The Hyuga Calamity

Right now, Temari and Kankuro were panicking, utterly clueless about what was going on.

Watching their father, Rasa, explode with their own eyes was not the kind of shock an ordinary person could handle.

Seeing the grotesque expressions on their faces, Gaara felt a surge of pleasure. His uncle Yashamaru, who had once treated him best, had died in an even more absurd and gruesome way. Why should he be the only one forced to endure that pain?! As his older brother and sister, they had to share his feelings!

If they could not share his pain, what right did they have to claim they understood him? What right did they have to comfort him?

The Konoha Crush Plan had officially begun. At that moment, Gaara also started releasing Shukaku's power from within his body. Temari and Kankuro felt as if their hearts had turned ice-cold at the sight.

"Gaara, what exactly happened?" Kankuro demanded, trembling.

Temari tried to persuade him instead. "Gaara, stop this!"

Konoha's current chaos could all be pinned on Orochimaru. But if Gaara released a Tailed Beast inside Konoha, it would amount to a declaration of war. Sunagakure would never be able to distance itself from it again!

Who could bear such enormous responsibility?

It was not as though they could not simply go with the flow and wreak havoc in Konoha. But Temari and Kankuro clearly did not have that kind of nerve. They might have been the Fourth Kazekage's children, but if they gave the wrong order, they would definitely be pushed out as scapegoats later. After all, Rasa was dead. Once a man was gone, so was his influence.

Temari understood Sunagakure's moral standards better than anyone. Back then, in order to end the war as quickly as possible, the higher-ups had even directly betrayed the war hero Pakura.

For Temari and Kankuro, their proper course of action was to swiftly reduce the severity of the situation. Perhaps doing so would bring them no benefit, but it would also spare them too much harm afterward. It was damage control.

Temari and Kankuro knew nothing of the truth, which was why they had such "normal" thoughts. Although they had long noticed that something was wrong with Sunagakure, they would never have wildly imagined that only three living people remained in the village.

Neji hurriedly left the arena. Others might not have noticed him, but Hyuga Hiashi spotted him at once and chased after him with his two daughters.

The Hyuga District was shrouded in mist.

Sasuke saw a huge, fat tanuki-like monster appear in the distance. Strange markings covered its body as it shouted excitedly, "I finally got out! Today, I have to cause some serious havoc!"

"The One-Tail has already appeared. Why hasn't Neji come yet?" Sasuke was getting impatient.

As soon as the words left his mouth, he saw several familiar figures leaping toward them: Neji, Hinata, Hyuga Hiashi, and Hanabi Hyuga.

When Hyuga Hiashi arrived before the district and saw Sasuke, every inch of him radiated wariness. "Sasuke Uchiha, why are you in the Hyuga District? Who released this smoke? Where is the enemy?"

Sasuke ignored Hyuga Hiashi. Neji walked straight toward Sasuke, and as they passed each other, Neji quietly asked, "They're all inside?"

"Yeah. Aside from the three who followed you here, not one is missing. Handle them as you see fit."

"Thanks. Be careful from here on out."

With a wave of Sasuke's hand, an entrance instantly tore open in the wall of mist behind him. Neji slowly walked inside.

"Sacrificing one Branch House member in exchange for the stability of the entire Hyuga clan? Sacrificing one Hizashi Hyuga in exchange for peace between Konoha and Kumogakure? It sounded noble, but in truth, it was nothing more than the weak compromising with the strong."

"Now it's your turn, you people who love compromise and are obsessed with sacrificing others. For the greater good of the Land of Fire, and for my Tenseigan, please, you weaklings, do not resist. Obey my will and die."

Neji muttered to himself, seemingly giving himself a mental pep talk. Putting on airs and finding a reasonable excuse really did lessen the psychological pressure considerably. Still, it was a little disgusting.

Facing the ugliness in one's own heart was actually very difficult. People always liked to deceive themselves and exaggerate their own virtue.

"I am simply that selfish a person. I will use any means necessary to break free of these 'shackles.' As for those innocent people who die? Sorry, I don't care." Neji had no intention of whitewashing his actions. Whitewashing was disrespectful to a villain.

Cold sweat streamed down Hyuga Hiashi's face. He had realized something was wrong when Neji and Sasuke spoke. In such a terrible situation, both Sasuke and Neji were far too calm.

When he saw the dense mist surrounding the Hyuga District change shape under Sasuke's control, his heart sank even further. He fixed his gaze on Sasuke, activated his Byakugan, and assumed the opening stance of the Gentle Fist.

"Can you explain the current situation, Sasuke Uchiha? What have you and Neji done?!" Though Hyuga Hiashi appeared to be questioning him with confidence, he was actually panicking inside.

Sasuke had trapped the entire Hyuga clan by himself, proving that his strength was unfathomable. The Caged Bird on Neji had failed, and he could speak to Sasuke as an equal. He could not be weak either!

Sure enough, Neji turned and flashed Hyuga Hiashi an exaggerated smile. Hyuga Hiashi could not even resist before he collapsed stiffly to the ground.

Hinata Hyuga and Hanabi Hyuga fell at the same time. Neji dragged the father and daughters into the Hyuga District.

After breaking the Caged Bird, the second prison binding him—the prison called family—was about to be shattered as well...

The Hyuga clan had endured for a thousand years through a unique set of survival rules—ruthlessly oppressive within, timid and submissive without. When facing the strong, they cowered when they should; when it came time to kneel, they did so with particular decisiveness.

That was the Hyuga clan: realistic and heartless. So long as the Byakugan's usefulness could not be replaced, even if the Caged Bird weakened their overall strength, the Hyuga clan could still continue steadily.

When a Branch House member surpassed his limits and the Main House could no longer use the Caged Bird to restrain such a powerful person, they would choose another method of control—morality and emotions.

As long as you had friends and family, as long as you cared about your reputation, you would be trapped by them. Layer upon layer of invisible threads would weave a brand-new prison and bind you once more.

The Main House would even grant privileges to powerful Branch House members, turning the exploited into exploiters. They would no longer be able to empathize with the other Branch House members. They might even come to understand the Main House's difficulties and actions, helping them suppress the Branch House together.

It was like an employee trying to overthrow the capitalists. As he climbed higher and higher, he unknowingly became a new capitalist. Then he came to understand the capitalists' hardships and difficulties, and joined them in exploiting the other workers.

—Although the original [Neji] had not gone that far, he was clearly from the Branch House, yet he still stood from the Main House's perspective to consider Hyuga Hiashi and Hinata.

A slave pitying his slave owner was undoubtedly the beginning of tragedy.

Neji hated the Main House, but he absolutely did not hate them because he had failed to become part of the Main House!