Hiashi's Visit

As dawn broke through, the Konoha awoke in the thin mist. Hyuga Hiashi stopped in front of an old two-story house on the edge of the Hyuga Clan Compound, looking up at the wind chimes hanging from the eaves—rusted and silent in the breeze.

He took a deep breath and straightened the collar of his clan robe. The Hyuga Clan crest, painted like ink on a deep blue background, symbolized the Main House's thousand-year-old authority. But at this moment, wearing this robe felt heavier than ever before.

"Knock knock."

The knocking was particularly clear in the stillness of the early morning. There was no answer from inside, but the door lock clicked open on its own.

Hiashi pushed open the door and entered.

The entryway was so clean it was almost empty, with only two pairs of shoes neatly arranged next to the shoe cabinet—one pair being Neji's usual training shoes, and the other pair... Hiashi's pupils contracted slightly. Those were the ninja boots Neji wore three years ago before his "defection," the soles worn white but spotless, as if their owner had just taken them off yesterday.

"Chief, please come in."

Neji's voice came from the inner room, calm and undisturbed.

Hiashi took off his shoes and stepped onto the tatami mat, walking through the short corridor. The training room door was open, Neji sat cross-legged in the center of the room, his back to the door. Morning light slanted in through the window, gilding his long hair with a golden edge, and his once pure white eyes now shimmered with a faint blue halo in the light.

"Sit." Neji didn't turn around.

Hiashi sat down opposite him, with a low table between them. He noticed that the room was extremely simply furnished: a sword rack with an unsharpened training Ninja Blade lying across it; several scrolls that had clearly been read repeatedly piled up in the corner; and a calligraphy scroll hanging on the wall that read "Where the heart leads, the body will follow," the ink already yellowed.

That was the work of Hizashi.

"Would you like some tea?" Neji finally turned around, and when his Tenseigan at Hiashi felt an instinctive tremor in his heart. It wasn't oppression, it wasn't intimidation, but a kind of... complete transparency. It was as if all his thoughts, all his pretenses, were laid bare before those eyes.

"No need to trouble yourself." Hiashi's voice was drier than expected.

The two fell silent. The morning light moved slowly across the tatami mats, and dust motes danced in the beams of light.

Hiashi's hands clenched and unclenched inside his sleeves. He finally spoke, his voice filled with an urgency he himself didn't realize. "Neji, what level have you reached now?"

He regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth. The question was too direct and clumsy, completely unlike the composure expected of a clan chief who had held power for decades.

Neji did not answer immediately. He reached under the low table and took out a ceramic pot and two teacups, and slowly began to brew tea. Hot water was poured into the bowls, the tea leaves unfurled, and a delicate fragrance filled the air.

"The Caged Bird Curse Mark is a restriction left Hyuga Clan the Hyuga clan's founder, passed down for a thousand years." Neji pushed a bowl of tea in front of Hiashi with steady movements, the tea not sloshing. "I was able to break it myself and destroy the Curse Mark device in the secret chamber beneath the Main House —you should have sensed it by now, right?"

Hiashi's hand trembled slightly. He had indeed sensed it, and he had even gone there himself. He had been busy until very late last night, and before dawn today, he went alone into the secret chamber that only the clan leader could enter. He saw that the Curse Mark Core Instrument, which had been created by the First Main House Head leader and reinforced by successive generations, had been reduced to a pile of charred fragments.

"Is there even a need to ask this question?" Neji picked up his teacup and gently blew on it to cool it down.

Hiashi felt a bitter taste spread from the tip of his tongue to the bottom of his heart. He picked up the teacup, but did not drink it, only looking at his distorted reflection in the tea.

"The Caged Bird... a tradition passed down for a thousand years." He struggled to organize his thoughts. "I... our Main House has always believed this was necessary. To protect the purity of the Byakugan, to prevent the Kekkei Genkai flowing out..."

"To protect the privileges of the Main House," Neji calmly interrupted, "To protect the absolute control of the 'main family' over the 'Branch House,' and to make every member of the Branch House understand from birth—that your life, your eyes, your will, do not belong to yourselves."

His words contained no accusation, no anger, only a statement of facts. But it was precisely this calmness that made Hiashi feel even more embarrassed.

"Clan Chief," Neji put down his teacup, "You've come today just to discuss the legitimacy of the Caged Bird?"

"No! Of course not!" Hiashi quickly denied, spilling a few drops of tea from his hand, which spread dark stains on the tatami mat. He composed himself, put down the teacup, placed his hands on his knees, and assumed the most formal sitting posture.

"I want to discuss the future of the Hyuga Clan with you." He looked directly into Neji's eyes, trying not to look away. "I... hope that you can inherit the position of clan leader and lead the Hyuga Clan into a new era."

After saying this, Hiashi felt a wave of exhaustion followed by a sense of relief. This decision had been brewing in his mind all night. From the moment he saw the fragments of the instrument, he knew that the old era had ended. The seventeen-year-old boy before him—no, the young man who had already reached the Six Paths Tier —was a variable that the Hyuga Clan a thousand years, and perhaps also an opportunity that hadn't been seen in a thousand years.

Neji looked at him quietly, then chuckled softly.

The laughter was soft, without any hint of sarcasm, yet it made Hiashi's cheeks flush slightly.

"The burden of the Hyuga Clan should be borne by the clan head himself," Neji shook his head. "As for the successor... if you truly wish to bring glory to the Hyuga Clan, then select a truly talented person from within the clan, regardless of whether they are from the Main House or Branch House, regardless of gender or age. As for me—"

He looked out the window, the morning light shining directly on his profile, his Tenseigan gleaming with a light that Hiashi could not comprehend.

"I will not be bound by the Hyuga Clan, nor by Konoha. I will walk my own path."

Hiashi's heart sank, but strangely, he wasn't surprised. He should have understood when Neji suddenly announced his "defection" three years ago that the boy's heart had never been in the exquisite cage that was Hyuga Clan.

"I understand." Hiashi lowered his gaze. "However... the conflict between the Main House and the Branch House has lasted for a thousand years. Now that the branch Branch House has suddenly broken free, I'm afraid my position as clan head is merely nominal. There will soon be turmoil within the clan. The Branch House will demand power, and the Main House alone will be unable to withstand it. At that time..."

"Do the rest of the Branch House know that it was I who broke the Curse Mark?" Neji asked.

Hiashi smiled wryly, "Although there's no definite news, many clansmen saw you and the Lord Hokage walking into the Hokage Building side by side yesterday. This morning, the atmosphere in the Branch House area was different—those heads that were always bowed were raised, and those evasive eyes dared to look directly at each other. They may not know exactly what happened, but they felt the constraints disappear yesterday."

He paused, his voice growing deeper. "Moreover... many of the elders Branch House still remember what happened Hizashi then."

Mentioning his father's name caused a barely perceptible change in Neji's expression. He remained silent for a moment, his fingers unconsciously tracing the rim of his teacup.

"You are the head of the Hyuga Clan," he finally spoke. "Who will be the next head is a result of your consultation with the entire clan. But remember one thing—"

Neji turned back and looked directly at Hiashi. In that instant, Hiashi seemed to see no longer a boy, but a being standing on a cloud, looking down upon the human world.

"With me here, the Hyuga Clan won't descend into chaos."

These words were spoken lightly, yet carried immense weight. It wasn't a threat, nor a promise, but simply a statement of fact. Hiashi suddenly understood— Neji didn't need to be the clan leader, because he had transcended everything that position represented. He was the pillar of strength, the sword of judgment, the... the sky above the Hyuga Clan.

The sky doesn't need to rule the earth; it's simply there, overlooking everything.

Hiashi took a deep breath and bowed deeply. "I understand. Then, I will handle the clan affairs properly, the rights of the Branch House will be gradually opened up, and the privileges of the Main House... will be gradually dissipated. This will take time, but I will do it."

"Very good." Neji nodded, then, as if suddenly remembering something, his tone became lighter, "By the way, there's something I need to trouble you with, Clan Chief—I need some money to treat everyone to a meal."

Hiashi was taken aback, clearly not expecting the topic to jump so abruptly. "Money is no problem, I'll have it delivered right away. However..." he hesitated, "Konoha hasn't fully lifted martial law yet, and most of the village's restaurants are closed. If you want to host a dinner party, you can arrange for the guests to stay at the Main House residence, and I'll have the kitchen prepare."

"Then I'll trouble you, clan leader." Neji, "There are quite a few guests, so let's prepare a buffet, something lavish."

"No problem. Who should we invite? Do we need to send formal invitations?"

Neji rattled off a list of names. "The young ninjas from Team 3, Team 7, Team 8, and Team 10, plus Sasuke Uchiha. We won't invite the instructors; it's just a gathering of peers. Let's set the time for this evening."

Hiashi silently noted it down, then asked, "Lord Jiraiya's funeral is scheduled for this afternoon, Hokage Office will likely invite you to attend. You...?"

"I'm not going," Neji interrupted calmly. "Tell the Hokage Office not to send out invitations. Also, have Hinata invite everyone in my name; she's meticulous."

Hiashi looked at Neji, hesitant to speak. He recalled the battlefield details described in the intelligence report— Neji offered a gift to Obito after Jiraiya and Mei Terumi died, then kicked Obito. How many hidden stories and how much helplessness were involved were there? He dared not ask, nor could he ask.

"Okay, I'll make the arrangements," Hiashi said finally, getting up to leave.

As he reached the door, he glanced back. Neji had already turned his back to the door and was facing the window, the morning light enveloping him as if he were melting into it.

That boy who silently followed at the end of the Branch House family procession during the clan festival, that child who clenched his teeth and remained silent before his father's grave, that genius who excelled in the Chunin Ninja Exams, that Chunin disappeared during the Sasuke Retrieval Mission...

He had gone too far, so far that he could no longer see his own back.

Hiashi gently closed the door. The wind chimes outside made a rough "ding-dong" sound, a note barely audible from the rusty metal.

In the afternoon, a light drizzle fell on the Konoha Cemetery.

Jiraiya's funeral was simple and solemn. There were no grand ceremonies, no lengthy eulogies, only close relatives standing quietly in the rain, watching the coffin covered with the Hokage's robes slowly being lowered into the ground.

Tsunade stood at the forefront, rain soaking her blonde hair and clinging to her cheeks. She didn't shed a tear, simply watching silently, as if trying to etch this scene into the depths of her soul. Kakashi stood beside her, his expression hidden behind his mask, but in the one eye that was visible, there was an unfathomable weariness. Naruto knelt before the grave, his fists clenched until they turned white, his shoulders trembling slightly. Sakura stood behind him, her hand on his shoulder, her own tears mingling with the rain.

Gaara and Temari represented Sand Village at the event, while the red-haired boy held a black umbrella and quietly watched everything unfold.

Everyone present was reminiscing about the white-haired ninja...

"The meaning of life is to find your own ninja way." The white-haired man grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. "You'll definitely find it, kid."

Now, that man is lying in the ground.

The funeral lasted an hour. As the last handful of soil covered the coffin, the rain suddenly stopped, a gap opened in the clouds, and sunlight streamed down like a pillar, shining directly on the brand-new tombstone.

"Honestly, even leaving has to be such a dramatic scene," Tsunade muttered, but a smile couldn't be forced on her lips.

The crowd began to disperse. Tsunade approached Gaara: "Thank you for attending Sand Village."

"Lord Jiraiya deserves this respect," Gaara. "Shikamaru told me that Neji invited his classmates to dinner tonight."

Tsunade nodded. "I've heard about it too. Naruto and the others will be going."

Aren't you Neji's purpose?

"I'm curious, but there's no point in asking." Tsunade looked at Naruto, who was being helped up by Sakura in the distance. "He doesn't need to explain his actions to anyone anymore. I can only choose to believe—believe that he won't hurt these children, believe that he... is still Konoha's Neji Hyuga."

Even if it's just in name only.

Gaara paused for a moment, then said, "Say 'Sand Village need' from Sunagakure anytime."

"Thank you," Tsunade patted his shoulder, "Just do your own job."

She turned and left, her Hokage robes drawing heavy arcs in the damp air.