Chapter 259: Big Sis Hinata’s Revolution!【third Update 8k】
Inside the Konoha Ninja Academy.
The classroom was bathed in the morning sunlight of spring, with tiny dust particles floating in the air, mixed with the ink scent of books and the vibrant aura unique to boys and girls.
Naruto was noisily chasing and roughhousing with Kiba Inuzuka and Choji Akimichi between the desks, making Akamaru bark non-stop.
Sakura and Ino sat together, talking in low voices and occasionally letting out light, cheerful laughter.
It seemed that because of Sasuke Uchiha’s temporary “departure,” the small estrangement between them caused by competition had also dissipated, and they had returned to being intimate, inseparable friends.
When Menma and Hinata Hyuga entered the classroom one after the other, their faces still showed that lazy demeanor of not being too interested in anything, yawning as they headed straight to their seats.
Hinata, however, seemed somewhat distracted, her fair little face carrying a faint, barely noticeable worry as she quietly sat in the seat next to Menma.
The class bell rang crisply, and Iruka-sensei was holding a stack of textbooks, preparing to enter the classroom.
At that moment, a figure that surprised everyone appeared at the classroom door.
It was Sasuke Uchiha!
He was still wearing that deep blue high-collared short-sleeved shirt with the Uchiha Fan Crest on the back, but his face carried an extremely unnatural expression mixed with embarrassment and feigned coldness.
Under the surprised, curious, and puzzled gazes of the entire class, he braced himself, quickly strode through the aisle, plopped down in the originally empty seat in the back row of the classroom, then immediately crossed his fingers in front of him, striking a “keep away” cool guy pose.
“Eh?! Sasuke?!” Naruto was the first to call out, boldly running to Sasuke’s side with an incredulous look: “Why are you back in school? Didn’t you say you already gradua…”
“Shut up, dead last!” Sasuke whipped his head around, glaring fiercely at Naruto, faint bloodshot veins even appearing in his pitch-black eyes: “If you can’t speak properly, then don’t speak—no one’s treating you like a mute!”
Naruto was startled by Sasuke’s sudden ferocity, shrinking his neck and mumbling: “Fine, I won’t say it then, why get so aggressive…”
He dejectedly returned to his seat but still couldn’t help turning back frequently to look at Sasuke with curiosity.
At this time, Iruka-sensei walked to the podium, his gaze lingering on Sasuke for a moment with a flicker of complex emotion in his eyes, but he didn’t ask anything, just cleared his throat lightly to quiet the classroom.
“Alright, class, let’s begin.” Iruka’s voice was as gentle as ever: “Today, we continue with chakra refinement and basic usage. This is the foundation of all ninjutsu, very important…”
For Sasuke, who had long mastered chakra refinement and even awakened the Sharingan, these basic lessons seemed particularly boring and childish.
He endured the impatience and listened for a while, his gaze involuntarily scanning the classroom.
Then he remembered his “stealth” mission.
After hesitating for a moment, he took out a palm-sized, seemingly ordinary personal notebook and a pen from his ninja tool pouch.
He took a deep breath and began observing the classmates around him with the eyes of scrutinizing targets, trying to record in the notebook:
【Naruto Uzumaki: Impulsive personality, carefree, extremely poor attention span, extremely poor chakra control, numerous clone technique failures, but stamina seems abnormally abundant, simple interpersonal relationships, occasional interactions with classmates like Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi, otherwise often alone. Threat level: Extremely low. Note: Need to observe if he hides other traits?】
【Shikamaru Nara: Appears lazy, lacks interest in class content, often stares at the sky or dozes off. But excellent in theoretical assessments, quick-thinking, once seen instantly solving a complex chess game. Suspected to excel in strategic analysis. Danger level: Low, but need to watch for variables from his intelligence.】
【Choji Akimichi: Honest personality, mostly eating snacks, physique… plump. Average classroom performance, family secret technique unknown. Emotionally stable, easily satisfied. Threat level: Low.】
His pen tip moved quickly, successively recording initial observations of Kiba Inuzuka’s impulsive competitiveness, Haruno Sakura’s excellent theoretical grades and precise chakra control, Yamanaka Ino’s outgoing personality and skill in communication, with family secret technique seemingly related to spirit, and others.
When his gaze fell on Hinata Hyuga, his pen tip paused: 【Hinata Hyuga: Daughter of the Hyuga Main Family, introverted and shy personality, easily nervous and blushes, average classroom performance, solid taijutsu foundation but lacks confidence. Close relationship with Menma. Threat level: Low. Note: But need to pay attention to whether her Main Family status carries hidden intelligence value.】
Finally, his gaze landed on Menma in the front row, who was propping his chin with one hand, head nodding as if about to fall asleep any second.
Sasuke’s brows furrowed tightly, and the pen in his hand stopped.
This guy…
Always with that half-asleep look, but whether in theoretical assessments or practical drills, his scores steadily surpassed his own, that effortless posture making him feel an inexplicable irritation and unwillingness.
He took a deep breath and forcefully wrote in the notebook:
【Menma: Strength far exceeds peers, typical genius. Lazy classroom performance, but tops all assessments. Behavior patterns unpredictable, special relationship with Hinata Hyuga. Danger level: High. Need focused observation. Note: I will definitely surpass him!】
After writing the last sentence, he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, or like he had made a new vow to himself, then closed the notebook and continued enduring this excruciating “stealth” lesson for him.
Iruka on the podium took in all the little actions below, especially Sasuke’s obvious distraction and secret note-taking, making him sigh inwardly, but he could only pretend not to see and continue earnestly explaining chakra flow techniques.
The day’s classes finally ended.
As soon as the dismissal bell rang, Sasuke sprang from his seat almost instantly, and before the other classmates could react, he did a nimble flip and leaped out the classroom window, his figure vanishing beyond the campus wall after a few bounds, eliciting gasps and chatter from the classroom.
“Wow! Sasuke-kun is so cool!” That was Sakura and Ino’s starry-eyed reaction.
“What the heck? In such a hurry to reincarnate?” That was Kiba’s dissatisfied grumble.
“What a drag…” That was Shikamaru’s complaint.
Menma slowly stood up, looking thoughtfully in the direction Sasuke had disappeared.
He had naturally noticed Sasuke’s constant little actions of note-taking during class.
‘Looks like the tracks of fate have indeed veered in some interesting ways. That move by the Third Hokage is quite something.’ Menma thought to himself.
He walked out the school gate together with Hinata, Naruto, Choji, Kiba, and other little friends.
The day’s Ninja Academy routine ended just like that.
Along the way, Naruto was still chattering guesses about what was up with Sasuke, while Hinata still seemed preoccupied.
Just as they reached a street corner, Hinata’s demeanor suddenly changed!
She was no longer the head-down, easily shy girl, but stood straight with hands on hips, her white eyes flashing with sharp and confident light, even carrying a hint of wildness.
“Menma!” she called out, her voice crisp and affectionate: “Come with me for a bit, I have something to tell you!”
Naruto and the others jumped in surprise, staring in shock at the suddenly “transformed” Hinata.
Menma seemed accustomed to this, waving to Naruto and the others: “You guys go ahead.”
Then he followed Big Sister Hinata toward the Naka Riverbank.
Arriving at the secluded riverbank, with flowing water and the sunset stretching their shadows long.
“What’s up?” Menma asked, sensing that Big Sister’s initiative meant something important.
Big Sister Hinata turned around, her face unusually serious: “The situation in the clan is getting more and more off. Ever since Uncle Hizashi Hyuga and the others left, the entire Hyuga Clan Territory feels like a powder keg about to explode.”
“Those stubborn old fogeys in the Main Family are scared to death, desperately trying to squeeze the Branch Family, while the Branch Family people are full of hate and fear, seething with resentment in private. If this goes on, something big is bound to happen! I think I can’t just watch anymore, I have to do something!”
Menma raised an eyebrow: “Oh? What do you want to do?”
Having taken Hizashi Hyuga and the others away, Menma had naturally considered what might happen to the Hyuga Clan, even possibly recreating the moon’s Otsutsuki Main Family and Branch Family war.
After all, the Caged Bird that had been maintained for hundreds of years had developed an invisible crack, and there were countless birds wanting to break free.
“I want to completely eradicate the damn system of Main Family and Branch Family!” Big Sister declared resolutely, her eyes flashing with determination: “This broken rule of enslaving clansmen with the ‘Caged Bird’ to maintain the ridiculous Main Family authority should have been swept into the dustbin of history long ago!”
Menma frowned: “Good idea, but difficult. Unless you can release the ‘Caged Bird’ from everyone in the Branch Family, but as you know, I’m not wasting my eye power on Konoha’s Hyuga Branch Family right now.”
His tone was realistic; the Land of Stars and Konoha were still hostile.
But Big Sister Hinata smirked, revealing a confident, even somewhat mad smile: “Who said anything about releasing the ‘Caged Bird’? That’s no fun. My idea is to reverse it!”
“Reverse it?” Menma was stunned for a moment, not immediately understanding.
But soon, a flash of insight hit him, and he instantly grasped the key!
Now, with the Hyuga Main Family having successively lost three elders and Hiashi Hyuga himself injured, their strength and prestige were at historical lows…
He looked up in surprise at the girl before him with burning eyes and bold audacity: “Don’t tell me you want to…”
“Exactly!” Big Sister Hinata took over, her smile even more bold: “Since the Branch Family sees the ‘Caged Bird’ as a symbol of imprisonment and shame, what if… we make the high-and-mighty Main Family taste being branded with the ‘Caged Bird’ too? If everyone has it, then it’s like no one does, right? That’s true ‘equality’!”
This idea was earth-shattering, even blasphemous!
But looking at the unyielding light in the girl’s eyes, Menma suddenly felt that this might be the craziest, yet most potentially effective medicine to break the Hyuga Clan’s centuries-old stalemate!
……
Hyuga Clan Territory.
After Branch Family head Hizashi Hyuga led some elite clansmen to defect, this ancient family seemed shrouded in an invisible, heavy, suffocating dark cloud.
Pedestrians were scarce on the streets within the clan territory; even when Branch Family clansmen passed occasionally, they kept their heads down, hurrying along without extra expressions, not daring eye contact with any Main Family members.
Repression, fear, suspicion, resentment…
All sorts of negative emotions surged and fermented beneath the seemingly calm surface.
In private, Branch Family clansmen would curse Hizashi Hyuga’s “betrayal” for implicating everyone, making their current situation even harder, but deep down, a hidden corner of their hearts couldn’t help but feel a secret envy…
Envy for them breaking free from the cage and gaining unimaginable freedom.
Why…
Didn’t they take me along back then?
In the central Main Family mansion’s study room.
Hiashi Hyuga sat alone at the desk, brows tightly knit, his face full of exhaustion and deep worry.
In just a few short days, he seemed to have aged many years.
His brother’s betrayal, the gruesome deaths of Main Family elders, his own injuries, and the clan’s precarious situation now weighed on him like mountains, leaving him breathless.
The myth that the “Caged Bird” could not be broken was thoroughly shattered by Hizashi and the others’ successful defection.
This undoubtedly shook the very foundation of Main Family rule’s authority.
Now, every Branch Family clansman’s gaze toward him seemed to hide scrutiny, suspicion, even a flicker of stirring ambition.
If he couldn’t quickly find a way to stabilize the situation and ease the contradictions, the next upheaval might not just be defection, but more intense, bloody internal conflict!
But what to do?
Tighten control?
That would only further inflame contradictions.
Grant more rights?
Though only one Main Family elder remained recovering from injury, the other three branches had adult heirs who would never agree.
Abolish the Caged Bird?
Even more pie in the sky—that was the Hyuga Clan’s foundation… at least in the past.
Hiashi rubbed his aching temples, racking his brains for days, yet still couldn’t find a feasible plan to smoothly weather this crisis.
For the first time, he felt how heavy and difficult this clan head position was.
At that moment—
A loud “Bang!”
The study room’s thick wooden door was brutally kicked open!
It slammed against the wall with a huge crash, startling Hiashi from his thoughts.
He looked up in shock and anger, only to see his eldest daughter Hinata standing at the door!
But this Hinata had sharp eyes, bold posture, exuding a fearless aura—it was that “second personality” that gave him endless headaches.
“Old man!” Hinata opened with a disrespectful address, striding into the study and unceremoniously demanding: “It’s been days now? The clan territory is dead silent like a graveyard! Have you come up with a plan or not?!”
Hiashi’s face turned ashen with rage at the sudden intrusion and questioning, slamming the desk to assert fatherly authority: “Hinata! Insolent! Who taught you to barge in like this? What impropriety!”
“Impropriety? Is this the time to worry about those broken rules?” Hinata glared back fearlessly, hands on hips: “I’ll ask again: about solving the Main Family and Branch Family broken rules, do you, old man, have any plan at all?”
Looking at his daughter’s unyielding gaze, Hiashi’s rage suddenly deflated like a punctured balloon, replaced by a deep sense of powerlessness.
He slumped back into his chair, sighing: “I’m well aware of the tense atmosphere in the clan. But… the Caged Bird has maintained balance for centuries, pulling one hair moves the whole body… Sigh, easier said than done.”
Almost subconsciously, Hiashi treated his daughter before him as someone to vent his pressures to: “Do you have any ideas?”
He didn’t really expect her to have a good solution, just wanted to hear a different voice in his exhaustion.
However, Hinata’s next words exploded like thunder in his ears!
“Hmph, if you can’t do it, just hand over the clan head position to me, and I’ll shatter the Caged Bird!” Hinata huffed lightly, as if stating something utterly ordinary: “Since the Branch Family sees the ‘Caged Bird’ as the shackles imprisoning them, the Main Family’s imposed shame! Then the solution is obvious, isn’t it?”
She stepped forward, staring intensely at her father, saying word by word:
“Just brand the entire Main Family with the ‘Caged Bird’ too, and that’s it?!”
“Wha… what?!!”
Hiashi Hyuga sprang from his chair, eyes bulging wide, face filled with utmost shock and disbelief, as if hearing the most absurd, horrifying words in the world!
Brand the Main Family… with the Caged Bird too?!
This… this is simply…
——————
Days later, the Hyuga Clan’s clan territory in Konoha was enveloped in an unusual silence.
Unlike the usual peace, a tense and expectant atmosphere silently spread in the Branch Family members’ residential area.
In the evening, an emergency clan meeting summons issued in Clan Head Hiashi Hyuga’s name reached every Hyuga household, requiring at least one representative per household to go to the Main Family mansion’s spacious yet usually intimidating indoor training ground.
As night deepened, Branch Family representatives passed silently through the Main Family’s stern corridors with complex, indescribable moods.
Most had grave expressions, hesitant steps, eyes interwoven with unease, doubt, and a faint hope long suppressed and not daring to show.
No one knew the purpose of this sudden clan meeting, but in the sensitive time after Hizashi’s defection and the Main Family’s prestige plummet, any stir was enough to make their hearts race.
The indoor training ground was brightly lit.
Branch Family representatives knelt respectfully yet silently on the lower cushions as per custom, heads bowed, not daring to look up.
Opposite them, on the raised platform, Main Family personnel were already seated.
The fourth elder, who was gravely injured and lost both eyes on the night of turmoil, sat pale-faced at the head of the elders’ seats, supported by a servant.
Beside him were three young Main Family members who had hastily inherited positions due to elders’ deaths, their faces bearing the arrogance of new power and the usual indifference toward the “Branch Family folk” below.
Oppressive silence blanketed the venue, broken only by occasional crackles from burning torches.
In the adjacent Japanese-style Room used for rest next to the training ground, the atmosphere was equally tense.
Big Sister Hinata was peering carefully through the door crack at the gradually filling venue outside.
Her white eyes flashed with firm, even somewhat excited light, as if about to step onto the battlefield.
“Almost everyone is here,” she whispered to herself.
A faint, almost nonexistent voice sounded behind her, like a breeze: “Ready? Hinata.”
Menma’s figure had appeared in the shadows at some point, as if he’d always been there.
His tone was calm, yet carried icy resolve: “I support you doing whatever you want. But if any sign of losing control appears, any attempt to harm you… I’ll immediately clean out all the Main Family people.”
There was no hint of jest in his words—it was the most direct verdict on potential threats.
Feeling Menma’s unconditional support and protection, a faint blush rose on Hinata’s face, surging courage and warmth in her heart.
She turned her head, nodding forcefully at Menma, her voice soft but exceptionally firm: “Don’t worry! Those old fogeys won’t dare do much! They’re more precious about their lives than anyone!”
At that moment, the sliding door behind was gently pushed open.
Hiashi Hyuga entered with his wife and younger daughter Hanabi.
Menma’s figure vanished soundlessly the instant the door opened, as if never there.
Hiashi looked at his starkly different eldest daughter, his face full of complex emotions—worry, struggle, and a faint expectation.
He took a deep breath, asking gravely: “Hinata, last chance to ask: Are you… really set on doing this? You can still back out now. Once you take this step, what happens next, even I can’t predict.”
Hinata turned, meeting her father’s gaze fearlessly, countering: “Old man, at this point, do you have any other, better way to stabilize the Hyuga Clan and break this centuries-old deadlock?”
Hiashi fell silent.
He truly couldn’t think of one.
He shook his head, but the look in his eyes when he gazed at Hinata had, for the first time, completely shed the filter of viewing an “immature child,” instead scrutinizing her with a solemn gaze nearly equal, as if appraising a clan head.
Hinata’s Mother stepped forward and gently embraced her daughter, tears glistening in her eyes, yet her tone firm: “Hinata, no matter what decision you make, Mother supports you. You have more courage than your father…”
Hanabi, who was only three years old, seemed to sense the special atmosphere as well, blinking her pure white eyes and curiously watching her older sister.
And deep in Hinata’s spirit world, the originally timid little Hinata who always shyly bowed her head also said softly: “Big Sister… your wish is so grand. I… I support you too.”
With support from all the important people in her life, the last trace of hesitation in Hinata’s eyes dissipated.
She took a deep breath and abruptly slid open the sliding door leading to the main assembly hall!
Whoosh—
Nearly all eyes instantly focused on her!
The Branch Family members looked in surprise at this young lady of only seven years old striding straight to the front of the assembly hall, while several on the Main Family seats furrowed their brows, their faces showing confusion.
Even more shocking to them was that Hiashi did not stop her, but instead silently followed behind her with his wife and daughter, and then…
Sat in the adjacent second seat, originally belonging to an important family member!
Meanwhile, Hinata unhesitatingly stepped up to the highest position, the clan head seat symbolizing the Hyuga Clan’s supreme authority!
“Hinata! You…” A newly promoted young Main Family elder couldn’t help but shout in rebuke, feeling this was utterly absurd.
Hiashi Hyuga stood up at this moment, his voice resounding, echoing throughout the training ground: “Silence! I, Hiashi Hyuga, in my capacity as the thirty-second clan head of the Hyuga Clan, hereby announce that effective immediately, I formally pass the clan head position to my eldest daughter—Hinata Hyuga!”
“What?!”
“Clan head? She’s only seven!”
“This… how can this be?!”
The Main Family seats immediately erupted in chaos!
Those three young elders nearly jumped up in opposition!
Even the blind fourth elder abruptly raised his head, his empty eye sockets “gazing” toward Hiashi, his shriveled lips trembling, clearly extremely shocked.
The Branch Family members below fell into dead silence, all stunned by this sudden turn of events, heads bowed, not daring to breathe, fearing to become targets of the Main Family’s rage.
“Are you questioning this clan head’s decision?”
An ice-cold voice laced with chilling killing intent suddenly rang out, overpowering all the noise!
There, seated firmly in the clan head position, Hinata Hyuga abruptly opened her eyes!
From her pure white eyes burst forth sharp rays of light!
The oppression emanating from her small body was no longer childish innocence, but a pressure forged through blood and fire!
It was the aura honed alongside Menma in the Limited Tsukuyomi world!
The entire assembly hall instantly fell silent, the temperature seemingly dropping several degrees.
Those Main Family elders who still wanted to retort were cowed by her sudden aura and killing intent, momentarily speechless.
They suddenly remembered that this young lady harbored another… “troublemaking demon king” personality that gave even these old folks headaches!
Could it be now…
Big Sister Hinata’s cold gaze swept over the Main Family seats like a blade edge, sending chills down the spines of those young elders.
She ignored them and turned to face the silent Branch Family crowd below, her voice clear and powerful, resounding through the hall like a proclamation:
“I, Hinata Hyuga, in my capacity as the thirty-third clan head of the Hyuga Clan, hereby announce!”
“From this day forward, the Hyuga Clan shall have no distinction between Main Family and Branch Family!”
One sentence, earth-shattering!
All the Branch Family members below abruptly raised their heads, eyes filled with disbelief!
Hinata continued, every word striking heavily at everyone’s hearts: “All clan members aged seven or older, regardless of prior status, shall all be engraved with the Caged Bird curse mark!”
The faces of those on the Main Family seats instantly turned pale as paper!
The Branch Family crowd erupted in clamor, but this time, the clamor carried a strange, suppressed excitement.
“However!” Hinata’s voice suddenly rose, suppressing all the commotion: “All clan members under seven years old, regardless of their parents’ origins, shall never be engraved with the Caged Bird from now on!”
“This shackle that has cursed the Hyuga Clan for centuries, I will eradicate it completely from the Hyuga Clan within one generation! Returning true freedom to all Hyuga Clan members!”
Dead silence.
Then came intense panting like the prelude to a volcanic eruption from below!
The Branch Family members’ eyes reddened, their bodies trembling slightly with agitation!
Never engraved! Future generations free!
This was something they wouldn’t dare dream of!
“Absurd! Ridiculous!” A young Main Family elder trembled with anger, pointing at Hinata: “This is absolutely impossible! We absolutely refuse! Clan head, you must retract your order and discuss it again!”
Hinata didn’t even glance at him, merely saying flatly yet with irrefutable authority: “This is not up for discussion; I’m merely informing you.”
Hiashi sighed at this moment, as if unburdening a thousand-pound weight, or as if resolving some determination.
He picked up the nearby prepared engraving ninja tool symbolizing clan head authority and walked to Hinata.
Under everyone’s shocked gazes, he personally and carefully engraved the bluish curse mark on his daughter’s smooth forehead.
Caged Bird.
The moment the curse mark was complete, a faint blue glow appeared on Hinata’s forehead.
Her body swayed imperceptibly, as if sensing some spiritual restraint and a subtle loss in vision.
But she stubbornly straightened her back, her gaze still sharp as a blade.
At this moment, many Branch Family members below could no longer hold back, tears streaming from their eyes!
These were not tears of sorrow, but tears of excitement and reverence upon seeing hope and a leader sharing their suffering!
A young Main Family elder’s face turned ashen, a ruthless glint in his eyes as he whispered to his companion: “She’s gone mad! Hiashi’s gone mad too! We can’t sit idly by; might as well now just…”
“Shut up!” An aged yet stern rebuke interrupted him. It was the blind fourth elder.
Though blind, his sharp mind’s eye sensed the volcanic emotions surging below like an impending eruption, and that young elder’s foolish killing intent.
He lowered his voice harshly: “If you dare act now, I guarantee none of us will walk out that door alive! Use your Byakugan to look below properly! Look at those people’s eyes!”
Those young elders instinctively activated their Byakugan and looked below.
They saw that in those pairs of white pupils burned no longer submission and fear, but a near-fanatical reverence and loyalty coalesced around one person!
That power made them shudder from the depths of their hearts!
“The Hyuga family’s birds…” The fourth elder’s voice carried complex emotion, as if resigned, yet glimpsing new hope.
“Have a true eagle to lead them now.”
“From this moment, her prestige will surpass all previous Hyuga clan heads.”
Hearing this, the three new Main Family elders trembled, some even glancing around as if a Shinigami lurked watching them.
The rest of the process went unexpectedly smoothly.
Under Hinata’s personal example, absolute prestige, and the immense invisible pressure from the Branch Family crowd below, aside from the blind fourth elder unable to be marked, all other Main Family members—including those three young elders and their wives and children—accepted the Caged Bird engraving with ashen faces.
Hiashi was the last Main Family member to be engraved.
When the fourth elder finished engraving him, he gently touched the unfamiliar, slightly stinging and restraining mark on his forehead, feeling the lost field of vision, murmuring: “So… this is the feeling of the Caged Bird… Hizashi…”
He raised his head, looking toward his eldest daughter at the center, surrounded by countless ecstatic, tearful Branch Family members, as if radiating light.
Watching her personally shatter the centuries-old rotten bird cage of the Hyuga Clan, giving all trapped birds within a rock-solid promise of freedom.
At this moment, the bluish Caged Bird curse mark pattern was no longer a shameful cage, but a symbol of equality!
Hiashi’s heart held no doubt or struggle, only immense relief and contentment.
‘She truly… is more suited to be this clan head than I.’
Menma, hidden in the shadows, quietly watched all this.
Watching the straightforward, fiery, fearless Big Sister display such courage, responsibility, and wisdom, a strange ripple stirred in his heart.
‘Looks like she’s grown up too.’ Then, the Mangekyo Sharingan under the White Three-Eyed Fox Mask spun, activating dojutsu Rin’ne, severing the Caged Bird on Hinata’s forehead from her brain nerves and Byakugan, turning it into mere symbolic decoration.
After all, he couldn’t always be by Hinata’s side, and he wouldn’t leave her with dangerous hidden risks.
As for his initial incitement of Hizashi and others to defect, it was mostly whimsical—to cause trouble for the Konoha High Council, collect Byakugan bloodline limits for his forces, and watch the show.
Now, Hinata had chosen to shoulder the burden of Konoha’s Hyuga Clan with such great determination and wisdom, attempting an internal bone-scraping reform.
He had no reason to stop it; in fact, he faintly anticipated what sparks would fly between the reformed Konoha Hyuga Clan and the Land of Stars Hyuga Clan?
It felt like cyber cricket fighting.
As for Konoha Hyuga needing one generation to truly gain freedom—and many before this generation dying shackled—while the Land of Stars Hyuga Branch Family had long broken free.
Menma didn’t care about the gap; he believed Hizashi and the others wouldn’t envy it either.
After all, one was birds breaking free from the cage to soar the skies, the other birds released by someone but still restrained.
They were utterly different paths; perhaps in the future, they’d evolve into two completely distinct new ninja clans?
Just like the descendants of Asura and Indra.
【PS: Temporarily updating 22k words first, going to sleep, will write more during the day to aim for 50k words】
