"No need to thank me," Shadow said with a soft chuckle, responding to Hizashi Hyuga's deference. "You have earned this."
The "gift" he had mentioned earlier was, in part, absolute control over Hiashi Hyuga himself. It was impossible for Hizashi to play the part of Hiashi and sleep with his sister-in-law, so Shadow gave him control over Hiashi's body. From that moment on, the daytime belonged to Hizashi, who wore the clan leader's skin and walked in the sunlight, while at night, he switched back to Hiashi, who played his predetermined role in the darkness.
With the Tenseigan's puppet control ability, layered with the Genjutsu of Kyoka Suigetsu, Hiashi could not send information to others through hints or gestures. Everything he said and did was under the control of Shadow and Hizashi. Moreover, Hiashi's wife was now pregnant, so there was no longer any need to let him out.
The other part of the gift was the sealing of the Caged Bird Curse Mark. Although the ugly scar on his forehead could be covered with a bandage, Hizashi couldn't possibly wear a bandage all the time at home. So, Shadow used his points to seal the curse mark. Yes, only sealed, not removed.
Hizashi raised his hand and gently touched the bandage on his forehead, as if he could feel the cold, dormant curse mark beneath. His expression subtly darkened.
"Lord Shadow," he couldn't help but ask, "Can the Caged Bird Curse Mark truly not be completely removed?"
All the members of the Branch House, including Hizashi, once naively believed that they could escape the curse mark by dying. But in fact, when Hizashi was later Edo Tensei'd by Kabuto Yakushi, the ugly Caged Bird Curse Mark was still there, mocking the futility of their lives and deaths. So...
"The Caged Bird Curse Mark is deeply intertwined with your eyes and brain's nervous system. Even with Tsunade's surgery, the Byakugan cannot be perfectly removed."
"Not to mention, the Caged Bird Curse Mark has taken root deep within your soul."
Shadow's voice was unhurried. "At the moment, I can only help you by sealing the outward manifestation of the curse mark."
This was, of course, a lie. He could forcibly erase the Caged Bird Curse Mark with his points, but he would not do so.
"..."
Hizashi, of course, didn't know he was lying. After hearing his words, his eyes grew even gloomier. He hadn't expected the Caged Bird Curse Mark to be far more sinister than he and the other Branch House members had imagined. Even death couldn't free them from their cage, from the fate of a caged bird.
He thought back to how he had once even considered dying for Hiashi to escape his destiny as a caged bird... He thought of the many Branch House members who died protecting the Main House, all believing they would find liberation in death...
"Heh."
A low, hoarse, self-mocking chuckle escaped his throat. It was for his past naive self, for the Branch House members who had died for nothing, and for the despair and helplessness he felt for Neji's future. If even the mysterious "Shadow" couldn't remove the Caged Bird Curse Mark, would Neji truly be unable to escape his fate as a caged bird? Would he be trapped even after death?
"However..." Just as Hizashi was enveloped by a heavy gloom, Shadow's tone suddenly shifted. "I know how to break the Caged Bird Curse Mark..."
"Hizashi!" Before he could continue, Hiashi's voice cut in. "Are you really going to believe his nonsense?"
"This man is the culprit who attacked the village and the lunatic who started the turmoil in the entire ninja world!"
"He must have a sinister motive for helping you. Why are you still helping this madman?!"
Although his actions and words were strictly controlled, he was able to learn a lot from his wife, including the identities of "Shadow" and the "Espada," who had severely damaged the Leaf Village, as well as the "Hollows" who were now affecting the entire ninja world. Neither Hiashi nor Hizashi could believe that this "Shadow" was the one who had attacked the Leaf Village.
A mysterious being of unknown and unfathomable power, who had the entire Leaf Village and even the whole ninja world at their wits' end. He was actually interfering in the affairs of the Hyuga clan? What did the Hyuga clan have that he could possibly value?
Hizashi also wondered, but...
"I don't care," he said, his voice unusually calm as he looked at Hiashi. "At least he is fulfilling his promises to me bit by bit, while you..."
"Hizashi!" Hiashi growled. "You've been the clan leader for so long, you should understand my difficulties, understand that everything you've gone through was done out of necessity!"
"If you want to die, you can. If you want to kill me, that's fine too! Do whatever you want! But you cannot drag the entire Hyuga clan down with you!!"
"..."
Hizashi didn't speak. He thought of Hinata and Neji. He knew that Neji didn't resent Hinata; he resented the Caged Bird, his fate as a caged bird, and the Main House's abuse of the curse mark. Even if this wasn't what Hinata wanted, she was still the one who benefited.
In Neji's eyes, the only reason Hinata hadn't used the curse mark was that she was too young and hadn't learned how to activate it. Once she became the clan leader, learned how to activate the curse mark, and needed to suppress the Branch House to maintain her authority, she would also become as heartless as her father, Hiashi.
So, any gesture of goodwill from Hinata was meaningless to Neji. Even Hizashi couldn't be sure if Hinata would become another Hiashi if she became the clan leader. Don't say that she was too gentle or that their relationship was good. He and Hiashi were also very close as children, but they became estranged after they grew up.
What did it matter if Hinata didn't use the curse mark on Neji? Would she do the same for every other Branch House member? If there was no Caged Bird Curse Mark hanging over them, how could her weak strength suppress the Branch House? If the Branch House was allowed to replace the Main House's legitimate status, the bloodline of future Hyuga clan members would gradually become diluted.
The Hyuga clan was not like the Uchiha clan. The Byakugan could not be awakened by emotional shock like the Sharingan, nor did they have a way to purify their bloodline. If the clan's bloodline became too diluted, the Byakugan would disappear completely.
On one side was the responsibility of the clan leader and the continuation of the family, while on the other was personal desire and self-interest. Who knew what Hinata would choose in the future?
This was the twisted reality of the Caged Bird Curse Mark. In order to maintain and continue their pure bloodline, the Main House needed the Branch House for protection and support. This made their own strength and experience weaker, and the weaker they got, the more they needed the Caged Bird to suppress the Branch House. It was a vicious cycle.
As long as the Hyuga clan cared about the continuation of their bloodline, the hierarchy between the Main and Branch Houses could not be broken, and brothers and sisters were destined to become enemies. There was no other possibility...
Indeed, as Hiashi said, the longer he was in the position of clan leader, the more he understood the Hyuga clan's current predicament. It was a situation that a single person could not change. However, this did not mean that he had forgiven Hiashi in his heart. In fact, he found this twisted clan even more repulsive.
"Yes, you are the clan leader, you are the Main House!" Hizashi stared at Hiashi, his voice hoarse. "You consider the bigger picture; you are amazing, you are noble, you are right!"
"But why are we the ones who are sacrificed, trampled on, and branded with a mark of shame?"
"Is it because of your so-called destiny?"
At his words, Hiashi's face twitched slightly. He said in a deep voice, "This was decided from the moment we were born. It's the result of no one's choice. This is destiny!"
"So, if you are born this way, you must always be this way?"
Hizashi's mouth gradually turned into a grin. "In the past, there was no chance to change our fate, so I could bear it and even deceive myself."
"But now, destiny is standing right in front of me. Why should I give up? Why can't the person favored by destiny be us? Why can't it be Neji?"
Looking at "Shadow" standing behind Hizashi, Hiashi finally couldn't help but yell in anger, "But you shouldn't sacrifice the clan for this..."
"You can choose to abandon us for the clan, so why can't I abandon the clan for Neji?!" Hizashi interrupted.
"You are the Hyuga clan leader, that's right, but I am also Neji's father, and I only want to be a father!"
"Is your choice more noble than mine?!"
By now, Hizashi was almost screaming, his chest heaving as he panted for breath. His eyes were filled with a crazed fury, his shouts echoing in the secret room. But soon, the terrifying madness in his eyes faded, replaced by a cold indifference.
"Hiashi Hyuga, I am not like you."
He spoke slowly, his voice low and clear. "You can abandon your own brother for the sake of the clan's continuation and heartlessly activate the Caged Bird Curse Mark."
"You can force your own daughter into that cowardly state just to make Hinata a qualified clan leader."
"Even after you realized Hinata didn't have the qualifications to be a clan leader, you planned to abandon your daughter and repeatedly suggested having another child to put the curse mark on Hinata!"
"Did you not think that once you put the Caged Bird on Hinata, she and your future child would end up in the same predicament we are in now?"
"No, you did think about it! But you didn't care!"
"It didn't matter if they became bitter enemies, if they fought each other, and tormented each other in pain, because in your eyes, there is only the continuation of the Hyuga clan's bloodline!"
Hizashi stared into Hiashi's eyes, every word deliberate. "Hiashi Hyuga, I have been impersonating you for all these years, and I have seen too much helplessness."
"But this has only made me more certain..."
"I am not like you!"
"I cannot be as cold-blooded as you are to my own child. The only person I've cared about, from beginning to end, is Neji!"
Hiashi's face was ashen. He opened his mouth but couldn't say a word.
Hizashi no longer looked at him. He turned to "Shadow," who was watching with interest, and said, "Please, tell me the way to break the 'Caged Bird Curse Mark'."
"No matter the cost, anything I have, anything I can do, it doesn't matter anymore."
From the moment he chose to replace Hiashi, from the moment he knew that Neji was the one who had killed the Main House member yet kept silent, he had already decided to give up everything for Neji. His name, his identity, his family, his village, his life, his future. There was no turning back now.
All he wanted was for Neji to have the chance and the power to break free from his cage and soar into the sky.