That night, after switching shifts with another Root squad, Neiki returned to the Hyuga compound.
Before he could go upstairs, the old lady who ran the pancake shop next door, a mber of the Hyuga branch family, pulled him aside.
“Neiki, did you see the notice about the clan eting?” she asked excitedly.
Just like the Uchiha clan had ordinary people who couldn’t awaken their Sharingan, the Hyuga clan also had mbers who couldn’t activate their Byakugan. While the Byakugan was easier to awaken than the Sharingan, it still had specific requirents.
Take the old pancake lady, for instance. Although she had Hyuga blood, she was a regular person who couldn’t even sense chakra. On the other hand, her son had successfully awakened the Byakugan and beca a ninja, but even at nearly thirty years old, he was still just a regular Chunin.
Neiki, on the other hand, was about to be promoted to Jonin, highlighting how much talent mattered in the harsh world of ninjas.
“Yes, I saw it. What about it?”
A notice from the Hyuga main house had been posted on the bulletin board, and Neiki had seen it on his way ho.
“It’s a full clan eting. Doesn’t that an everyone can attend?” The old lady was thrilled, and her Cursed Seal of the Caged Bird crinkled and wrinkled her forehead.
The Hyuga clan's Caged Bird system distinguished the central family from the branch family. The prominent family mbers were the true inheritors responsible for protecting and advancing the Hyuga clan. In contrast, the branch family mbers protected them as the central family's shields and spears.
As the Hyuga clan expanded over the centuries, so branch family mbers did not perform these protective roles due to their lack of power. Instead, they managed the clan's various businesses and industries, like this old pancake lady. Their numbers were small but significant.
In this world, ordinary people still make up the majority.
While Neji and Neiki saw the Caged Bird seal as a curse, these ordinary branch family mbers saw it as a prestigious symbol of their Hyuga identity.
They supported tradition and the central family. The current clan head, Hiashi Hyuga, was revered like their father. The Hyuga bloodline gave them a higher status and better benefits than the other common folk in Konoha.
However, the main house required at least a Chunin rank, even for gatekeepers. No matter how eager these ordinary folks were, they were often overlooked. During clan festivals, non-ninja Hyuga mbers couldn’t enter the ancestral shrine and had to watch from afar.
The clan head’s announcent excited even these usually invisible ordinary mbers. A whole clan eting ant everyone could participate, right?
Neiki thought of the pancake lady’s constant delivery of pancakes to his ho after his father’s death and replied gently:
“It’s unlikely. The eting is mainly to discuss how to deal with the recent external threats against the branch family.”
“Aren’t I part of the branch family?” The old lady’s eyes sparkled. “It’s been so long since I saw Lord Hiashi. I wonder if he’s gained weight or if he’s eating well…”
“Good point.”
Neiki decided not to argue further. The first announcent didn’t consider the ordinary mbers with black eyes. He would send another notice excluding them from the clan eting to ensure the space wasn’t overcrowded with those who couldn’t provide Byakugan essence.
After escorting the old lady back to her pancake shop, her son, Chōfu, she was stood at the door, bowing slightly to Neiki.
“Deima is gone, and so is Tsuki. Everyone in the branch family is worried. Please take care of yourself, Neiki.” The old lady held Neiki’s hand.
Neiki could only nod.
After she went inside, Neiki turned to Chōfu and said:
“You shouldn’t attend the clan eting.”
Chōfu was taken aback, his anxious expression slowly disappearing. He hesitated before asking:
“Why?”
“Taking care of your mother is more important,” Neiki replied.
“I don’t need you to tell that. I’m not just my mother’s son; I’m a mber of the Hyuga branch family. You have no right to order around!” Chōfu retorted.
Take care of my mother?
I don’t need you to tell that!
It’s just a clan eting. What could go wrong?
Due to his lack of talent, Chōfu was rarely summoned by the central family, so he cherished this opportunity.
“Alright.” Seeing Chōfu’s determination, Neiki decided to leave it at that.
When the ti ca, he would bestow upon him the honor he deserved as a Hyuga.
Although his Byakugan purity was low, every little bit counted.
Neiki returned to his small house.
“I saw that! You put your hand on your thigh again!”
“That’s not how you use Gentle Fist!”
“How many tis do I have to tell you? Move your feet with it!”
“Yes, that’s the stance. Now, hit !”
“What kind of punch is that? It’s so weak!”
Hearing Neji’s angry shouts and Hanabi’s tearful apologies from the room, Neiki raised an eyebrow but didn’t interrupt. He started preparing dinner, only knocking on their door once it was ready twenty minutes later.
Neji continued to correct Hanabi’s gentle fist stances at the dinner table until Neiki couldn’t stand it anymore, which made him stop.
“You should know when to do what,” Neiki chided.
“Brother, you’re lecturing again,” Neji complained, shaking his head.
“Still complaining? Hmph, in a few days, you won’t have the chance to hear it anymore,” Neiki scoffed.
The brothers had long developed a deep bond, at least from Neji’s perspective. He never imagined Neiki might suddenly turn traitor, so he asked:
“Do you have another mission?”
“Yes, a long-term one,” Neiki said, putting food in Neji’s bowl. “You’ll have to take care of Hanabi while I’m gone.”
“She’s too slow. She can’t even get the Gentle Fist stance right,” Neji grumbled.
Hanabi, having finished a chicken leg, lowered her head sadly.
Neiki shook his head. “When you were two, you were still crawling around in split pants. Hanabi has high potential, just like you. She’s only just starting with Gentle Fist.”
Hearing this, Hanabi looked up at Neiki, her eyes sparkling.
Now that Neiki thought about it, Neji was still just a kid in his eyes. After he defected from Konoha, Neji wouldn’t be implicated, but his situation would be difficult, likely only slightly better than Naruto’s.
Neiki tapped his fingers on the table, deep in thought. He looked at Neji and suddenly asked:
“Will you co with ?”
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