Get Up, All of You, Get the Hell Up

"Why are you here?"

This question, which almost slipped out, was swallowed back into the depths of Neji's throat. However, Hyuga Rokkaku seemed to see right through him, saying indifferently:

"I am feeling somewhat unwell, so I stayed in the inner courtyard instead of attending the meeting in the west wing... As for you—" He shifted his tone, his voice turning cold, "Why have you come here? Who let you in?"

Neji struggled to suppress his inner emotions, lowering his head as he replied, "I came in on my own. I am here to visit Lady Hinata."

Hyuga Rokkaku knew that Neji's evasive answer was a sign of the branch family members covering for one another. He snorted coldly but did not pursue the matter further; after all, in his view, a superior must possess a degree of tolerance. He could overlook such minor transgressions, considering it an act of his own benevolence.

"And who is he?"

Hyuga Rokkaku had naturally noticed the blond brat standing behind Neji, who was currently keeping his eyes fixed on his own nose. Neji replied:

"He is a companion who has been training with Might Guy-sensei, and he is also a classmate of Lady Hinata. He came specifically to visit her."

"Hinata has friends?" Rokkaku was somewhat surprised, then looked at Naruto with newfound interest. "A student of Might Guy..."

He was well aware of Might Guy's reputation, not because Guy was an elite Jonin, but because the Strong Fist style he had pioneered was often mentioned by villagers in the same breath as the Hyuga's Gentle Fist.

Although the Hyuga clan internally scoffed at the idea of such a crude fighting style being compared to their own, they were not foolish enough to think Guy was a hack. On the contrary, as long as he didn't infringe upon the reputation of their Gentle Fist, they were quite willing to acknowledge that his mastery of taijutsu was impressive. Otherwise, they wouldn't have sent their most outstanding branch family disciples to train under him.

It was only after hearing that the brat was training with Might Guy that Hyuga Rokkaku stopped ignoring Naruto.

First, he looked at Naruto's face—hmm, Hyuga Rokkaku nodded inwardly, he looked decent enough—and then he looked down...

"Heh, another [commoner]..."

Hyuga Rokkaku sneered internally, losing all interest. The thought of even asking for his name was cast aside.

That orange outfit, covered in patches and devoid of any aesthetic sense... one had to wonder if it was typical of Might Guy's students to share such a hideous taste in clothing.

Having determined that Naruto was not from a prominent family, Rokkaku couldn't be bothered to spare him another glance. Feeling a dull ache in his stomach, he turned and flicked his sleeves, ordering:

"The intention is enough, but visiting is out of the question. Neji, take him out."

"Wait, Elder Rokkaku." Neji stepped forward. "He came specifically to see Lady Hinata. They are good friends from the Ninja Academy, and they are very close."

"...?"

As if a specific nerve had been struck, Hyuga Rokkaku slowly turned his head, his pale eyes fixing on Neji:

"Did you not hear what I said?"

Hyuga Rokkaku slowed his speech, the movements of his tongue, teeth, and lips perfectly clear: "I said that is enough. Take him out."

"I..."

"I what?!"

Neji had barely managed a single, incomplete word before Hyuga Rokkaku roared like a furious, ancient dragon:

"Do you still not understand? Not just anyone can enter the Hyuga estate! Are you trying to make me hold the branch family member guarding the inner gate accountable for today?!"

"Your branch family exists solely to protect our main family! By bringing people in so casually, do you think you are honoring your duty? Since I have given an order, you must execute it! No resistance, no resistance, no resistance! Your life is one of absolute obedience to the main family! This was destined the moment the distinction between the main and branch families was made!"

His finger tapped against Neji's forehead protector again and again, creating a metallic clang with each strike, like some sort of ritual. Combined with the incantations spilling from his mouth, it felt as though he were branding Neji's soul and locking him in a cage.

At the entrance, the adult branch family member guarding the gate looked anxious, but he could not move a single step.

In the corridor, a branch family member carrying a tea set happened to approach. Seeing the scene, he immediately retreated to the very edge of the hallway like a startled bird, bowing his head deeply, his presence almost blending into the shadows.

Neji kept his head lowered. The force of the elder's fingertip struck his skull repeatedly through the iron forehead protector, causing his head to bob up and down as if he were agreeing with everything Hyuga Rokkaku said.

"Do not think that because you are praised as a genius of this generation, you can change anything! People can never change; it is precisely because they cannot change that there are differences! There are distinctions! A person's fate is determined from birth—just as I am the main family and you are the branch family! Hiashi is the main family, and your father was the branch family!"

"You!!"

Clang!

Neji jerked his head up, only to be struck back down by an even harder jab.

"You what?! You dare talk back?!" Hyuga Rokkaku scolded, "Am I wrong?!"

Clang, clang, clang, clang...

The forehead protector, struck repeatedly, finally gave way under this last blow. The seal snapped, and the protector slid off Neji's face, clattering onto the floor as the metal collided with the marble tiles.

Revealed beneath was the blue curse mark etched onto Neji's forehead, which he had always gone to great lengths to hide.

--The Caged Bird.

--The symbol distinguishing the main family from the branch family.

--It automatically destroys the Byakugan's optic nerves upon the death of a branch family member to prevent the Byakugan from being leaked.

--It also grants the main family the power to easily destroy the branch family's neural pathways.

--It is a mark of ill omen, the absolute terror imposed upon the branch family, the bird in the cage, the proof that one cannot escape the shackles of fate.

Neji's hands, wrapped in bandages from his grueling training, clenched and unclenched repeatedly. He gritted his teeth so hard that he couldn't even utter a word of rebuttal.

--Cannot resist.

This was the family rule passed down through generations of the Hyuga, the ironclad principle his own father had warned him of since childhood and had interpreted with his very life.

--Cannot resist.

Neji suddenly recalled what Naruto had said to him that morning, and he found himself thinking that Naruto was right.

If one's own children could defy their parents, they would surely grow up to be quite remarkable.

"...Hmph."

Seeing Neji lower his head and finally unclench his fists, Hyuga Rokkaku felt his anger subside slightly.

In truth, this resentment had not started today; for the past few years, Neji had held the title of the strongest in the younger generation of the Hyuga, which had always irked him.

"To think he's just a member of the branch family..." Hyuga Rokkaku muttered vaguely. He had long wanted to crush Neji's spirit to ensure the rest of the branch family harbored no delusions.

Twitching his fingers, he turned his gaze back to the blond brat, who remained in a submissive posture... though his head was bowed a bit too low, making his face impossible to see.

Finding it uninteresting, Hyuga Rokkaku continued his grand speech:

"The Byakugan of the Hyuga clan is the strongest Kekkei Genkai in the Ninja World."

"As I just said, this is determined at birth. Our strength is not only the greatest in Konoha, but the greatest in the Ninja World."

"However, things that are too beautiful are always coveted. There are always those who try to possess our innate power through various means. That is the reason for the division between the main and branch families. Whether main or branch, it is all to protect the power of the Hyuga from being stolen..."

At this point, he pointed at Naruto without hesitation and said bluntly: "But there is more than one way to steal... some people prefer a more insidious approach, getting close to our clansmen so that their descendants might possess our bloodline..."

"So, do you understand now, Neji?" Hyuga Rokkaku's tone returned to a calm, earnest pitch. "Keeping him away from Hinata is to protect her. Besides, many in Konoha are already gossiping about us. If he were to see the young mistress in her current state and spread it far and wide, where would that leave the reputation of the Hyuga?"

"...Naruto is not that kind of person." Neji kept his head down, responding in a muffled voice.

"What did you say?" Whether it was because Neji spoke too softly or because Hyuga Rokkaku couldn't believe he dared to talk back, he repeated, "What kind of person is he not?"

"I said, he is not the kind of person you claim, Elder." Neji slowly raised his head, his eyes, pale as a snowfield, meeting the elder's gaze once more. "I can vouch for him."

"..."

Hearing this, Hyuga Rokkaku narrowed his eyes slightly.

This time, he did not pretend to be angry, nor did he roar; instead, a thought of as I expected rose within him.

Because he saw it.

He saw the unwillingness in Neji's eyes as they met his—an emotion Neji was struggling to suppress but which was nearly bursting forth.

He saw the branch family members in the shadows of the corridor, appearing humble and obedient, yet secretly straining their ears to listen to the commotion.

He saw the branch family guard at the gate pacing back and forth, glancing over repeatedly as if hesitating.

In the distance, the branch family members training in the dojo were gradually gathering at the entrance of the inner courtyard to watch the scene.

It was these vague, prying gazes, carrying an indefinable meaning, that made Hyuga Rokkaku feel uneasy.

In the past, these branch family members wouldn't have even dared to lift their heads in front of the main family.

Why did they dare to watch the spectacle now?

What were they looking at, and what did they hope to see?

Were they not afraid of death?

Or was it because he, this so-called strongest, had defeated a member of the main family of his generation, giving them unrealistic hope?

Hyuga Rokkaku looked deeply at Neji.

Hiashi, you are too soft on them... Ever since Hizashi died, fewer and fewer branch family members have been punished by the clan rules.

Without fear, there is hope; and with hope, cracks appear in the stability.

—So, I will help you break their bones.

"Kneel."

Hyuga Rokkaku issued the command.

"?"

Neji looked at Hyuga Rokkaku in disbelief, but the elder had no intention of retracting his words. The veins around his temples bulged instantly, writhing like living creatures. He had activated his Byakugan, or rather, he was prepared to use the Caged Bird technique.

"Kneel," Hyuga Rokkaku said with an indifferent tone. "Do not make me repeat it a third time."

If this is what you branch family members call hope, then open your eyes and look closely.

Watch your hope kneel.

Then you will realize that the faint fantasies in your hearts are, in the end, just fantasies.

Nothing will change.

It was like this a hundred years ago, and it will be like this a hundred years from now.

Hyuga Rokkaku watched the most outstanding genius of the Hyuga clan silently. With his Byakugan active, he could clearly see how cold sweat beaded on the boy's skin, how his lips trembled, how his chakra became chaotic, and how the muscles in his legs gradually contracted—

Kneel.

Hyuga Rokkaku watched without a hint of surprise as Neji's knees bent slightly.

After all, under the Caged Bird, in the face of life and death, no one could refuse to submit.

Kneel.

Just as you did a hundred years ago.

Just like your descendants a hundred years from now.

Kneel—hm?

"Do not kneel."

The person who had been silent all this while suddenly moved; he bent down and slapped the front of Neji's knees.

Snap!

"Stand straight."

He spoke words that Hyuga Rokkaku could not comprehend, words that the Hyuga branch family had never dared to utter. He slapped the front of Neji's other knee, then crouched before him, gripping both of Neji's knees tightly with his hands to force his legs straight.

"I said do not kneel!"

He looked up at Neji with a defiant glare, and Neji saw it again—that fierce gaze, similar to the one from early that morning, yet somehow different.

The only thing that remained unchanged was the determination and ruthlessness in his eyes, a resolve to sweep away everything standing in his path.

"Neji!" Hyuga Rokkaku raised his voice. "Kneel! Or else I will—"

"Shut the hell up, you old bastard!" Naruto roared even louder, his voice like a thunderclap drowning out Hyuga Rokkaku's shrill cries. "I've been holding back for a long time, damn it! I said no kneeling! Everyone, get the hell up!"

"People have two legs so they can stand, stop this kneeling bullshit!"

"Stand up, all of you, get the hell up!"