That night, Nitten Hyuga passed away.
With his last breath, he handed all authority over the Hyuga Clan to Hoshizuki Hyuga.
Then he closed his eyes in contentment.
It was as though he had seen the Hyuga Clan's true future in her.
And with Nitten Hyuga's death, a new era seemed to dawn for the Hyuga Clan.
The new clan head, Hoshizuki Hyuga, began taking full control of the Hyuga Clan.
At the same time, she launched sweeping reforms within the clan.
These included changes to the ban on marrying outsiders, the practice of placing the Caged Bird on Branch Family members, and the distribution of power in several key clan positions.
But those were secondary. More importantly,
Hoshizuki Hyuga abolished the clan's Main Family and Branch Family system!
From then on, everyone belonged to the same family, with no distinction between the Main Family and the Branch Family.
Naturally, the Caged Bird Seal would no longer be branded onto anyone.
After all, the Caged Bird Seal itself suppressed and restricted the innate talents of truly gifted ninja.
Neji in the original story was a perfect example.
As expected, the announcement shocked the entire clan.
No one knew exactly when the Main Family and Branch Family system had begun.
But it had persisted in the Hyuga Clan for over a hundred years and was deeply entrenched.
The gulf in status between the Branch Family and the Main Family was as vast as the distance between heaven and earth!
From the moment they were born, Branch Family members were branded with the Caged Bird Seal.
Ostensibly, it was to protect the Byakugan.
In reality, it was a wholly twisted form of control. From that point onward, their lives were no longer their own.
They were forever subject to the Main Family,