"Neji… how did your mother die?" Hyuga Hiashi's voice faltered, trembling slightly as the words left his lips.
Neji's mother… was really dead? What terrible events had occurred during the time he had been away?
"Clan Leader, Neji's mother is indeed dead. She was tormented to death by the Main Branch members… no, to be precise, they tortured her until she had no choice but to die!"
Hyuga Aomatsu emerged carrying Neji's mother's lifeless body, grief etched deeply across his face.
He forced back his sorrow and recounted the events in detail, explaining everything as clearly and briefly as possible.
Hiashi's face turned ashen. Now he finally understood why Neji was so furious.
Seeing his mother on the brink of death, and knowing she had chosen to end her own life to protect him from persecution…
If he were in Neji's position, facing such despair, he might have been driven to madness as well.
"Then… how did he resist the Caged Bird Seal?" Hiashi suppressed the surge of emotions in his chest and asked the question that had been haunting him.
Neji had attacked the Main Branch members, yet the Caged Bird Seal was a jutsu that struck at the very soul. No matter how skilled a ninja was, it was nearly impossible to resist its control.
And yet, Neji had retaliated against them—this was highly unusual.
"Clan Leader, we have found a way to break the Caged Bird Seal. From now on, the Branch Family will no longer suffer under the Main Branch's oppression!"
Hyuga Aomatsu looked at Hiashi with a calm expression, though a faint trace of hope and scrutiny lingered in his eyes.
He watched the Clan Leader intently, knowing that Hiashi's response would determine how the situation would unfold.
Those who had tried to kill Neji, along with the Main Branch members involved, were now restrained within a carefully constructed formation, unable to move.
If Hiashi showed even the slightest disapproval, he might have been drawn into Neji's Eight Trigrams Formation as well.
"There's a way to break the Caged Bird Seal?" Hiashi froze for a moment. His expression shifted rapidly—surprise, frowning, deep thought…—before finally settling into a look of relief, a smile breaking through.
"The system between the Main and Branch Families of the Hyuga Clan… it's clear that it must change!"
Seeing this change in Hiashi's demeanor, Hyuga Aomatsu allowed himself a small, satisfied smile.
He didn't say anything more and silently stepped aside to stand beside Deidara, facing Hyuga Hiashi and the many Konoha ninja, his eyes filled with a cold resolve forged through suffering.
He had said all that needed to be said.
If Hiashi continued to stubbornly oppose Neji and tried to stop him from punishing the members of the main family who had committed countless wrongs, then he would have no hesitation in treating him as an enemy—a relentless enemy until death.
These rotten members of the Hyuga clan, abusing the control of the "caged bird seal," had long oppressed the branch family and flaunted their power. It was time for them to pay for their crimes.
"Neji… I know what they've done is unforgivable, but in the end, they are still members of the Hyuga. Couldn't you show mercy and spare their lives?"
Hyuga Hiashi looked at Neji, who had already descended into madness, his voice full of pleading.
If Neji were allowed to massacre freely, after today, the main family would suffer devastating losses.
"No… when they attacked my mother and me, did they ever leave a margin for mercy?" Neji's voice was ice-cold, sharp as a blade, cutting through Hiashi's hope.
Every one of the Hyuga main family who had tortured his mother must pay with their life.
As he spoke, his eyes grew increasingly unnatural, a sinister crimson spreading as if ignited by the flames of hatred itself.
"Neji…" Hiashi tried to speak again, desperation thick in his voice.
At that moment, Deidara stepped forward, casually surveying the crowd. His tone was lazy but carried undeniable seriousness.
"My brother is handling business. Everyone, get out of the way!"
As he finished speaking, countless clay spiders began crawling forward, forming lines as precise and distinct as the banks of a river.
With every movement of these clay spiders, the Konoha ninja instinctively stepped back a few paces.
The two sides were caught in a stalemate, the Konoha ninja continuously retreating under the steady advance of the clay spiders.
"Let's leave too," Kakashi finally said, glancing deeply at Neji and Deidara, sighing in resignation. He led Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura backward.
He knew well that Deidara acted on his own whims. Once he decided to clear the area, he wouldn't consider the identities of Kakashi or Might Guy.
In this way, with their overwhelming presence, the three of them managed to force even Sarutobi Hiruzen and hundreds of Konoha ninja back beyond the Hyuga territory.
Some members of the branch families of the Hyuga clan witnessed the scene, their hearts filled with shock and disbelief.
The Hokage, Lord Hiruzen Sarutobi, leading hundreds of elite ninjas, was actually being pushed back by three young people?
This was simply unprecedented. At that moment, the dignity of Konoha seemed gravely wounded.
Especially outside the Hyuga clan's land, where many villagers had already gathered to watch.
When they saw Hiruzen Sarutobi being forced to retreat, their expressions turned extremely strange. They whispered among themselves, discussing in low tones.
The Hokage, leading hundreds of ninja, was actually being driven out by just three people?
The scene seemed like a ridiculous joke, almost unbelievable.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was dark as if it could drip water.
If it weren't for Deidara placing clay bombs over Konoha as a threat, he would never have found himself in such an embarrassing situation.
After a long moment of thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi decided to make another attempt, trying to persuade Neji and the others to turn back.
He spoke slowly, carefully choosing his words:
"You are friends of Hyuga Neji. You should understand that what he is doing will only drag him into an abyss with no return, and he will surely be placed on Konoha's wanted list.
Your actions now, though they seem to be helping him, are actually harming him.
You should make Neji stop in time."
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke earnestly, reasoning with them and appealing to their emotions.
However, Deidara and the other two ignored him completely, as if they had not heard a word.
They casually scratched their ears and continued their conversation, indifferent.
"You…"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression instantly turned as dark as ink.
He never expected that anyone would dare so openly to show him such disrespect.
Even the leaders of other villages would at least maintain basic respect and awe in his presence.
No one had ever dared to treat him so recklessly.
****
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