The childish voice that had cut through the Hyūga compound's silence belonged to Uchiha Itachi.
Ryuji didn't reprimand him.
Instead, he let the moment breathe—then turned it into a lesson.
His gaze swept across the shaken elders, the rigid Main House, and the Branch House members standing in the back with the Caged Bird Seal glinting on their foreheads.
"Itachi. Shisui. Remember this," Ryuji said, voice firm.
"Whether it's a clan or a village, stagnation is a slow death."
"The wheel of time never stops. If you fall behind, you get crushed."
He gestured slightly toward the Hyūga.
"Look at them. Their system never changed, so it turned into a cage."
"An entire branch forced to bleed so the Main House could live comfortably."
Ryuji's eyes settled on the Hyūga members who still carried themselves like nobles—those accustomed to privilege.
"The breaking point always comes," he continued.
"And when it does, the whole clan collapses. Not just the Branch House."
"The Hyūga would disappear."
The words landed heavily.
Shisui and Itachi both fell silent, absorbing it—not as children, but as future leaders.
Hyūga Hiashi stepped forward, expression tight.
He understood: if they didn't cut the rot now, the Hyūga would rot forever.
Ryuji faced the remaining elders.
"Well?" he asked calmly. "Do you want to keep going?"
The elders exchanged glances.
They were old.
They were cornered.
And they finally understood the shape of the new era.
After a long pause, one elder nodded.
"We will follow the patriarch's decision."
Another swallowed hard and added, almost as if it burned to say it:
"From today onward… there is no Main House and Branch House."
"We are simply the Hyūga clan."
The words spread like fire.
For a heartbeat, the compound was still.
Then the Branch House erupted.
Cheers broke out. Some laughed. Some sobbed. Messages were sent racing through the district—families hugging, trembling, unable to believe they were hearing it with their own ears.
Freedom.
Real freedom.
Across the courtyard, many Main House members looked as if a safety net had been ripped away.
Without a Branch House to die for them, they would have to take missions themselves.
They would have to stand on the battlefield like everyone else.
Hiashi showed no mercy.
He ordered the most resistant and indulgent among them removed and placed under strict oversight.
This wasn't punishment.
It was reality.
The Seal Comes Next
Ryuji turned to leave with his two apprentices, but paused at the gate.
He looked back at Hiashi.
"One more thing."
Hiashi straightened immediately.
"I'll send the Sealing Class to assist," Ryuji said. "You'll coordinate with the elders. We remove the Caged Bird Seal—properly."
Hiashi exhaled, relief flashing briefly in his eyes.
Depending only on a few elders to undo decades of curse-seal control would take too long—and the longer it took, the more likely someone would try to sabotage it.
"Understood," Hiashi said deeply. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."
Ryuji nodded once and left.
Shisui and Itachi followed at his sides, quieter now, their excitement replaced by contemplation.
They had just watched a clan rewrite its own history.
Hiashi's Next Move
After Ryuji departed, Hiashi's gaze flicked to the two Uchiha boys walking beside the Hokage.
A bright, competitive spark flashed through him.
No.
I'm not letting the Uchiha take every advantage.
The Hyūga needed a bond to the Hokage as well—something undeniable, something lasting.
Hiashi immediately sought Hizashi.
Hizashi understood the moment he saw his brother's eyes.
"Brother," he asked quietly, "you want someone from the Hyūga to become the Hokage's disciple?"
Hiashi nodded.
"Yes."
Hizashi's mind began working instantly.
If they could place a Hyūga beside the Hokage—trained directly, trusted openly—then the Hyūga would no longer be a powerful clan standing on the side.
They would become part of the core.
"Give me time," Hizashi said.
Hiashi's voice lowered.
"Choose carefully. Talent, discipline… and don't bring me someone who will embarrass the clan."
Hizashi nodded once.
"I understand."
Back to the Tower
On the way back to the Hokage building, Ryuji's mind was already moving ahead.
The Uchiha had been anchored through discipleship.
The Hyūga had been cracked open and rebuilt.
The Ino–Shika–Chō had pledged loyalty.
Civilian shinobi would follow the village's new center of power.
And on top of that, he had monsters in his corner:
Minato.
Sakumo.
Tsunade.
Orochimaru.
Kushina—soon to be the Nine-Tails jinchūriki in this timeline.
With Konoha's major clans aligned and its top combat strength consolidated, Ryuji felt increasingly confident about the second Hokage meeting.
Compared to Tsunade's world, his Konoha was no longer behind.
As for Hashirama's and Tobirama's worlds—he couldn't be certain yet, but he suspected his own foundation might already surpass them.
Only one unknown remained:
the next Hokage world that hadn't joined the chat group yet.
Ryuji's eyes narrowed slightly.
He reached for the communicator tag and contacted Minato.
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