Chapter 275 — No Way Out
Hyuga Iwa still remembered it clearly—when he was young, if he ever disobeyed a Main Family child, they would simply activate the Caged Bird Curse Mark.
That burning, drilling pain… it forced obedience into his bones.
He grew used to the Caged Bird through the years, but his son's words dragged all those memories to the surface.
Hyuga Castle spoke again, voice steady despite his fear:
"It's rare to be free of the Caged Bird. Even if I can only get ordinary eyes… I'm willing.
Father, please help me."
Hyuga Iwa hesitated.
He still couldn't understand his son's true intent.
"But even if I take you for surgery… the Hyuga Main Family will still force you to switch back," he said bitterly.
That was the reality.
Even if Castle received new eyes tonight, once the Main Family noticed, they would replace them with Byakugan again. That was the system.
Hyuga Castle lowered his voice.
"Then after the surgery… send me out of Konoha.
Somewhere far away—far enough that the Main Family can't find me."
Silence swallowed the room.
Hyuga Iwa, Hyuga Rin, and Hyuga Morning all froze.
This wasn't a small request.
This was treason.
If the Hyuga caught him, the punishment would be brutal.
Hyuga Castle knew their thoughts and quickly added:
"Right now, the Main Family barely has control.
Hyuga Hiashi is busy with Hokage Advisor duties, the Elders are stretched thin…
If we act tonight, they won't notice until later.
And I don't have the Byakugan anymore. They won't chase me across the world for a pair of ordinary eyes."
Hyuga Iwa's expression flickered.
It sounded reckless—dangerous—but also… logical.
Without the Byakugan, Castle no longer held a clan secret.
Pursuing him would accomplish nothing.
Hyuga Morning clenched his fists quietly.
His own Caged Bird Curse Mark throbbed beneath his forehead protector—not physically, but in memory.
The humiliation, the beatings, the orders barked at him by smug Main Family children…
He couldn't help it.
"Father," Hyuga Morning said firmly,
"Castle doesn't want the Caged Bird placed on him again. So… we should help him."
Hyuga Castle's heart trembled at those words.
His brother's support meant everything.
Hyuga Iwa's gaze softened despite the deep worry in his eyes.
"Castle," he asked quietly,
"have you truly made up your mind? If you do this… there's no turning back."
Hyuga Castle inhaled sharply.
This was the final confirmation.
"I've thought it through.
I want to leave."
Hyuga Iwa exhaled—long and heavy.
When he lifted his head again, his eyes were resolute.
"Very well. Then I… your father… will help you."
He hesitated for only a moment, thinking of the consequences.
Castle would be free, but their family would remain in the Hyuga Clan.
The Main Family could punish them.
Yet—
Hyuga Morning stood by Castle's side.
Hyuga Rin's eyes were trembling but determined.
Hyuga Iwa made his decision.
"No more delays. We go now."
He turned to his eldest son:
"Morning—help me carry him."
Hyuga Morning nodded and lifted Castle's arm, steadying him.
Hyuga Iwa called toward the door:
"Rin, bring the money."
Cash.
Konoha still hadn't developed the digital payment system Orochimaru proposed—so money meant actual bills.
Hyuga Rin rushed off.
Hyuga Iwa looked at his elder son again—his gaze deep, uncertain.
There were things he didn't ask:
Would Morning still support this when he realized the clan might punish them?
Would he regret it?
Hyuga Iwa didn't dare raise those questions now.
If Morning hesitated, everything would collapse.
They moved in silence through Konoha's bright night streets.
Lanterns glowed, shops remained open, children ran across walkways—
Konoha was flourishing under the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Fugaku.
Hyuga Castle could not see any of it.
But he could smell the nighttime air and hear people passing by—
the sounds of a village he loved but could no longer stay in.
At the hospital entrance, Hyuga Iwa and Hyuga Morning carefully placed Castle on an empty medical stretcher.
Morning pushed him toward the examination wing while Iwa went to find a doctor.
Even at night, Medical-nin were still on duty.
Hyuga Iwa's heart beat uneasily.
If the eye-surgery doctor had already left for the night, they would have to wait until morning…
and by then, the Main Family might interfere.
But fortune was with them.
A doctor capable of performing the procedure was indeed available.
Hyuga Iwa let out a breath of relief.
Minutes later, Hyuga Castle was brought into the operating room.
Cold lights illuminated the sterile environment.
He lay on the table, unable to see the instruments around him.
The surgeon arrived wearing a white coat and gloves.
By coincidence—or perhaps fate—
the doctor was Uchiha Hidetoshi, the same Medical-nin who'd just earlier replaced Hatake Kakashi's Sharingan with an ordinary eye.
Uchiha Hidetoshi prepared the anesthetic with practiced movements.
"You'll feel a sting," he said gently.
Hyuga Castle nodded.
The needle entered his arm.
Warmth spread through his body.
As the anesthetic took hold, Hyuga Castle's final thought before consciousness faded was:
"I won't be a slave.
I will live free."
Uchiha Hidetoshi picked up the surgical tools—
—and the operation began.
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