The Difference Between Great Families and Commoners

"Confirmed!"

Minato Namikaze nodded firmly.

Deep in his heart, however, hid a thought he himself could hardly believe.

Based on his understanding of Shinichi Hyuga, his strongest suit should be the visceral, flesh-to-flesh combat of taijutsu; much like the Fourth Raikage, Shinichi Hyuga enjoyed that sensation.

Yet, the Shinichi Hyuga he was currently sparring with was utilizing kicking techniques similar to the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm, which left Minato Namikaze feeling immensely puzzled.

If this wasn't a change in combat style, then the Shinichi Hyuga who was hiding his true strength was the most terrifying of all.

Minato Namikaze's two-word affirmation struck the Third Hokage's heart like a heavy hammer.

At this point, military sanctions were no longer viable; neither the Konoha Anbu nor the Root possessed anyone capable of rivaling Shinichi Hyuga, who had also become the power-holder of the Hyuga Clan.

This was another figure like Hatake Sakumo, perhaps even more dangerous.

And one filled with hostility toward him.

Many of his original plans now had to be abandoned.

He fell back into deep thought.

He felt a twinge of regret, wondering why he had interfered in the affairs of the Hyuga Clan in the first place, and toyed with the idea of reconciling with Shinichi Hyuga.

But his pride would not allow it; he needed Shinichi Hyuga to admit his fault.

A glint flashed in his eyes.

"Minato, restrict the Hyuga Clan from accepting missions." The Third Hokage set down his pipe and stared at Minato Namikaze.

Everyone present was somewhat surprised, but being old and cunning, they quickly grasped the Third Hokage's strategy.

A ninja's source of income was, for the most part, missions.

A significant portion of the Hyuga Clan's revenue came from mission assignments in Konoha.

However, such assignments were mutually beneficial; if the Third Hokage did this, it would also harm the interests of Konoha itself.

"This... isn't that inappropriate?"

Minato Namikaze hesitated; he could never quite convince himself.

The Hyuga Clan was also a part of Konoha. As Hokage, should he not protect the interests of his own village's ninjas, but instead restrict their development?

Yet he could not refuse. Although he had succeeded as Hokage, many important departments within Konoha were still staffed by the Third Hokage's confidants.

For instance, the Konoha Anbu, the Konoha Ninja Academy, and the Konoha Mission Assignment Office.

Judging by the Third Hokage's tone, he wasn't seeking an opinion, but issuing a notification.

"Our Shimura Clan has suffered heavy losses and urgently needs a sum of funds to recover, so we hope for special approval for a large number of missions."

Shimura Danzō provided excellent cover at this moment, giving Minato Namikaze a way to step down.

With the Shimura Clan—or rather, the Root behind Shimura Danzō—filling the mission void, Konoha would suffer no losses; the people performing the missions would simply be replaced by the Root and the Shimura Clan.

In the end, the only ones to lose out would be the ninjas of the Hyuga Clan.

Minato Namikaze wanted to say more, but was suppressed by the gazes of the Konoha Council.

It left him feeling a sense of powerlessness.

"Minato, you are too soft-hearted. For the long-term development of Konoha, the Hyuga Clan must be sacrificed."

"Think of Hyuga Hiashi; he is the legitimate head of the Hyuga Clan."

"Shinichi Hyuga is simply too dangerous right now! We must remain vigilant at all times. I will have Shisui keep a constant watch."

The Third Hokage sensed Minato Namikaze's dissatisfaction and offered a brief pacification.

Now that he held power, he naturally had to secure enough benefits for himself.

Otherwise, it would all go to waste.

In the end, Minato Namikaze compromised.

He now held only one conviction: everything for Konoha!

Seeing Minato Namikaze in this state, the elders felt quite satisfied.

An easily manipulated Hokage was the only kind of Hokage they liked.

What they hated were people like Shinichi Hyuga, who could not be controlled.

Among the other Konoha clans, the primary focus was on the strength of Shinichi Hyuga.

In the end, the consensus was that Shinichi Hyuga already possessed the power to suppress an entire clan on his own.

Ironically, the ones with the deepest understanding of Shinichi Hyuga were the Uchiha Clan.

The great clans within Konoha one after another decided to adopt a wait-and-see approach.

The Third Hokage's strategies had always been about coercing the entirety of Konoha.

The next day, the sun had just crested the horizon.

The Hyuga clan's training ground.

Usually, only a few clansmen would be up early to train at this hour.

Now, it was bustling with activity and full of vitality.

When these members of the Branch Family learned they would no longer be controlled by the Caged Bird, the long-held emotions in their hearts demanded release.

They arrived at the training ground early, waiting for the ceremony to remove the Caged Bird.

To dispel their anxiety, many members of the Branch Family began sparring with one another on the training ground.

Today was the day they would regain their freedom.

"Hyuga Heici, Hyuga Yasui..."

Hizashi Hyuga stood on the high platform of the training ground, holding a taped-up scroll in his hand as he called out names.

On the training ground, two boys of eleven or twelve years old beamed with joy, jogging toward the Ancestral Hall.

At this moment, Hizashi Hyuga felt even more convinced by Shinichi Hyuga.

He had spoken of removing the Caged Bird yesterday, and today, he had begun to implement it.

He had even involved his brother, Hyuga Hiashi, ensuring that the Branch Family would not hold a grudge against Hyuga Hiashi, preventing any future rifts within the Hyuga clan.

It would foster greater cohesion, even if the leadership had changed.

The taped-up scroll in his hand was the very list of the Branch Family that Shinichi Hyuga had torn apart.

Inevitably, some minor errors would arise, which they would need to address and rectify.

His resolve to assist Shinichi Hyuga faithfully grew firmer in his heart.

Ten minutes later, Hyuga Heici came running back.

The Konoha forehead protector he had worn on his brow had been moved, and the sky-blue Caged Bird curse mark that should have been there had vanished.

He ran into the crowd on the training ground, his voice trembling with excitement as he began to recount his experience.

Hizashi Hyuga watched the commotion he had caused in silence, his admiration for Shinichi Hyuga deepening.

The removal of the Caged Bird did not just mean the disappearance of the Branch Family system; it signaled the transformation of the entire Hyuga clan.

Shinichi Hyuga was declaring that, as the new clan head, he would surely lead the Hyuga clan toward a bright future.

Several hours passed.

Inside the Ancestral Hall of the Hyuga clan.

Shinichi Hyuga sat on a cushion in the center of the hall, beads of sweat clinging to the corners of his eyes.

Hyuga Hiashi lay on the floor to the side, completely devoid of his usual composure; even with his eyes tightly shut, the veins at their corners were throbbing violently.

"Third Elder, I can't hold on any longer!"

Hyuga Hiashi's voice was hoarse and weak.

At the entrance of the Ancestral Hall, the Third Elder cast an inquiring look toward Shinichi Hyuga.

"How many people are left?"

Shinichi Hyuga replied, feeling equally exhausted; he had underestimated the difficulty of removing the Caged Bird seal.

Throughout the morning, he had removed nearly two hundred himself.

Hyuga Hiashi had barely managed half that amount.

His ocular power and chakra were struggling to keep up.

Glancing at Hyuga Hiashi's condition, which was even worse than his own, he felt a sense of relief.

This only made Hyuga Hiashi look at him with newfound respect, realizing the gap in their strength.

"Clan Head, only one-third is complete; there are over six hundred people left. And that is excluding the hundred or so who did not wish to have the Caged Bird removed."

The Third Elder's gaze toward Shinichi Hyuga was now filled with reverence; every time the Caged Bird seal was removed, it consumed a massive amount of ocular power.

Shinichi Hyuga's dedication made him feel honored.

As for Hyuga Hiashi, wasn't this his duty to begin with?

More than half of the clansmen's curse marks had been planted by their own lineage!

"Let's end it here for today! We will continue tomorrow."

Shinichi Hyuga pondered for a moment; he had been too impatient, and this was something that could be taken slowly.

Hyuga Hiashi let out a sigh of relief; he was the one who had been struggling the most.

His eyes and the surrounding veins felt a burning sensation, his ocular power completely drained; if this continued, his Byakugan would explode!

The Third Elder nodded immediately and went to inform the clansmen.

Before he could even leave, Hizashi Hyuga arrived at the entrance of the Ancestral Hall.

"Clan Head, the clansmen have brought back some bad news: the Mission Hall is using all sorts of excuses to refuse the Hyuga clan from accepting missions."

Hizashi Hyuga's voice was filled with rage, a reflection of his dissatisfaction with Konoha and the Third Hokage.

"What! It must be the Third Hokage; I'm going to find him!"

Hyuga Hiashi leaped up from the ground, prepared to demand justice for his clansmen.

After a full night of contemplation, he had completely come to acknowledge Shinichi Hyuga in his heart.

At the same time, he realized his own mistakes.

Shinichi Hyuga had also discovered through secret research that when it came to the Byakugan, the higher the grade of the eye, the more it could silently influence the thoughts of those with lower-grade Byakugan.

It was like a weakened version of Kotoamatsukami, though this influence was limited.