Abolish the Caged Bird?

"Caged Bird..."

Hyuga Wuye abruptly turned to look at Hyuga Naoya, his expression dark and unreadable.

You really want to brand me with the Caged Bird? Believe it or not, I'll defect to the Uchiha Clan on the spot, you bastard!

"Wuye, do you have objections?"

Hyuga Naoya smiled without warmth. "You should know that every branch family member bears the Caged Bird. Do you want to be the exception?"

The moment those words were spoken, the gazes of the many branch family members ahead began to change.

People did not fear scarcity, but inequality. With that one remark, Hyuga Naoya had put Wuye over the fire.

If he refused, the branch family members would naturally dislike him, while the main family would hate an uncontrollable existence even more. Wuye's circumstances would become worse than before.

Being an unnoticed nobody was far easier than becoming a thorn in everyone's side.

"But I don't have the Byakugan."

Wuye blinked, looking bewildered. "Isn't the Caged Bird... meant to protect the Byakugan from being stolen?"

The many branch family members froze, then realized that was true.

Wasn't that what the main family had always claimed? That the Caged Bird protected branch family members from being targeted on the battlefield?

After all, ninjas throughout the shinobi world knew that once a Hyuga Clan member bearing the Caged Bird died, their Byakugan would vanish. Even if they were captured alive, they could be killed remotely with a single command.

Thus, it was almost impossible to obtain a branch family member's Byakugan, which indirectly protected the branch family.

Hyuga Naoya's expression did not change. "The Caged Bird protects the branch family and the Byakugan, but it is also a symbol of identity. Since you are part of the branch family, you cannot be treated differently."

"So..."

Wuye seemed hesitant as he said, "Is the Caged Bird really for protecting the Byakugan? Could it also be meant to control the branch family?"

As soon as he said that, the entire hall fell silent.

Then the looks in the branch family members' eyes began to change.

Did they not know that their lives and deaths were controlled by the main family? They all knew.

But no one would say it openly. Otherwise, it would become a system of slavery. Did the Hyuga Clan no longer care about its reputation?

Yet now, Hyuga Wuye had plainly torn away that fig leaf before the clan assembly, before every member of the clan.

If the Hyuga Clan still insisted that the Caged Bird existed for the Byakugan, then they could no longer insist on branding Wuye, who had no Byakugan, with it.

Unless they admitted that the Caged Bird existed to control and enslave the branch family.

"You!"

Hyuga Naoya was beside himself with rage, yet unable to say a single word.

Now, he was the one being roasted over the fire...

"This is the second matter I wished to address."

At that moment, Kaguya spoke calmly.

"In my capacity as head of the Hyuga Clan, I hereby abolish the Caged Bird system!"

"I abolish the system of the main family and branch family!"

Her voice was not loud, yet it swept through the hall like a tornado. In an instant, it seemed as if the entire hall had exploded.

"Is... is that true?"

The branch family members felt as though they had fallen into a dream.

"Absolutely not!"

Hyuga Naoya shot to his feet.

"Our Hyuga Clan has endured until today because of the Caged Bird. How can it be abolished?"

"If the clan head does this, the Byakugan will draw even more covetous eyes in the future."

"..."

The main family members also began speaking up one after another, clearly unwilling to lose their lofty status as the main family.

"Silence."

At that moment, Hyuga Kaguya flung her sleeve and shouted coldly.

The hall gradually quieted down.

All those main family members turned their gazes toward Hyuga Naoya, their meaning obvious.

"Clan head," the Great Elder spoke heavily, "you cannot lead the Hyuga Clan into an irredeemable abyss!"

"The Byakugan should not have been this weak."

Kaguya slowly rose to her feet. She did not look at Hyuga Naoya, instead sweeping her gaze across the hall.

"It is because old fools like you cling to outdated ways, locking away the largest portion of the clan. You have not only weakened the Byakugan's abilities, but also shackled its potential."

"Possessing such a powerful bloodline, yet having only a handful of jonin—fewer even than the Uchiha Clan's Three-Tomoe Sharingan users."

"So," she swept her long sleeve, "only now has someone like me emerged."

Many clan members looked confused, unable to understand what she meant.

"Clan head, which is more important: survival or strength?"

Hyuga Naoya clearly understood the reason behind it and immediately refuted her. "Compared to exceptionally gifted individuals who shine only briefly, what we need more is for the clan to endure. For that, even if we must restrict the talents of some clan members, it is worth it."

"Then why didn't you seal your own talent?"

Kaguya snorted coldly. "Whether one belongs to the main family or branch family is decided by the Great Elder alone. How absurd."

"From the moment you decided to designate Hizashi as part of the branch family, I swore that I would abolish this system. For that, even if I must remove the Great Elder from his position, I will not hesitate!"

The entire hall fell deathly silent.

Though the branch family members were secretly exhilarated, they were equally uneasy.

They outnumbered the others, but they had no power to resist and could not support Kaguya.

"Sister..."

Before the many clan members stood twelve-year-old twin boys. Tears glimmered in the eyes of the boy whose forehead bore the Caged Bird mark.

They were Hyuga Hiashi and Hyuga Hizashi.

"Outrageous!"

Hyuga Naoya was so furious that his pointing finger trembled. "Do you think becoming clan head means you can do whatever you want? I will strip you of the position and replace you with Hiashi!"

"Ah!"

Hyuga Hiashi shook his head again and again. "I won't be clan head. The position belongs to my sister."

"Great Elder, I know you object to my decision, but can you truly say that your conscience is clear?" Kaguya remained composed.

"What do I have to feel guilty about?"

Hyuga Naoya grandly waved his sleeve. "Everything I have done was for the clan's continuation!"

"Oh..."

Kaguya sneered. "Then let me ask you this: you claim everything you do is for the good of the clan, yet you demanded that Kotone could not return to the village until she completed fifty A-rank missions. Was that for the good of a clan member?"

Hyuga Wuye's entire body shook.

Hyuga Kotone was his mother's name!

"She violated clan rules, consorted with an outsider, and even gave birth to an illegitimate child. The fact that I did not drive out Hyuga Wuye along with her was already merciful enough!" Hyuga Naoya's eyes blazed.

Hyuga Wuye's gaze grew complicated... From his standpoint, he wanted nothing more than to kill this Great Elder, but in terms of violating clan rules, the old man was not entirely wrong.

The Byakugan was not inherited like the Sharingan. Casual intermarriage would not cause the Sharingan to vanish, but the Byakugan had to preserve the purity of its bloodline to be passed down.

"Then..."

But at that moment, Kaguya said word by word, "You sent me out on missions when I was ten years old and would not allow me to return to the village until I completed a designated S-rank mission. Was that also for the good of the clan?"

Hyuga Naoya's expression did not change in the slightest. "Back then, the previous clan head had just passed away, and the clan was in turmoil. A new spiritual pillar had to be established. As the new clan head, you completed a high-difficulty mission beyond everyone's expectations and easily united the clan. Did you not see that?"

Hearing this explanation, quite a few Hyuga Clan members recalled what had happened back then and could not help nodding in agreement.

Kaguya sneered again. "But why did I hear from Kotone that you once threatened her into dealing with me?"

"As long as she killed me, you would guarantee that Hyuga Wuye would never be branded with the Caged Bird for the rest of his life."

"You made that promise, didn't you?"

The hall fell into dead silence once more.