A Visit to the Hyuga: The Mystery of the Caged Bird Seal

"Then let the Daimyō see it too."

Sasuke pressed his hand against the urgent dispatch, his fingertips grinding the edge of the sealing wax into tiny red flakes.

The Third Hokage's expression could not have been uglier.

Mitokado Homura immediately stood up. "Sasuke Uchiha, the Daimyo's Residence is asking about the unrest in Konoha. Are you threatening the Hokage with Bloodline Limit files because you want to disgrace the village in the capital?"

Hiashi did not even look at him. "You've already ground the Hyuga Clan's dignity into the mud."

Utatane Koharu braced herself against the chair back. "Hiashi, what happened back then was for peace. Kumogakure was pressing us hard. The village had no choice."

"No choice?" Hiashi slapped the storage records for Hizashi's Eye onto the table. "Handing over my brother's corpse was having no choice? Keeping his Byakugan for experiments was having no choice too?"

"Danzo did that without authorization!"

Sasuke turned toward her. "Advisor Utatane, you just said you only approved logistics for the Root experiments. Now you're blaming everything on Danzo again. Your testimony changes awfully fast. Nara Clan Head, make sure you keep up."

Shikaku's pen paused over the paper for half a beat, then continued writing.

"Don't interrogate the advisors here!" Mitokado Homura snapped.

Sasuke picked up the urgent dispatch from the Daimyō. "Lord Hokage, the envoy from the Daimyo's Residence is on the way. You have two options now. Konoha can investigate itself and give the Hyuga, the Uchiha, and the Daimyō an explanation. Or you can wait for me to send the Root Vault's ledgers, Hizashi's Byakugan files, and the Sharingan preservation equipment to the capital."

The Third Hokage raised his eyes. "You're forcing my hand."

"I'm giving you a way out." Sasuke put the dispatch back on the table. "The Daimyō wants stability. A Konoha that can root out its own parasites has a better chance of keeping its funding than a Konoha that secretly harvests Bloodline Limits and tries to cover it up."

Hiashi spoke next. "The Hyuga Clan demands access to every file on the Kumogakure incident, participation in securing all records related to the Byakugan experiments, and an investigation into everyone who handled them."

The Third Hokage looked at Hiashi. "Hiashi, this will cause even greater unrest within the village."

The veins around Hiashi's Byakugan rose. "The village was perfectly peaceful while my brother was being turned into experimental material."

No one in the room answered.

Sasuke pushed a rolled-up inventory toward the Third Hokage. "This is a list of Bloodline Limit-related items recovered from the vault. The Hyuga, Uchiha, Inuzuka Clan, Aburame, and Akimichi are all in there. Lord Hokage, would you like to tell them yourself that these were for peace too?"

The Third Hokage reached for his pipe, but his hand found nothing.

"Lord Hokage, sign the file-access order first," Shikaku reminded him. "Once the envoy enters the village, this will look even worse."

The Third Hokage glanced at him. "Shikaku, do you think I should sign too?"

Shikaku closed his notes. "I think the village can't withstand a second village-wide siege."

Fugaku stood behind Sasuke. His sword remained sheathed, but his presence bore down on the table.

After a long silence, the Third Hokage picked up his pen.

Mitokado Homura grew anxious. "Hiruzen, once the Hyuga files are opened, Kumogakure..."

"If Kumogakure asks, let them see the evidence that Root kept the Byakugan too," Sasuke interrupted. "Konoha can still put the blame on Danzo then. But if you obstruct this now, people will only think the two advisors want their own share of the Bloodline Limit."

"You!"

The Third Hokage stamped the order.

Hiashi took the file-access order, read it once, and handed it to a clan elder. "Go to the archives immediately. Three parties will witness it. If even one page is missing, hold the Hokage Building responsible."

The messenger ninja hurried out.

Sasuke turned around. "Clan Head Hiashi, the Hokage Building's debts aren't going anywhere. Does your invitation to the Hyuga Clan Compound still stand?"

Hiashi stared at him. "It does."

Mitokado Homura snorted. "You've just finished coercing the Hokage, and now you're going to the Hyuga. Sasuke, do you really think you're Konoha's master?"

Sasuke straightened his collar, his gaze sweeping over Homura's cuffs. "Lord Advisor, you should first consider how many more days you'll be able to keep that seat."

The flesh on Mitokado Homura's face twitched.

Two rows of Branch Family ninja stood before the gates of the Hyuga Clan Compound. Normally, they lowered their heads at the sight of the Main Family. Today, none dared let their eyes stray toward the files in Hiashi's hand.

Neji stood beneath the covered walkway with a tea tray, his face taut.

After entering, Hiashi did not take the seat of honor. Instead, he placed Hizashi's Byakugan files in the center of the tatami.

Several Main Family elders' expressions changed.

"Clan Head, outsiders shouldn't be allowed in to see something like this."

Hiashi looked at the old man who had spoken. "My brother's eyes spent years soaking in the Root Vault. Which of you knew?"

The old man's lips moved. "Back then, Hizashi acted for the clan, for the village..."

The tea tray hit the floor, and cups shattered across it.

Neji stood in the doorway. Hot tea had scalded the backs of his hands red, but he did not lower his head.

Hiashi closed his eyes. "Neji, come in."

Neji walked into the room one step at a time. When his knees touched the floor, his gaze remained fixed on the files.

Sasuke sat in the guest's seat and casually opened another file taken from Root. "Elders of the Hyuga Main Family, I have only one question today. Can the Caged Bird Seal really protect the Byakugan?"

A Main Family elder frowned. "This is a Hyuga Clan matter."

"Were Hizashi's eyes ending up in the Root Vault a clan matter too?" Sasuke spread the file open. "According to the Root Research Records, the Caged Bird Seal automatically destroys the Byakugan after a Branch Family member dies. But if sealing-stabilized chakra is applied before death, and Medical Ninjutsu is used to maintain viability, that destruction can be delayed."

Neji's breathing grew uneven.

Hiashi reached for the file. After reading two lines, the color drained from his face.

A Main Family elder tried to snatch it away. "Clan Head, an outsider's files aren't necessarily trustworthy."

Sasuke raised his eyes. "Root experimented on your people, and you're still making excuses for them. No wonder Danzo dared keep Hizashi's eyes in his vault. He knew the Hyuga would only shut their doors and discipline their own."

The Hyuga Branch Family ninja looked grim.

Neji raised his head. "My father... didn't die because of fate?"

No one in the room answered.

Sasuke pushed another page in front of him. "The higher-ups used him to appease Kumogakure, and Root carved the last remaining value out of his corpse. What you call fate was a disposal plan someone else wrote in a file."

Neji pressed his hand against the paper, crumpling its corner until it tore.

Hiashi looked at his nephew, his throat tightening. "Neji, I..."

"Did you know, Clan Head?" Neji asked.

Hiashi fell silent.

A Main Family elder immediately spoke up. "Neji, remember your place!"

Sasuke tapped the table lightly. "His place? In Root's files, the Main Family and Branch Family are both called Bloodline Limit samples. You're in here deciding who's superior while they're out there deciding how much Preservation Solution to use."

The elder's face flushed red. "Sasuke Uchiha, you're sowing discord in the Hyuga Clan's internal affairs!"

Sasuke closed the file. "I'm reminding you that the Caged Bird Seal can't stop outside thieves. It can only lock a collar around your own people's necks. Root is already researching how to break it. Once they succeed, the Branch Family will be material, and so will the Main Family."

Hiashi turned to a later page and saw a string of experiment numbers. Veins bulged on the backs of his hands.

"These people..."

Sasuke continued for him. "Missing members of distant Hyuga branches, Branch Family ninja who never returned after the war. Their death certificates were all neatly written up. Root marked them as recoverable."

Low, angry voices came from outside. The Branch Family ninja had already heard.

Still kneeling, Neji shuffled half a step forward. "Clan Head Sasuke, can you let me avenge him?"

Hiashi's expression changed. "Neji!"

Neji did not look at him. "I want to know who killed my father. I want to know who signed, who sealed the files, and who sent his Byakugan into the vault."

Sasuke stared at him. "You don't get revenge by kneeling. You need power. You need standing. You need to make sure no one can casually take the Hyuga's eyes again."

Neji gritted his teeth. "I'm willing to pay the price."

Sasuke reached out and helped him up. "First, get your knees out of the Main Family's shadow."

Hiashi looked at Sasuke. "Your terms."

Sasuke placed the Alliance Scroll on the table. "The Uchiha will help the Hyuga investigate the Byakugan incident and purge everyone in Root and the upper leadership who laid hands on the Hyuga Bloodline Limit. In the Elders' Council Meeting, the Hyuga will support the Uchiha's audit, the reorganization of the Konoha Military Police Force, and the freezing of Root's assets."

A Main Family elder slapped the table. "That's the same as hitching the Hyuga to the Uchiha's wagon!"

Hiashi did not sign immediately.

Sasuke did not rush him. He simply turned another file to its last page. "There's one more line here. Root planned to obtain a living Byakugan from the Main Family to verify the Caged Bird Seal override authority. Hanabi Hyuga is on the candidate list."

Hiashi's hand stopped.

Every Main Family elder in the room went pale.

Sasuke looked at them. "Do you still think you're safe if you shut your doors?"

Hiashi picked up the pen and stamped the seal of the Hyuga Clan Head.

Neji stared at that seal. Something that had built up in his eyes for years began to shatter.

Sasuke put away the scroll. "Here's to our partnership. Next, divide the files into three sets. The Hyuga keep the originals, the Uchiha keep copies, and the Nara serve as witnesses."

The moment he finished speaking, the barrier outside the courtyard let out a piercing alarm.

A Hyuga ninja burst through the door with a black kunai lodged in his shoulder. "Clan Head, the barrier's been breached! There are snakes outside!"

A heavy impact sounded beyond the wall. The courtyard wall cracked open, and several enormous venomous snakes thrust their heads through.

Four unfamiliar ninja stood on the snakes' backs. One grinned. "Sasuke Uchiha and the Hyuga Byakugan. Our master wants them all."

Sasuke tucked the Alliance Scroll inside his clothes and drew the Kusanagi Sword half an inch from its sheath.

In the shadows beneath the eaves, a white snake spat out a scroll. It bore only four words: The Trade Begins.