"Goodbye, Naruto-kun."
Hinata stood beneath the gate of the Hyūga compound, waving reluctantly. Her small figure seemed fragile, carrying with it a faint sense of sadness.
Naruto suspected it might be connected to the secrets of the Hyūga main family, but he didn't dwell on it. To him, only the present mattered.
The warm, living Hinata before him wasn't just some two-dimensional paper girl. He could feel the tension and gloom hidden behind her smile—like a girl dancing with shackles on her ankles.
"Goodbye, Hinata." Naruto waved back.
Hinata nodded, took a couple of steps into the darkness, then turned her head once more.
"Thank you, Naruto-kun. I had a wonderful time today."
"Me too."
The next morning, before dawn, Naruto woke up. Rubbing his eyes, he opened his system panel and began updating the Ninja God's Diary. Yesterday's events were already forgotten, his spirit refreshed.
"August 16th: My desire to destroy the shinobi world grew a little stronger today. Once again, no long legs to be seen. The Hyūga clan's Caged Bird Seal is the most disgusting slave system I've ever encountered—turning family into slaves. A thousand years and the seal still hasn't been reformed? The original purpose of protecting the branch family has long been twisted."
Send.
Naruto shook his head, yawned, and collapsed back into bed for more sleep.
Above Konoha.
A moment of silence—then shrieks rang out!
The entire village exploded into chaos. Yesterday's diary entry had left the higher-ups rattled. Today's? It was a bombshell.
The bedside lamp flicked on. The Konoha council meeting had dragged on until 2 a.m., but only three hours later, Inoichi Yamanaka was forced to get up again.
"Inoichi, must you go? I'm worried," murmured his wife, Lieno Yamanaka, weary in the dim light.
"It'll be fine." Inoichi dressed calmly, reassuring her. "Normally, the Ino-Shika-Chō would only need Shikaku to represent us—he speaks for all three clans. But you know as well as I do, that message appearing directly in our minds is bizarre. Our Yamanaka clan are the only ones proficient in mind-related jutsu. If I don't go, it'll look suspicious."
"Then do be careful," Lieno replied softly.
After a pause, her voice came again. As she slipped into her robe and rose from bed, she asked:
"Inoichi… do you think what that Ninja God wrote is true?"
Inoichi had no answer. He let out a long sigh, replying vaguely:
"Probably not. A so-called Ninja God couldn't possibly exist. Someone's behind this, stirring the pot. Either way, the village will investigate and give everyone an explanation."
"Lieno," he said as he finished dressing, pausing at the door to look back at her. "Spend some time with our daughter. Ino must be terrified."
"Mm. Be careful on the road."
Bang. The door closed.
Out in the streets, Konoha was already in turmoil. Villagers crowded together, faces pale, whispering in fear about the Ninja God's Diary.
"The Ninja God really exists? Two days now—it doesn't feel fake anymore," muttered a villager nervously.
"Who knows? The village hasn't given an explanation yet, but to me, it doesn't seem fake," said the dango vendor, standing at his shop door with dark circles under his eyes.
"Because of this, I couldn't sleep a wink last night. Who can rest easy like this?"
"Exactly. And where is the Hokage? Not a word from him until now," another sighed.
"Then… do you think what the Ninja God said is true?" one villager asked in a hushed voice. "About that person's secrets… and about the Hyūga clan…"
At those words, the nervous villager paled, glancing around before whispering, "Food you can eat carelessly, but words—never. If ANBU overhear, you'll be dragged away. As for the Hyūga… better keep that to yourself."
"Yeah, best not to talk about such things," another agreed.
Passing by, Inoichi caught every word. His expression grew heavier. He had long known of the Hyūga's slave system—and yes, it was repulsive.
To turn your own kin into slaves—that was taboo, a truth so dark that even those who knew refused to speak of it. Over time, most of the village had become ignorant. Only those who survived the Third Shinobi War still remembered clearly.
The so-called Caged Bird Curse Mark. Those branded could be punished or killed instantly should they even think of defying the main family.
That was the Hyūga clan's reality: only the eldest child of the main branch became the heir. All others? Branch family—slaves.
Absolute obedience. Absolute loyalty. A single thought from the main family, and betrayal ended with instant brain death.
In moments of life and death, the branch was forced to sacrifice themselves to protect the main. Because of this, the Byakugan bloodline endured, surviving at all costs.
And yet… in Hiashi Hyūga's generation, things seemed odd. The eldest daughter hadn't been formally established as main family. The second daughter hadn't been sealed into the branch family either. Everything was being… delayed.
Why? Inoichi didn't know. Nor did he care to.
His only focus was finding whoever called themselves the Ninja God—and restoring peace to the village. At least, peace on the surface. What roiled beneath didn't matter.
The Hyūga compound was suffocatingly silent. The air heavier than ever.
At dawn, sunlight pierced the courtyard. Neji Hyūga sat before a mirror, calmly staring at the green glow of the Caged Bird seal etched into his forehead.
"Ahh~ I slept so well!"
Naruto yawned, stretching in his bear-print pajamas.
The so-called evil Ninja God scratched his backside without a shred of dignity, then shuffled off to wash up. Staring at his messy, spiky hair in the mirror, he yawned again and muttered:
"Still got fourteen D-rank missions undone. Guess I'll grab one today, before they figure out I've been letting someone else do them for me…"