Putting the Elephant in the Refrigerator

--For the sake of the children.

Naruto and Hyuga Rokkaku had been debating for quite some time, but these four words struck like an electric current, instantly piercing the hearts of every member of the branch family present. The sensation traveled from the tops of their skulls down to the base of their spines, leaving goosebumps even on the backs of their hands.

Indeed, the children of the branch family are born into the branch family.

Could it be that their own children are destined to shoulder the same fate as them?

Are they to be forever trapped in an invisible cage woven from bloodlines, family duty, and the Caged Bird, never knowing freedom for their entire lives, their very existence held in the palms of others?

True, the Main House rarely invokes the Caged Bird to execute a branch family member unless there are exceptional circumstances.

But even so... as parents, how could anyone willingly hand over the lives of their own flesh and blood to another? What kind of parent would do that?

Thinking of this, several branch family members who were currently pregnant or had children under the age of three felt a sting in their noses, their eyes turning red. Those whose children had already been branded with the Caged Bird silently moved in front of them, offering a measure of cover... Only those who are parents themselves can truly understand the heart-wrenching pain they share.

Many others cast their gazes toward Neji, for his father had died in place of the current head of the family... This is the branch family! This is the Main House!

"The Caged Bird is the key to the Main House's control over the branch family, and I have heard that it cannot be undone."

Before the speechless Hyuga Rokkaku could formulate a reply, Naruto had already entered a state of flow. Fueled by a mix of "screw it, I'm going all out" and "come at me if you dare," his thoughts ran wild like an unbridled horse, free from any constraints, saying whatever came to mind.

"But why are we so obsessed with undoing it?"

His eyes were bright and piercing. Silence fell inside and outside the courtyard, with only his voice echoing.

"Since it has already been branded and cannot be removed, just like things that have already happened cannot be changed, why should we waste our energy agonizing over it?"

Hyuga Rokkaku and the branch family members couldn't help but catch the word "we" in that sentence, though their reactions were vastly different.

"The only thing we should care about is the future!" Naruto, oblivious to their reactions, grew more excited as he spoke. "It's about the children who haven't been branded with the Caged Bird yet! Their fate can still be changed... No, even the fate of those already branded isn't necessarily unchangeable!"

"Right? Isn't it simple?"

Naruto's tone was as if he had opened the door to a new world: "If coming into contact with the Main House means getting branded or executed by the curse, then why not just stop contacting the Main House and stay away from them? Besides, the Caged Bird doesn't affect daily life, and the only ones in the Ninja World who use the Caged Bird are the Main House!"

"So, breaking this damn fate is actually really simple."

Naruto had realized it.

He grinned, his teeth stark white, and whispered.

"Just leave this 'family.' No one can control your own Caged Bird, and your children won't have to be branded either."

"As long as you stay away from the Main House, you have broken free from the cage; the sky is vast for birds to fly."

"A person shouldn't be stifled by their own bladder... This so-called Caged Bird isn't that important after all..."

The branch family members looked at each other, unable to believe what Naruto was saying—where did this guy come from? How could he take something that had plagued and tormented them for generations and make it sound like it could be solved so easily?

It was like someone asking how to put an elephant in a fridge. It's simple: open the door, put the elephant in, and close the door. Is it simple? Yes! The problem is, if it were really that simple, why hadn't anyone thought of it before?

And yet—every member of the branch family felt a faint, lingering sense that... maybe this guy had a point?

So why hadn't anyone thought of it before?

Was it that they couldn't think of it, or... were they afraid to?

"You... you naturally evil brat!" Hyuga Rokkaku was both shocked and furious. "Are you inciting them to leave Konoha? Are you inciting the branch family to become rogue ninjas? You'll be thrown into prison!"

"Old man, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't just say whatever you want." Naruto raised his middle finger. "I said leave the Main House, not leave Konoha. After all, as you said, if I stay in this family, I have to follow the family rules, so why don't I just leave?"

"And who said leaving Konoha makes you a rogue ninja?"

"A rogue ninja is someone who causes harm to the village and betrays it... Does wanting to live outside the village count as betrayal? Damn it!"

Naruto suddenly flew into a rage, pointing at Hyuga Rokkaku's nose and cursing: "You bastard! You're actually implying that the great Sannin, the students of the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Fourth Hokage's teacher Jiraiya, and the First Hokage's granddaughter Tsunade are rogue ninjas?! As a Konoha ninja, I am at odds with you!"

"I didn't, I...!"

Hyuga Rokkaku never expected such a massive accusation to be thrown at him in response to his rebuttal. His lips trembled, and he couldn't think of a way to refute Naruto while clearing his own name.

It was true; he had lived a life of luxury since childhood and had never really argued with anyone. How could he know how many times Naruto had seen people bickering in comment sections online, claiming to be "keyboard warriors"?

Although Naruto had sighed with regret at not being able to participate back then, through constant exposure, he had picked up a few tricks—like shifting the blame, making a mountain out of a molehill, and twisting words to his advantage.

A few stifled chuckles emerged from the branch family crowd. Many others kept their heads buried, pressing down so hard their chins wrinkled. Naruto's innate "showman" spirit was in full swing; he beamed, bobbed his head, and shrugged at the crowd outside the gate, as if accepting their "bows of respect" for the brilliant joke he had just told.

Given his posture, if Hyuga Rokkaku hadn't still been there, he would have jumped down to high-five everyone.

Even Neji, who always wore a bitter expression, felt the corners of his mouth twitch upward.

He looked at Naruto and couldn't help but think that this was truly an amazing guy.

No matter the occasion, he could firmly capture everyone's attention, making the rhythm of the room follow his lead. Even a prison like the Caged Bird, which had shackled them for a hundred years, became a problem he could dismiss with a "It's just that simple, don't you think?" And yet, everyone couldn't help but want to believe him; it seemed to be a magic he was born with.

"Ahem!"

Hyuga Rokkaku finally managed a cough. With a livid face, he decided to force the conversation away from the previous topic.

"Do you think the branch family can solve everything once and for all just by leaving the Main House?"

He stepped closer to Naruto, suppressing his emotions, his eyes returning to a cold indifference as if he had made a firm decision.

With his Byakugan constantly active, how could he miss the indescribably complex emotions churning beneath the strained expressions of the branch family members behind him? An atmosphere of restless agitation was quietly spreading through their exchanged glances, like an undercurrent beneath a deep pool.

Regardless, he could not let this kid continue speaking.

These dangerous remarks were practically cutting at the very roots of the Hyuga Main House!

Just as the members of the branch family yearned to change the fate of their children, Hyuga Rokkaku would never allow the destiny of his own descendants to be shaken. The branch family existed solely to safeguard the Main House!

"[Caged Bird] is also a form of protection for the branch family! Do you have any idea how many people in this Ninja World covet the [Byakugan]? The moment they leave the Hyuga Clan, those without the protection of the Caged Bird would be instantly slaughtered by the swarms of dangers waiting to harvest their eyes!"

"Cut the crap."

Uzumaki Naruto sensed the shift in the man's aura. Instead of retreating, he stepped forward, closing the distance to Hyuga Rokkaku. "The branch family protects you Main House members who don't have the Caged Bird just fine, so they can surely protect themselves without your forced [Caged Bird]... To put it bluntly, if the outside world were truly that treacherous, why didn't the Uchiha Clan implement a Caged Bird back then? Are you the only ones with eyes?"

"Spewing demonic nonsense! You only have a sharp tongue!"

In a flash, the two were less than half a meter apart. Neji and the branch family members sensed something was wrong, but before they could react, the moment Hyuga Rokkaku finished speaking, he moved!

His perpetually active Byakugan instantly locked onto every Tenketsu Strike point on Naruto's body. Violent cyan chakra erupted from his right hand, carrying a sharp, cutting wind as he slammed a palm toward Naruto's mouth!

[Tenketsu Strike]!

"I shall deal with you myself, you shameless brat!"

Hyuga Rokkaku had struck with lethal intent, fueled by rage. He intended to ensure this arrogant boy wouldn't be able to chew food for the next half-month, forcing him to rely on a nasal feeding tube just to survive!

Yet, in that split second, a jolt of incredulous horror struck Hyuga Rokkaku's heart. Even while facing this thunderous blow, he saw something in Naruto's eyes... eagerness?

--Then, his vision went "blind."

An unprecedented, violently intense "light" exploded within the field of view of Hyuga Rokkaku's Byakugan. What should have been clearly defined meridians and chakra flows erupted like a volcano that had been dormant for ten thousand years the moment his fingertips were about to touch Naruto!

Boom!

"This is not the amount of chakra a Ninja should possess!"

Hyuga Rokkaku's mind reeled.

He had never seen such a sight in his life! If the chakra of an ordinary Ninja was "gaseous," then the chakra within Naruto was as viscous as liquid gold!

Its volume was vast as the sea, its nature as violent as molten lava. It was like a sun exploding before his eyes; Hyuga Rokkaku even felt as if his own eyes were being scorched!

It was this unexpected shock that caused his palm strike to falter. Naruto, who had been waiting for a fight, used his height advantage to slip under the man's arm like an eel, instantly appearing behind him!

Hyuga Rokkaku was terrified. He planted his front foot, twisted his waist, and instinctively prepared to counter-attack!

Then, a glowing treasure was pressed squarely against his clean-shaven forehead, freezing all his movements in place.

"Wum—Boom—"

The air groaned. A heart-stopping, continuous high-frequency hum assaulted Hyuga Rokkaku's eardrums. A sphere of blue energy, violently churning and spinning in Naruto's palm, was less than five centimeters from his face! The sheer force of the gale created by the rotation was already tearing bloody gashes into his cheeks!

"A-rank Ninjutsu..." Hyuga Rokkaku swallowed hard, "...Rasengan?"

He naturally recognized the Ninjutsu hovering before him—the one that could blow his head off if Naruto pushed forward even an inch.

But he couldn't comprehend how this boy knew the Rasengan. This was the signature technique of the Fourth Hokage, a rare, hand-sign-less Ninjutsu in the Ninja World! Furthermore, the speed at which the boy condensed the Rasengan was simply inconceivable; even with his Byakugan, which could perceive the flow of chakra, he hadn't even had time to react.

Naruto didn't answer. He merely tilted his head slightly behind the azure sphere, his golden hair dancing in the turbulent currents, revealing a face that looked somewhat unsatisfied, yet brimming with youthful spirit.

--Wait.

Sixty-seven-year-old Hyuga Rokkaku's pupils contracted sharply.

What was he seeing?

Blonde hair, blue eyes, Rasengan...

Aside from one face being gentle and easy-going, and the other being arrogant and unbridled, everything else was identical...

He felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His strength seemed to drain away in an instant. His lips trembled as he asked the question he had ignored all along:

"What is... your name?"

"Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto frowned slightly, his tone cold. "If you want to look for trouble, feel free to come find me."

Uzumaki Kushina...

Hyuga Rokkaku's shoulders slumped instantly, his heart sinking with bitterness.

How could I possibly look for trouble with you...

"Sigh."

A sigh suddenly echoed from outside the courtyard. Naruto glanced over to see the branch family members automatically parting to clear a path for someone.

"Naruto-kun, please stand down."

The newcomer had a rugged and profound facial structure. Below high cheekbones were thin lips pressed into a straight line, the corners of his mouth turned slightly downward, naturally carrying an air of severity and coldness.

"Uncle Hiashi..."

Neji was somewhat surprised and quickly stepped in front of Naruto.

"Today's events aren't what you think—"

"No need to say more, Neji." Hiashi interrupted, his gaze locked firmly on Naruto. "I already know everything."

He stepped forward, each stride seemingly measured with precision. He stopped a short distance from Naruto, and the two figures, one large and one small, stared at each other in silence.

Then, Hyuga Hiashi bowed his head slightly and offered a salute:

"Regarding today's events, the Hyuga Clan has been discourteous. Rokkaku spoke out of turn and neglected a guest. I apologize for the embarrassment caused to you, Naruto-kun."

"Uncle?"

"Clan Head?"

"Huh?"

It wasn't just Neji; the members of the Branch House at the entrance were in an uproar. No one had expected that Hiashi, a man known for his stern and rigid demeanor, would display such a humble posture toward a common civilian today.

Among everyone present, only Hyuga Rokkaku showed no surprise, though his face grew even more bitter.

Hiashi's attitude undoubtedly confirmed his suspicions.

If things were truly as he had guessed, it would have been strange if Hiashi had acted any other way.

After all, any Konoha resident who had lived through the Third Great Ninja War owed a debt of gratitude to that man.

So that man really did leave behind a bloodline...

Hyuga Rokkaku looked at Naruto with complex eyes.

Faced with Hiashi's posture, Naruto grew thoughtful. Suddenly, the violent chakra in his palm began to retract rapidly. The twisting, roaring blue sphere shrank drastically in his hand, eventually turning into a chaotic gust of wind that dissipated into nothingness.

Such effortless control made the eyes of both Rokkaku and Hiashi narrow slightly.

"Thank you." After offering his thanks, Hiashi pondered for a moment before turning his gaze toward Hyuga Rokkaku, who had remained silent since his arrival. "Rokkaku, do you know your error?"

"Clan Head! I...?"

Hyuga Rokkaku was, after all, an elder of the Main House. Even after realizing these things, it was unrealistic to expect him to admit fault publicly on the spot. Furthermore, he didn't believe he had done anything wrong; he had simply misjudged the identity of the visitor.

He even wanted to retort, but upon meeting Hiashi's stern, icy Byakugan, his lips trembled before he finally clamped them shut, choosing silence—neither admitting fault nor arguing back.

Seeing that Rokkaku maintained this attitude, Hiashi let out an imperceptible sigh, then turned and announced in a clear, resonant voice:

"Hyuga Rokkaku is arrogant, unruly, ignorant of the bigger picture, and heartless. He bullied the young and, as a fellow member of Konoha, spoke insolently to Neji and Hinata. He is fined three months of his clan stipend."

"However, his greater transgression lies in the fact that his mindset has been twisted by selfish desires! He has deviated from the fundamental principles that have guided the Hyuga clan for a hundred years and violated our ancestral teachings of unity. This is his greatest sin today!"

Hiashi swept his sleeve, his tone resolute. "No one is allowed to undermine the unity of our clan! The Main House is no exception! Hyuga Rokkaku's stipend is fined for an additional three years, and his subsequent benefits will be halved. His relatives within the Main House up to the third degree will also be fined one year of their stipends. This is only the preliminary result; further penalties will be announced to the entire clan after the clan council deliberates!"

After speaking, this man, standing straight as a pine and meticulous in every way, slowly bent his waist and bowed deeply to the members of the Branch House at the entrance:

"This disturbance was caused by my failure as Clan Head to restrain the corrupt atmosphere growing within the clan, chilling the hearts of all of you... On behalf of the Main House, I offer my sincere apologies to all of you, my family...!!"

"..."

Naruto watched the back of Hiashi as he bowed, and the scene of the Branch House members rushing forward to help him up. He watched how this man used his authority and eloquence to turn around a situation that had nearly spiraled out of control. Regardless of what happened in the future, at least for now, he had indeed suppressed this storm.

The "momentum" was no longer on his side.

Naruto had social difficulties, but he wasn't truly stupid. He wasn't so tactless as to continue saying anything at a time like this. Besides, today's events were forced upon him; he hadn't originally intended to overthrow the Hyuga or anything of the sort.

But as the saying goes, since he had spoken these words today and put the issues of the Main and Branch Houses on the scale, it was like a stone thrown into a deep pool—the ripples were inevitable. Hiashi could suppress the problem now, but what about later?

The seed had been planted. Whether it would sprout later didn't actually depend on the Branch House, but on the Main House itself.

"Naruto."

"Oh, Neji."

Naruto turned to face Neji, who had walked to his side. Neji looked at Naruto deeply, gathered his thoughts for a moment, and finally said softly:

"Thank you."

"Thank you for nothing." Naruto snorted. "I dragged you into this."

"Of course you dragged me into this."

"Uh..."

Naruto's expression froze at these words. The corners of Neji's mouth curled up, carrying a faint, elusive smile as he said:

"But thank you anyway."