While the Uchiha Clan was urgently discussing countermeasures, some problems also arose within the Hyuga Clan's camp.
At the Branch Family family camp, the Hyuga Branch Family head looked at the other two elders for a long time before finally speaking, "Elders, the clan is currently very close to the Senju Clan. If this continues, it is very likely that we will join forces with the Senju Clan to encircle and Uchiha."
The other two elders bit their lips tightly. What could they say? They were merely elders of the Branch Family, not even clan leaders. They had no power to change the decisions made by the Main Family.
The Branch Family head stared wide-eyed at the two silent elders, then slammed his hand on the table. "If we really go to war with the Uchiha Clan, given their nature, wouldn't they mobilize their entire clan to attack our Uchiha Clan Hyuga Clan?"
At that time, when our Hyuga Clan faces the Uchiha Clan's offensive, there will only be one possibility: we will be crushed under the Uchiha's war chariots!
"There's only one possible fate for the Hyuga Clan: annihilation! This concerns the very survival of the clan. Don't you two have anything to say?"
The eldest elder of the Branch Family said with a wry smile, "We all know that, but what can we do? In the end, the decision of whether or not to ally with the Senju Clan rests with the eldest elder and the clan head of the Main Family."
"Besides obeying their orders, what other possibility do we have after the Branch Family?"
The second elder of the Branch Family nodded in agreement, his face full of bitter helplessness. " Caged Bird Seal, a bird trapped in a cage, how can it possibly take flight?"
The Branch Family patriarch's eyes were filled with rage. The Branch Family had been enslaved for too long, only knowing how to blindly obey the Main Family's orders, but not knowing how to make their own decisions.
Along with anger, the clan head also felt immense sorrow. Why was it that the Main Family of the Hyuga Clan, as fellow members of the same clan, could be so high and mighty, ordering them to the Branch Family?
The Main Family is clearly a group of people with short-sighted strategic vision, who have never even been on the battlefield. It's the Branch Family who serve and sacrifice for the family.
However, everyone took this for granted, believing that the deaths of the Branch Family were perfectly normal, and even failing to acknowledge the contributions of those Branch Family to the clan.
What saddened him most was this: even many within the Branch Family thought so. Numbness, ignorance, and foolishness—these words hung over the heads of the Branch Family members.
In six months, the seed planted six months ago, stimulated by this event and combined with the evolution of the first half of the year, has finally grown into a towering tree.
The rage in the eyes of the Branch Family patriarch could no longer be contained. He grabbed the collar of the Branch Family's eldest elder and roared, "Are we just going to stand by and watch the Hyuga Clan perish and fall into the abyss?"
It's our family, the family we've protected with countless lives! Are we just going to stand by and watch our family perish? Don't you have a heart?
The First Elder gritted his teeth and retorted, "Tell me what to do? Argue with the Main Family? Will they listen to our ideas? In their eyes, do our words about the Branch Family even matter?"
Even if you contradict him, he will use clan rules as a pretext to have the Caged Bird Seal punish you. In their eyes, this so-called elder position is nothing more than a slave! What can we do?"
The elder's words were resounding, and for a moment, the silence in the entire room was deafening.
The Branch Family patriarch suddenly burst into laughter for no apparent reason, laughing so hard that his whole body trembled and his laughter sent chills down everyone's spine.
The First Elder and Second Elder watched the Branch Family patriarch's maniacal laughter with tense fear on their faces.
Only after the Branch Family patriarch finally stopped laughing did he turn his Byakugan back to the two elders.
"So this is what you all think? Knowing that there's a dead end ahead, you still want to move forward, not even willing to put up a last stand. If you're not willing to save yourself, who can save you?"
After saying this, the Branch Family patriarch turned and left, leaving the two elders sitting in the room, speechless.
The head of the Branch Family strode through the Branch Family's ancestral land, the scene of the Main Family instructing them to the Branch Family, the image of the Main Family oppressing them into the Branch Family, vividly flashing through his mind.
As he walked through the Branch Family's territory, he was constantly greeted by clansmen. Looking at their young faces and the Caged Bird Seal markings on their heads, he was struck by their kindness.
The Branch Family patriarch's anger was compounded by a deep sorrow. The Main Family, what a patriarch he was!
At this moment, the Branch Family head no longer had any regard for the so-called Branch Family rules; all he had was dissatisfaction with the Main Family and how to rebel.
The Branch Family patriarch was not one to act impulsively. Even though he was consumed by anger, he remained calm and thoughtful.
All the members of the Branch Family were put into Caged Bird Seal, and these Caged Bird Seal could take their lives with a single thought from the Main Family.
The Branch Family has absolutely no way to resist the Main Family and can only endure the oppression of the Main Family. No matter how dissatisfied they are, there is nothing they can do!
Therefore, the Branch Family patriarch has no way of leading everyone in the Branch Family family to fight the main Main Family to the death, because the only outcome would be that everyone involved would suffer terribly and be trampled underfoot by the Main Family.
Therefore, relying solely on the power of the Branch Family, there is no way to resist; he must introduce external forces! Only by introducing other variables from the outside can he possibly resist!
The Branch Family head immediately thought of the Uchiha Clan. As their current ally, the Uchiha Clan fought alongside the Branch Family family and possessed formidable strength, making them a viable external force to be brought in.
The key is how to get the Uchiha to agree to target the Main Family. If it were Branch Family head, they wouldn't know what to do, but now there's a perfect opportunity to bring them in, isn't there?
The Branch Family head clearly understood that the Uchiha Clan desperately needed the Hyuga's power, and that their Branch Family was the core strength of the Hyuga Clan, the very force the Uchiha needed.
Therefore, the Uchiha only cared whether the Hyuga Branch Family could help the Uchiha Clan; as for who made the decision, the Uchiha didn't care.
However, the Main Family Uchiha clan has recently been getting very close to the Senju Clan, which will undoubtedly arouse the vigilance of the Uchiha Clan, and may even provoke retaliation from the Uchiha Clan.
The Branch Family head saw an opportunity here. He trusted the Uchiha Clan's intelligence capabilities; presumably, the Uchiha Clan already knew about the growing ties between the Hyuga Clan and Senju Clan.
All he had to do was wait quietly, wait for the Uchiha Clan to start making their move, and then convey their demands for the Branch Family amidst this turmoil, using the Uchiha Clan to eliminate the Main Family!
He believed the Uchiha Clan would agree, because their current head was the one who negotiated peace with the Uchiha Hyuga Clan; based on that alone, he could tell the Uchiha Clan would consent.
Under this clan leader, the Uchiha Clan would not refuse a staunch ally.