Hearing Hiashi Hyuga's reflection, Mizuki merely smiled without saying anything. As the head of a noble clan, it was okay to throw in a compliment or two about his kids—especially when talking about succession. But going too far would be awkward.
Apparently unaware of Mizuki's indifference, Hiashi continued, "Come to think of it, there's Hizashi. I was only born a few minutes earlier and became the main house, while Hizashi ended up in the branch house—and then there's Neji... Ah..."
At this moment, Hiashi unexpectedly revealing his inner thoughts slightly surprised Mizuki. Regardless of mutual interests, Mizuki was still an outsider—such personal matters weren't really suitable for him to hear. Besides, this topic made Mizuki reluctant to respond. The atmosphere gradually turned heavy and silent.
Seeing that Mizuki had no intention of speaking further, Hiashi stood up.
"Let's stop here for today. It's already getting late."
"That sounds good."
Mizuki also rose from his seat and followed Hiashi outside.
With no attendants around, Hiashi and Mizuki walked one after another through the quiet corridors of the courtyard.
"Mizuki Jonin," Hiashi suddenly asked from ahead, "do you really think something like the Caged Bird is actually effective?"
"Oh?" Mizuki watched Hiashi walk ahead without looking back, unable to see his expression. However, since he had brought it up repeatedly, these weren't just polite words—he truly wanted to hear Mizuki's opinion. So Mizuki figured there was nothing wrong with speaking freely.
"The Caged Bird really is a fitting name. It limits your freedom but also shields you from storms and enemies, keeping you from breaking your wings. Some birds will always be content in their cage, accepting their situation and resisting change. But inevitably, there are also those whose hearts long endlessly for freedom and the sky. And when a heart like that gains the strength to break free, the light it shines must be truly breathtaking."
"So that's your perspective, Mizuki Jonin."
"My apologies—it's just casual talk. After all, as an outsider, my understanding of the Caged Bird remains limited."
"Hmm." Hiashi didn't ask further questions afterward, allowing Mizuki to finally relax.
The issue of the Caged Bird was indeed complicated, involving many intricate aspects. Still, given the current situation, he had a couple of plausible theories.
His first assumption was optimistic—that the original intent behind the seal had been good, but later generations misapplied it out of ignorance.
In virtually every power system, suppression before sudden advancement was widely practiced. Take the incredible weights Might Guy and Rock Lee wear—so heavy they're almost ridiculous until removed. Then, their abilities skyrocket. It's a way to push past physical limits. If the Caged Bird is seen as an "invisible weight" placed on the Byakugan, it might serve a similar purpose. When someone talented enough managed to overcome its restrictions, the mental awakening and power amplification gained would surely be remarkable.
Mizuki once boldly speculated whether this might have been a half-developed prototype originally intended to evolve the Byakugan into Tenseigan. Because the techniques were lost—and possibly even distorted along the way—this cultivation method had unfortunately become the Caged Bird curse. A technique born from dreams had become nothing more than a shackle binding those same hopes—nothing could be more regrettable than this.
Another theory was even harder to accept—that the Caged Bird was indeed the key to awakening the Tenseigan. The existence of the Caged Bird greatly strengthened the Main House's control over the Branch family. In other words, if the Main House needed large quantities of Byakugan from the Branch members to awaken the Tenseigan, then the Branch members wouldn't have enough power left to resist. This speculation seemed much darker—and far less acceptable. The Caged Bird was like a slave collar around countless Branch members' cultivated Byakugan eyes, used merely as tools to awaken the Tenseigan.
Even more disheartening was that between these two theories—those closest to the truth—Mizuki leaned more toward the latter. Looking at the current state of the Hyuga clan and the descendants of Hamura Otsutsuki left behind on the moon, there was no doubt that the second theory was far more convincing.
Later, Hiashi Hyuga and Mizuki walked through the courtyard together, with Hiashi personally accompanying Mizuki all the way to the main gate. This highly visible gesture made Mizuki feel both flattered and slightly awkward.
"That's far enough, Lord of the house. You're being too generous," Mizuki said while preparing to leave.
"Hmm, come find me again for another chat next time you're available, Jonin Mizuki." As he turned away, Hiashi suddenly seemed to remember something and called out, "I heard that Jonin Mizuki will soon be getting married..."
"Yes, the news hasn't spread yet, but I'm surprised the Lord of the house already knows."
"Hmm, if it's not inconvenient, allow me to attend and offer my congratulations as well."
"You're too kind. Please do honor us with your presence."
After exchanging a few polite parting words, Mizuki took his leave.
『This open display of closeness... It seems like the Hyuga clan might also be dissatisfied with the village's current state and their own position within it. Courting promising talents like Neji Hyuga, consolidating clan influence, maintaining close ties with elite Konoha Jonins, and increasing public activities—all these point toward an even more notable appearance in Mizuki's wedding ceremony, a public event. Their active participation in Konoha's open events… Could all this really mean a shift in the Hyuga clan's stance?』
Not fully understanding Hiashi's sudden shift in attitude for now, Mizuki decided to let it rest—for now—and headed toward one of Konoha's most famous barbecue restaurants. He didn't head straight home—his night of socializing hadn't ended yet.
"Mizuki, over here, over here!" As soon as he entered, Aoba Yamashiro spotted him. "You finally arrived. We've been waiting for quite some time."
"Seems like everyone's already here." Mizuki glanced at the large barbecue table already filled with people. "No one has missions tonight?"
"Aren't they all the people you invited, Mizuki?"
"Well... I did invite quite a few, but some just showed up uninvited."
Mizuki gestured toward Anko Mitarashi, who was sitting in the middle waiting for the grilled meat to arrive.
"Aww man, not again. There goes my wallet," groaned Aoba Yamashiro, his face falling. Today he was footing the bill—and with so many mouths to feed, it was sure to leave a dent in his wallet.
"Really? Not you?" Mizuki looked at Aoba, surprised by the exaggerated expression on his face. Who knew this guy could pull off facial acting like that?
"Cough, cough—how could that be?" Aoba denied it outright, though from Mizuki's perspective, his voice lacked confidence.
As they were speaking, over there, Anko had already grown impatient.
"Hey, you two! What are you whispering about? Why hasn't the grilled meat come yet? At least bring us some drinks first..."
Noticing the awkward situation, Mizuki quietly said, "Aoba, why don't you go handle things? I can find somewhere to sit alone just fine."
"But this gathering was your idea; since I'm paying, shouldn't you be in charge?"
"Still, whoever pays is halfway being the host, right? You should handle it..."
"Fine then." Aoba couldn't do anything about Mizuki trying to pass the responsibility onto him.
Watching Aoba head off to flag down a waiter, Mizuki found himself a seat. Choosing tonight to fulfill a previous promise was primarily a way for him to express gratitude—for their support, especially in recommending him for his jonin promotion. It also marked a celebration of finally putting an end to those recent weeks of constant missions and skirmishes.
This busy period made getting everyone together for a drink quite difficult; tonight was one of the few times most of them had managed to gather. The older Ino–Shika–Cho trio represented the highest-ranking attendees, forming their own little circle as they sipped alcohol and chatted casually. Kakashi Hatake had arrived as well, constantly reading Make Out Paradise beside Mizuki. Might Guy wasn't present due to other commitments, while he had initially intended to invite Hayate and Raijin Butoh, both were currently away from the village on missions. However, Asuma Sarutobi was here, accompanied by Kurenai Yuhi, who had only recently been discharged from the hospital and still looked quite pale. It truly showed the spirit of a true heroine to come out drinking like this while still recovering. As for Anko Mitarashi, whether she came because of Kurenai or Aoba remained something Mizuki decided not to dwell on.
"So when I think about it, we aren't actually that many."
Looking around at everyone seated in a circle, none were strangers. Even the older generation's Ino–Shika–Cho members and Aoba's protégé generation had their squad leader, Asuma Sarutobi, present. However, this shy, mustachioed senior focused entirely on Kurenai, who bravely drank despite her condition. The only one bringing any real energy to the group was Anko Mitarashi—once she started drinking, there was no holding her back. Well, handling this minor troublemaker could be left to Aoba.
"You really shined bright on that mission a few days ago," said Kakashi Hatake, momentarily putting away his book as if finished with a chapter, turning to address Mizuki.
"Oh? So I've become somewhat famous now?"
On the other side, Nara Shikaku held his cup and interjected, "Just taking down Shukaku on your own—still not enough to be famous?"
He said and gulped all the wine in his glass before letting out a puff of air filled with the scent of liquor.
"Even with me, Choza, and Inoichi working together, I wouldn't dare guarantee victory over the One-Tail Shukaku—we'd probably end up on the losing end. You really are something else. It took all the Fourth Kazekage's effort to subdue the Rampaging One-Tail Jinchuriki back then. These kids these days keep getting stronger."
Actually, this comment was quite fair. In the ninja world, there were two types of enemies most disliked: Immortal Bodies and Infinite Chakra. Even if one's battle strength wasn't inferior, ultimately they'd get dragged into a prolonged fight and simply exhausted to death. For ordinary ninja, tailed beasts with nearly infinite Chakra Reserves Amounts were a nightmare. Though numerous experts existed in this world capable of rivaling tailed beasts, very few could decisively defeat them—even Shukaku, the weakest among the Nine Tailed Beasts.
"This situation did involve some special circumstances. Successfully re-sealing Shukaku also cost us significantly. The process was full of twists and turns—luckily, the outcome was fairly good. If it happened again, it'd definitely be tough."
Mizuki, using Sage Mode, wouldn't fear facing off against the One-Tail Shukaku, but winning would require some strategic thinking. Against Shukaku—a beast operating purely on instinct without a Jinchuriki controlling it—he still had a decent chance at victory. Last time hadn't been so smooth either if not for the unexpected chakra resonance that caused multiple incidents, which ultimately enabled the successful re-sealing of the tailed beast.
"Special circumstances? Regardless of whatever changes occurred, being able to face a tailed beast, complete the mission, and return safely with your team—all of you—you can call it skill or luck, both are remarkable accomplishments..."
Nara Shikaku let out a loud burp as he finished speaking, then set his cup down. Beside him, Mizuki smiled silently, lifted the teapot, and refilled Nara Shikaku's cup again. Actually, Mizuki had noticed previously that although Nara Shikaku couldn't hold his liquor, he loved drinking; while Yamanaka Inoichi got easily tipsy, he actually possessed considerable tolerance. As for Akimichi Choza, his interest in barbecue clearly surpassed his interest in alcohol.
Possibly due to the effects of alcohol, even the usually lethargic Nara Shikaku seemed eager to chat.
"With so much going on recently, it's fortunate that so many powerful younger generations have risen up. Otherwise, things would've turned out badly."
"Shikaku, aren't you about to say we old guys are getting outdated next?"
Interrupted Inoichi with a smile.
"Isn't that exactly right?" said Nara Shikaku, gulping another large mouthful from his cup before continuing thoughtfully, "That brat of mine ever since becoming a chunin doesn't even show mercy when we play shogi anymore..."
His words made everyone present laugh. No one had realized it before—when Nara Shikaku was drunk, he actually showed a deadpan sense of humor.
"As for you, making such a huge splash recently—I heard about your deeds even while out on missions," Kakashi Hatake changed the subject.
"Really now?" Living here in Konoha village, Mizuki hadn't realized just how famous he gradually became outside these walls.
As he spoke, Mizuki glanced around—but...
Kakashi's grilled meat was already gone, and his cup had been refilled multiple times.
Mizuki was genuinely impressed by Kakashi Hatake's ability to finish his meal unnoticed—his expression never changed, not even a flicker. No wonder the members of Genin Squad Seven had never seen Kakashi's real face.
"What's wrong?" Kakashi uncomfortably asked, as Mizuki kept staring at him.
"Nothing." Mizuki was a little curious how Kakashi pulled off hiding his expressions and eating that fast, but he didn't press further—after all, he already knew what Kakashi looked like under the mask.
"By the way," Kakashi added, "you should watch your back. You've got a bounty on your head—and it's pretty high, even for the underground black market."
"Already? But it's only been a few days!"
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