At Hizashi Hyuga's home.
Hizashi was teaching Neji the Gentle Fist. He was a little surprised to see his older brother arrive:
"Brother? What brings you here so late?"
"Let Neji go and rest first," Hiashi said calmly.
Sensing something wrong with his brother's tone, Hizashi nodded to Neji, who politely bowed and left.
"Brother, what's wrong?" Hizashi asked.
Hiashi looked at his younger brother and said slowly:
"Notify the entire clan. We will hold a clan meeting in front of the ancestral hall at midnight tonight."
"Every clan member must attend, including the elderly and children. No one may be absent."
Hizashi's heart tightened:
"The entire clan? Even the elderly and children?"
"Yes, the entire clan." Hiashi nodded. "Also, inform the ANBU that the Hyuga Clan Compound will be sealed off around midnight tonight. No outsiders may enter, including the ANBU themselves."
"What..." Hizashi's expression changed. "Brother, what exactly happened?"
Hiashi patted his younger brother's shoulder, a faint smile appearing on his face:
"Don't worry. It's a good thing."
"It's time for the Hyuga Clan... to be truly reborn."
With that, he turned and left, leaving Hizashi standing alone, inexplicably uneasy.
Midnight approached.
The square in front of the ancestral hall at the Hyuga Clan Compound.
Over two thousand Hyuga Clan members had gathered there, from white-haired elders to infants in swaddling clothes. Not one was absent.
The crowd was silent. Everyone watched the figure standing on the ancestral hall's steps-Hyuga Hiashi.
Behind Hiashi stood Hizashi and more than a dozen senior members of the Branch Family.
Strangely, not a single member of the Main Family... had appeared.
No, rather, the Main Family no longer existed.
"Is everyone here?"
Hiashi asked softly.
Hizashi surveyed the crowd and nodded. "All 2,878 clan members in Konoha are here."
He paused,