Kazan was visiting the Hyuga Clan tomorrow.
The Hyuga Clan erupted with excitement.
The Elders Council summoned everyone and gathered the clan's most gifted children.
"Lord Kazan is coming to the Hyuga Clan tomorrow."
"Really?"
"Lord Kazan is coming here? Does that mean..."
"Exactly what you think! Whatever the Uchiha Clan has, the Hyuga Clan will have too!"
"That's right. The Hyuga Clan has never been weaker than the Uchiha. Go home and get the children ready!"
The Hyuga Clan gathered every Main Family child for a personal selection.
(There's little information about the Hyuga Clan, and only a few Main Family members appear in the story. Hinata hasn't been born yet, and according to the sources I found, there were no Main Family children at this point. For the plot's sake, this follows the book's setting.)
"Father, what's happening out there?"
Neji Hyuga gazed toward the Main Family compound across the wall.
The Hyuga Clan's grounds were vast, with the Main Family and Branch Family living within the same estate.
But a wall separated them.
"Lord Kazan is coming to visit the Hyuga Clan."
Hizashi Hyuga's expression was calm. Too calm.
The Old Clan Leader—his father—had made himself clear: only Main Family members had a chance to become Lord Kazan's disciples.
Hizashi headed the Branch Family, and his son Neji belonged to it too.
From the moment Neji was born, he was destined to devote his entire life to the Main Family.
Like a bird trapped in a cage.
Hizashi touched his forehead. At three years old, he had been branded with the Caged Bird Seal, a mark he could never escape in life.
Only death would free him.
When he heard Kazan was coming, hope stirred in his heart.
His own fate was sealed, but his child's did