An Elder's Past

The system said it would upgrade based on his consumption, but he didn't really have anything to buy; everything he could purchase had already been obtained through the lottery. He still had two top-tier Chakra Fruits in his system space.

Two weeks passed by in a flash.

The delegation from the Land of Lightning arrived in Konoha.

On the surface, it was to sign a peace treaty, but in reality, it was to probe Konoha and the Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan.

Hise sat atop a building, watching the delegation's convoy slowly enter Konoha. Once they were all inside the village, he left and headed toward the Hyuga compound.

Not long after he arrived in Konoha, the ninja clans had investigated his identity. There was no other reason: he had held off the Nine-Tails for a time during the Nine-Tails Incident, which had allowed them to breathe a sigh of relief and eased their pressure. Otherwise, the casualties would have been massive; no one knew if they would have died at the hands of the Nine-Tails, and his appearance had significantly reduced their losses.

Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't stopped their investigations; in fact, he had even let some rumors slip, giving Hise quite a reputation among the Konoha ninja.

Those clans discovered that, aside from his grandfather being Madara Uchiha, he was a descendant of the Senju and Uchiha who had been left outside the village. However, since his elders had a poor relationship with the Uchiha, the other clans secretly felt relieved. After all, no one wanted the gap between themselves and others to be too large, and his joining would have provided the Uchiha with a massive boost in combat power.

But I digress.

Shortly after Hise arrived in Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi had mentioned that he should try to make contact with the Hyuga family.

Hise stood on Tsunade's side, and Tsunade stood on Hiruzen Sarutobi's side. By extension, Hise was, in a sense, on Hiruzen's side as well. Therefore, building a good relationship with the Hyuga would be all benefit and no harm for both him and Hise, and the Hyuga Clan would gain a powerful genius. In the future, those eyeing the Byakugan would have to weigh whether they could withstand Hise's wrath.

Hiruzen believed that Hise, as a descendant of Madara Uchiha, would not stay low-key for long. It was impossible for someone possessing both Wood Release and the Mangekyo Sharingan—two of the most famous bloodline limits in the ninja world—to remain obscure.

Hise followed his suggestion and went to contact the Hyuga Clan. When the clan head, Hiashi Hyuga, heard his identity, he couldn't help but be shocked. Wasn't he a descendant of the Senju and Uchiha? How had he become a descendant of the Hyuga?

After hearing Hise's explanation, Hiashi understood: he was the descendant of his great-uncle, Hien Hyuga.

Originally, his grandfather was the second-born child and should have been branded with the Caged Bird Seal.

This device had been created during the Warring States period to prevent the Byakugan from falling into outside hands. The Main Branch rarely went to the battlefield, staying in the rear to command the headquarters and devise strategies.

Hien Hyuga doted on his younger brother, Hifang Hyuga, and when his brother reached the age to receive the Caged Bird Seal, Hien ran away from home, far from the Hyuga Clan's territory.

During his flight, he encountered Suijing Uzumaki, who was heavily wounded and pinned under a corpse.

At that time, Hien Hyuga didn't want to be recognized, so he carved several scars onto his face.

His ferocious appearance almost caused a misunderstanding.

Hien Hyuga treated her wounds, and as they spent time together, they developed feelings for each other and eventually married. She, who had been forced to participate in the war, ended up abandoned on the battlefield and fled to a sparsely populated area to settle down, where they had a daughter, Hise's mother, Nana Uzumaki.

Just as his mother was reaching adulthood, Hien Hyuga passed away. Not long after, Suijing Uzumaki died of a broken heart, following him to the grave a few years later.

Later, she met a man with a similar fate, Hei Sakuragi, or rather, Ping Uchiha.

Because Madara Uchiha still had to lay out his plans in the ninja world, he had less and less time to spend with them. As time passed, the many hidden injuries on his body began to flare up.

By the time the child was ten, Madara Uchiha hadn't visited them for two years.

Ri Sakuragi also died of a broken heart.

And his own mother, after his father was killed, also died of a broken heart.

After listening to Hise's story, Hiashi understood his past. This boy could be considered a younger brother to him and Hizashi. If it weren't for this boy's grandfather—his own great-uncle Hien Hyuga—running away, he wouldn't have become a member of the Main Branch and would have been branded with the Caged Bird Seal.

After some conversation, the Hyuga elders left. They were sensible enough not to mention him joining the Hyuga family as a Main Branch member. As for becoming a Branch member? Unless he had lived long enough, that wasn't happening.

Hiashi Hyuga called over Hizashi Hyuga, and the three of them talked for a long time. Later, their bond slowly grew, and after the birth of the "Konoha Princess," Hinata Hyuga, he often went to visit his little niece. Thinking of Hinata's future waiting, he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. Naruto chased Sasuke for the entire duration of Shippuden, and Hinata chased Naruto for the entire Naruto series. Sigh, let me help her out. One is my foster child, the other is my niece; wouldn't it be better to just let them spend more time together?

"Yo, isn't this Hise? What brings you to your big brother's place today?"

A rare smile appeared on Hiashi Hyuga's stern face.

Although Hise was still called Uchiha Hise, he had nominally become a member of the Hyuga family, and every time he visited, he took the time to instruct the younger generation of the Hyuga.

Hise had taught them martial arts like Taijiquan, Bajiquan, the Flick Finger Technique, and Pressure Point Strikes, demonstrating them personally. Hiashi Hyuga had also learned them, and they had been a great help, especially the Taijiquan and the Pressure Point Strikes.

The integration of Taijiquan had taken the Hyuga's Gentle Fist to a new level. And the Pressure Point Strikes were different from the Hyuga's own; the Hyuga's version restricted the flow of chakra, preventing the opponent from using it, while the one Hise taught directly restricted physical movement. Although it could only freeze a Chunin or Jonin for about three minutes, within those three minutes, even a ninja who had just graduated from the academy could kill them.

With the Byakugan paired with these two pressure point techniques, the combat effectiveness of the Hyuga ninja had increased by more than a notch.

This made Hiashi Hyuga overjoyed; he wished he could move Hise into his home, but since the other party didn't agree, there was nothing he could do.

"Hahaha, isn't it just that I missed you, big brother? Hahaha."

"You must be missing your little niece. Most of the time you spend here is playing with her. I'm almost afraid you'll spoil her rotten. She's a member of the Main Branch and is meant to inherit the family business. Without sufficient strength, how can she suppress the Branch members? Even with the Caged Bird Seal to control them, one cannot be too careful."

"Sigh, Senior Hiashi, this Caged Bird business really should be abolished. I don't believe you don't have that thought in your heart. After all, no one can watch their own younger brother suffer while they enjoy the benefits."

Hiashi Hyuga fell silent.

He did have that thought, but it wasn't just the Main Branch that wouldn't agree; even some Branch members wouldn't. Because it concerned the family's heritage, some Branch members had no resentment even after being branded with the Caged Bird Seal. As long as the family and its heritage remained intact, they had no other demands. Without special circumstances, as long as they didn't deliberately anger the Main Branch and followed the family rules, the Main Branch treated them quite well.