You Really Think You're Something Special

Activate Absolute Control talent!

Chakra instantly pierced through the Caged Bird Seal within his mind!

The cyan Caged Bird mark slowly faded away, leaving his forehead smooth and clear once more!

"From this moment on, Neji, you are free. No one can control you ever again."

In Hyuga Neji's vision, Hyuga Kagami stood tall with a gentle smile, radiating a convincing strength. Sunlight spilled over him, appearing like... the very last glimmer of hope in this world!

"It's gone!"

Hyuga Neji murmured, his face filled with shock!

"The Caged Bird Seal... it's really gone!"

His Byakugan no longer had a blind spot, and that oppressive sensation in his mind had vanished without a trace!

Tears streamed down his face.

He looked like a desperate man emerging from the darkness.

"Thank you, Brother Kagami!"

He suddenly knelt before Hyuga Kagami: "Brother Kagami, from this day forward, you are my master. I will become the sharpest blade in your hand! I will never bring shame upon you!"

Hyuga Neji shouted!

Branded with the Caged Bird Seal, he had been in despair; without Hyuga Kagami, he would have been a bird trapped in a cage for the rest of his life.

It could be said that Hyuga Kagami had given him a new life!

"Begin your life of freedom; no one can imprison you again."

Hyuga Kagami's lips curled upward.

A loyal subordinate, successfully recruited!

He couldn't help but sigh; no wonder Orochimaru liked to lure in little brats—it was truly damn easy!

And so, he gained a tag-along behind him.

Wherever he went, Hyuga Neji followed, like a loyal guard.

On the other side.

Cold sweat streamed down Hyuga Asuka's forehead.

Above his head hung a massive boulder!

He couldn't help but glance at the dozen or so Branch Family members around him—all of them were ninjas who had resisted the Main Family yesterday, and each had a massive boulder suspended above them!

The veins on their hands were bulging!

They were gritting their teeth!

They were already struggling to hold on!

"I'm sorry, everyone. I didn't expect my reckless behavior yesterday would lead to us all being punished today."

Hyuga Asuka gave a bitter smile.

If he hadn't taken the lead yesterday, these Branch Family members wouldn't have been so incensed.

Presumably... they wouldn't have been punished, right?

"What are you saying, Asuka? That wasn't just your idea; we've been fed up with the Main Family for a long time!"

"Exactly! We of the Branch Family are their shield, not their slaves!"

"Hmph! Sooner or later, the Main Family will regret treating us this way!"

Everyone chimed in to comfort Asuka.

They wore expressions of indifference.

Yet, the gray, dull, and desperate look in their eyes made it impossible for anyone to muster even a shred of fighting spirit.

These people... were all searching for a final glimmer of hope amidst their despair!

"Everyone..."

Hyuga Asuka choked back sobs.

A person can endure being in despair, but only if they never see hope or sunlight. Yesterday's resistance against the Main Family had been that hope!

But who could have known that the hope would vanish in an instant!

"Damn the Main Family!"

Hyuga Asuka's voice was hoarse: "How can they be this detestable!"

"Back then, they clearly said that branding us with the Caged Bird Seal was to protect us, the Branch Family. We exist to guard the Main Family; we are the Main Family's shield, not their slaves!"

"We only wanted a little dignity—is that really so hard to ask for!"

"We only need a little respect, and we of the Branch Family would gladly give our lives for the Main Family!"

His eyes were blood-red!

Like a wild beast!

He had had enough of this life!

"Is this all it takes to satisfy you?"

Just then, a calm voice suddenly drifted over.

Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, Hyuga Kagami walked slowly toward them with a smile on his lips, flanked by the loyally guarding Hyuga Neji.

"Is merely gaining a little respect enough?"

Hyuga Kagami let out a scoff: "Is that the extent of your capacity?"

His gaze was filled with disdain and mockery.

He looked down at them from his superior position.

"Is it possible that for you, all it takes to be content is a little respect?"

"Respect to your faces, and mockery behind your backs?"

"Or perhaps, you just want them to use polite words when they order you to die?"

"Are you... vicious dogs on a leash? Or is it that... in your own eyes, your lives are only worth a shred of dignity?"

His words were utterly merciless!

One could even say they were extremely harsh!

Every word pierced their chests like a kunai. Their expressions were incredibly ugly; how could they not know these things themselves?

It was just that nothing could be changed, and they only... wanted a little dignity!

What was wrong with that!

"What are you talking about!"

A member of the Branch Family roared, completely incensed!

"The only reason we are being punished is because we helped you yesterday! If it weren't for defying the Main Family, how could we be facing such retribution now!"

"Exactly! How can you still have the shamelessness to speak like that!"

"The Caged Bird Seal cannot be broken! If we could be free, who would want to be a dog!"

Well now.

That last sentence actually rhymed, damn it.

Hyuga Kagami's lips curled up slowly, his White Eyes observing the rebellious, angry crowd with satisfaction: "Very good, a very decent fighting spirit."

He lowered his White Eyes, his voice carrying a power that could bewitch the heart.

"What if I told you I could give you freedom?"

"What if I could... remove the Caged Bird Seal branded upon your souls?"

The air went silent!

Every member of the Branch Family froze, their expressions turning to shock, their eyes wide!

Hyuga Kagami untied the forehead protector from his brow.

Hyuga Neji pulled away the veil from his head.

Their foreheads were smooth and clear.

There was no seal at all!

"The Caged Bird... there is no Caged Bird?!"

The crowd gasped!

Their eyes were filled with disbelief, and their breathing suddenly became ragged. Hyuga Neji was a talented but sensitive child; ever since he had been branded with the Caged Bird Seal, he had worn that white cloth!

Everyone knew it.

But now, Hyuga Neji's Caged Bird Seal had actually vanished!

Hyuga Asuka trembled all over, stammering: "Could it be... Kagami, do you possess a way to remove the Caged Bird Seal?"

"Could it be... that we, the members of the Branch Family... have a chance to regain our freedom?"

The crowd looked up at Hyuga Kagami with hope.

The blood in their veins surged!

Their hearts hammered against their ribs!

To be able to remove the Caged Bird Seal—this was a hope they had never dared to dream of in their entire lives!

"Of course. From this moment on, become my subordinates, and let us completely overthrow this chaotic and brutal clan!"

Hyuga Kagami's lips curled upward.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

One by one, the large stones were cast aside by the crowd, as if they were discarding the shackles within their hearts. Their Byakugan were filled with hope and a yearning for a future of freedom!

Hyuga Kagami reached out his hand, and the crowd bowed their heads in reverence.

They looked like believers receiving a blessing of faith.

Cloud Village.

Darui, heavily wounded and spitting blood, his eyes bloodshot, finally allowed his taut nerves to relax as he caught sight of the rolling mountain ranges.

Gritting his teeth, he roared viciously, "Konoha, I, Darui, will absolutely never let you off!"

"To kill the ninjas of our Cloud Village and still dare to speak such arrogant nonsense—our Cloud Village will fight you to the death!"

"Especially... that guy named Hyuga Kagami!"

A flicker of terror could not help but surface in the depths of his eyes.

That power was too terrifying.

Even as an elite jonin, he had been shocked to his core, unable to put up any resistance!

He feared that only the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails jinchuriki, Killer Bee, could stand against that terrifying fellow!

Half an hour later.

Raikage Building.

Staring at the heavily wounded and blood-spattered Darui, the Fourth Raikage flew into a rage!

Lightning crackled violently around his body as his fist smashed the desk into splinters!

"Who! Who on earth would dare to lay a hand on our Cloud Village!"

His breathing was heavy, and his scorching exhales were accompanied by thunderous roars!

"Only blood can wash away this humiliation!"

Darui angrily explained everything that had transpired.

The Fourth Raikage's eyes flashed with lightning, growing angrier by the second!

"So... it was Konoha?!"

He let out a cold snort and bellowed in a fury, "I had thought Konoha would abide by the rules, but I never expected them to be so shameless! They murdered the Cloud Village ninjas heading to Konoha, and now they have even left Darui severely wounded!"

"Konoha must pay the price they deserve!"

"Darui, begin your recovery immediately; I will avenge this grudge for you!"

Lightning raged!

At this moment, the Fourth Raikage looked like a god of thunder!

The entire Raikage Building was permeated with lightning!

It shot straight into the heavens!

Yet, from beginning to end, the Cloud Village never considered that it was they who had first attempted to steal the Byakugan in Konoha, and it was they who had first laid hands on the citizens of the Land of Fire!

Hyuga Kagami did not choose to remove the Caged Bird Seal from the entire branch family.

The time was not yet right.

How could saving those who were already well-fed and clothed earn more loyalty than saving those who were dying and in despair?

"Hyuga Kagami! Follow me!"

Just then, a familiar voice rang out; it was the Great Elder, Hyuga Deping, from the day before.

His expression was unsightly.

As the Great Elder, having to come and deliver a message himself was incredibly frustrating.

But there was no other way; Hyuga Kagami wouldn't even listen to the clan head.

How could he possibly listen to him?

Therefore, he had no choice but to step in himself.

"What are you looking at! Pick up the stones on the ground again!"

Seeing the aggressive, unbridled gazes of Hyuga Asuka and the others, he roared in a fit of rage!

"Was the lesson you received yesterday not enough?"

"Do you... wish to experience the feeling of being worse off than dead once again?"

He sneered.

His gaze was cold, looking down from a position of superiority.

It was as if he were looking at a pile of trash.

Although he could not control Hyuga Kagami, controlling these members of the Branch Family was not a problem.

"You... you..."

A member of the Branch Family spoke with a trembling voice, his fists clenched tight.

He wanted to strike, but he could not take that step in his heart.

Hyuga Kagami took all of this in with a calm expression; once a person's behavior becomes a habit, it is difficult to change. A tiger raised by wild dogs may not necessarily have the courage to resist when it grows up.

That was simply how it was.

"Hyuga Kagami, come with me!"

Hyuga Deping's expression was awkward; he wanted to lose his temper, but he had to suppress it.

"From today on, you will no longer be the same as these fools in the Branch Family; you will become the representative of the Main Family!"

He spoke as if he were bestowing a favor: "You should be grateful for the Main Family's trust in you!"

His expression was certain.

He seemed to believe that once Hyuga Kagami heard he was to become the head of the Hyuga Branch Family, he would submit to the Main Family!

"Could it be... that the Main Family intends to recruit Hyuga Kagami?"

Hyuga Asuka felt a sense of foreboding in his heart.

But the next moment.

A cold shout rang out.

"Are you sick?"

Hyuga Kagami's voice was disdainful and blunt, as if he were looking at an idiot.

"This young master has no time to deal with you. Speak if you have something to say, or get lost."