The residence of the Branch Family clan head was dim, and the night air carried a cold edge. The courtyard lay quiet except for the muted sounds echoing within. Shadows stretched along the stone floor under weak lantern light.
Thump. Thump.
From the courtyard came steady, restrained blows. A boy with pale skin and a bandage wrapped across his forehead stood there, striking a wooden post with smooth, practiced fists. His movements were fluent, repeating the same forms again and again.
As he swung, the vacant look on his young face slowly twisted into something harsh. The calm he once had was gone, replaced by a sharp and ruthless edge, and the Gentle Fist in his hands grew fierce and violent. Each strike carried anger rather than control.
Not a trace of Chakra was used in any blow. This self-harming way of striking soon left his fists torn and bloody, and deep dents appeared in the wooden post, darkened by fresh blood. The marks spread as he continued without pause.
Rather than training, it was release. Even so, he showed no sign of stopping. His body kept moving as if driven by habit alone.
In Neji Hyuga's mind remained only the scene he had witnessed with his own eyes a few days earlier, the first time he truly saw the Caged Bird. That image replayed itself over and over, refusing to fade. Everything else had been pushed aside.
Just like every day in the past few years, he had gone to spar with that young lady of the Main Family. At that time, the ugly Curse Seal had already been carved into him, yet he did not understand what it meant. He had naively believed what others said, that it was a symbol of the Branch Family's responsibility to protect the Main Family.
Responsibility. Those words had never felt real to him. As an older brother, protecting his younger sister was simply something he should do.
Even without that so-called responsibility, he had done so every day in the past. He had cherished Hinata as his younger sister, just as he always had. That belief held firm until that day, at that moment.
He had seen with his own eyes his respected father clutching his head, his body convulsing. His father writhed on the ground, crying out in pain like an animal. The sound had burned itself into his memory.
He had never understood why, even at home, his father refused to remove his forehead protector. Only when it slipped away in that moment did the reason become clear. Beneath it was the carved Curse Seal, veins bulging like crawling insects, the ugly mark seeming to writhe on his skin.
The so-called head of the Main Family, the man who should have been called uncle, merely watched them with cold eyes. Without a trace of pity, he activated the Curse Seal. His gaze never wavered.
"Only this once," Hiashi Hyuga said coldly, his Byakugan glinting faintly in the dark room. "Do not forget your mission."
That was the first time Neji Hyuga truly saw the ugliness of the Caged Bird Seal. It was also the first time he understood what the Curse Seal truly meant for them. The truth was impossible to deny.
That so-called Curse Seal could easily destroy their brain and nerves. This meant that the Main Family, who held control over it, held the power of life and death over the Branch Family. Nothing could change that fact.
If a member of the Branch Family harbored rebellious thoughts or failed in their duties, the Main Family could use the Curse Seal to execute them. This rule was accepted as absolute. No one questioned it aloud.
In everyone's words, this curse-like Curse Seal could only be escaped through death. There was no other ending. That belief had been passed down without challenge.
From that day on, the once gentle Neji Hyuga became distant. When he looked at Hinata, there was no longer an older brother's affection, but hatred and revulsion, like that reserved for an enemy. The change was complete.
Crack.
Neji Hyuga clenched his teeth and continued striking, and his father's words seemed to echo in his ears. Each remembered sentence cut deeper than the pain in his hands.
"Neji, do not resent the Main Family. The Caged Bird is not a curse, it is only a protective measure."
"I understand, Father."
"Our Byakugan is coveted by enemies. The Main Family act this way to protect the Byakugan and to safeguard the future of the Hyuga clan."
"I understand, Father."
"This is our mission as the Branch Family, and also our fate. One day, you will understand."
"I understand, Father."
Crack.
With a sharp tearing sound in the air, the wooden post finally gave way and snapped in half. Splinters scattered across the courtyard like falling snow. The broken wood hit the ground with a dull thud.
Neji Hyuga staggered and dropped to his knees. He lowered his head and stared at his bleeding palms, black hair falling forward to hide his face. In a low voice, he murmured, "I understand, Father."
But I do not understand.
Why can those of the Main Family accept all of this so easily? Why do they sit there without shame, as if this suffering is natural? By what right do they do so?
Those who harm their own clan, by what right do they sit upon the backs of the Branch Family? By what right do they call the sacrifices of the Branch Family destiny? None of it made sense to him.
Click.
The door made a soft sound, breaking the stillness of the courtyard. Warm, dim light spilled out behind him as a figure stepped closer. A broad shadow fell over Neji's kneeling form.
"Neji…"
Looking at the child's back, Hizashi Hyuga's expression was heavy and conflicted. He stood there for a moment, unable to speak.
After decades, even centuries, of tradition, most children of the Branch Family were taught from birth that they existed to protect the Main Family. Almost no one resisted the Main Family anymore. The idea had taken deep root.
They felt joy at praise from the Main Family, fear at their anger, and anger at their sorrow. This was the cycle passed down through generations. It shaped nearly everyone.
Hizashi Hyuga should have implanted the same master-servant mindset into Neji from a young age. In the end, he chose not to do so. That choice stayed with him.
In the past three years, he had regretted it at times. Yet whenever he saw the genuine affection on Neji's face when he looked at Hinata, he felt relieved he had not done it. That smile mattered to him.
He did not want Neji and Hinata's relationship to become like his own with his elder brother. He hoped that when the day came for Neji to be marked with the Caged Bird, Neji would feel it did not matter. He hoped Neji could still treat Hinata as an older brother should.
In his view, with Hinata's nature, she would never use the Curse Seal on Neji. They could still live as they had in childhood. That belief had given him comfort.
However, Hizashi Hyuga had never expected that the scene from that day, born of his momentary impulse and murderous intent toward Hinata, would have such a deep impact on Neji. The change it caused was far greater than he imagined. The weight of it pressed on him now.
"Father."
Neji Hyuga stood up and hid his hands behind his back. His posture was stiff, his voice controlled.
Hizashi Hyuga came back to himself and gently patted Neji's head. He forced a mild smile onto his face and spoke softly. "Neji, your Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms is already very solid. After some more time, I will be able to teach you advanced Gentle Fist."
"Yes, Father." Neji Hyuga's expression remained calm, without any sign of joy. His eyes did not light up.
Seeing this, Hizashi Hyuga fell silent. He let out a quiet sigh in his heart. Words failed him.
"Go take care of your wounds," he said, glancing at the hand Neji kept hidden. "Do not do this again next time."
"…" Neji Hyuga lowered his head. After a moment, he answered quietly, "Yes, Father."
Watching Neji walk into the house, Hizashi Hyuga remained where he was for a long time. He did not move, as if rooted to the ground. The courtyard felt empty.
He had once tried to resist this so-called fate. Now he understood that fate was not something you could simply seize and crush. It was not a person standing in front of you.
Fate had no openings. It could advance or retreat as it pleased, and neither you nor I could escape it. That truth had been carved into him long ago.
"I only hope that as Neji grows older, the resentment in his heart will fade," Hizashi Hyuga murmured, as if speaking to himself. "All the suffering he endures now will become something that makes him stronger."
As the words fell, he was about to turn and leave. At that moment, a soft scoff drifted in on the wind. It reached his ears clearly.
"How pitiful," someone said. "Unfortunate people always create those even more unfortunate than themselves."