The residence of the head of the Branch Family was not bright, and the night air carried a trace of chill.
Thump… thump…
From the courtyard came the muffled sound of fists striking. A fair-skinned boy, his forehead bound tightly with bandages to conceal it, stood in the yard. With fluid movements, he struck the wooden post again and again with Gentle Fist techniques.
Yet as his fists continued to fall, the vacant look on his young face gradually twisted into something feral and hideous, marked by a trace of brutality. The once-serene Gentle Fist grew harsh, violent, and vicious.
Not a single strike was reinforced with chakra. This self-destructive way of training left his fists bloody and raw. The wooden post bore deep dents, and soon bright red blood stains began to smear across its surface.
This was not training.
It was venting.
Even so, he showed no sign of stopping.
In Hyūga Neji's mind was nothing but the image of a few days prior—the first time he witnessed the Caged Bird Seal in action.
Just like every day in the past few years, he had gone to spar with that heiress of the Main Family.
By then, the ugly seal had already been branded onto him.
But he hadn't understood what it meant.
Naively, he believed what the other clansmen had said—that it was the "responsibility" of the Branch Family to protect the Main.
Responsibility.
That word meant nothing to him. As an older brother, he had always believed it natural to protect his younger sister.
Even without this so-called "responsibility," every day he had cherished Hinata as his own little sister.
Until that day. That moment.
When he saw with his own eyes the father he revered, clutching his head in agony, his body convulsing, screaming on the ground like a dog.
He finally understood why his father had always refused to take off his forehead protector even at home.
Until that moment, when the protector fell to the ground, exposing the cursed seal carved into his brow.
The veins around it bulged like writhing centipedes, the ugly blue seal seeming to squirm as though alive.
And that so-called head of the Main Family, the man Neji was supposed to call "Uncle"—he merely watched coldly, showing no pity, as he activated the seal.
"Just this once," Hyūga Hiashi's Byakugan gleamed coldly in the darkness as he spoke. "Do not forget your mission."
That was the first time Neji had seen the grotesque reality of the Caged Bird Seal. The first time he truly understood what it meant for them.
That seal could easily destroy their nervous system. Which meant the Main Family held absolute control over the life and death of the Branch.
Should a member of the Branch develop thoughts of rebellion or fail to fulfill their duties, the Main Family could simply activate the seal and end them.
In everyone's words, this curse-like seal could only be escaped through death.
From then on, the once-gentle Hyūga Neji grew cold. The way he looked at Hinata changed from brotherly affection to the gaze of one burdened with hatred.
Crack!
Neji clenched his teeth, his fists pounding with relentless fury. His father's words seemed to echo in his ears once more.
"Neji, do not resent the Main Family. The Caged Bird Seal is not a curse—it is a protective measure."
"I understand, Father."
"Our Byakugan is coveted by enemies. The Main Family does this to keep the Byakugan from falling into enemy hands. It is for the future of the Hyūga Clan."
"I understand, Father."
"This is our mission as the Branch Family. It is our destiny as the Branch Family. Someday, you will understand."
"I understand, Father…"
Crack!!
With a piercing sound as the air split, the wooden post could no longer withstand the strikes and snapped cleanly in two, splinters scattering like snow.
Neji stumbled to his knees, his long black hair falling to cover his face. He looked down at his bloodied hands, whispering in a low voice:
"I understand, Father…"
But I don't.
Why? Why can the people of the Main Family so calmly accept all this?
On what grounds can they so calmly accept all this?!
Those who torment their own kin—on what grounds do they sit upon the backs of the Branch, take everything for granted, and even cloak our sacrifice under the noble name of "destiny"?!
Creak.
The faint sound of a door sliding open shattered the silence of the courtyard.
The dim yellow lamplight spilled across the ground, and a figure stepped out, his broad shadow falling across Neji.
"Neji…"
Looking at the boy's back, Hyūga Hizashi's expression was deeply complicated.
After decades—no, centuries—of "tradition," most children of the Branch had been indoctrinated from a young age with the idea that they were born to protect the Main Family. Nearly none resisted anymore.
To rejoice at the Main Family's praise, to tremble at their anger, to rage at their sorrow—that was how it was.
Hizashi should have done the same. He should have instilled that master-servant mentality in Neji. But he never did.
In the past three years, he had sometimes regretted it. Yet whenever he saw Neji's warm, protective smile toward Hinata, he was glad he hadn't.
He hadn't wanted Neji and Hinata's bond to become twisted like his own with his elder brother.
He had hoped that, even once branded with the Caged Bird Seal, Neji would still be able to genuinely treat Hinata like a little sister.
In his eyes, Hinata's gentle nature meant she would never use the seal on Neji. They could continue as they always had.
But Hizashi had never imagined that one impulsive moment—when he himself had borne killing intent toward Hinata—would trigger everything, striking Neji with such a heavy blow and changing him so much…
"Father."
Neji stood up, hiding his wounded hands behind his back.
Hizashi came back to his senses. He reached out to gently ruffle Neji's hair, a warm smile tugging at his lips.
"Neji, you've already mastered the Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms. After some time, I'll begin teaching you the next stage of Gentle Fist."
"Yes, Father." Neji's expression remained calm, without the slightest joy.
Seeing this, Hizashi could only fall into silence, sighing inwardly.
"Go tend to your wounds," he said, glancing at Neji's hidden hand. "Don't do this again."
"…" Neji lowered his head, and after a pause, finally said softly: "Yes, Father."
As Neji stepped back into the house, Hizashi stood there, silent for a long while.
Once, he too had tried to resist so-called destiny. But he now understood—destiny was not like some enemy standing before him whose throat he could grasp.
Destiny had no weakness. It could advance, it could retreat. Neither he nor Neji could escape it.
"I only hope," Hizashi murmured as if to himself, "that as Neji grows, he'll learn to shed this resentment. All the suffering he endures now… will one day become the treasure that makes him stronger."
As his words faded, just as he was about to turn to leave, a mocking laugh drifted on the wind.
"How pitiful," someone said. "The unfortunate are always so eager to create those even more unfortunate than themselves."