Main Family and Branch Family

"Honestly, Xiao Cheng is so talented, and you didn't even tell me, Mika. You were just waiting to see me make a fool of myself." Yuko shot Mika a reproachful look.

"I only found out recently. I just hadn't had a chance to tell you yet," Mika said, pretending to be apologetic.

"Fine, I'll let you off this time. It's a good thing Xiao Cheng learns so quickly; that saves me some effort." Yuko glanced outside. "It's too late now. Why don't you stay the night?"

"But what about your husband—"

"It's fine. Hizashi left the village on a mission a couple of days ago. It's just my son and me at home." Yuko took Mika's hand. "We haven't shared a bed in ages, not since we got married. This is the perfect chance to catch up."

Seeing how late it was, Mika readily agreed.

Ito Makoto was assigned to share a room with Neji Hyuga.

Lying on the bed beside Neji Hyuga, Ito Makoto couldn't help feeling curious. There wasn't another bed, but they did have spare bedding. They were both young and small, so sharing a bed was just right.

Looking at Neji beside him, Ito Makoto was very curious.

In the Naruto story, Neji Hyuga was a tragic genius who became a Jonin at just fifteen. He mastered the Hyuga Clan's highest secret art, Rotation, without a teacher. In the early part of Naruto, he was one of the most gifted shinobi around. Even Uchiha Sasuke couldn't surpass him.

Yet this genius had been branded with the Caged Bird Seal simply because he was born into the Branch Family, placing his life and death in someone else's hands.

The Caged Bird was a special Cursed Seal technique. With a mere thought, the person who had placed it could destroy the brain tissue of the one marked by it.

As a child, Neji had watched his father, Hizashi, die in place of the clan head. He had always longed to escape the fate of the Hyuga Branch Family and be freed from the Caged Bird Seal on his forehead. But it wasn't until the later part of Naruto, when he died, that the seal finally disappeared from his forehead.

He had never escaped the Caged Bird in his life.

Now, Neji's father was still alive. Ito Makoto wondered what Neji thought of the Caged Bird and the relationship between the Main Family and the Branch Family.

"Why are you staring at me?" Neji suddenly turned his head, his pale eyes fixed on Ito Makoto.

"I was just curious about your Byakugan," Ito Makoto replied, looking away. "Besides, if you weren't looking at me, how would you know I was staring?"

"That's obviously just sophistry."

"Neji, you activated your Byakugan at such a young age. You must be very talented. How are you doing with your Gentle Fist?"

"I'm older than you, so you should call me Big Brother Neji," Neji said earnestly. "Father's already started teaching me Gentle Fist. Honestly, he promised he'd teach me the techniques before, but today he disappeared without a trace. He said 'next time' again. Adults are always like that."

Ito Makoto and Neji Hyuga chatted on and off until, before they knew it, they had both fallen asleep.

Knock, knock, knock—

In the middle of the night, a series of urgent knocks jolted them awake.

There seemed to be many footsteps outside, all heading toward the center of the Hyuga Clan.

They hurried to get up and see what was happening.

Mika and Yuko were already dressed. When the door opened, a Hyuga Clan shinobi hurriedly relayed some information to Yuko, then quickly left.

Yuko turned around, her expression tense. "Miss Hinata Hyuga has been kidnapped by the Cloud Hidden envoy. The enemy has already been killed, but the clan head has called everyone to gather and strengthen our defenses. Mika, I'll leave Neji in your care. It's chaotic outside, so stay inside for now. Don't come out."

"Don't worry. I'll take care of Neji. Be careful," Mika replied, understanding the urgency of the situation.

Hyuga Yuko hurriedly gathered her ninja tools, then left the house.

Silence fell over the room once more. Outside, footsteps continued without pause.

Ito Makoto was wide awake now, too.

Hinata Hyuga's kidnapping meant that Kumogakure would use the envoy's death as an excuse to force Konoha to hand over the culprit.

It meant that Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, in an effort to appease them, would force the Hyuga Clan to hand over the person who had killed the Cloud Hidden envoy.

And to protect Hyuga Hiashi, the head of the Main Family, the Hyuga Clan would surely make someone from the Branch Family die in his place.

Neji's father would be the victim. He would have to die for a crime he hadn't committed, even though he hadn't even been in the village when it happened.

The wheels of fate had begun to turn. Unless someone changed things, Neji Hyuga's father was already doomed.

Yet Ito Makoto was the only one who knew the whole story. Perhaps Uchiha Itachi, the other Transmigrator, knew as well, but neither of them had the power to change fate.

Mika, Ito Makoto, and Neji sat together all night. They didn't know what was happening, but it was important to stay alert.

It wasn't until dawn that Hyuga Yuko returned home safely.

"How did it go, Yuko? What's happening outside?" Mika asked nervously.

Hyuga Yuko removed her Forehead Protector and took off her flak jacket, then let out a long breath.

"It's all over. The envoy has been killed. It's safe now."

When Mika heard that the crisis had passed, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Now that they knew the Hyuga Clan's alert had been lifted, Mika and her son said their goodbyes and left.

The Hyuga Clan kidnapping incident had shaken Ito Makoto out of his complacency. Ever since he and his mother had been expelled from the Uchiha Clan, he had let his guard down too much. He had thought that if he wasn't in the Uchiha Clan during the Night of the Uchiha Massacre, he wouldn't be caught up in the Uchiha Clan Massacre. That had made him stop guarding against the massacre and focus all his efforts on hiding his Rinnegan.

But in reality, whether those in power would harm you had nothing to do with whether you were implicated—or even with the facts. Take the Hyuga Clan this time: Neji's father, Hizashi Hyuga, wasn't even in Konoha. He was out on a mission. By all rights, the death of the Cloud Hidden envoy had nothing to do with him. But according to the story, when he returned to the village after completing his mission, he would have to take the blame, accept punishment in place of his elder brother from the Main Family, and die in his place.

When there were interests at stake, those in power didn't care about facts or cause and effect.

Cloud Hidden had made the first move, and Hiashi had killed the man, yet Hizashi was the only one who had to pay the price.

Likewise, he had left the Uchiha Clan, but did that mean he was no longer one of them? In Ito Makoto's eyes, yes. But those in power might not see it that way. Even if his name had been removed from the clan register, his blood was still Uchiha—and he could still be used for experiments. Even if he couldn't awaken the Sharingan, what if he resented the village? Why not eliminate him before he could become a problem?

With that bastard Danzo around, Ito Makoto couldn't be sure he wouldn't think that way.

The Hyuga Clan incident taught the protagonist never to entrust his life to someone else, not even his own older brother.

Now that he had mastered the Anti-Peeping Technique, he could keep his secrets from being exposed and protect himself to some extent. Next, he still had to find a way to avoid the Night of the Uchiha Massacre and deal with Danzo.