Chapter 62: The Caged Bird Can't protect V-card
Among Naruto's Talk-no-Jutsu victories, the one with the highest "gold content" was Gaara. Next came Sasuke and Nagato. The weakest were Obito and Neji.
For the last two, rather than Naruto truly persuading them, it was more like they persuaded themselves.
Just like now.
The moment Hanabi shouted what Shiromo had told her down into the arena, Neji was completely thrown off balance.
How was he supposed to refute that?
It was a dead end from both sides!
If he truly wanted to prove that fate was fixed, then he shouldn't resist the main family at all, he shouldn't even refute Hanabi.
But if he did refute her, then it meant he wanted to resist fate, that he believed destiny wasn't set in stone.
"So… what do we do now?"
Hanabi looked at Hinata and Neji below, both of them standing there like two scarecrows, completely motionless, and asked Shiromo for help.
"You just say that right now, you're holding the same feelings as his sacrificial-pawn father. You're doing the same thing, not sacrificing yourself as a branch member for the main family, but doing it for your sister, out of your own free will."
"Oh!"
With that guidance, Hanabi ran back to the railing again and prepared to speak.
"W–Wait!"
Hiashi hurriedly stopped her.
He stared at Shiromo in shock.
How did this man know the contents of his younger brother Hizashi's suicide note?
Was there a traitor inside the Hyūga clan?
That didn't make sense either.
The letter had always been in his possession, and only he had read it. It couldn't be that he himself was the traitor, right?
"Father, Sister have already done it. You won't go back on your word, will you?"
Seeing her father stop her, Hanabi walked back with a worried expression.
She knew very well what it meant to say something like this in a public setting, there would be no room left to turn back.
And she also knew that her father understood this perfectly.
If he refused now, wouldn't that mean breaking his promise?
"I…"
"Hiashi, let Hanabi speak."
An elderly voice sounded from behind Hiashi.
"Elder?"
Hiashi turned around in surprise.
He hadn't expected the Great Elder, who usually stayed within the clan and rarely went out, to appear here.
Was he here for this match as well?
"Hehe, thank you, Great Elder Grandpa."
With approval granted, Hanabi ran back again.
"Brother Neji, look at me~"
"Brother Neji, before long, I'll be leaving the village just like Uncle Hizashi did. I'll become a caged bird too, just like you."
"But I don't regret it at all. This is my own choice!"
"I'm not doing this for the main family or the branch family. I'm doing it for my favorite sister, because I want to!"
"And I believe Uncle Hizashi felt the same way back then!"
"What?!"
Neji snapped out of his daze and stared at Hiashi in shock.
Hiashi said nothing, only nodded slightly at Neji.
"Hanabi, you…"
Neji's psychological defenses finally collapsed.
"Hanabi…"
Hearing Hanabi's words, Hinata clenched her fists tightly.
"…Alright. Come, Hinata-sama. Use your full strength. Let us have a fair and honorable fight."
Neji took a deep breath and assumed his stance once more, issuing a challenge to Hinata.
This time, however, there was no longer any hatred or anger in his eyes.
"Yes!"
Hinata pulled her gaze away from Hanabi and nodded firmly.
—
In the stands.
Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned deeply.
He had originally planned to deal with this matter after the Chūnin Exams ended.
He hadn't expected the Hyūga clan to bring it out into the open like this.
But since the Hyūga themselves had agreed, there was little he could interfere with.
Fortunately, this wasn't like the situation with Kumogakure back then, Amegakure hadn't demanded any bodies.
Hanabi could go for a few years and still come back.
There was no major loss.
"Great Elder… do you really intend to let Hanabi…?"
While the match below resumed, Hiashi looked at the Great Elder with confusion.
Back then, when he chose to give up on Hinata and focus on cultivating Hanabi, the elders, including the Great Elder, had all agreed.
They had all seen Hanabi's efforts and excellence over the years.
Why had they suddenly changed their minds now?
"How do you think Hanabi's talent compares to Neji's?"
The Great Elder didn't answer directly, instead asking Hiashi a question.
"No matter how talented he is, he's still just a branch member, "
As Hiashi was answering, Neji below unleashed Revolving Heaven, instantly stunning him.
Not just Revolving Heaven.
After knocking Hinata back with Revolving Heaven, Neji shifted into another Gentle Fist stance. A Taiji Eight Trigrams diagram appeared beneath his feet. (Taiji = Tai chi)
"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
Neji avoided the vital points, but he truly completed all sixty-four strikes within a single second, completely defeating Hinata.
Now it was Hiashi's turn to be shocked.
"G–Great Elder, I didn't teach him that…"
Hiashi immediately tried to explain.
Revolving Heaven and the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms were secret techniques passed down only to the main family's heir.
"I know. He comprehended them on his own."
The Great Elder spoke calmly.
"What?!"
"Then… Neji could be considered the most talented genius our Hyūga clan has ever had. Hanabi can't compare at all… but in the end, he's only a branch family member."
After the shock, Hiashi let out a deep sigh.
"Hinata lost to Hanabi, but the gap between them isn't that large. Personality is the real issue."
"As for strength, with Neji protecting the main family as a branch member, there's no need to worry in the future."
"Now that Hinata has begun to correct herself, and with this incident happening, she's more suitable to remain as the main family's eldest daughter."
"Hanabi can go out for a few years and come back later. With the Caged Bird 'protecting' her, it won't matter much. But Hinata is different."
"Hiashi, you understand what I mean, don't you?"
The Great Elder spoke earnestly.
"I… I understand!"
Hiashi was momentarily dazed.
Only after the Great Elder's reminder did Hiashi realize that he had overlooked a crucial issue from beginning to end.
Age.
The Great Elder's earlier words meant that although there was a difference in talent between Hanabi and Hinata, it wasn't a cliff-like gap.
No matter how talented the sisters were, they couldn't compare to Neji, who had independently comprehended Revolving Heaven and the Sixty-Four Palms.
As for the latter part…
The Great Elder was reminding him that Hinata was already twelve years old.
If one assumes the worst about Shiromo, if Hinata followed him to Amegakure for several years, would she end up being treated as a breeding tool for the Byakugan?
The Caged Bird Seal could protect the eyes, but it couldn't protect the V-card. It wasn't a chastity belt.
In contrast, Hanabi was only seven. In a few years, she'd only be as old as Hinata was now. As long as the Caged Bird Seal was engraved to protect the Byakugan, there was no need to worry about the Byakugan leaking out.
~
"Brother Neji is amazing."
Hanabi leaned over the railing, watching Neji defeat Hinata below, her eyes shining.
Nearby, Might Guy was enthusiastically explaining the difference between Neji's Gentle Fist and his and Lee's Strong Fist to other teams.
"Amazing how? What a waste of that Taiji Eight Trigrams under his feet."
Shiromo clicked his tongue.
"Huh?"
Hanabi turned back in confusion.
Wasn't this impressive?
"A long time ago, someone called the 'Wudang King' once told me that Taiji isn't just about softness. Only when hardness and softness complement each other, when yin and yang merge, that's true Taiji."
"Hardness and softness together?"
Hanabi tilted her head, thinking.
"Hanabi, stop! Don't listen to his nonsense! An outsider has no right to judge our Hyūga clan's Gentle Fist! No, no one in the entire ninja world has that right!"
Seeing Hanabi seriously thinking about Shiromo's words, Hiashi hurriedly scolded her.
"You'll know whether I'm qualified or not after you get beaten once by Eighty Gods Vacuum Fists."
Shiromo glanced at Hiashi, then patted Hanabi's head.
"Since everything's already been said publicly today, Hanabi will belong to Amegakure for the next five years. As for after five years…"
"If she's willing to return to Konoha, then she can come back."
"Hmph."
Hiashi didn't refute him. Hearing that, he only found it a bit amusing.
Could it be that after five years, Hanabi wouldn't want to come home anymore?
(End of this chapter)