The Caged Bird Seal

As the head of the clan, Hyuga Hiashi was caught in a wavering struggle between worldly wisdom and his responsibilities as patriarch.

"Enough!"

Hyuga Hiashi stepped forward to shield his clansmen behind him, attempting to salvage the situation with words.

"You have betrayed your mother's will!"

Upon hearing this, Aoike formed a seal with one hand, and several thick bolts of lightning pierced through the last few ninjas who were putting up a desperate resistance.

"Oh?"

"What kind of will? To serve the Main House like a slave?"

Aoike's tone was flat, yet it exposed the cruelty of the Hyuga clan's Caged Bird Seal.

It appeared to be a protection for the Byakugan, but it left behind a key that tortured the body and controlled life and death.

Even if a member of the Main House was a waste, they could insult the Branch House at will; they brainwashed the Branch House, using either appeasement or coercion.

They never cared about the true will of those who were also Hyuga clansmen. The "will" you speak of is nothing more than a self-serving slogan to protect the Main House!

Just because you are the Main House, it becomes a matter of course for the Branch House to protect you.

I saw her in the world of the dead, and what she told me was, "Live well."

And you—you give me a very bad feeling!

As if the pent-up frustration of many years had finally been released, Aoike let out a long breath and looked at the few remaining Hyuga with a hearty, satisfied laugh:

"So, I am correcting the Hyuga now. Revolution requires bloodshed; those parasites of the past have no right to remain in the future!"

"And you, Hyuga Hiashi; have you never thought about the future of the Hyuga? Have you ever tried to change it? When your brother sacrificed himself for the Main House, did you feel even a shred of guilt?"

Aoike circled Hiashi, his gaze sharp, as if he wanted to slice him open to inspect him.

Hyuga Hiashi swallowed hard, speechless in the face of the man who could decide his life or death.

He knew everything.

Ever since Hizashi was branded with the Caged Bird Seal, he knew their fates had diverged from that moment on.

He had once thought about changing things, but later, he gave up.

As a beneficiary of the status quo, change meant overturning the very foundation upon which he stood.

The elders on the same boat would not agree, the members of the Main House would not agree, and he would not challenge centuries of clan rules for the sake of his own brother.

Thus, the two brothers drifted further and further apart, and his once-burning passion turned into a silent defense of the Hyuga's cold regulations.

And now!

The bird that broke through the cage of fate had become an eagle, returning to take revenge on the cage that had imprisoned, tortured, and insulted him!

Hiashi assumed the stance of the Gentle Fist. Having held the position of patriarch for many years, he would not surrender, nor could he accept the decline of the Hyuga under his watch.

Perhaps dying in battle now was the best ending for him.

The Gentle Fist is a style that emphasizes technique, strategy, and internal energy; it is suited for winning through finesse and overcoming motion with stillness. However, it has high requirements for strength, reflexes, and stamina, and it has limitations when facing absolute power, sudden attacks, or long-range suppression.

Having practiced the style for many years, Aoike knew the use of the Gentle Fist like the back of his hand.

Without a hint of fear in his eyes, he stood with one hand behind his back to meet the challenge, just as he had during his first spar with Hyuga Hiashi—only now, the roles of attacker and defender had reversed.

In the blink of an eye, their strikes collided. The two figures intertwined among the trees, their robes fluttering, yet there was no sound of clashing metal, only the faint rustle of air being gently displaced. This was a duel of the Gentle Fist, an art of "deflection" and "dissipation."

Aoike's form was as supple as a willow, his arms like cotton. His palm strikes brushed past, appearing light and effortless, yet they always precisely adhered to his opponent's fists or arms by a hair's breadth.

Hiashi was agile, his footwork swift, his hands moving like butterflies dancing through flowers or skimming over water, stirring up ripples. His attack angles were tricky, yet they also lacked any brute force; every move felt like a probe, like spring water soaking into a dike, entering with the flow and triggering the greatest effect with the least amount of force.

As their limbs met, there was no deafening impact, only the nearly inaudible "hiss" upon contact—the sound of force being instantly transmitted, converted, and dissipated. Every breath they took was perfectly synchronized with the rhythm of their techniques.

Unlike Might Guy's Strong Fist, these seemingly gentle moves actually concealed immense power.

The fist and palm prints on the tree trunks were deep or shallow, and the heartwood and the cracks on the opposite sides were shattered into wood chips.

With a final palm strike, Aoike swatted away Hiashi's entangling arm and delivered a side-flying kick that sent him crashing into a tree.

Hyuga Hiashi could no longer struggle; he coughed up a pool of blood and let his body slump to the ground.

Aoike had been struck five times—three on his shoulders and back, two on his arms. Based on years of experience, there were likely some contusions and hairline fractures, but nothing major.

In this exchange, both had tacitly agreed not to use ninjutsu, relying solely on a contest of the Gentle Fist.

Aoike stepped forward, looking down at Hiashi from above, just as Hiashi had once looked at him.

"You are old. Your fists are neither fast enough nor ruthless enough!"

Upon hearing this, Hyuga Hiashi raised his head, his face ashen.

"Kill me."

"Do not harm Hinata and the others."

The lonely patriarch ultimately chose to act as a father, doing his best to protect his children.

"Heh..."

Aoike chuckled softly and kicked away the right hand with which he had intended to commit suicide.

Under Hyuga Hiashi's bewildered gaze, he branded him with a reinforced version of the Caged Bird Seal using Yin-Yang Release.

"Consider yourself lucky to be Hinata's father, Clan Head."

"From this day forward, there shall be no more distinction between the Main House and the Branch House within the Hyuga clan."

"You aren't going to kill us?"

Aoike cast a look of disdain at the flustered and panicked Hyuga Hiashi.

"I am not some deranged lunatic; I merely cleared out the stubborn elements earlier."

After speaking, he gave Hiashi a meaningful look and continued:

"You are nothing more than a part of my past experiences, not worth my deep investigation. My goal has always been the rotting Caged Bird Seal, though I wouldn't mind swatting any pests that don't know their place."

Glancing at the shivering, not-yet-entirely-corrupt remnants in the corner, Aoike fixed his azure eyes on the once high-and-mighty clan head.

"Remember my words. I have already resolved the most difficult part; do not disappoint me, Clan Head Hyuga."

With that, he shook the dirt from his soles and vanished with a Body Flicker, not caring in the slightest.

He left behind only a devastated landscape and a physically and mentally traumatized Hyuga clan.

Hyuga Hiashi swept his Byakugan toward the direction Aoike had departed, finally relaxing only after confirming he was far away.

The clansmen nearby, who had been holding their breath, hurriedly helped their fragile leader into a chair.

After this battle, the number of Hyuga shinobi had dropped by nearly seventy percent, and he himself was severely wounded. It could be said that this was the most devastating blow the Hyuga had suffered since joining Konoha.

"Notify the surviving clansmen. No one is to leave without my orders. Everyone is to move into the core district; in these extraordinary times, we must be wary of those with ulterior motives."

"And one more thing..."

"Effective immediately, the Caged Bird Seal is abolished. From now on, there will be no more distinction between the Main House and the Branch House in the Hyuga."