The Ancestors Must Be Right

"Here's the thing, Senior Minato." Under everyone's gaze, Genye spoke unhurriedly.

"The reason I was completely transformed and my strength skyrocketed was that I discovered a secret—a secret related to the Hyuga Clan."

"Oh? What secret?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked impatiently, not even bothering to take a drag of his pipe.

Hyuga Yuansheng was just as eager.

Although he wanted nothing more than to strangle Genye, the moment he heard the secret was related to the Hyuga Clan, he hurriedly pricked up his ears and waited for more.

"The secret is..."

Genye rested a hand on his Forehead Protector and flashed a wicked smile.

No way. Is Genye planning to reveal that?! Hizashi's expression shifted.

The next moment, as Hizashi watched in trepidation,

Genye tore off his Forehead Protector, revealing his smooth forehead.

"The secret is this: I broke the restrictions of the Caged Bird Seal and surpassed the limits of the human body. That's why I became so strong!"

"And that's not all!"

Without giving anyone else time to react, Genye spoke rapidly. "I also gained the ability to remove the Caged Bird Seal from others. Like this!"

He raised a hand and pointed. A burst of chakra shot out of his body and pierced Hizashi's forehead in an instant.

As everyone watched in horror, the blue mark on Hizashi's forehead melted away like snow in spring, vanishing completely in the blink of an eye!

Crack.

Hizashi could clearly feel the invisible shackle binding him break. He was free!

It had all happened so suddenly that Hizashi's first reaction wasn't joy, but bewilderment.

The restraints that have bound me all this time just... disappeared?

Am I really not dreaming?

Why could Genye break so easily, with a single point from a distance, the prison that most members of the Hyuga Clan struggled their whole lives to escape?

"Hyuga Genye, you're asking for death!"

The next instant, Hyuga Yuansheng's roar jolted Hizashi back to reality.

"Do you have any idea what you're doing?"

Hyuga Yuansheng was so furious that, if Hiashi hadn't grabbed him in time, he would have already charged at Genye.

He had never been this enraged, not even when Genye had broken several of his bones with one punch. But now he was truly beside himself with fury!

Hyuga Hiashi was in an impossible position.

He was shocked and angry that Genye had threatened the interests of the Main Branch, too.

But, Father, that's the guy who knocked out the Nine-Tails with one punch! Say whatever you want, but don't lay a hand on him!

If things really come to blows, am I supposed to take over right away, or just stop holding you back?

"The Caged Bird Seal can be removed? Is that really possible?"

"I've never heard of it. Let's just keep watching."

Minato and Hiruzen exchanged glances. One smoked while the other sipped tea, and they decided to wait and see for now.

"Bastard!"

"The clan system is the foundation the Hyuga Clan has inherited for a thousand years. It's a profound truth passed down by our ancestors!"

Hyuga Yuansheng pointed at Genye. Held back by Hiashi, all he could do was hop around and roar in place like an enraged monkey.

"If the Caged Bird Seal hadn't protected our clan, how could the Hyuga Clan have survived until now? Do you know how many people in the Shinobi World covet our eyes? Huh?!"

"You don't know anything! You unworthy descendant! You're digging up the roots of the Hyuga Clan! You're going to bring our clan to ruin! Aaaah!"

Watching Hyuga Yuansheng bellow, Genye picked at his ear with his little finger and spoke calmly.

"First, I don't like people pointing at me."

"I'll give you three seconds to lower your hand. Otherwise, I'll go remove the Caged Bird Seal from every member of the clan right now."

"Bastard, you dare threaten me!" Hyuga Yuansheng stood there, fuming helplessly. "Hiashi, let go of me! I'm going to kill the little brat!"

"One..."

"Father, why don't you lower your hand first? Otherwise, this will be hard to resolve," Hiashi advised quietly by his father's ear.

He knew Genye. The kid was as stubborn as they came, and he really would do it!

"Two..."

At last, with Hiashi tugging at him, Hyuga Yuansheng "reluctantly" lowered his hand... It wasn't because he was afraid of that brat!

"Second."

Seeing Hyuga Yuansheng lower his hand, Genye continued. "Just because something has been passed down for a thousand years and has always been done that way, does that make it right?"

"The Uchiha Clan doesn't have any cages, yet they've passed down their legacy just fine. They're no weaker than the Hyuga Clan, are they?"

In fact, if the Uchiha hadn't been completely duped by the Will of Fire, they'd have been doing just fine.

"Fallacious reasoning! That's nothing but fallacious reasoning!"

Hyuga Yuansheng sneered. "The Hyuga Clan is the strongest dōjutsu clan. How can you compare us to the Uchiha?"

What the hell?!

Genye was stunned. Was the old man serious?

"All right, a lot has happened tonight, and everyone's tired. Why don't we head back and get some rest? We can discuss this again in a few days."

At that moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke up to smooth things over.

Hmph!

Genye looked at Hiruzen and rolled his eyes.

He was the one who'd gathered everyone to pry out the secret, and now he was pretending to be the peacemaker.

That old geezer's as sly as they come!

"I don't mind." Genye shrugged, then added, "But let me make this clear: don't try to put the Caged Bird Seal on Uncle Hizashi again after we go back."

"If you do, I'll remove it every time. It won't take any effort on my part, anyway."

The Caged Bird Seal was mysterious. It could be activated with just a few simple hand signs, but its underlying principle was the suppression of bloodline purity.

The purer your bloodline, the more the seal "obeyed" you.

As for Genye's bloodline now, well, he could practically be Hyuga Yuansheng's ancestor.

The rules set down by the ancestors—couldn't an "ancestor" change them however he wanted?

And if anyone dared question him, their "ancestor," who was really the unworthy descendant here?

"You...!" Hyuga Yuansheng's anger flared again, and he raised his hand, wanting to point at Genye's nose and curse him out.

"All right, Father. Let's talk about this after we get back."

Hiashi kept a firm hold on Hyuga Yuansheng and spoke with a wry smile. At the same time, he gave Hizashi a meaningful look.

"Little brother, come help me support Father, too."

"Oh, sure!"

Hizashi was momentarily stunned, but immediately understood and moved to support Hyuga Yuansheng from the other side.

As they helped the older man leave, Hizashi looked back at Genye with gratitude. No words were needed.

Thank you, Genye. I don't know how long this freedom will last, but I'm still deeply grateful!

"Then, Lord Hiruzen and Lord Minato, I'll take my leave as well."

After the father and son of the Main Branch had left, Genye stood and said goodbye.

"All right. See you, little Genye."

"See you, Genye."

"It seems this child really can remove the Caged Bird Seal, just as he said..."

Watching Genye leave, Sarutobi Hiruzen massaged his brow, troubled.

"Minato, what do you think?"

Minato rested his chin in his hands. After a moment's thought, he spoke slowly.

"Lord Third, I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing."

"The Hyuga Clan is like a stagnant pool right now. Removing the Caged Bird Seal might help them better unleash their potential and strengthen Konoha."

Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head in disagreement.

"But without the Caged Bird Seal, the Hyuga Clan would be difficult to control. They might become another Uchiha, disobeying orders and acting on their own."

"Konoha can't withstand any more upheaval right now. One Uchiha is already more than enough trouble for us. We can't take that gamble."

Minato furrowed his brow. On this point, he and the Third Hokage had differing views.

One of them favored caution and conservatism, while the other wanted to pursue bold reforms. It was only a matter of time before they clashed.

But for now, Minato hadn't yet grown strong enough to stand on his own. In the end, he still had to follow the Third Hokage's arrangements.