Hyuga Hiashi has been anxious for quite some time.
As the first ninja clan to show goodwill to Aoba, Hyuga Hiashi harbored a sliver of hope that Aoba would eventually change his mind.
Because Aoba Kamikawa is not a lone wolf. He has a family, disciples, and will likely have children in the future. If he wants, he can establish an unprecedented ninja clan.
But it didn't happen.
After a long period of observation, Hyuga Hiashi finally concluded one thing: Aoba Kamikawa truly did not want to establish his own ninja clan.
He genuinely wanted to usher in a completely new era.
The Hyuga's position in Konoha is very delicate.
After the Uchiha was destroyed, they naturally inherited the title of the strongest ninja clan in Konoha.
But in reality, Hyuga Hiashi knew very well how weak their so-called number one ninja clan in Konoha really was.
Besides the lack of top-tier combat power, the Hyuga's internal problems are far more serious than those of the Uchiha Clan.
Although the Uchiha Clan had many internal conflicts back then, these were mostly due to differing attitudes towards others. In other words, Uchiha at least acknowledged that they were Uchiha.
But Hyuga...?
Hyuga Hiashi often dared not think too deeply about it. Behind the peaceful coexistence between the Main Family and the branch family lay a volcanic rift of resentment.
Today, the problem of Caged Bird has become an intractable problem.
Hyuga Hiashi has wanted to abolish the Caged Bird for a long time. This decision will surely be supported by the branch family. However, it will also inevitably lead to him parting ways with the Main Family.
It could even lead to a split within the family. Most importantly, during the reign of three generations, he was firmly opposed to abolishing the Caged Bird policy.
Unfortunately, the Third Generation was considering things from the village's perspective. The extremely high strategic value of the Byakugan meant that the Third Generation had to be wary of this weapon falling into enemy hands.
Thus, wavering back and forth, Hyuga Hiashi was unable to make up his mind.
As time went on, the problem became increasingly unsolvable, because the resentment had deepened to an irreconcilable level.
To be honest, Hyuga Hiashi had the same nightmare countless times. In the dream, the Caged Bird was somehow released.
The moment the Caged Bird was released, all the branch families attacked the Main Family without hesitation.
Although the Main Family's individual combat strength surpassed that of the branch families, there was nothing they could do; the branch families simply had too many members. In the ensuing brawl, the entire Main Family was wiped out.
Each time he wakes from a nightmare, Hyuga Hiashi wants to push forward with the plan to abolish the Caged Bird. But alas, he has no idea how to do it.
He himself was from the Main Family, and abolishing the Caged Bird would be a betrayal of his own class. Throughout human history, very few people have truly transcended their own class. Hyuga Hiashi was clearly not such a person.
After much deliberation, he finally set his sights on Aoba Kamikawa.
It was another dinner for just the two of them. It was very private, but it also showed how much importance was placed on Aoba. Hiashi had already learned that Aoba didn't like to eat with people he wasn't familiar with.
However, unlike before, this time it wasn't waiters serving tea and water, but Hinata Hyuga and Neji Hyuga.
" Aoba's killing of the Raikage and defeat of the Cloud Shinobi army has already made him a force to be reckoned with in the Shinobi World. Some people are already calling him the strongest ninja of our time."
"The strongest? They're still deceiving themselves. The major ninja villages should know about Madara Uchiha and Black Zetsu by now. But they're still pretending none of this ever happened."
"Hehe, I have to quote one of your words, Aoba: you can never wake up those who are pretending to be asleep. And I believe that none of this really matters to you."
"It still has some value, but not much."
Hyuga Hiashi gently placed the cup of gongfu tea in front of Aoba.
"The village is changing so fast these days that even we old folks are finding it hard to keep up."
"Change represents vitality. This shows that Konoha is thriving and growing strong."
"That being said, we remnants of the old era are still somewhat uneasy. Aoba, I'm asking you this question as a friend: Where do we, the ninja clan, ultimately go from here?"
Hyuga Hiashi finally asked the question that had been troubling him the most. He couldn't help it; he could clearly feel the decline of the Hyuga's status.
This decline wasn't due to the rise of a particular force that suppressed them. Rather, it was because... their influence diminished.
The greatest value of the Hyuga lies in the Byakugan, Byakugan greatest strength is its ability to detect threats.
However, the current Konoha Research Institute has introduced various bladed tools to aid in sensory perception. While their effects are naturally inferior to the Byakugan, they are sufficient for most ninjas.
At least now, almost all of Konoha's ninjas have reached the level of the previous regular Sensory Division. This alone has caused the Hyuga's status to plummet.
Of course, they also have Gentle Fist. But no one knows the state of Gentle Fist better than Hiashi. Before, when the ninja clans separated from the common ninjas.
Commoner ninjas do not possess ninjutsu; Gentle Fist is a high-level, top-tier Taijutsu. Countless commoner ninjas envy it.
However, now that the Konoha Advanced Ninja Academy has started, a large number of ninjutsu have spread, and ordinary ninjas already have enough ninjutsu to practice. They no longer have the energy or time to pay attention to niche techniques like Gentle Fist.
Where is the most obvious sign of a ninja clan's decline? It's when those around them stop paying attention to them.
That's right. Nowadays, very few people in Konoha pay attention to the Hyuga. They still exist, but they've lost their presence.
This phenomenon terrified Hyuga Hiashi. He knew what to do, but he couldn't do it on his own.
"In my heart, the ninja clan will not perish. But the ninja clan of the future will not be sustained by bloodlines or secret techniques."
Since the Warring States Era, the entire Shinobi World has been led by various ninja clans. So, strictly speaking, the history of your ninja clan is actually the history of the Shinobi World.
But from now on, that won't be the case. I have no intention of completely annihilating the ninja clan, because you are a part of history. But if you can't keep up with the times, you can't blame anyone else."
Hyuga Hiashi a bitter taste in his mouth; he naturally understood Aoba's meaning. But the problem was, he didn't know how to keep up with the times. Or rather, he knew how to do it, but couldn't do it.
After a long time, Hyuga Hiashi finally made up his mind.
" Neji, Hinata, you two come forward." Aoba glanced at the two children and understood what Hyuga Hiashi meant.
" Aoba, I hope you can accept these two children as your disciples. Don't rush to refuse; this is their apprenticeship gift."
Hyuga Hiashi took out a scroll and placed it in front of Aoba. The scroll was clearly written on it, " The Gentle Fist: True Interpretation ".