The Hyuga Calamity

Watching Neji drag Hyuga Hiashi into the district like a dead dog, the Main House elders immediately lost their composure. They did not dare speak loudly in front of Sasuke, but they dared point fingers at Neji.

"Neji Hyuga, how dare you offend the clan head!"

The clan's rules and hierarchy absolutely could not be trampled upon!

Neji kicked Hyuga Hiashi several times and forcibly woke him. Hyuga Hiashi awoke, his mind still somewhat muddled. Though he had not figured out the situation before him, he knew very well what attitude he, as the Hyuga clan head, ought to maintain at this moment!

No matter the reason, no matter how pitiful Neji's background was, he had to die now!

Only Neji's death could uphold the Hyuga clan's rules. His blood had to be used to calm certain restless members of the Branch House and dispel the rebellious thoughts in their hearts!

Otherwise, even more Branch House members would surely revolt in the future!

Killing one Neji was to prevent more people from going astray. Even if Neji was his own nephew, Hyuga Hiashi could only put righteousness above family!

Hyuga Hiashi was deeply saddened. This was the sorrow of those in power; he was helpless as well. After Neji died, he would surely grieve, just as he had after Hizashi died all those years ago. But at this moment, he had no other choice!

Hyuga Hiashi rose to his feet, calmly wiped the shoe prints from his face, and looked coldly at Neji like a god passing judgment on a lowly ant.

Neji met Hyuga Hiashi's gaze coldly. In truth, the grudge between them had not been impossible to resolve, but this was not merely a matter of personal enmity. One wanted to destroy the old order, while the other wanted to preserve it. Their positions were opposed; they could never coexist!

"Guards, execute the traitor Neji Hyuga immediately!" Hyuga Hiashi gave the order. At that moment, he subconsciously forgot the terrifying sight he had witnessed outside the district. Or rather, he had no choice but to forget. As clan head, he could not accept such a humiliating scene, nor could he ever mention that Neji had broken free of the Caged Bird!

Hyuga Hiashi wanted to crush Neji with thunderous force. The Branch House Jonin had already been thoroughly battered by Sasuke, but upon hearing the clan head's order, they endured the pain throughout their bodies and climbed to their feet, assuming attacking stances against Neji.

They were silent and numb, their eyes occasionally rolling, like docile old dogs that had lost themselves.

Neji said nothing more. He had dared ask Sasuke to help surround the Hyuga District and had personally participated in the Konoha Crush Plan. That was more than enough to prove his resolve!

He had come to kill, not to trade words and preach lofty ideals. That entire process could be skipped; no amount of reasoning could change his will!

Neji underwent that strange transformation again. His hair was black as ebony, a darkness that seemed capable of swallowing all light. His skin was pale and lustrous as snow, devoid of any living color. Horns grew from his head, and his lips were blood-red, every inch of him steeped in deep demonic allure.

Two identical pfft sounds overlapped. Two Branch House Jonin died, their chests completely pierced through. Neji showed them no mercy just because they belonged to the Branch House.

Anyone who dared attack him deserved to die!

Hyuga Hiashi froze. Everyone from both the Main House and Branch House froze as well. They were shocked by Neji's strength; they had not even seen him make a move before those two Jonin were gone.

Hyuga Hiashi's bewilderment was completely undisguised. He knew Neji would be strong, but he had never expected him to be this strong!

Yet he still wanted to struggle.

Without the slightest fluctuation in his expression, Neji raised his head and looked at Hyuga Hiashi. In an instant, an immense pressure erupted, a terrifying oppression so tangible that Hyuga Hiashi felt as though he could not breathe.

Hinata and Hanabi woke up, only to be struck by the powerful mental impact and faint again. Hyuga Hiashi shielded his two daughters tightly behind him, refusing to retreat even a single step.

Only a minute or two had passed since they returned to the district, yet Hyuga Hiashi's mentality had changed enormously. He had originally believed he could use the Hyuga clan's numerical advantage to subdue Neji, which was why he had acted so righteous before. But now...

Was it too late to play the emotional card?

It was too late. There was a pig-headed teammate!

"Neji Hyuga, I advise you to surrender at once!" a Main House elder shouted angrily. As his words fell, a Branch House boy suddenly clutched his head, collapsed to the ground, and rolled about while letting out an incomparably shrill scream.

The Caged Bird had activated. The victim was one of Neji's cousins. His suffering did not last long; he soon breathed his last.

Neji watched silently, neither sad nor joyful.

"Neji Hyuga, if you continue to resist, I guarantee that many Branch House members will die because of you! This is merely a small warning. It is not too late to stop now!" the Main House elder said viciously.

The Main House had casually killed a Branch House clansman, using his life merely to make an example and demonstrate the Main House's determination to Neji.

Better to shatter like jade than remain whole like tile!

Slaves did not deserve to stand equal with their masters!

The scene fell silent for a moment before erupting into uproar. The Branch House members either begged or cursed, but the people who could decide their fate remained unmoved. The Main House elder casually killed several more Branch House members who dared curse him. Gradually, the crowd turned their gazes toward Neji.

They did not dare resist the Main House's tyranny, but they dared pressure Neji, using family ties, morality, and everything else they could think of...

The Main House elder stared at Neji, smiling smugly as though victory was already in his grasp.

Neji raised his head as if looking at an idiot. "You're using your own clansmen's lives to threaten someone strong enough to want to destroy you. When you were born, did you leave your brain inside your mother's womb?"

The elder's expression stiffened. He had never expected Neji to say such a thing. Where were the Hyuga clan's manners? Slightly flustered and enraged, he snapped, "Hmph! Let's see how long you can keep acting arrogant! I warn you, if you dare lay a hand on the Main House, I'll immediately kill every last member of the Branch House!"

"Neji Hyuga, I wonder whether you have the nerve to use the lives of the entire Branch House to resist us!"

Neji expressed his choice with action. With a bang, Hyuga Hiashi's head exploded.

Just moments earlier, Hyuga Hiashi had habitually remained silent, watching the Main House elder confront Neji. He believed he could advance or retreat as the situation required. If the elder succeeded, everyone would be happy; if he failed, they could simply push him out for Neji to vent his anger on.

Who could have expected Neji to kill the clan head outright? He attacked the moment he decided to, without even a word of warning, gently and painlessly sending his uncle to the Pure Land.

Only after Hyuga Hiashi was dead was Neji willing to call him uncle.

Red-and-white brain matter splattered everywhere, spraying across the Main House elder's face. His smile froze, and his expression instantly became hysterical. "How dare you... How dare you kill the clan head!"

The venom in his eyes practically overflowed as he frantically activated the Caged Bird without restraint. The first to die were clansmen closely related to Neji, who wailed as they became corpses one after another.

"I told you, every member of the Branch House will die because of you! You killed them! Spend the rest of your life in guilt and self-reproach!" the Main House elder screamed madly as Branch House members fell in droves.

The Main House elder turned to stare at Neji, trying to see pain on his face.

Strangely, Neji was not in pain at all. Instead, he seemed almost relieved. He reached out, seized the elder, and flayed him alive.

A bloody, skinless man lay twitching on the ground, yet he continued staring fixedly at Neji. Sadly, until the moment he died, he never saw what he had hoped to see on Neji's face...