The Ass Decides the Head, Minato Namikaze's Refusal

The Great Elder of the Hyuga Clan unleashed his ocular power, driving the Caged Bird seal in an attempt to make Shinichi Hyuga experience the agony of torture.

The Caged Bird seal began to take effect at this very moment.

The site of the seal began to invade Shinichi Hyuga's body.

Starting from the center of his brow, the seal encroached upon his mind like iron needles swimming through his brain, destroying everything in their path.

However, having inherited the memories of Tanaka Koji, who possessed the bloodline of an Ajin, this level of pain had no effect on Shinichi Hyuga; compared to the ten years of torture Tanaka Koji had endured, this was mere child's play.

In those ten years of memories, his body had been sliced open countless times, and his brain matter had been studied repeatedly.

Slicing, roasting, freezing, blending—these tortures were all trivial in the memories of Tanaka Koji. Some disgusting members of the ruling class had even attempted to consume him to obtain the Ajin bloodline, but they had all failed.

This pain felt familiar, stirring a murderous intent within Shinichi Hyuga.

The influence of the Caged Bird instead affected the surrounding members of the Hyuga Branch House, whose expressions of pain could no longer be concealed.

"Great Elder, please stop. Today is the joyous day of the Fourth Hokage."

The Third Elder frowned, also affected by the Caged Bird, and reminded him while enduring the pain.

"Hmph."

The Great Elder let out a muffled grunt and turned to head toward the center of the venue.

Only then did the many branch house ninjas feel a sense of relief; the pain they had just felt was as if blades were being inserted into their minds and stirred.

If those who were merely caught in the periphery suffered so much, what about Shinichi Hyuga, the primary target of the Great Elder?

Shinichi Hyuga's expression remained unchanged; at least, no one could discern any shift in it.

Some indifferent Jonin of the Hyuga Branch House had experienced this pain many times before and considered it child's play, but only those who had endured the Caged Bird seal knew exactly what kind of agony Shinichi Hyuga was suffering.

Even if they didn't speak, they were deeply shocked by Shinichi Hyuga's performance.

They began to harbor their own secret thoughts; as Jonin, even those from the branch house held a certain degree of influence.

The clever ones had their suspicions: was this a probe for the clan meeting a month from now?

That clan meeting would be the true battlefield!

"Shinichi, why must you do this? Everything has already been decided. You must consider your child; why defy him at a time like this?" the Third Elder urged, unable to hide the desolation in his eyes.

It was just like the relationship between Hiashi and Hizashi Hyuga.

The Great Elder and the Third Elder had once been brothers, but their life paths had diverged due to the system of the Main and Branch Houses.

"Third Elder, if I remember correctly, that Byakugan of the Main House that leaked out belonged to the Great Elder's lineage. And at that time, your son was executed by the Caged Bird seal. So, was that eye your son's?"

Shinichi Hyuga did not follow the Third Elder's lead but instead asked a counter-question.

During the Second Shinobi World War, some members of the branch house died under the Caged Bird seal. To warn the other branch ninjas, that execution had been exceptionally painful.

Some outstanding branch members were invited to watch, and Shinichi Hyuga, who had shown talent at the time, was among them. However, the reason for the execution was never announced, only cited as defiance against the Main House.

Among those executed was the Third Elder's son, and it was at that moment that the Third Elder and the Great Elder became bitter enemies, with the Third Elder opposing the Great Elder at every turn.

"You... everything is in the past!" A dark, unhidden look flashed across the Third Elder's eyes.

That incident was a hurdle he could never overcome.

"In other words, that Byakugan in Kirigakure really did belong to the Great Elder's lineage? Or was it his son's eye? For such a serious crime, only the branch house bears the burden?"

Shinichi Hyuga pressed him, refusing to believe that a father would let his child die in such an unclear way while bearing an unmerited crime.

"He is the Main House. The Main House cannot have stains!"

Something within the Third Elder seemed to be drained away, and he finally spoke with great difficulty.

"Soon, that won't be the case! A month from now, at the clan meeting, there can only be one Main House, and that is the current Clan Head!"

Shinichi Hyuga leaned toward the Third Elder and said without any concealment.

The Main House of the Hyuga Clan was divided into the Manifest Lineage, the Clan Head in the public eye, and the Hidden Lineage, the Great Elder's faction that secretly controlled the inheritance of the Eight Trigrams Palm and the Air Palm.

Was Shinichi Hyuga preparing to abolish the Hidden Lineage?

Or did he want to seize the Hidden Lineage and become it himself?

The surrounding Jonin of the Hyuga Branch House speculated wildly. They knew that Shinichi Hyuga had a daughter who was almost three years old.

This was the reason the Great Elder had been targeting him—his brilliance threatened the Great Elder's position in the Hidden Lineage.

During the two Shinobi World Wars, Shinichi Hyuga had accumulated enough strength and connections.

"You... what exactly are you trying to do? The system of the Main and Branch Houses is an unchangeable existence." The Third Elder looked at the man before him—someone he once had to look up to—with a complex expression.

In his youth, he had also fought for his own child.

He had wanted his child to escape such a fate, or rather, every member of the Hyuga Branch House had tried in their own way, only to fail!

"Of course, but those who commit errors are not fit to be the Main House."

Shinichi Hyuga would naturally not reveal his entire plan; the Third Elder's intentions were already known to some.

Many people had their eyes on that spot in the Hidden Veins, the Third Elder included.

He had also harbored a sliver of covetousness; his visit to Minato Namikaze today was precisely for that position.

To thoroughly dismantle a massive collective of interests, working from within often yields unexpected results.

The Main House and Branch House system of the Hyuga Clan.

It was already deeply rooted in the bloodline of the Hyuga Clan; the servility in some people only vanished when they suffered harm, only then did they yearn for freedom.

Thus, he would start from the roots and branches, correcting this deformed Hyuga Clan bit by bit.

First, he would deal with those who held great hostility toward him.

"Shinichi, your way of thinking is too dangerous!" The Third Elder's face fell into a tangle of conflict.

Old men like him had already become beneficiaries of the system, and beneficiaries would always become defenders of that system.

Although his son was dead, he still had a grandson.

He still wanted to fight for the position of the Hidden Veins Main House for his grandson.

"The Great Elder has defected to the Third Hokage, so this time, the Hidden Veins will still go to the Great Elder's grandson. Do you understand?"

Shinichi Hyuga looked at him as if he were an idiot; the Third Elder was, after all, unable to escape the mundane.

"What? Then you?" The Third Elder was shocked, yet powerless to change anything, his heart filled with even more doubt.

"I said, those who have made mistakes must never become the Main House! In that case, there is no need for the Hidden Veins to exist, is there?"

This time, Shinichi Hyuga did not shy away from the surrounding Branch House jonin of the Hyuga Clan in the slightest.

These people were the main force attending the clan meetings.

Some of them had long since received hints from the Third Hokage, making the future meeting that would decide the Hidden Veins Main House nothing more than a formality!

Others were completely in the dark, including the Third Elder's supporters.

Those who were unaware looked at the faces of their companions, and they really did see something.

These jonin all began to weigh their options, looking at Shinichi Hyuga with hearts full of conflict.

If Shinichi Hyuga's body hadn't been injured, if he were still that genius comparable to Minato Namikaze, they would naturally choose Shinichi Hyuga's camp.

But now?

Shinichi Hyuga's broken body had become his greatest obstacle.

Shinichi Hyuga felt nothing but disdain for their behavior.

It was likely that these people had long since been recruited by the Great Elder, the Third Elder, and others.

Although a few of them had clearly expressed their support for him.

"It seems everyone has their own plans." Shinichi Hyuga's gaze swept across the surrounding Branch House jonin of the Hyuga Clan.

Their expressions varied, but most avoided his gaze.

A wave of commotion erupted from the center of the hall as the Fourth Hokage and Kushina Uzumaki walked out from the floral path, with the Third Hokage presiding over the wedding.

For a moment, bursts of laughter rang out from the center of the hall.

The surrounding Branch House jonin of the Hyuga Clan, however, had different thoughts, pondering the solution Shinichi Hyuga had brought them.

Shinichi Hyuga also stood up, his gaze fixed directly on Minato Namikaze.

He was waiting for a response.

A long while later, the Fourth Hokage, wearing a hearty smile, looked toward Shinichi Hyuga after finishing with the ninjas at the center.

Yet, there was a hint of evasion in his eyes.

At that moment, Shinichi Hyuga knew the result he wanted, and he sat down quietly.