I Want Them All

A faint pain throbbed across his forehead, and a spark of anger rose in Hizashi Hyuga's heart. This Caged Bird Seal that bound one's freedom could only be lifted by death.

A difference of mere seconds had created a chasm between him and his brother. Their talents were clearly comparable, so why was the difference between the main house and branch house so vast?

Veins bulged beside his eyes as his Byakugan, which had no blind spots, fixed on the figure before him. Beneath that Three-Eyed Demon Fox Mask, the figure's utter lack of presence made Hizashi Hyuga's pupils constrict.

"Which clan are you from? You have no presence at all. Not even chakra or chakra pathways exist. What exactly are you trying to say?"

"Caged eyes, caged bird. You are nothing more than someone meant to die for others. What do you want to become?"

"A lone bird with broken wings, imprisoned in a cage? Or a star that tears open the night with fangs and blood, blazing with blood and fire?"

The phantom faded away. The hazy morning mist quietly dispersed, and the first ray of dawn rose over the distant horizon, scattering the fog that lingered around him.

The strange figure vanished with the mist. Hizashi Hyuga stood there for a long time, countless thoughts churning in his mind.

"Genjutsu? This strange feeling... a lone bird imprisoned in a cage, a star blazing with blood and fire. Burning with blood and war?"

"Could the branch house, whose freedom is bound, truly have the power to bring that impossible blaze of war upon the main house?"

Hizashi Hyuga stood dazed and silent. Just who was that child?

Meanwhile, at the edge of the Uchiha Clan, at Uchiha Huayue's home.

Resting his cheek on one hand as he flipped through a book with the other, Huayue's gaze flickered thoughtfully.

"Destroying the optic nerves and sealing away the light, yet even so, some Byakugan were still stolen by Kirigakure. The main house and branch house—a cold clan, warped and malformed, exploiting their own blood relatives. Is this the Hyuga Clan?"

"A Curse Mark specifically targeting the optic nerves. If the recipient simply died and was revived afterward, would that still fail to preserve the Byakugan? What a troublesome Curse Mark."

On the tea table lay a gold-lettered wanted notice urgently issued by the Hyuga Clan and personally delivered by Konoha Anbu. Ao's name stood prominently at the top.

"To preserve the purity of their bloodline, they have no choice but to arrange marriages within the clan and ensure the Kekkei Genkai is passed down. That is how all famous Kekkei Genkai families operate."

Marrying outside the clan, blending bloodlines, then having one's descendants marry back into the clan—this was how the great famous families operated. Cases like Hinata, a member of the Hyuga Main House, marrying into another clan were not unheard of, but they were exceedingly rare.

After all, they could not make the Seventh Hokage take the Hyuga surname. Compared to this practice of enslaving their own blood relatives, the arrogant and prideful Uchiha Clan left the Hyuga far behind when it came to unity.

As Huayue's thoughts wandered and he examined himself, his gaze drifted toward the doorway.

"So, what did you come to see me for, Obito?"

Uchiha Obito, who usually wore a sunny smile and acted little different from an idiot, shot him a teasing look. Then he placed the three gifts from behind his back beside Huayue's hand.

Each gift bore a delicate handwritten note. After glancing over the signatures, Huayue understood why Obito had hurried over so eagerly.

"This is wartime. We could be sent to the battlefield by the village the very next day, and we might not even know where we will die. If you're a man, what is there to hesitate over?"

"Choose! Kurenai? Anko? Or that somewhat shy girl named Yugao?"

"Damn it, I'm still so unwilling to accept this! Why do so many girls like you? I even failed at confessing! Damn it, damn it, damn it!"

The boomerang he had thrown came flying back and struck him once again. Huayue pretended to think for a moment, then slowly shook his head beneath Obito's expectant gaze.

"What do you mean? Didn't you say it yourself, Huayue? If you're a man, what is there to hesitate over?"

Under Obito's baffled gaze, Huayue collected the notes one by one and answered with complete confidence.

"I'm an attack helicopter. I can also be a Walmart shopping bag, or an adult... I can choose none of them, or I can take them all. But you probably wouldn't understand even if I told you."

Faced with Huayue's expression of concern for the mentally challenged, Obito's face stiffened. He loudly condemned such immoral behavior.

"So geniuses can just do whatever they want? Damn it, once I awaken my eyes, I'll definitely make Rin fall for me again. Damn it..."

Crushed beyond recognition, Obito stormed off to train. Huayue clicked his tongue twice, his eyes full of rueful emotion.

It really was hard on him. At an age when he could not even grasp hold of his own fate, he insisted on trying to grasp a love that even adults could not reach. Was this also a partial reflection of this cruel world?

"Lord Huayue, the Third Hokage has ordered you to proceed immediately to the border of the Land of Earth. The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki of Both Scales, has moved out."

At some point, a man in a white cloak spoke in a low voice. He was an Anbu member directly under the Hokage.

"Kagerō? Even you, the elite Anbu captain specifically assigned to protect the Third Hokage, have come. You are probably here for more than just delivering orders. There is also the intention of supervising the battle, isn't there?"

"You are overthinking it. The opponent is the Third Tsuchikage. In Konoha, those qualified to fight him are limited to the Sannin, Lord Minato, and only..."

Before he could finish, Kagerō saw the small hand raised to stop him.

"Save the pleasantries. The Flying Thunder God Technique is not flawless Space-Time Ninjutsu when facing Dust Release."

"Tell the Third Hokage that I can only delay him for a while and tie down part of their forces. I am unable to provide any further support."

His presence vanished. When Kagerō looked up again, Uchiha Huayue was already gone, along with the Ninja Tool Pouch and kunai that had been on the cabinet nearby.

"What an incredible Body Flicker Technique. No wonder the Third Hokage specifically assigned this guy to hold back the Third Tsuchikage. A genius of the Uchiha Clan?"

Kagerō's expression shifted constantly beneath his mask. In the end, he chose to leave, as though he harbored deep apprehension toward this unremarkable little house.

Meanwhile, the Hyuga Clan, Aburame Clan, Uchiha Clan... Konoha's notable famous families all headed for the battlefield at the Hokage's summons.

Although those gathered on the battlefield were all elites, Iwagakure ultimately held the numerical advantage. The scales of victory gradually tilted toward Iwagakure.

At the border of the Land of Earth, yellow soil and rocks covered the ground as gusts of sand swept across the desolate land. Though the Land of Earth was one of the Five Great Nations and even stronger than the Land of Wind and Land of Water—

—its prosperity had all been built upon shifting its internal conflicts onto smaller foreign nations, relying on war and unrest in other countries.

Ōnoki of Both Scales was a title praising the Third Tsuchikage's outstanding diplomatic methods. At the same time, the name represented the Kekkei Genkai passed down in the Land of Earth: Dust Release.

Near the border, numerous ninja dressed in crimson uniforms and wearing Iwagakure forehead protectors stood on full alert, awaiting the orders of the short old man with the bulbous red nose at their head.

"I never thought these old bones would have to go to the battlefield personally. I wonder whether I will still have the chance to encounter Sarutobi Hiruzen in the Land of Fire... Who's there?"

"Even in your old age, you are still the Third Tsuchikage and worthy of caution. But seeing the Third Hokage may be somewhat difficult. Not everyone possesses your resolve to personally go to the battlefield, do they?"