—for the sake of their children.
Naruto and Hyuga Rokkaku had argued for a long time, but these four words alone struck the hearts of every branch family member present like a bolt of lightning, shooting from the crowns of their heads down to the ends of their spines and raising goosebumps on their hands.
That was right. The branch family's children were still born into the branch family.
Were their own children destined to bear the same fate as them in the future?
Would they be trapped forever in this invisible cage woven from bloodlines, family duty, and the [Caged Bird], denied freedom for their entire lives, with even their lives in someone else's hands?
That was true. The Main House generally wouldn't use the [Caged Bird] to kill branch family members unless there were special circumstances.
But even so... what parent would willingly hand their own child's life over to someone else? What kind of parent would do that?
At the thought, several branch family members who were pregnant or had children under three felt their noses sting and their eyes grow red. Those whose children had already been branded with the [Caged Bird] quietly moved in front of them, trying to shield them as best they could... Only parents could understand the pain they shared.
Many others turned their eyes toward Neji, because his father had died in place of the current clan head... This was the branch family! This was the Main House!
"The [Caged Bird] is the key to the Main House's control over the branch family. And I've heard it can't be removed."
Hyuga Rokkaku was still at a loss for words, unable to think of a response. But Naruto was already completely in his element. His thoughts were a mix of "screw it, I'm going to blow up at you" and "go ahead and try to cut me down," and his mind raced like a wild horse, free of any restraints. He said whatever came to mind.
"But why are we so fixated on removing it?"
His eyes shone brightly. The entire courtyard fell silent, and only his voice echoed through it.
"Since it's already been placed and can't be removed, it's like something that's already happened and can't be changed. Why waste our energy worrying about the seal itself?"
Both Hyuga Rokkaku and the branch family members couldn't help but pick up on the word "we" in his sentence, but they felt entirely differently about it.
"The only thing we need to care about is the future!" Naruto was far too caught up in his speech to notice. The more he spoke, the more excited he got. "The children who haven't yet been branded with the [Caged Bird]! Their fate can still be changed... No, even the fate of those who've already been branded can still be changed!"
"Yeah, isn't it simple?"
Naruto's tone was like a door opening onto a whole new world. "If coming into contact with the Main House means you'll be branded with the Cursed Seal or killed by it, then why not avoid contact with the Main House and stay away from them? The [Caged Bird] doesn't affect your daily life, after all. The Main House is the only one in the Ninja World that uses the [Caged Bird]!"
"So breaking this damn fate really is simple."
Naruto had seen the light.
He grinned, baring his white teeth, and spoke softly.
"All you have to do is leave this 'family.' No one can control the Caged Bird on you, and your children won't have to be branded with the Cursed Seal."
"Stay away from the Main House, and you'll escape the cage. The sky's the limit."
"You can't let yourself die just because you can't take a piss... This so-called [Caged Bird] isn't that important at all..."
The branch family members exchanged glances. Even they were beginning to find it hard to believe what Naruto was saying—where had this guy come from? How could he make something that had troubled and tormented them for generations sound so easy to solve, just by moving his lips?
It was as if someone had asked how to put an elephant in a refrigerator, and he'd said, "It's easy. Open the refrigerator, put the elephant inside, and close the door. Simple, right?" But if it really was that easy, why had nobody thought of it before?
And yet—each branch family member couldn't help feeling, deep down... that what this guy was saying made some sense.
Then why had no one thought of it before?
Was it because they couldn't think of it, or... because they didn't dare?
"You... naturally evil little brat!" Hyuga Rokkaku was both shocked and furious. "You're trying to incite them to leave Konoha and become rogue ninja! You'll be thrown in jail for this!"
"Old man, you can eat whatever you want, but don't go around saying whatever you want." Naruto raised his middle finger. "I said leave the Main House, not Konoha. After all, you said it yourself, big shot: if you stay in this family, you have to obey its rules. So why not leave?"
"And who says leaving Konoha makes you a rogue ninja?"
"A rogue ninja is someone who harms the village and betrays it. Does wanting to settle outside the village make someone a traitor? What the hell!"
Naruto suddenly flew into a rage and pointed at Hyuga Rokkaku's nose. "You bastard! Are you implying that the great Sannin—Lord Jiraiya, student of the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi and teacher of the Fourth Hokage, and Lady Tsunade, granddaughter of the First Hokage—are rogue ninja?! As a Konoha Ninja, I won't stand with you!"
"I wasn't! I...!"
Hyuga Rokkaku had never imagined that one rebuttal would land him with such a huge accusation. His lips trembled, and for a moment he couldn't think of a way to argue with Naruto while also clearing his own name.
Then again, he'd been pampered since childhood. How often had he ever argued with anyone? And how could he know that Naruto had watched so many on-screen comment sections filled with people claiming to be "Tieba bros" and "Xiaohongshu users" hurling insults at each other?
At the time, Naruto had been frustrated that he couldn't join in. But after soaking up the atmosphere, he'd picked up a few tricks of the trade: turning the tables, making a mountain out of a molehill, and twisting someone's words to suit his own argument.
A few stifled chuckles rose from the branch family crowd. Many others kept their heads bowed so low that their chins were practically crumpled into folds. The "ham when there's an audience" side of Naruto's nature had surfaced too. He raised his brows, bobbed his head, and shrugged at the crowd outside the gate, as if accepting their "bowed tributes" for delivering such a brilliant joke.
If Hyuga Rokkaku hadn't been there, Naruto looked ready to jump down and high-five everyone, then slap them on the backside.
Even Neji, who usually wore a bitter expression, had the faintest curve to his lips.
Looking at Naruto, he couldn't help thinking what a remarkable guy he was.
No matter the occasion, he always managed to command everyone's attention and get them to follow his lead. Even a cage like the [Caged Bird], which had imprisoned people for a century, sounded in his mouth like a problem that could be solved with a casual, "It's that simple. Don't you think?" And somehow, everyone couldn't help wanting to believe him. It seemed to be a natural gift.
"Ahem!"
Hyuga Rokkaku finally managed to cough. His face had turned livid, and he decided to forcefully move on from the previous topic.
"You think the branch family can solve everything once and for all by leaving the Main House?"
He stepped toward Naruto, reining in his emotions and returning to his usual impassive expression, as if he had made up his mind about something.
With his Byakugan activated the whole time, how could he fail to see the complex emotions churning beneath the branch family members' carefully composed faces? A restless mood was quietly spreading through the glances they exchanged, like an undercurrent beneath a deep pool.
Whatever happened, he couldn't let this brat keep talking.
These dangerous words were practically cutting away the very foundations of the Hyuga Main House!
Just as the branch family members longed to change their children's fates, Hyuga Rokkaku would never allow his own children's and grandchildren's fates to be shaken. The branch family had to protect the Main House!
"The [Caged Bird] also protects the branch family! Do you know how many people in the Ninja World covet the [Byakugan]? If they leave the Hyuga Clan, those without the protection of the Caged Bird will be killed and have their eyes taken the moment danger comes swarming in!"
"Cut the crap."
Naruto noticed the change in his opponent's aura. Instead of backing away, he moved closer, walking toward Hyuga Rokkaku too. "The branch family has done a pretty good job protecting all you Main House members who don't have the Caged Bird, so they can surely protect themselves just as well. They don't need the [Caged Bird] you force on them... Put simply, if the world outside is really so dangerous, why didn't the Uchiha Clan make a Caged Bird? Are you the only ones with eyes?"
"Spouting nonsense! All you have is a silver tongue!"
In an instant, the two were less than half a meter apart. Neji and the branch family members sensed something was wrong too, but before they could react, Hyuga Rokkaku moved the moment he finished speaking!
His Byakugan, which had been activated all along, instantly locked onto the chakra points throughout Naruto's body. Violent blue chakra surged from his right hand, carrying a fierce gust of wind as he slammed his palm at Naruto's mouth!
[Tenketsu Strike]!
"Old man will take you down himself, you shameless wretch!"
Fueled by rage, Hyuga Rokkaku had nearly put all his strength into the blow. He meant to leave the brat so unable to chew for the next half month that he'd need a feeding tube just to stay alive!
Yet in that split second, an utterly disbelieving shock surged through Hyuga Rokkaku. Even faced with his thunderous attack, he saw... eager anticipation in Naruto's eyes?
—Then his eyes went "blind."
A blinding, unprecedented burst of "light" exploded across Hyuga Rokkaku's Byakugan vision. The chakra pathways and chakra flow that should have been clearly outlined erupted inside Naruto like a volcano dormant for millennia, just as Hyuga Rokkaku's fingertips were about to touch him!
Boom!
"That chakra amount is impossible for a ninja!"
Hyuga Rokkaku's mind reeled.
He had never seen anything like it in his life! If an ordinary ninja's chakra was "gaseous," then Naruto's was as viscous as liquid gold!
Its quantity was as vast as the sea, its quality as violent as molten rock. It was like a sun exploding right before him. Hyuga Rokkaku even felt as if his eyes had been scorched!
That unexpected shock made his palm falter. Naruto, who had been waiting for a fight, took advantage of their difference in height and slipped beneath his arm like a loach, instantly appearing behind him!
Hyuga Rokkaku's heart lurched. He immediately planted his front foot, twisted his waist, and instinctively prepared to counterattack!
Then a glowing, magnificent orb pressed squarely against his smooth forehead, stopping him in his tracks.
"Vrrr—boom—"
The air wailed. A continuous, high-pitched hum that made his heart seize pounded against Hyuga Rokkaku's eardrums. A blue sphere of energy spun violently in Naruto's palm, less than five centimeters from his face! The fierce spiral of air alone nearly tore open his cheeks, leaving bloody scratches!
"An A-rank ninjutsu..." Hyuga Rokkaku swallowed with difficulty. "Rasengan?"
Of course he recognized the technique hovering before his eyes. If Naruto pushed it forward just a little, it could blow his head apart.
But what he couldn't understand was how this kid knew the Rasengan. It was the Fourth Hokage's signature technique, a rare jutsu in the Ninja World that required no hand signs! And Naruto had formed it far too quickly. It was practically unbelievable. Even with the Byakugan, which let him see the flow of chakra, Hyuga Rokkaku hadn't been able to react in time.
Naruto didn't reply. He merely tilted his head slightly behind the azure sphere. His golden hair whipped wildly in the surging air, revealing a face that looked a little disappointed, but also brimming with youthful confidence.
—Wait.
The pupils of sixty-seven-year-old Hyuga Rokkaku suddenly contracted.
What had he just seen?
Blond hair, blue eyes, the Rasengan...
Apart from one face being gentle and mild while the other was brash and unruly, everything else was exactly the same...
As if struck by lightning, he felt all the strength drain from his body. His lips trembled as he asked the question he had overlooked all along:
"What's your... name?"
"Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto furrowed his brows, his tone cold. "If you want to pick a fight, come find me."
Kushina Uzumaki...
Hyuga Rokkaku's shoulders slumped, and his heavy heart turned bitter.
How could I possibly pick a fight with you...
"Ah."
A sigh came from outside the courtyard. Naruto glanced over and saw the branch family members parting to either side, making way for someone.
"Naruto-kun, please put your hand down."
The newcomer had a rugged, sharply defined face. Beneath his high cheekbones, his thin lips were pressed into a straight line, the corners turned slightly downward. His expression carried a natural severity and air of aloofness.
"Uncle Hiashi..."
Neji was surprised and hurried over to Naruto.
"Today's matter isn't what you think—"
"There's no need to explain, Neji." Hiashi interrupted him, his gaze fixed on Naruto. "I already know."
He walked forward, each step seeming to have been precisely measured. He stopped a short distance from Naruto, and the two of them—one tall, one small—quietly looked at each other.
Then Hyuga Hiashi lowered his head slightly and bowed.
"Today, the Hyuga Clan was discourteous. Rokkaku spoke out of turn and slighted our honored guest. I apologize for the embarrassment, Naruto-kun."
"Uncle?"
"Clan head?"
"Huh?"
Not just Neji—even the branch family members at the gate were in an uproar. No one had expected their usually stern and rigid clan head, Hiashi, to adopt such a humble attitude toward an ordinary civilian!
Of everyone there, only Hyuga Rokkaku wasn't surprised. His expression simply grew even more bitter.
Hiashi's attitude only confirmed his suspicions.
If his guess was right, it would have been strange for Hiashi to act otherwise.
After all, no Konoha resident who had lived through the Third Shinobi World War could fail to feel grateful to that man.
"So that man really did leave behind a child..."
Hyuga Rokkaku looked at Naruto with a complicated expression.
Facing Hiashi's humble display, Naruto seemed to reflect for a moment. Then the violent chakra in his palm quickly subsided. The blue sphere, which had twisted and roared in his grasp, rapidly shrank before turning into a turbulent gust of air and disappearing completely.
His ability to control it so effortlessly made both Rokkaku and Hiashi narrow their eyes slightly.
"Thank you." After thanking Naruto, Hiashi paused, then turned his gaze to Hyuga Rokkaku, who had remained silent ever since he arrived. "Rokkaku, do you know what you did wrong?"
"Clan head! I...?"
Hyuga Rokkaku was an elder of the Main House, after all. Even after realizing the truth, it was unrealistic to expect him to admit his mistake in front of everyone right away. Besides, he didn't believe he'd done anything wrong. He'd only misjudged the visitor's identity.
He even wanted to argue back. But when he met Hiashi's stern, icy Byakugan, his lips moved a few times, then pressed firmly shut. He chose silence, neither admitting fault nor arguing.
Seeing that Rokkaku was still acting this way, Hiashi gave a barely perceptible sigh. Then he turned and spoke in a clear voice:
"Hyuga Rokkaku is domineering, narrow-minded, coldhearted, and a bully. Though he and Neji and Hinata's classmates are all from Konoha Village, he spoke rudely to them. He will forfeit three months of his clan stipend."
"But his greater offense is that his thinking has been warped by his own selfish desires! He has strayed from the fundamental principles on which the Hyuga Clan was founded a century ago and violated our ancestral precept of unity. That is his greatest crime today!"
Hiashi swept his sleeve aside and spoke with unshakable resolve. "No one can undermine our clan's unity! That includes the Main House! Hyuga Rokkaku will forfeit a further three years of his clan stipend, and his Main House relatives up to three generations removed will each forfeit a year's stipend as well. This is only the initial punishment. Any further penalties will be discussed at the clan meeting and then announced to the entire clan!"
Afterward, this upright, meticulous man slowly bent at the waist and bowed deeply to the branch family members at the gate.
"This turmoil arose because I, as clan head, failed to restrain the unhealthy attitudes growing within the clan, and let all of you down... On behalf of the Main House, I offer every member of our family my sincere apologies...!"
"..."
Naruto quietly watched Hiashi's bowed back and the branch family members hurrying forward to help him up. He watched as the man defused the situation with his authority and his words, turning a crisis that had nearly spiraled out of control around. Whatever happened later, for now, he really had managed to put the storm to rest.
The momentum was no longer on Naruto's side.
Naruto might have been socially awkward, but he wasn't stupid. He knew better than to keep talking at a time like this. Besides, he'd only done what he had today because he had no choice. He'd never meant to overthrow the Hyuga or anything...
But as he'd said, now that he'd spoken those words aloud and brought the issue between the Main House and branch family into the open, it was like a stone thrown into a deep pool. The ripples were inevitable. Hiashi could suppress the problem for now, but what about later?
The seed had been planted. Whether it would sprout didn't really depend on the branch family, but on the Main House...
"Naruto."
"Oh, Neji."
Naruto turned and faced Neji, who had come to stand beside him. Neji looked at him intently, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. In the end, all he said was a quiet:
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it." Naruto snorted. "I'm the one who dragged you into this."
"Of course you dragged me into it."
"Uh..."
Naruto's expression froze. Neji's lips curved into a faint smile.
"But thank you anyway."
Before you continue