The Hyuga Clan compound, at the home of Hizashi Hyuga, head of the Branch Family.
"Lan, you're finally back. You were gone so long without sending word that I was worried something had happened to you."
Hizashi looked at Hyuga Lan and spoke with a sigh.
Lan's face was still youthful and handsome, but he now carried a hint of maturity. The more Hizashi looked at him, the more pleased he felt. Lan had grown so much after enduring this ordeal. His years of nurturing him hadn't been wasted.
Perhaps it was his imagination, but Hizashi felt that Lan seemed different now, as if he had become another person. There was a confidence and carefree ease about him.
Because of the Caged Bird Seal, the Main Family controlled the lives and deaths of the Hyuga Branch Family. In the eyes of the Main Family, the Branch Family were servants who could be sacrificed at any moment.
Since even their lives and actions were controlled by the Main Family, talented members of the Branch Family almost all hated the Caged Bird Seal. Yet, unable to break free of its restrictions, they could only spend their days in dejection.
A carefree spirit was something Branch Family members simply weren't supposed to have. Lan must have gone through something during this time.
He had probably been hovering at death's door, which was why he'd developed this carefree air, as if nothing mattered to him.
Unfortunately, Hizashi was mistaken this time. Now that Lan had awakened the Tenseigan, he no longer had to be constrained by the Caged Bird Seal. He had gained true freedom.
With nothing holding him back and his strength having increased tremendously, Hyuga Lan couldn't help but radiate confidence and carefree ease from within.
As it happened, he owed his chance to pilot the Type-3 Bio-Armor and awaken the Tenseigan to the man before him, the head of the Branch Family, who had gone to great lengths to plead on his behalf.
Otherwise, burdened by Orochimaru's troubles, he would have been taken into Root, and his prospects would never have looked so bright.
Hizashi, the head of the Hyuga Branch Family, was one of the few people in Konoha that Lan still cared about. Ever since his parents had died young in the war, he had depended on Hizashi's help and care to grow up safely.
Without Hizashi, he wouldn't be where he was today. That enormous kindness was like being given a second life. So, with the Tenseigan now in his possession, he silently vowed that he would change the fate of the man before him. As long as Lan was around, Hizashi would never be allowed to die so miserably as he had in the original timeline.
Hyuga Lan briefly told Hizashi about what he'd been through lately. Most of it, of course, was made up. After all, everyone who knew the truth now thought he'd just been incredibly lucky: the internal strife in Kirigakure and Sunagakure had happened to erupt during that period, allowing him to complete his mission with ease and survive.
No one would believe that a mere young member of the Hyuga Branch Family had been one of the major forces behind both uprisings. And, wanting to keep his circumstances hidden, Hyuga Lan certainly wasn't going to spread the word. Things couldn't have worked out better.
"Lan, sometimes my elder brother has his own considerations. The Hyuga Clan is a large clan, and there are many people watching our every move. So even when my elder brother's decisions seem a little unfair, he has no choice. I hope you understand and don't take it to heart."
Hizashi was clearly trying to persuade him not to resent Hiashi for assigning him a task that was nearly impossible to complete.
In Hizashi's view, setting aside Hiashi's personal strength, he was the head of the Main Family and controlled the Caged Bird Seal. Lan wouldn't come out of a confrontation with him unscathed. That was why, out of concern for Hyuga Lan's safety, Hizashi had summoned him for advice and reassurance as soon as he returned to the village.
Lan naturally understood Hizashi's concerns. In truth, he knew the crisis had mainly been caused by Orochimaru, and when he'd decided to side with Orochimaru in the first place, he'd already prepared himself for the possibility of facing this kind of danger.
Although the blame for this had mainly fallen on him, he was still displeased.
If he weren't strong enough, perhaps he would have chosen to endure it. But he was no longer the same person he'd been before. He'd settle this grudge with those people in time.
Of course, he wasn't going to show any of that in front of Hizashi. Instead, he went along with Hizashi's advice and said he'd put the matter behind him. Surviving with his life intact was already a blessing; he wouldn't ask for anything more, much less hold a grudge against anyone.
Lan was so willing to take his advice that Hizashi was delighted. In Hizashi's eyes, Hyuga Lan was one of the most outstanding young members of the Branch Family. It was quite possible that Lan would one day become its leading figure. Since he thought so highly of him, Hizashi naturally didn't want anything to happen to him.
The more talented someone was, the more prideful they tended to be. But an unyielding branch could easily break. Hizashi didn't want to see Lan meet an untimely end before he had fully come into his own.
As the two chatted away, a small figure walked in. It was a little boy, only about a year old, who stared wide-eyed at the young man having such a pleasant conversation with his father.
When Hizashi saw the boy, he hurried over and picked him up.
"Come on, Neji. Say hello to your big brother Lan."
The little boy was Hizashi's son, Neji Hyuga, a future genius of the Branch Family. Unfortunately, the genius's eventual fate in the original timeline was not a happy one.
Neji looked at Hyuga Lan with open curiosity, his little mouth moving as he murmured words no one could make out.
Neji was still too young to speak clearly.
But judging by his bright eyes, the little one's Byakugan bloodline was remarkably strong. He was every bit as gifted as the children of the Main Family.
"Congratulations, Hizashi. Neji has impressive Dojutsu Power for such a little boy. He'll surely be a Byakugan prodigy when he grows up."
Hyuga Lan's praise pleased Hizashi greatly. He could see what Lan had noticed, of course. His son's talent didn't merely rival that of the Main Family's children; it surpassed theirs.
At the very least, Hizashi and his elder brother Hiashi had been less gifted than Neji at that age. That meant Neji's talent might well exceed even his elder brother's.
Having such an exceptional son should have been a source of great comfort, and Hizashi truly was proud of the talent his son had shown.
But whenever he thought of his Branch Family status and Neji's future, his heart grew heavy. With Hyuga Lan there, he kept those feelings hidden. Only when he was alone did his hatred show.
Hatred for the Caged Bird Seal. Hatred for the Hyuga Clan's system.
If Neji had been born into the Main Family, he might have become a source of glory who could revitalize the Hyuga Clan. Unfortunately, fate had other plans.
At the moment, Neji understood nothing of this. He was playing with Hyuga Lan, their laughter and playful shouts filling the room...
After leaving the home of Hizashi, head of the Branch Family, Hyuga Lan began wandering around Konoha.
As Hyuga Lan made his way through the streets, two young women about his age were strolling nearby behind him.
When one of them, a purple-haired girl, spotted Hyuga Lan, a flicker of surprise passed through her eyes.
She exchanged a few words with her companion, then left her behind and hurried after Hyuga Lan alone...