The Ninja Academy's Incredible Legends (71) The Strong Only Cherish Each Other, The Weak Only Huddle Together for Warmth

Though not yet fifty, more than half of Hyuga Hiashi's hair had already turned gray.

The clan was growing old and decaying by the day, though it had not yet reached the point where it could barely keep going.

Even so, as clan head, Hyuga Hiashi had decided to make changes ahead of time.

If they waited until it could no longer be sustained, reform would come at a far greater cost.

Though he was prepared to give up many of the main family's privileges in advance, loosening the restrictions on countless branch family members and easing their burdens.

Hyuga Hiashi's actions still drew criticism from some members of the clan.

The focus of the dispute was that the branch family had already paid an immense price to protect the main family's Byakugan, yet the clan head had so easily given it away.

The marriage between Hinata Hyuga and Naruto Uzumaki was not something all Hyuga clansmen were happy about.

The clan head bore all the pressure alone, carrying everything on his shoulders so that his eldest daughter, immersed in happiness, would not be burdened by the clan's troubles.

Another vexing matter was that the Hyuga Clan, once a single whole, would inevitably become even more loosely connected in the future.

The main family controlled not only all authority, but also nearly a thousand years of accumulated wealth. Some of those tangible and intangible assets would certainly have to be divided out to placate the wronged branch family.

Even small households fought until their heads bled over family property. How much more so for a behemoth like the Hyuga Clan!

Just a little leaking through their fingers would be enough to make a small clan drool with envy.

Fortunately, there was no need to resolve these headaches immediately.

What mattered