occasionally wondered—

His younger brother hadn't come to see him in a long time.