Chapter 61 (C61)

When Neji, who had been stopped by Li and Tiantian halfway, returned to his residence in the afternoon, he found that there was an extra three-year-old child in his house.

The child, unusually well-behaved for his age, sat next to his sister practicing calligraphy. When he returned, the child even stood up to greet him.

"His name is Chaoyang."

Neji remembered that this was a child from a branch family of the clan. According to the timeline, the mark should have been made several months ago, but it was delayed until now because of the Fourth Shinobi World War.

She clearly said that children are troublesome.

Neji was quite puzzled. "Is he going to stay with us?"

“His mother ‘sent’ him to me,” Kana said irresponsibly. “Now I’m handing him over to you.”

Kana stood up, refusing the little tagalong's pursuit, and pulled him into Neji's arms. "Since it's ours, I'll kill anyone who tries to take it from us."

As she passed by, she patted Neji on the shoulder without turning her head, and said, "Just tell them that."

Don't say you weren't warned.

Kana said it, and she did it.

Like a sharpened sword, she single-handedly stormed into the oppressive and dull Hyuga clan meeting, only to be surrounded by Hyuga's top fighters.

She raised her right hand and pressed it against the other person's chest. Beneath her palm, the skin lost its luster, became dry and wrinkled at a visible speed. Wisps of moisture were forcibly drawn out, gathering into a thin stream in the air, obediently wrapping around her fingertips, and finally condensing into a water ball suspended in her palm.

Hyuga Sousuke's body, curled up like a withered tree, fell dryly to the ground and shattered into several pieces.

Whether it's an ordinary human or a sage, water is a fundamental component of all higher mammals. This is a technique that only Obito Uchiha and Madara were worthy of using. Even Tobirama Senju, a master of forbidden techniques, found it interesting. Using it on a weakling like Sousuke Hyuga would be a waste, but because it's cruel and straightforward enough, Kana chose it.

“The rising sun is mine. You want to take it to have it engraved? I’ve already warned you…” Kana’s cold gaze swept over the terrified crowd. “Or do you think I’m some kind of soft-hearted person?”

"You heartless wretch, you murdered your clansmen, Hyuga Kana, you will die a horrible death!!!" The son of the corpse lying on the ground was held back by someone, his face contorted as he roared at her.

“I don’t mind if you report it.”

Despite being surrounded, Kana walked out as if she were strolling leisurely.

Do you think we wouldn't dare?

"Enough!" The Third Elder knew better than anyone that reporting this matter would ruin Hyuga's reputation as a hero of the Fourth Shinobi World War—at least for now, in the eyes of the world, she was still a member of the Hyuga clan, and the Hyuga clan probably wouldn't produce a genius as dazzling as her for another hundred years.

She even has the ability and skill to compete for the Hokage position.

Therefore, just like the cause of Hizashi's death back then, this matter must be suppressed.

Even in this situation, the main family only dared to hide behind the branch family and let the branch family attack her, so the opponents closest to her were mostly branch family members who were not willing to cooperate.

"Can we go with you?"

At the age of sixteen, Kana was elected as the head of the branch family, and she had several capable people around her.

She looked at Hyuga Hayabusa, who had spoken, and said, "Okay."

"Although I cannot break the curse, if you die because of the cursed seal, I will kill a member of the clan to be buried with you. You can choose the one you hate the most."

It takes immense determination and courage to utter such treasonous and morale-shaking words in front of everyone, but Falcon must take the risk.

His wife is more than eight months pregnant.

He didn't want his child to continue the tragedy of the family splitting up, and Asahi's situation gave him an extremely dangerous yet irresistible idea—if he sent his child to Kana, could his child, like Asahi, have a life of his own?

Everyone who had split up was excited about this possibility.

He said those words with the determination to die; being able to drag a member of the main family down with him was already an unexpected bonus.

Falcon immediately knelt on one knee and clasped his hands in greeting to her.

As for the main branch, they had already been slammed to the ground and rendered immobile by Kana's Byakugan's [pressure] when someone tried to punish Hyuga Hayabusa with the Caged Bird technique.

They couldn't even speak, only managing to make out the sharp, knife-like female voice amidst the chaotic ringing in their ears—

"The same goes for everyone else."

"Those who want to leave, come find me in three days."

"Those who don't want to leave can stay here and continue to be dogs for this bunch of good-for-nothings."

The candlelight, like dying eyelids, opened and closed. Wherever it touched, the darkness seemed to take on a viscous substance, writhing at the edge of the halo. The shadows cast on the wall were no longer merely flickering, but crawling and expanding, as if they were about to break free from the constraints of the flat surface and drip down the wall, merging into the deeper darkness of the room.

The core members of the Hyuga main family sat around the table, sweat beading on their foreheads despite being in a cold, damp room.

—There was nothing we could do.

Except for a very few who are absolutely loyal to the main family, the rest of the branch families will side with Kana for the sake of freedom and the happiness of their descendants.

If the cursed seal were used against the branch family, given Kana's character of keeping her word, they would all be killed—after all, the branch family has far more members than them, and even if they were all wiped out, the branch family would still have two-thirds left.

As for reporting to higher-ups, not only would it ruin the Hyuga's reputation and let everyone know that the Hyuga clan is divided, but the current Sixth Hokage, Kakashi Hatake, might not necessarily stand on their side.

In short, because she saved Sarutobi Asuma's life, the political influence of the former Third Hokage would lean towards her, and the Fifth Hokage would feel guilty towards her. It would be extremely difficult for the main branch of the family to gain the support of all the previous Hokage.

Moreover, the other high-ranking officials of Konoha remained wary of the two Uchiha clan members, needing a counterforce to keep them in check. Aside from Naruto, who would never harm his friends, Kana, with her abilities, was undoubtedly the best candidate. They had tested her, but the advisory group's attitude was clear—they felt that exchanging the Hyuga main family for Kana's loyalty was a worthwhile deal, just as they had chosen to sacrifice Hizashi's life to maintain a semblance of peace between Konoha and Raikou. The higher-ups were even more afraid that if they angered her, forcing her and Neji to side with the Uchiha, she would become an even greater, uncontrollable threat.

But if the branch families are really allowed to separate, only the main family line will be marginalized and weakened. There is light and shadow, yang and yin. Without the branch families, what is the point of talking about the main family?

If the system of branching into different branches is to be maintained, it means that new branches must be selected from the existing branches.

The thin air was instantly tightened.

People who used to share the same interests are now wary of and scheming against each other in order to divide up the new benefits.

Moreover, during the time when Kana and Neji were "dead," the constant provocations and contempt made them fully realize that without the deterrence of an absolute powerhouse, the Hyuga clan's title of "Konoha's strongest" would not be convincing.

Kana gave them three days, enough time for them to figure out the key points.

They even spoke with Naruto Uzumaki in Hinata's name.

Whether he was feigning ignorance or genuinely naive, he actually said something like, "If everyone were the same, wouldn't there be no caged birds? I don't think Kana-nee did anything wrong."

Every human being has selfish desires, and even a seventeen-year-old ninja hero is no exception.

Hinata, who was merely a classmate, was no more important to him than Neji, and even less important than Kana.

"Wasn't this your own choice? Who are you trying to impress by putting on this forced act?" Kana raised and lowered her index finger, tapping the armrest of the chair as she admired the fresh blue curse marks on the foreheads of the people in front of her.

“We have already inscribed the curse mark as you said,” he said with a pained voice, as if vomiting from the depths of his being, and with a bloody aura, “You will be the new head of the Hyuga clan.”

Kana looked at them coldly, "If you're asking for a favor, you should have the right attitude."

"Have you been high and mighty for too long, and can't you kneel anymore? Do you need my help?"

Their knees slammed heavily onto the ground with a strange, muffled thud. Before the pain even arrived, their vision collapsed—the world was instantly shrunken, and they had to crane their necks to see the person who had once looked down on them. Their throats were choked with bitterness and humiliation, and every breath felt like swallowing shards of glass.

They looked at each other, then slowly bent down and slammed their heads down. The cold touch of the ground sent a shiver down their spines. There was no sound, but the silence itself was more oppressive than any reprimand.

"Please... lead the Hyuga clan forward."

Even if they were unwilling and resentful, they had to swallow their anger and bear it. This was the nature of dividing a family—and they were dividing a family now as well. "...Please."

She had said long ago that one day, she would make the Zong family kneel down and beg her.

—I have never forgotten a single second of all these years.

"Did you choose Hinata? Or Hanabi?" Kana met Hiashi's gaze as he suddenly looked up. "It seems to be Hanabi."

She gave a slight smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I have no experience in inscribing spells. If I were to do it, she might die."

With her Sage Chakra flowing over her arm, she effortlessly grabbed his collar and lifted the much heavier adult man off the ground. The angle at which she leaned down created a sense of oppression. She whispered in his ear, her voice not loud, but loud enough for everyone present to hear, "I said, every member of the main family must have a curse inscribed on their skin."

The fake inscription was a trick she had already used more than a decade ago.

She released her grip, letting Hiashi fall slumped back to the ground. "If you lose even one person, your entire lineage will be expelled from the Hyuga."