161. People Can Be Fearless of Death

Ever since his return—or more accurately, since the first time he spoke with Kurama—Naruto had realized a problem within himself.

That is, his linguistic system seemed to suffer from a certain impairment.

In his brain, there seemed to be only two options: speaking nicely to those he liked, or speaking poorly to those he hated. There was no middle ground, no compromise, and a complete lack of the linguistic ability to resolve certain dilemmas with tact.

This led to moments where he didn't know what the appropriate thing to say was. After all, reality is not a novel; those who love you and those who hate you are both people who care about you, but in this world, how many people truly care, and how many moments are filled with such intense emotion?

People spend most of their lives living in a lukewarm fashion, dealing with people they don't care about and who don't care about them, all while molding themselves into the shapes society demands. After all, only children can laugh, curse, and act as they please. When people grow up, they must follow certain rules rather than follow their own hearts; only then can they survive.

Therefore, casting one's heart aside and saying what needs to be said to whom it needs to be said is a necessary skill for entering society, as well as a sign of maturity.

But Naruto happened to lack this skill.

Sometimes, in the dead of night, Naruto would think that if ancient humans relied on stone spears and longbows to survive, modern people probably relied on their mouths and their posturing.

The former was to fight beasts for their lives, while the latter was to occupy a safe position within a group, maximizing one's own interests while avoiding harm from one's peers... And every time he thought this, he would feel that his brain had truly been rotted by staying in the cinema too long—why was he thinking about such nonsense? He didn't even know that many people. Time to sleep.

Back then, Naruto could just sleep it off with a laugh. However, until a few minutes ago, when Hyuga Rokkaku suddenly lunged out, stood in front of Neji, and roared those words with spit flying everywhere, Naruto realized with a jolt that he could no longer avoid this dilemma.

The man was clearly no good, but he didn't seem like someone Naruto could just insult at will—not that Naruto was afraid to curse, but this was the Hyuga Clan, after all. If he cursed to his heart's content and said, "I'm the Jinchuriki, I can just walk away," he figured the Hyuga Clan—or more accurately, the Hyuga Clan Main House, which would even sacrifice the clan leader's brother to die as a scapegoat—probably didn't have the spine to challenge the Hokage over him. At most, he would just get a verbal reprimand.

What? Is your Hyuga face bigger, or is the Hokage Rock bigger? He didn't even know how many times he had graffitied those four faces on the Hokage Rock without consequence, so why don't you try replacing one? Do you know the weight of being a Jinchuriki and an invisible second-generation heir?

But even if he could walk away unscathed, what about Neji?

As the strongest of the young generation despite being from the Branch House, with such a prominent status, how would he fare after Naruto caused a scene? How would the Main House treat him?

Therefore, Naruto had been trying his best to restrain his meager linguistic system, clenching his teeth and keeping his mouth shut to avoid saying anything shocking that would implicate Neji. He buried his head deep, hiding his expression, trying his best not to add fuel to an already troublesome situation.

He had been enduring.

He endured when Hyuga Rokkaku poked Neji's forehead protector with his finger.

He endured when Hyuga Rokkaku held forth on the differences between Hiashi and Hizashi, and between the Main House and the Branch House.

But the moment Hyuga Rokkaku clamored that fate could not be changed and sternly ordered Neji to kneel, he could endure no more.

He practically leaped up, bent down sharply, and slammed his hands onto Neji's slightly bent legs, forcing his knees straight!

"Don't you kneel!"

His hands gripped Neji's knees like iron pincers, his voice low and bordering on a roar:

"Stand straight!"

Naruto stared fiercely into Neji's eyes. Neji naturally saw the ferocity in them, but he couldn't understand at all why Naruto would be so enraged.

Clearly, this was his own business. Even if one looked at the big picture, it was just the daily routine of the Hyuga Clan, the Main House versus the Branch House.

Even if it was caused by him bringing Naruto here, as an outsider, was it worth going this far?

Are you an idiot?

Aren't you afraid?

Watching the back of Naruto, who was roaring and cursing Hyuga Rokkaku for his sake, Neji was dazed.

Neji naturally could not understand, just as he did not know that in the original trajectory of fate, he would die in Naruto's place, just like his father Hizashi.

Then, he would watch that inexplicably appearing bird, listen to some inexplicable, nonsensical words, and then think he had found so-called freedom, closing his eyes...

[No, you just died.]

[You neither gained freedom nor escaped fate; you just died.]

[The son of a scapegoat is a scapegoat after all, just as the son of the Hokage is destined to be the Hokage.]

—Those comments that had drifted by back then were like slaps across Naruto's face.

And when he watched himself on the screen, so naively relieved after Neji's death—even though Neji had died for him, he hadn't felt a thing after the war about the Hyuga Main and Branch House system, or the [Caged Bird] that had imprisoned Neji's soul for a lifetime... Naruto's cheeks burned with pain.

That was why he had jumped up like this, roaring in a fit of shame and anger over something that seemed to have nothing to do with him.

Hyuga Rokkaku, what do you mean?

Are you saying that fate cannot be changed, so no matter how much effort he puts in, Neji will still die for him in the future?

Naruto knew his thinking was biased, but it didn't change his resolve to act, because what Hyuga Rokkaku said wasn't just insulting Neji and the Branch House; it was a slap to his own face!

If he continued to remain indifferent, wouldn't he be proving those mocking comments right?

"You..."

Hyuga Rokkaku was dumbfounded.

Having lived in luxury for sixty-seven years, he had never heard such crude, unbearable cursing, let alone directed at him!

Some yellow-haired bumpkin from who knows where was actually spouting such arrogant nonsense inside the deepest inner courtyard of the Hyuga Clan??

This caused his brain to crash; it was a situation he had never faced before. The condescending or polite conversations he was used to were completely useless here. Where had he ever seen such an inexplicable person? They were total strangers meeting for the first time, yet the boy was spewing filth at him right away?!

"Why are you cursing me? What 'stand up'? Why should I stand up?"

Several questions subconsciously rose in Hyuga Rokkaku's heart because he couldn't understand why Naruto was so angry. But just as these questions reached the tip of his tongue, another, more complex and intense emotion completely took over his inner being.

"You... you brat!"

Anger. Shame.

Hyuga Rokkaku's face cycled between shades of green and white, his cold, composed demeanor shattered. He began to flail about, his body swaying as he pointed a trembling finger at Naruto and shrieked:

"How dare you insult our Hyuga Clan? You arrogant wretch! You insolent brat! Someone! Seize him! Pin him to the ground!"

However.

Despite his spittle-flecked outburst, the courtyard remained deathly silent.

Naruto continued to glare at him—while simultaneously wondering what to do next. Neji remained locked onto Naruto, his mind lost in thought. As for the rest of the branch family members, they exchanged glances, saying nothing and moving not an inch.

Wait, buddy, the branch family members collectively thought, when things were fine, you were busy harping on the massive divide between the Main House and the branch family. Now that there's trouble, how did we suddenly become "our" Hyuga Clan?

Hyuga Rokkaku realized only after he finished speaking that no one had echoed his command. He scanned his surroundings; the Main House members were all away at a meeting in the West Wing. Everyone present was from the branch family, and instead of obeying his order, they were all wearing bizarre expressions.

"Neji!" He felt a flicker of panic, though his face remained fierce. "This is the trouble you brought back! Take him down for me!"

But Neji stood motionless, as if Hyuga Rokkaku's words were nothing more than a passing breeze. He kept his eyes fixed intently on Naruto, as unmoving as a stone statue.

"Bastards... all of them are bastards."

Hyuga Rokkaku gritted his teeth. For some reason, he instinctively held back—for the first time in sixty-seven years, he didn't immediately voice his reprimands against the branch family, instead cursing them only in his heart.

"Yanshang!" he shouted again, pointing at the branch family member responsible for guarding the inner courtyard today—the very man who had let Naruto and Neji inside.

"How could you let a person of such unknown status in? Where is your sense of duty??" Hyuga Rokkaku glared viciously at the visibly distressed Yanshang. "Are you deaf? Can't you see he is insulting the Main House! Come over here and take this brat down to atone for your failure! Or have you forgotten the family laws of the Hyuga??"

As if the Hyuga have any real family laws, the distracted Neji suddenly thought.

Aren't they just the branch family unconditionally obeying the Main House, the Main House using the branch family at will... and the [Caged Bird] curse seal that binds them both?

Then, he saw Naruto, whom he had been watching, move again.

Naruto stepped between Hyuga Rokkaku and Hyuga Yanshang, extending his palm to block their line of sight and shielding the bewildered Hyuga Yanshang.

"Old man."

Naruto's tone was calm, but his expression dripped with disdain.

"If you want to fight, I'll fight you. If you're scared, just say so. Don't use other people as your human shield."

In truth, even after his impulsive outburst, Naruto still hadn't come up with a good plan. Given his social ineptitude, it would be strange if he had.

But he knew at least one thing: he couldn't let Hyuga Rokkaku continue to incite the crowd and regain control of the situation. He had to stand his ground, even if he was just winging it, even if he had to resort to pure, stubborn nonsense.

Hyuga Rokkaku was so infuriated by Naruto's bizarre train of thought that he actually laughed.

What was this blond brat saying?

He didn't offer a dignified reason for his actions, nor did he use polite pleasantries to give both sides a way out. He just alternated between swearing and demanding a duel. Where did this street thug come from? Was this the kind of trash Might Guy produced as students?

Hyuga Rokkaku felt a sense of clarity and contempt. He had been so blinded by rage that he hadn't realized the opponent was just a reckless, ignorant punk.

"What qualifications do you have to challenge me to a duel?" Hyuga Rokkaku said with a sneer. "A piece of trash like you, who knows nothing of etiquette and only spews filth, would only dirty my hands! Do you think just anyone is worthy of crossing blades with a Hyuga?"

"Hmm?" Naruto tilted his head, his eyes suddenly lighting up.

He pointed at Neji and the branch family members outside the circle: "Then why did you want them to fight me? Does that mean fighting me wouldn't dirty your hands?"

Hyuga Rokkaku, who had just been looking down on Naruto, suddenly sensed something was wrong. But before he could react, Naruto let out an "Ah!" of realization, slapping his palm with his fist as if he had just figured it out:

"I get it! Because they are the branch family, it doesn't matter if they dirty their hands fighting me. And since the branch family doesn't count as the Hyuga Clan, I'm qualified to fight them."

Suddenly, the Naruto who had been furious a second ago flashed a kind, pleasantly surprised smile at Hyuga Rokkaku:

"Grandpa! I got it right, didn't I!"

Stop acting cute, you bastard!

Hyuga Rokkaku roared internally. He knew perfectly well that the other party had seized upon a flaw in his logic. This kid wasn't a reckless punk at all; he was a hidden, stinging bee, waiting for the slightest gap to strike and deliver a painful blow!

The branch family members watching at the entrance began to stir. Even Hyuga Rokkaku, an elder who prioritized the Main House above all, knew he could never let the statement "the branch family doesn't count as Hyuga" stand. No matter what, he had to maintain the facade of a unified clan—a core rule every Main House member was privately taught from childhood!

"Bastard! Stop spreading your heretical nonsense!" Hyuga Rokkaku waved his hand, his attitude impassioned. "You outsider, what do you know of our Hyuga Clan? The Main House and the branch family have always been one. We prosper together and suffer together. The branch family is absolutely Hyuga; that is an eternal, historical fact. Don't think you can twist concepts just because you caught a slip of the tongue!"

"Then why can they fight me, but you can't?"

Ignoring his excuses, Naruto kept his grip firmly on the "slip of the tongue."

"Why would your hands be dirtied, but not theirs? Why am I not qualified to fight you, but I am to fight them? Are your hands more precious, or are you the superior class and they the inferior?"

Hyuga Rokkaku was again laughed into a rage, once more convinced the kid was just spouting nonsense.

"You outsider, stop pretending to understand things you don't and spouting such ridiculous, ignorant words!" He had little patience left, his tone turning sharp again. "I let them act because it is their inherent duty! The Main House inherits the bloodline, and the branch family guards the Main House. This system is the reason the Hyuga Clan has survived to this day; it is the cornerstone of our bloodline's continuation! As long as you are in the Hyuga house, you must follow these rules! Do you think this is something an outsider like you can question?"

Having said this, Hyuga Rokkaku no longer wanted to waste breath on Naruto. He strode past him, arriving before the branch family members at the entrance, his tone icy.

"Well? Have you forgotten your duties as the branch family? Have you forgotten the teachings the clan has drilled into you since you were children?"

His Byakugan had never been deactivated. His translucent eyes, webbed with bulging veins, slowly scanned every branch family member. He could clearly see the [Caged Bird] curse seals hidden beneath their forehead protectors.

"Or is it that you truly want me to enforce the family laws?"

Looking into Hyuga Rokkaku's predatory gaze, the hearts of the branch family members wavered once more. This wasn't about courage or bravery; it was about an ancient rule that had never been shaken since the founding of the Hyuga Clan.

Anyone who had ever challenged it was already dead.

But at this moment, Naruto, who had been left behind by Hyuga Rokkaku, suddenly said in a haunting tone:

"Are you saying," he asked, "'as long as one stays in the Hyuga Clan, one must abide by these rules,' is that it?"

"Yes." Hyuga Rokkaku couldn't be bothered to turn around.

Isn't that obvious? Aren't the rules of the Hyuga Clan meant for the members of the Hyuga Clan to follow?

Naruto watched the back of Hyuga Rokkaku's head in silence, observing the branch family members with their conflicted faces and trembling eyes, and watching Neji, who remained motionless and expressionless.

It had just occurred to him.

A way to ensure Neji wouldn't be implicated after he left.

There was once a saying in the comments section.

[When you cannot solve a problem, why not try to escalate it.]

Whatever, he had no other choice anyway.

He would blow it up.

So, Naruto spoke slowly, his tone eerie:

"Then why not leave this family?"

"..."

"..."

"...???!"

Hyuga Rokkaku turned around in astonishment, his eyes filled with shock and rage. He pointed a finger at Naruto, his whole body trembling, but he was so stunned that he was rendered speechless, unable to utter a single word. Even though he had engaged in several verbal skirmishes with Naruto before, his heart had never been this shaken.

What was this brat saying?

How could he say such a thing?

How dared he say such a thing??

"What I mean is," Naruto said, looking at the stunned and suspicious Hyuga Rokkaku. He spread his hands and continued in a calm tone, "If staying in this family means you must unconditionally obey certain... people, and you are either scolded or forced to kneel, and on top of that, you have to risk your life to protect those people when danger arises—and the kicker is that your own children will end up just like you... then why not leave? A tree moved will die, but a person moved will live."

—From the moment Naruto spoke these words, the issue of the day was no longer just about Neji; he had escalated it to the conflict between the entire branch family and the Main House.

Especially considering that Neji had always been the pride of the branch family... even if the Main House wanted to punish Neji later, it would be difficult for them to act without considering the sentiments of the entire branch family.

Hyuga Rokkaku's Byakugan allowed him to clearly see every face of the branch family members behind him. He saw the same surprise, panic, and astonishment that he felt... but he also saw, deep within their eyes, a subtle, newfound clarity—as if they had suddenly seen the light.

Hyuga Rokkaku didn't even realize it himself, but a trace of panic had already risen in his heart.

How could he have imagined that a routine, ordinary lecture to the branch family would be blown out of proportion by this brat... No, what he hadn't expected was that someone would be so audacious as to actually dare to say such things out loud within the Hyuga Clan! Was he not afraid of the retaliation of the Hyuga Clan??

Some things, if left unsaid, weigh nothing, but once the paper window is pierced, the weight becomes unbearable!

"You..." For a moment, too many vicious words surged to Hyuga Rokkaku's lips to throw at Naruto, but he skipped them for now, because there was something more urgent that required an immediate response!

"Ridiculous! The traditions of the Hyuga Clan have been this way for thousands of years. The glory of the Hyuga Clan standing tall in the Ninja World has always been protected by both the Main House and the branch family. Who are you to spout such twisted logic and sow discord?"

Seeming to feel that his repetition of these old tropes lacked persuasion, Hyuga Rokkaku pointed at Neji in a fit of rage, gesturing to the Caged Bird curse mark on his forehead:

"Besides, the branch family would die the moment they left the Main House! This is the power the Caged Bird grants us, the Main House. In the face of death, how could they ever leave the Hyuga? You pig!"

"That's not true."

Naruto shook his head slowly: "You keep saying the Main House is protected by the branch family, so the glory of the Hyuga is not protected by both, but only by the branch family. Because you in the Main House have always been hiding behind others to 'continue the bloodline,' where is this 'shared' effort?"

Before Hyuga Rokkaku could reply, Naruto continued, his expression earnest, though his gaze swept over the branch family members outside the door:

"Besides, people can be unafraid of death."

He paused, and as if remembering something, he added sincerely:

"For the sake of their children, people can be unafraid of death."