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Neji was able to keep his composure. He lowered his head and listened to the sobbing of the girl in the hall without saying a word. He knew in his heart that now was not the ti to speak.
However, when a certain thought crossed his mind, he was suddenly shocked. He had never considered these issues before. And his mind had always been focused solely on training and becoming stronger.
All the trials and hardships he endured were for one goal: to prove that even the branch family could produce a genius, and that the Caged Bird was a mistake.
Looking back on his journey, all he saw was a stubborn young boy training in the rain… a genius with his wings clipped. He had once believed that as long as he harbored resentnt, and as long as he beca the strongest, he would win.
Perhaps in the past, seeing the dawn of hope in breaking the Caged Bird would have made him ecstatic. But with more experience, Neji had co to understand that the real cage was invisible.
Too much had happened since then. His temperant had llowed, his sharpness had dulled. He had co to terms with his fate, gaining a sense of tranquility and stability.
…
By the small river outside the bamboo forest, the water gurgled endlessly. Hinata and Naruto sat side by side. Above them, thick bamboo leaves provided shade, while beneath their feet, smooth pebbles created a slightly uncomfortable seat.
"Neji is starting to look more and more like a Clan Head. I honestly think handing over the Hyuga Clan to him would be the best choice." Naruto said, glancing at Hinata. This was sothing he could only say in front of her.
After all, they were close, and as long as he didn’t personally attack Hiashi, there wouldn’t be any issues.
"Neji-niisan?" Hinata didn't know what to say, ‘Father seed intent on grooming Hanabi to be the successor, but… Hanabi…’
"Hanabi is too weak. Even if she tried her best for her whole life, she wouldn’t be able to beat Neji." Naruto bluntly stated, showing no rcy toward his sister-in-law.
"Naruto-kun…" Hinata was a little speechless. Was it really okay to talk about her sister like that, even if she wasn’t present.
"Hanabi is still very powerful."
"I don't know how powerful Hanabi is, but you’re definitely powerful." Naruto continued to hold Hinata and play with her, trying to take advantage of the situation at this critical mont.
Despite the chaos and upheaval in the Hyuga Clan, it didn’t interfere with Naruto’s romantic mont. He had been planning this for half a month, and today was the day it would finally unfold.
Taking Hinata away was also part of the plan, as he’s intentionally keeping her out of the clan’s turmoil. Without a sense of involvent, it would not be so difficult for her to accept the final outco.
Hinata had always been the Hyuga Clan’s Eldest Princess, and this pained Naruto. What era was this? And yet, she was still being tied down to the traditional role of a woman in the family.
In another world, even young won were fighting in interstellar wars, so this kind of tradition was just absurd. To protect Hinata from the backlash of public opinion, Naruto had decided to topple Hiashi from his position.
He had broken the Caged Bird, and the rest would be up to Neji. While Naruto had destroyed the physical shackles, the invisible ones would have to be dealt with by the Hyuga Clan themselves.
The Hyuga Clan was destined to break through the thick, pitiful barrier of tradition. Naruto was also determined to break down the emotional barrier between him and Hinata… no matter if it ant getting hurt or bleeding. When he thought about it that way, he felt like a great guy.
‘It was all worth it.’
‘Hiashi’s determination to change the Hyuga Clan had been as slow and agonizing as a middle-aged man with a weak bladder finally relieving himself.’
‘Neji had been given the chance to free the branch family, and as for Hinata… Hinata would get … perfect.’
"Naruto-kun… maybe we should just chat for a while and stop touching each other." Hinata pleaded. She was always afraid of him. After all, every ti they started talking seriously, his hands wouldn’t behave.
"Huh? What?” Naruto pretended not to hear. “Oh, you an talk about our dreams? What’s your dream, Hinata?"
He continued his actions, completely ignoring her request.
"I…" Hinata’s face was bright red. They were still in the wilderness, but thankfully, no one else was around, "I have two dreams… to beco a great Shinobi… and then to be a housewife."
She spoke in broken sentences, and Naruto shook his head. Hinata’s physical stamina clearly couldn’t match his. His body had been forged by years of intense training, far surpassing ordinary people.
"You are a Jonin now, right?" Naruto suddenly rembered that Hinata had ntioned this to him so ti ago.
"It has been a while." Hinata said in a sowhat resentful tone, "I wanted to tell you, but Father wouldn’t let see you, so we kept missing each other."
‘My father-in-law is really not a good person. He even interferes with free love. Damn it, I am indeed too kind. Then, I must give him a gift… perhaps a grandchild.’
"Well, there's nothing we can do about it." Naruto said with a shrug as he pulled a gift from his seal space.
It was a delicate crystal pendant, which is glowing softly in the sunlight. Even though he had bought them in bulk, the style and quality are absolutely excellent.
Besides, jewelry trends changed every few years, often revisiting vintage designs. So as long as it looked good, that was all that mattered.
"Congratulations on becoming a Jonin, Hinata." Naruto said, holding up the necklace with one hand.
"Th-Thank you, Naruto-kun." She replied, deeply moved, ‘But I would have preferred if Naruto-kun had used both hands to help her put it on instead of using just one. Why couldn’t his other hand stay still?’
"No problem. When it cos to love, I prefer to take things slow and steady." Naruto said affectionately.
Hinata wanted to say she could already feel that, but her face felt like it was on fire, so she lowered her head and humd.
Around them, the sounds of insects chirping, birds singing, and water flowing filled the bamboo-shaded riverside.
Neji wasn’t as relaxed as Naruto. In the hall, the elders of the main family were still discussing how to punish Sachiko, while the branch family’s mbers kneeling were becoming restless.
The young girl kneeling on the ground had almost cried herself dry, and her body was trembling uncontrollably.
"We must reapply the Caged Bird. How could the seal vanish naturally? There must be a hidden reason behind this, and we need to investigate thoroughly." One of the elder of the main family exclaid emotionally.
"It might just be an isolated incident. Why don’t we first check the branch family to see if sothing similar has happened?" Another elder of the main family advised.
"Let’s investigate first. If it’s deliberate, we’ll address it then." Hiashi sighed as he gave the order.
"What about her then?" One of the main family’s mbers asked in an unfriendly tone.
Hiashi remained silent for a mont before responding, "Let’s first reapply the Caged Bird to prevent the situation from escalating further."
Neji, who had been sitting at the far end of the hall, raised his head and glanced at Hiashi. He could understand the strong reaction of the main family, but this was also an opportunity, wasn't it?
‘To prevent the situation from escalating further, do they really need to reapply the Caged Bird? This is not a bandage that can be easily torn off after being put on. Did the branch family really matter so little?’
‘Indeed, no matter how flowery the words, actions spoke louder.’
Hearing that the Caged Bird would be reapplied, Sachiko, who was kneeling in the hall, trembled violently. If the seal was reapplied, she would undoubtedly be severely punished by the main family.
The pain from the activation of the Caged Bird was excruciating, unbearable for most. At best, it would cause loss of control over bodily functions, but at worst, it could leave a person ntally incapacitated or even crippled.
The main family didn’t even bother maintaining the appearance of respect anymore. There was no pretense, no dignity. It was as if the branch family’s existence truly didn’t matter. Despite sharing the sa blood, they were still forced into a hierarchy.
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