"Waaah—!"
Hinata's tears spilled over completely, no longer under her control.
Neji froze in place, utterly at a loss.
Why is she crying even harder now?
He had no idea how to comfort a child.
"Lady Hinata!"
A panicked voice suddenly rang out.
A young man wearing a Konoha forehead protector rushed over in a hurry.
Hyuga Tokuma—Hinata's personal attendant.
"My lady, it's time to return. The Clan Head will be worried."
Hinata slowly stopped crying. She looked up at Neji, her voice small and timid.
"Brother Neji… can I come play with you tomorrow?"
Neji subtly glanced at Tokuma. Seeing that his expression remained calm and unchanged, Neji finally let out a quiet sigh of relief. He smiled gently and patted Hinata's forehead.
"Lady Hinata, whenever you call for me, I'll be there."
"It's a promise."
---
A lavish mansion stood at the very center of the Hyuga Clan compound.
The cold wind howled outside, bare branches creaking like the painful groans of an old man nearing the end of his life.
"Father… why?"
The veins at the corners of Hyuga Hiashi's eyes slowly receded as he turned to look at the elderly man seated in the main hall. His voice was heavy with confusion.
Hyuga Gensuke calmly took a sip of tea.
"Neji is too outstanding. He must be nurtured carefully. Letting him form a bond with Hinata from a young age—isn't that a good thing?"
"Then the Caged Bird Seal—"
Before Hiashi could finish, he saw his father's expression harden, and the words died in his throat.
"The clan's ancestral laws cannot be changed."
"Hiashi, abandon those unrealistic fantasies."
Hyuga Gensuke's tone was calm, yet the indifference in his pale eyes made Hiashi's scalp prickle.
Slowly, Hiashi lowered his head.
During the distant Warring States Period, the Hyuga Clan's power had rivaled that of the Senju and Uchiha.
But over centuries, the clan had steadily declined, long losing its former glory.
The root cause lay in the Branch Family system.
Children of the Main Family would always remain Main Family, shouldering the responsibility of leading the clan forward.
Children of the Branch Family would always remain Branch Family, bound to protect the Main Family.
In Hiashi's eyes, this system was utterly detrimental to the clan's growth.
Mediocre individuals occupied the Main Family, wasting resources.
True geniuses were buried in the Branch Family, their potential shackled.
Hiashi wanted reform.
He wanted status decided by talent—not birth.
Outstanding prodigies like Neji should become members of the Main Family, entrusted with carrying on the Hyuga legacy.
Those with lesser talent should enter the Branch Family, be branded with the Caged Bird Seal, and receive the clan's protection.
Yes—protection.
To weak Hyuga clansmen, the Caged Bird Seal was not a cage, but a shield. Its existence deterred countless malicious forces that coveted the Byakugan.
Hiashi firmly believed this path could restore the Hyuga Clan's former glory.
Yet to his shock, not a single Main Family member supported him.
Not even his own father.
The Main Family did not care about the clan's future—only their own interests.
Since ancient times, individuals might betray their interests, but never an entire class.
A bitter smile tugged at Hiashi's lips.
The Clan Head must obey the will of the clan—or be discarded.
Uchiha Madara was the perfect example.
Madara defied his clan's will, was abandoned by all, and left Konoha alone like a defeated dog.
Changing a clan was never something one or two people could accomplish.
If Hiashi forced his ideas through, his fate would be ten—no, a hundred—times worse than Madara's. He would probably be "stabbed eight times in the back and declared a suicide" within days.
Hyuga Gensuke nodded in satisfaction.
"Granting Neji one extra year of freedom is already the greatest leniency the Main Family can offer a genius."
"On Hinata's birthday, implant the Caged Bird Seal on Neji."
"…Hiashi understands."
---
"Look! The Kumogakure delegation has arrived!"
"The war is finally over!"
"Long live the Hokage!"
As several Kumogakure ninja, escorted by Konoha shinobi, entered through the village gates, the surrounding villagers erupted with excitement. Many rushed into the streets, enthusiastically expressing goodwill toward the visitors.
The villagers disliked Kumogakure—but they hated war even more.
After nearly eight years of conflict, peace was finally at hand.
Every face was filled with genuine joy.
Neji watched the scene in silence, unable to smile.
Human joys and sorrows were never shared. To him, it was nothing but noise.
Like oil poured onto a blazing fire.
Like flowers adorning brocade.
The brighter the smiles now, the more bitter the tears later.
Under the pretense of signing a peace treaty, the Kumogakure delegation actually intended to kidnap Hinata. After the plot was exposed, the envoy was killed on the spot by Hyuga Hiashi—only for Kumogakure to immediately demand Hiashi's corpse in return.
And so, Hyuga Hizashi was pushed out as a scapegoat.
Hizashi would die.
And Neji's own life would only grow darker.
"…Huh?"
A sudden thought struck Neji, and his body trembled with excitement.
What if Kumogakure kidnapped me instead of Hinata?
There's a way out. There's always a way out!
Kumogakure valued strength above all else.
Every Raikage possessed both the magnanimity of a Kage and the ruthlessness to resort to underhanded methods when necessary.
If something could strengthen the village, they would seize it—by force if possible, by theft if not.
First Uzumaki Kushina.
Then Hyuga Hinata.
Among all the villages, Kumogakure was one of the most livable in the shinobi world.
Neji had never heard of a Raikage abusing or assassinating a Jinchuriki.
Never heard of their disciples committing terrorist atrocities.
Never heard of bloodline clans being brutally suppressed.
Nor of waves of missing-nin emerging from Kumogakure.
As for the two figures who assassinated the Second Raikage—that was merely a coup.
If it failed, it was a coup.
If it succeeded, it was a revolution.
"Hoo…"
Neji exhaled deeply, his heart racing.
If he were taken to Kumogakure, the worst possible outcome would be becoming a breeding tool.
And when he imagined blonde-haired, curvy, dark-skinned beauties…
…Neji felt it wasn't entirely unacceptable.
Branch Family members were crushed by oppression, their fighting spirit extinguished.
But Neji was different.
He would rather be a breeding stallion than a bird trapped in a cage.
For the sake of freedom—everything else could be discarded.
---
"So this is Konoha… the strongest village in the shinobi world?"
Samui walked along the wide streets, looking around with curiosity, emotion flickering in her beautiful eyes.
Kumogakure Village was built atop towering mountains, high on a plateau—sparsely populated and poor in resources.
Ninjutsu, secret techniques, even food and supplies often had to be seized from others.
Konoha, by contrast, sat amid rolling hills, enjoyed a mild climate, vast farmlands, and a thriving economy.
Though called a "village," its land area and population rivaled that of the Fire Country's capital.
Beside her, a purple-haired man with a stern expression spoke slowly.
"The last time I came to Konoha was over twenty years ago."
Samui smiled faintly.
"I hope my next visit won't take another twenty years."
His eyes were resolute.
"It won't."
As they turned a corner, a child rushing past collided with Samui's leg.
"Ouch!"
With a startled cry, the child fell backward onto the ground.
"Where did this brat come from? Watch where you're going!" one of the accompanying Konoha ninja snapped irritably.
With peace talks underway, offending a Kumogakure kunoichi would only cause trouble.
Samui frowned slightly.
"I hate sweets the most."
Her legs felt sticky and uncomfortable, as if something filthy had splashed onto them.
Lowering her gaze, she saw a three-colored dango smashed on the ground—its sugar syrup spread everywhere.