Byakugan

Tsunade's gift was a silver iron breastplate designed to protect the chest and back, with straps connecting the shoulders and sides so the wearer could adjust it to their size. Hyuga Shinichi followed Tsunade's instructions and put it on.

"Hahahaha, Shinichi, you look so ridiculous."

"You should have waited until you were taller to wear it. Right now, you look just like a potato, hahahaha."

Because Hyuga Shinichi wasn't tall enough yet, he looked like a Wall-nut from Plants vs. Zombies in the armor. Nawaki and Inuzuka Gai laughed so hard they rolled on the floor clutching their stomachs, only quieting down after Tsunade gave each of them a knock on the head.

"Thank you, Sister Tsunade. I really like this breastplate. I'm still growing, so I'll be able to wear it properly before long."

"See, Brother Shinichi is sensible. You two should learn from him."

The two who had been beaten nodded repeatedly in agreement. Aburame Tomohiro, seeing the bumps on their heads, thought to himself that it was fortunate he hadn't said much and had only smiled; otherwise, he would have taken a hit too.

Uzumaki Mito then pulled a gift for Hyuga Shinichi from her sleeve: a hairpin made of jade.

"I noticed you always keep your long hair tied up, so I thought I'd give you a hairpin."

Hyuga Shinichi hurriedly took it and said.

"Mito, this is too precious, I..."

Before he could finish, Uzumaki Mito raised her hand to interrupt him.

"I have plenty of hairpins like this. If you don't like this one, I can pick out a better one for you."

Hyuga Shinichi accepted it immediately, thanking everyone for their gifts and promising to take good care of them.

This birthday feast was the best meal Hyuga Shinichi had eaten in his two lifetimes.

After finishing the feast and tidying up the scene, everyone sat back down to chat about everyday occurrences. The events Tsunade encountered during her missions became the most interesting topic of the conversation.

As time gradually drifted toward sunset, they bid farewell to Nawaki's family. At the intersection, they parted ways with Inuzuka Gai and Aburame Tomohiro, each heading home.

Aside from the breastplate, which wasn't suitable to wear yet, Hyuga Shinichi had equipped all the gifts he received. He carried the breastplate over his shoulder as he walked home.

Thinking of how Hyuga Nimitsu said he would deliver the chakra metal today, Hyuga Shinichi's steps became as light and cheerful as his mood.

Upon returning to the Hyuga compound, the guards at the gate spotted Hyuga Shinichi and came over to inform him that the clan head and elders were waiting for him in the conference room.

Hyuga Shinichi nodded in thanks to the guards, returned to his room first to take off and store all his gifts except for the hairpin, and then walked quickly toward the conference room.

"Clan Head, Elders, I have arrived."

"Mm, come in."

For some reason, upon hearing "come in," Hyuga Shinichi's entire body shuddered. He stood outside the door, shook his head, straightened his clothes, slid the door open, and stepped inside before closing it behind him.

"Hyuga Shinichi greets the Clan Head and the Elders."

The room held the same people as yesterday, and they all gave a grunt of acknowledgment to Hyuga Shinichi's greeting.

A wooden box sat on the table in front of Hyuga Nimitsu. Hyuga Shinichi thought to himself that the chakra metal he needed must be inside that box.

Sure enough, Hyuga Nimitsu picked up the wooden box with one hand and spoke.

"Shinichi, this is the chakra metal you asked for. This piece should be enough for you to forge a sturdy sword."

"Thank you, Clan Head."

Hyuga Shinichi immediately stepped forward and took the box with both hands. Feeling the weight in his palms and imagining his future self fighting with a sword made from this chakra metal, combined with his longing for the future, the weight in his hands seemed to grow heavier.

"If I recall correctly, today is your third birthday, isn't it, Shinichi?"

"Yes, Clan Head."

"Mm, come in!"

Hearing "come in" again, Hyuga Shinichi's body shuddered even more violently than before.

A guard led several children into the room. He recognized them as members of the branch family, all around his own age.

In his heart, he already had a premonition of what was about to happen—it was the very thing Hyuga Shinichi least wanted to face.

"These children have also recently turned three. They are already capable of serving as your..."

"Enough!"

For some reason, Hyuga Shinichi's previously good mood was instantly ignited. He shouted to stop Hyuga Nimitsu, his mind filled only with the thought that he did not want to hear what Hyuga Nimitsu was about to say.

He had seen these children of the same age before; they were all talented youngsters from the branch family. They should have had the same right to pursue their own dreams and lives as he did, yet at only three years old, their lives were already being decided for them.

"Shinichi, even if you don't choose them, they will still be branch family members..."

Hyuga Nimitsu's tone was very flat, making it impossible to tell what he was feeling.

"This is the rule of the Hyuga clan, and it is the means by which we ensure the continuation of the family."

Hyuga Shinichi knew, of course, that this was to ensure the continuation of the family. The main family did indeed grow up safely under the protection of the branch family, from ancient times through the Warring States period, and now to the founding of Konoha.

They had used this system to ensure the clan's survival until now, but was it truly necessary to sacrifice some people to preserve the clan?

"I don't know what you are talking about, Clan Head..."

From the moment the guard led the children in until he interrupted Hyuga Nimitsu, Hyuga Shinichi had kept his head bowed. Now, he suddenly looked up, stared directly at everyone present, and spoke in a cold tone.

"I only know that if the clan can only survive by sacrificing one group of clansmen to ensure the survival of another, then calling ourselves the number one clan in Konoha is truly a hollow title. I will never acknowledge a clan with such narrow-minded capacity."

Having said that, he prepared to turn and leave, but at this moment, an elder stood up, intending to reprimand Hyuga Shinichi.

Hyuga Shinichi, who had just pulled open the sliding door to depart, sensed this and instinctively activated his Byakugan, turning back to look.

A tangible pressure erupted from his Byakugan, instantly flooding the entire conference room.

This force directly shattered the porcelain and other fragile items in the room, scattering them across the floor, while wooden objects like the tables and even the wooden structure of the conference room itself began to crack, teetering on the brink of collapse.

The elder who had just stood up and the guard nearby lost their footing and fell back to the floor, while those still seated felt a weight so heavy it nearly forced them to double over.

Hiashi Hyuga, Hizashi Hyuga, and the few children present were all pressed down until they knelt on the ground, some even feeling a sense of vertigo.

Hyuga Shinichi could clearly feel the difference in his Byakugan at this moment; it seemed that being able to awaken the Byakugan before the age of three was not the full extent of the benefits he had received as a reincarnator.

The true benefit was this pair of eyes with such extreme purity; in other words, if he possessed Kaguya Otsutsuki's chakra within him right now, he might even be able to awaken those eyes on the spot.

Moreover, this technique of Byakugan pressure was something only Kaguya Otsutsuki had ever displayed, and it seemed he was not as powerless to change the clan as he had thought, though he truly lacked the strength to dictate the clan's direction at this moment.

I can forge a different path that only I can walk. Thinking this, and feeling the pressure from the Byakugan's aura begin to fade, Hyuga Shinichi continued.

"If this is all the clan can be, then I will leave it and walk my own path to change it—the path of becoming stronger, strong enough to protect the clan and even everyone else. If that happens, there will be no need to continue with this system, will there?"

Having finished, he prepared to leave, only to be instantly surrounded by a group of guards outside the door who had rushed over after sensing the situation in the conference room.

"It's fine, all of you, disperse."

Hyuga Shinichi turned back to look at Hyuga Nimitsu, who had spoken.

"Go on. It is the clan that has restricted you; from now on, just make your own decisions."

The guards cleared a path, and Hyuga Shinichi left along it without a word, his figure vanishing into the pitch-black night.

Hyuga Nikku stood up and watched Hyuga Shinichi's departing back, feeling his heart, which had long ceased to beat with such intensity, begin to pound violently.