"Father, it was just a branch elder who died. It's not like the branch doesn't have others. And because of that, you're planning to lie low for a while?"
Inside the Hyuga clan compound.
Hyuga Jinsuke's eldest son stood with a scowl on his face, grumbling in front of his father.
"I mean, if this was ten or twenty years ago—before this whole nonsense—we wouldn't even be thinking about hiding over something like this."
"Hyuga Yokogari brought it on himself. He was trying to break the Caged Bird Seal—that's practically the branch house's ultimate taboo."
"He made a huge mistake. Paying for it isn't unjust. And come on, it was just a relapse of his illness. Bad luck, really."
Beside him, Jinsuke's second son added, "Father, Uchiha Chizumi is supposed to be reasonable, right? He claims he stands for justice. And by that logic, clan rules are justice. If he gets involved, shouldn't he be on our side?"
Jinsuke rubbed his temples and sighed. "You've been away handling the clan's business outside the village. You just got back. You don't know that brat Chizumi the way I do."
He exhaled sharply, the deep lines on his face filled with caution and dread.
"His so-called 'Absolute Justice' doesn't come from rules or laws. It comes from him. His own judgment is the only standard."
"He's an extremely radical Uchiha. He doesn't listen to anyone. He's arrogant, headstrong…"
"…And most importantly—he's powerful."
That's what really mattered. Uchiha Chizumi had the strength to kill Hyuga Jinsuke without effort. That's why he'd listened to Hiashi's advice and agreed to go into hiding.
Even at over eighty years old, with not many years left to live, Jinsuke wasn't about to throw his life away early.
Especially not like this.
He wanted to die of old age in peace—not get killed by an Uchiha. And worse, maybe even be labeled a "murderer" before dying.
Punishing a branch family ninja for violating clan law… and he gets painted as the villain?
What a joke.
He couldn't accept it.
…
Elsewhere in the compound.
After a tense discussion with some branch elders, Mitokado Homura went to see Hiashi again. From him, he learned that Jinsuke would be leaving the village—Konoha's way of showing the branch family that action had been taken.
And more importantly, it was meant to keep Uchiha Chizumi out of it.
After all, if the main culprit's gone, surely Chizumi won't go after innocent bystanders… right?
"Hiashi, is this really how you're handling things?" Homura stared him down. "You know this isn't the right solution. It looks more like running away than resolving anything."
"This plan was agreed upon by all three main-house elders," Hiashi replied seriously. "Yes, it's going to leave a bad taste for many branch members. They'll think we're brushing things aside. But if we don't do this, we'll have discontent in the main house instead."
"Jinsuke choosing to leave the village is effectively him stepping down from power. A full-on retirement. That's as far as the main house is willing to bend."
Hiashi paused, and added with meaning, "Ten or twenty years ago? We'd never have even considered making concessions to the branch."
Homura didn't respond.
He understood the message loud and clear—the elders believed this was already a massive compromise. If the branch wasn't satisfied, that was their problem. The only reason the main house even made this move was because Uchiha Chizumi's 'absolute justice' was looming over their heads, forcing them to talk reason.
In the past?
They didn't have to justify anything.
"Hiashi, I'll say it again," Homura said gravely. "Don't let this escalate. No one wins if this blows up."
"…Understood."
…
"Retirement, huh? That's the best the main house could offer as a concession…" Hiruzen muttered as he leaned back in his chair at the Hokage's office. "The Hyuga clan's rules are so outdated, they feel like something out of the pre-Konoha era."
Mitokado Homura had already returned and asked, "So we're just going to give them a warning? We're really not intervening as Hokage?"
Hiruzen shook his head. "We can't intervene."
"The Hyuga clan may seem more obedient than the Uchiha—they aren't as isolationist, not as overtly rebellious. But their way of thinking is even more rigid."
"I was able to foster Uchiha like Shisui and Itachi—shinobi loyal to Konoha. Through them, we gained influence in the Uchiha clan."
"But the Hyuga?"
He paused.
"I've never managed to get a single main-house Hyuga to work with us. All our influence lies in the branch house. The main house is like a steel fortress—we simply can't get in."
"If I could interfere, I would've already used my Hokage authority to force changes to their ridiculous clan rules. But all these years, not a single one has changed."
In Hiruzen's eyes, the Hyuga's outdated customs were actively weakening Konoha.
The Caged Bird Seal placed a ceiling on the growth of countless gifted Hyuga. How many promising branch members had died on the battlefield because of its limitations?
If he could've, he would've forced them to change years ago.
Homura changed the subject. "One more thing. That defector from the Mist—Biwa Jūzō—ditched the other Rain envoys and left Konoha on his own."
Hiruzen raised a brow. "I don't believe I ever met him. He just left?"
"I suspect he came with a different goal in mind—not just to act as a diplomatic envoy. And don't forget, not long after he arrived, Chizumi's people arrested him."
"Maybe he was targeting Chizumi all along. We just don't know the reason yet."
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed. "Jiraiya was present during Jūzō's interrogation, wasn't he?"
Homura nodded.
"Then send for Jiraiya. He might know something."
…
At Mount Myōboku, Shima stood on Jiraiya's shoulder, eyeing a distant Uchiha girl who had just subdued a domestic abuser.
"Jiraiya, she's not the Child of Prophecy either.
"She has a decent sense of right and wrong, sure—but she doesn't have any real convictions of her own. She's completely reliant on Uchiha Chizumi's so-called 'Absolute Justice.' That makes her more of a puppet than a savior."
"And besides…"
Shima shook her head. "She's already too far gone. She's idolized Chizumi to the point of obsession. You won't be able to teach her—not as a student, and definitely not as someone who could reshape the ninja world."
Fukasaku, standing on Jiraiya's other shoulder, added, "Next candidate, Jiraiya."
Jiraiya sighed and looked away from Izumi.
"Next up… Uchiha…" he paused, pulling out a small notebook.
He scratched out Uchiha Itachi's name.
"…Sasuke. He's close to Chizumi too. And since they're both Uchiha, maybe they're even blood relatives."
…
Hidden near the Hyuga compound, Anbu Yamanaka Ryoshin whispered to Kakashi as they watched Naruto following Chizumi.
"Shouldn't someone tell the Hokage? This whole thing with the Hyuga… and now Chizumi's involved. It looks like something big is going to happen."
Their position was the best hiding spot nearby. One was there to monitor Naruto, the other to watch over him.
Kakashi gave him a look—saying nothing.
And yet, Ryoshin instantly understood: he should've volunteered to run the message himself instead of trying to nudge Kakashi into doing it.
"…I'll go!"
He vanished in a flash.
Kakashi watched Chizumi and Naruto getting further away.
"The Hyuga… the Caged Bird Seal…" he murmured. "That kid Neji—his father was Hyuga Hizashi, right? Branch house. Died young."
"And if I remember right, he volunteered to die in place of the main house. But Neji probably thinks he was forced into it."
"Today must've reminded him of that. That's probably why he turned to 'Absolute Justice.'"
He let out a long breath, eyes darkening.
…
Inside the Hyuga compound.
Jinsuke handed off his final instructions to his sons, then prepared to leave the village under the escort of a main-house jonin.
As he walked, he noticed the furious stares from branch members.
He simply scoffed—an open act of disdain that made them even angrier.
One branch ninja clenched his fists. "That bastard! Did you see the way he looked at us? Like we're not even human!"
Another stepped in. "Calm down. He's a main-house elder."
"And? That gives him the right to trample us? Did they forget we used to be part of the same family? That we share the same blood? The Caged Bird Seal doesn't mean we're less than human!"
"No one understands it. But the seal seals our fate. The branch is just the main house's servant now. And Jinsuke? He's one of the worst."
"Stop talking. If we say the wrong thing, he'll activate the seal again."
From behind, Jinsuke could hear the whispers. And honestly, he was tempted to activate it—because he could feel someone in the branch was thinking about killing him.
In the past, he'd have punished them immediately—just to remind them:
Some thoughts aren't even worth having if you're a branch member.
Their role was to protect the main house—always.
But today… it wasn't worth stirring more trouble.
Just then, the jonin escort suddenly stopped, face pale with fear.
Jinsuke turned—and saw what the escort was staring at.
His breath caught in his throat. His cane dropped with a clatter.
His Byakugan widened in shock.
He blurted out a name, like a curse:
"Uchiha Chizumi!!"
…
Elsewhere, in a dark underground lab within Konoha, Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with interest.
"Heh… so he killed Uchiha Itachi, huh? How fascinating."
He chuckled to himself as he leaned over a stack of papers.
"Hiruzen-sensei… the way you indulge that boy Chizumi… I'm honestly jealous."
Apparently, one of Orochimaru's new spies in Konoha had used a special jutsu to relay the intel.
Through it, Orochimaru also learned that both Jiraiya and Tsunade were back in the village.
"Tch." He clicked his tongue and smirked darkly. "Looks like I'll need to push my plans back just a bit."
He slid his hand off a page labeled:
"Plan to Destroy Konoha – Version 2"
Crumpling it, he revealed another underneath:
"After Killing Sarutobi Hiruzen: How to Pressure All Konoha Factions and Seize Control of the Government to Advance Immortality Research…"
It was filled with dense notes—problems he hadn't yet solved.
He stared at it for a moment, then sealed it away in a scroll.
"No… Jiraiya and Tsunade aren't my biggest obstacles right now…"
"My biggest problem…"
"…is the vessel I had the highest hopes for."
"Heh…"
"Uchiha Chizumi… you're becoming a real thorn in my side."
His smile twisted into something darker, colder.
And filled with killing intent.
…
"Honestly, Orochimaru doesn't get along with anyone in Akatsuki," said Biwa Jūzō, resting his massive blade on his shoulder. "Even as a rookie, I can tell he's the odd one out."
He glanced sideways at the silent wood clone walking beside him.
Jūzō was used to being the coldest person in the room. But next to this silent companion, the atmosphere was suffocating.
"…You gonna say anything?"
No response.
"Don't tell me you're not interested in Orochimaru. I've heard the stuff he's done. You're walking, talking 'absolute justice'—he's got to be high on your hit list, right?"
"You're not saying anything useful," the wood clone said flatly. "Try something I don't already know."
"…Tch."
Jūzō felt strangely out of place—like he was the outsider despite being the Akatsuki member.
"You…"
He started to speak, but then his expression shifted.
In an instant, he sensed it—bloodlust.
His pupils shrank. Without hesitation, he whipped out his executioner's blade and raised it.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Three shuriken came from nowhere, slamming into the flat of his blade and sparking against the steel.
"Tch." Jūzō narrowed his eyes. "We're being targeted. Or maybe just me."
He scanned the surroundings. "It's not Obito or those other freaks. If it were, I'd already be bleeding."
Suddenly, thick mist rolled in, dense and heavy, cloaking everything.
A grin spread across his face.
"…I know who it is."
"Blood Mist Hunters. Guess they've come to clean up a rogue."
"Hey!" he barked at the wood clone. "You're just a clone. Don't tell me I have to protect you?"
"No need."
As the words left its mouth, the clone unsheathed its sword and casually deflected a kunai flying in from an awkward angle.
…
Thunk.
A kunai stabbed deep into the ground—less than ten centimeters from Hyuga Jinsuke's feet. One step forward and it would've gone straight through him.
He stumbled back, pale and panicked, staring at the figure ahead:
Uchiha Chizumi.
His aged body trembled.
"…Impossible…"
He had locked down the entire Hyuga compound, keeping every member inside. There was no way for the branch house to contact Chizumi—he was sure of it.
That lockdown was supposed to buy him time to escape from the village quietly.
So why—how—was Chizumi here, at this exact moment, right as he walked out?
And then he saw them—
Hyuga Neji.
Trailing behind Chizumi was Neji. Beside him stood another young branch member—the grandson of the deceased elder, Hyuga Yokogari.
In that instant, it all clicked.
Neji and Yokogari's grandson had tipped off Uchiha Chizumi.
Jinsuke's face twisted—rage toward Neji, fear toward Chizumi. Even as a high elder of the Hyuga clan, standing before this Uchiha, he felt no confidence.
No safety.
"Neji—you betrayed Elder Jinsuke?!"
The main-house jonin escorting Jinsuke shouted in disbelief.
"Do you know what you're doing?! You're a branch ninja! Your duty is to protect the main house! And now you're conspiring against a clan elder?!"
"You're just a kid! What rank are you? What generation? Didn't your father teach you what it means to selflessly serve the Hyuga clan?!"
Neji, who had kept a blank face until now, let a flicker of hatred show.
He drew a deep breath.
He used to believe fate was inescapable.
But then he saw Chizumi in action—saw him crush the will of the entire Hyuga clan with overwhelming strength.
That moment cracked something inside Neji.
It made him realize something:
The fate the main house forced onto the branch house… could be broken.
The more he learned about "absolute justice," the more he saw the truth:
The Caged Bird Seal was unjust.
He didn't know all the history. He just knew what he'd seen.
Branch members abused, oppressed, tortured—because of that seal.
It was a collar, a cage that smothered them, crushed even the desire to resist.
He remembered…
How his father—just for harboring a flicker of killing intent toward Hinata—was executed by the seal.
No actions. Just a thought.
"…Is that what you call selfless protection? Being generation after generation of sacrificial pawns? Birds locked in a cage with no escape?"
Neji clenched his jaw, then slowly reached up and tore the bandage off his forehead—
Revealing the Caged Bird Seal for all to see.
"I didn't come here to argue about clan rules or traditions," he said, turning to Yokogari's grandson beside him. "This is the guy who killed your grandfather, right?"
"…Yeah."
The boy nodded quietly.
Neji let out a breath, then growled through clenched teeth:
"I'm here to demand justice—for the elder you murdered. What gave you the right to take his life?"
"Do the lives of the branch house mean so little to you? Are we just fuel to be spent?"
He paused, eyes sharp.
"…But I believe in something else now."
"Uchiha Chizumi's absolute justice will judge every criminal…"
"And give peace to the innocent who suffered because of people like you."
~~~
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