Use the Absolute Control talent!
His chakra pierced through the Caged Bird Curse Seal in Neji's mind in an instant!
The blue mark of the Caged Bird slowly faded, and his forehead was once again smooth and unblemished!
"From now on, Neji, you're free. No one can control you."
In Hyuga Neji's eyes, Hyuga Kagami stood tall, his smile gentle, radiating a strength that inspired trust. Sunlight fell across him, and he seemed like... the last glimmer of hope in the world!
"It's gone!"
Hyuga Neji murmured, his face full of shock!
"The Caged Bird Curse Seal... it's really gone!"
The Byakugan no longer had any blind spots, and the oppressive feeling in his mind had vanished without a trace!
Tears streamed down his face.
He was like a desperate man emerging from the darkness.
"Thank you, Big Brother Kagami!"
He suddenly fell to his knees before Hyuga Kagami. "Big Brother Kagami, from now on, you're my master. I'll become the sharpest blade in your hand! I absolutely won't let you down!"
Hyuga Neji shouted!
Marked with the Caged Bird, he had already given up hope. Without Hyuga Kagami, he would have spent his whole life as a bird trapped in a cage.
It was no exaggeration to say that Hyuga Kagami had given him a new life!
"Begin your life of freedom. No one can ever imprison you again."
Hyuga Kagami's lips curved upward.
He had successfully won over a loyal subordinate!
He couldn't help but marvel. No wonder Orochimaru liked luring in brats. It was seriously that easy!
And so, he had a little shadow following him around.
Wherever he went, Hyuga Neji went too, like a loyal bodyguard.
Meanwhile.
Cold sweat streamed down Hyuga Asuka's forehead.
Above his head was a massive rock!
He couldn't help scanning the dozen or so members of the Branch Family around him. They were all the shinobi who had resisted the Main Family yesterday, and each of them had a huge rock balanced overhead!
The veins stood out on their hands!
Their teeth were clenched!
They could barely take it any longer!
"Sorry, everyone. I didn't expect my reckless actions yesterday to get all of you punished today."
Hyuga Asuka gave a bitter smile.
If he hadn't led the way yesterday, the Branch Family members wouldn't have been so incensed.
Then... they probably wouldn't be getting punished now, would they?
"What are you saying, Asuka? That wasn't just your decision. We'd been fed up with the Main Family for a long time!"
"Exactly! We in the Branch Family are the Main Family's shield, not their slaves!"
"Hmph! One day, the Main Family will regret treating us this way!"
The others reassured Asuka one after another.
They all looked nonchalant.
But the grayness, despair, and hopelessness in their eyes left no spark of fighting spirit in anyone's heart.
These people... were searching for one last glimmer of hope in the depths of despair!
"Everyone..."
Hyuga Asuka was choked with tears.
A person could endure endless despair, but only if they never saw hope or sunlight. Their resistance against the Main Family yesterday had been that hope!
But who could have known that it would vanish in an instant?
"Damn the Main Family!"
Hyuga Asuka's voice was hoarse. "Why do they have to be so damn awful!"
"They said back then that marking us with the Caged Bird was to protect the Branch Family! We exist to guard the Main Family. We're their shield, not their slaves!"
"We just want a little dignity. Is that really so hard?"
"If they'd just show us a little respect, we in the Branch Family would be willing to fight to the death for them!"
His eyes were bloodshot!
He was like a beast!
He'd had enough of this life!
"And that's all you need?"
Just then, a calm voice rang out.
As the crowd stared in astonishment, Hyuga Kagami walked slowly up to them with a smile. Hyuga Neji stood loyally at his side, guarding him.
"All you need is a little respect?"
Hyuga Kagami scoffed. "Is that the full extent of your ambition?"
His gaze was full of contempt and ridicule.
He looked down at them from above.
"So all it takes for you is a little respect?"
"Respect to your faces, mockery behind your backs?"
"Or should they just speak more kindly when they order you to die?"
"Are you... vicious dogs held on a leash? Or do you really think your lives are worth no more than a shred of dignity?"
He didn't mince words!
In fact, his words were downright harsh!
Each one struck them like a Kunai through the chest. Their faces turned ashen. How could they not know all this?
But there was nothing they could do to change it. They just... wanted a little dignity!
What was wrong with that?
"What are you talking about?!"
One of the Branch Family members roared, completely enraged!
"We're being punished because we helped you yesterday! If we hadn't talked back to the Main Family, why would we be getting punished now?"
"Exactly! How can you shamelessly say something like that now?"
"We can't escape the Caged Bird. If we could be free, who'd choose to be a dog?"
Well, well.
That last line even rhymed.
Hyuga Kagami's lips slowly curled upward. His White Eyes looked with satisfaction at the angry crowd as they pushed back. "Good. Very good fighting spirit."
His White Eyes lowered, and his voice carried a power that stirred people's hearts.
"What if I told you I could give you your freedom?"
"Give you... a way to remove the Caged Bird marked upon your souls?"
Silence fell!
Every member of the Branch Family stared in shock, their faces frozen, eyes wide!
Hyuga Kagami removed his Forehead Protector.
Hyuga Neji pulled away the gauze around his head.
Their foreheads were smooth.
There were no marks at all!
"The Caged Bird... it's gone?!"
The crowd cried out!
Their eyes were filled with disbelief, and their breathing suddenly quickened. Hyuga Neji was a talented but sensitive child. Ever since he'd been marked with the Caged Bird, he'd worn white gauze over his forehead!
Everyone knew that.
But now, the Caged Bird on Hyuga Neji had actually disappeared!
Hyuga Asuka trembled all over and stammered, "Could it be... that you have a way to remove the Caged Bird, Kagami?"
"Could it be... that we in the Branch Family... can be free again?"
The crowd looked up at Hyuga Kagami, hope in their eyes.
Their blood rushed through their veins!
Their hearts pounded!
The thought of removing the Caged Bird was a hope they'd never dared to entertain in their entire lives!
"Of course. From now on, become my followers and help me overthrow this disorderly, tyrannical clan!"
Hyuga Kagami's lips curved upward.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
One after another, the crowd threw down the massive rocks. It was as if they were casting off the shackles in their hearts. Their White Eyes brimmed with hope and a longing for freedom and the future!
Hyuga Kagami held out his hand, and the others bowed their heads reverently.
Like believers receiving their faith.
Kumogakure.
Darui was badly wounded and coughing up blood. His eyes were bloodshot. Only when he saw the mountain range stretching into the distance did his nerves finally begin to relax.
He gritted his teeth and snarled furiously, "Konoha, I'll never forgive you!"
"You killed shinobi from Kumogakure, and you still have the nerve to act so brazenly! Kumogakure will fight you to the death!"
"Especially that... guy named Hyuga Kagami!"
A hint of fear rose in his eyes.
That power had been terrifying.
Even he, an elite Jonin, had been shocked by it and found himself unable to fight back!
He suspected only Lord Raikage and Killer B, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, could stand up to that fearsome man!
Half an hour later.
Raikage's Office.
Watching the badly wounded Darui, the Raikage flew into a rage!
Lightning crackled furiously around him as he smashed his fist into the desk, shattering it!
"Who was it?! Who dared attack Kumogakure?!"
His breathing was heavy, and each scorching exhale was accompanied by a thunderous roar!
"Only blood can wash away this humiliation!"
Darui angrily explained everything that had happened.
Lightning flashed in the Raikage's eyes, and his fury grew by the second!
"So... it was Konoha?!"
He snorted and roared, "I thought Konoha would at least play by the rules, but I never expected them to be so shameless! They killed Kumogakure shinobi heading to Konoha, and now they've left Darui badly wounded!"
"We have to make Konoha pay the price it deserves!"
"Darui, start recovering at once. I'll avenge you!"
Lightning raged!
At that moment, the Fourth Raikage seemed like the God of Thunder!
Lightning surged through the entire Raikage Building!
It shot straight into the sky!
Yet Kumogakure had never once considered that it was their own shinobi who had first tried to steal the Byakugan in Konoha. And they were also the ones who had first attacked the people of the Land of Fire!
Hyuga Kagami didn't choose to remove the Caged Bird from the entire Branch Family.
It wasn't time yet.
What could earn more loyalty than saving someone who was dying and desperate? It was far more effective than rescuing people who had food and shelter, wasn't it?
"Hyuga Kagami! Come with me!"
Just then, a familiar voice rang out. It was Hyuga Deping, the Great Elder from yesterday.
His face was grim.
As the Great Elder, he actually had to deliver the message himself. It was damn humiliating.
But there was nothing he could do. Hyuga Kagami wouldn't even listen to the clan head.
Why would he listen to him?
So he had to come in person.
"What are you all staring at? Pick those rocks back up!"
He saw the brazen, unrestrained looks in the eyes of Hyuga Asuka and the others.
He roared in fury!
"Was yesterday's lesson not enough for you?"
"You... want to feel what it's like to wish you were dead again?"
He let out a cold laugh.
His gaze was icy and condescending.
As if he were looking at a pile of trash.
Though he couldn't control Hyuga Kagami, controlling these Branch Family members was no problem.
"You... you..."
One of the Branch Family members trembled, clenching his fists tightly.
He wanted to attack.
But he couldn't bring himself to take that step.
Hyuga Kagami took it all in, his expression calm. Once someone's behavior became habitual, it was hard to change. A tiger tormented by stray dogs from childhood might not have the courage to fight back when it grew up.
That was how it worked.
"Hyuga Kagami, come with me!"
Hyuga Deping's expression was awkward. He wanted to lose his temper, but had to hold it in.
"From today on, you'll be different from those fools in the Branch Family. You'll become the Main Family's spokesman!"
He spoke as if bestowing a favor. "You'll be grateful for the Main Family's trust in you!"
His expression was confident.
As if he believed that once Hyuga Kagami heard he was going to become the head of the Hyuga Branch Family,
he would submit to the Main Family!
"Could it be... the Main Family wants to recruit Hyuga Kagami?"
Hyuga Asuka had a bad feeling.
But the next moment,
a cold shout rang out.
"You sick or something?"
Hyuga Kagami's voice was contemptuous and utterly blunt, as if he were looking at an idiot.
"I don't have time for you, kid. Spit it out already, and quit wasting my time."
Before you continue