"I called you all here today to settle one matter."
Hyuga Hiashi's voice carried a resolve that brooked no argument. "As for Hinata and Naruto Uzumaki's future, the Hyuga welcome it. No one is to stand in their way."
He placed particular emphasis on those last words.
Then he turned to the most critical issue. "As for the Caged Bird, since the Canopy Screen has shown that the future Hokage's bloodline will not be bound by it, we must accept that times are changing."
Hyuga Hiashi took a deep breath and delivered his final decision, word by word:
"Pass down the order. Naruto Uzumaki and his future children with Hinata hold a special status. They are not bound by the Hyuga's old rules."
"The Caged Bird Seal need not be placed on them. This matter is not open for further discussion."
Silence filled the chamber.
The First Elder opened his mouth, but under Hiashi's gaze—one that carried both a clan head's authority and a clear grasp of reality—he closed his eyes in defeat.
The Second Elder and Third Elder nodded faintly, accepting the decision.
Hyuga Hiashi knew this was only the beginning. Once this exception was made, the absolute authority of the Caged Bird system would begin to crack.
But he knew something else even more clearly: rather than cling to an old dream that the times might leave behind, the choice that truly served the Hyuga was to seize the hopeful new era that Naruto Uzumaki would bring.
And he, Hyuga Hiashi, would lead the clan down that path of change.
Elsewhere, Obito Uchiha froze for a moment at what he saw on the Canopy Screen, then gave a disdainful snort. "Hinata Hyuga? The young lady of the Hyuga Main Family?"
"Black Zetsu, if I remember the information you