Hyuga Main Family Residence
The Hokage's guards all assumed that since Naruto Uzumaki had just come into power, the young Hokage's inexperience would make him awkward when dealing with people. They figured his discussion with the head of the Hyuga clan would be clumsy, and might even cause the clan head to look down on him.
On that point, they were completely wrong.
Naruto Uzumaki casually took the teacup from Hiashi Hyuga, took a slow, deliberate sip, and frowned slightly. "Lord Hiashi, the tea you're drinking this year… is it still the Gyokuro grown on the tea mountains in the southeastern part of the Land of Fire?"
"...It is."
Hearing this, Hiashi Hyuga couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine. Had the young man before him sent people to investigate even such minor details? How much other information did he have on the Hyuga?
"Mm."
The young Hokage set down his teacup, his fingers tapping against the rim with a soft clink. He then raised the first question he had come to ask. "I've heard that the Hyuga clan has always inscribed the Caged Bird curse mark on its branch family members. Is this to ensure the branch family cannot defy the main family?"
The question was sharp.
The corners of Hiashi Hyuga's eyes tightened instinctively. He looked at the young man sitting calmly at the table and said in a deep voice, "The Caged Bird is a tradition of the Hyuga clan. Besides upholding the authority of the main family, its most important purpose is to protect our family's kekkei genkai from being obtained by enemies."
"Oh?"
Naruto Uzumaki raised an eyebrow, his gaze unwavering. "Is that because the Hyuga clan is too weak to retrieve a lost Byakugan on its own?"
"..."
Hiashi Hyuga was silent for a moment, his expression growing darker. He gritted his teeth and said, "Yes. The Lord Hokage is correct."
He realized he had overthought things. Even if Naruto had shown some kindness to the Hyuga in the past, perhaps thinking of winning them over, now that he was confirmed as the successor, he would still choose to suppress them.
"In the future, the Hyuga clan can abolish the Caged Bird."
Naruto Uzumaki raised a finger, pressed it to his brow, and continued softly, "From now on, the village will take on the responsibility of retrieving the Hyuga's Byakugan. No matter which ninja village takes a Byakugan, I will help you get it back."
As soon as these words were spoken, Hiashi Hyuga's face turned ashen.
In an instant, the veins around his Byakugan bulged, but his vision was met with a chakra so powerful it made resistance impossible. The Hyuga clan head had no choice but to deactivate his Byakugan.
"Lord Hokage, your idea is a bit… simplistic."
Although Hiashi said "simplistic," he actually meant it was utterly naive. He wished he could splash the tea in his hand right in Naruto's face.
Empty promises. Would Konoha really start a war over a single pair of Byakugan? This new Hokage wasn't trying to win over the Hyuga main family at all; he wanted to win over the numerous branch family members by destroying the Caged Bird system.
Hiashi Hyuga suppressed his anger, downing his tea in one gulp. His voice was filled with fury. "Has the Lord Hokage heard a story? Eight years ago, when the envoy from the Cloud Village came to sign a peace treaty, he tried to abduct my daughter, Hinata. I killed him with my Gentle Fist.
"However, the Cloud Village used this as a pretext to demand Konoha hand over my body, scheming to obtain the main family's Byakugan. Otherwise, the war between our villages would continue.
"In order to allow the treaty to be signed, the Third Hokage, a pacifist, argued that a war with heavy casualties shouldn't continue over one person. The Konoha elders had our Hyuga clan resolve the matter ourselves. In the end, my own younger brother, Neji's father, chose to sacrifice himself…"
Crack!
As Hiashi Hyuga spoke, his face grew colder. With a sudden burst of strength, he crushed the teacup in his hand. "Lord Hokage, do you think I should believe your promise?"
"That cup must not have been cheap, right?"
Naruto's eye twitched. Looking at the fragments, he thought to himself, If I remember correctly, my father-in-law loves his tea sets more than anything…
"..."
Hiashi Hyuga's face twitched. Was this really the time to be talking about how expensive the cup was? Still, this tea set was a limited edition, and its price was indeed considerable.
More importantly, aside from scolding his younger daughter, his greatest pleasure was polishing the cup with tea grounds, creating a layer of patina over time. He had been nurturing this teacup for many years. Thinking about it, it really did hurt a little.
However, facing this rather forceful Hokage, Hiashi still put on a brave face. "No need to worry. The Hyuga clan has plenty of money!"
"Mm…"
The young Hokage nodded and returned to their previous topic. "I am different from the Third Hokage. I would risk my own life to protect a single comrade in this village, rather than compromise with an enemy."
"I find that hard to believe…"
"Let me finish."
Naruto Uzumaki tapped the table and continued, "I just saw Hinata and Hanabi. According to the rules of the Hyuga main and branch families, one of them should be branded with the Caged Bird curse mark, correct?"
"That's right." Hiashi pondered for a moment, then spoke frankly. "My younger daughter, Hanabi, will become the heiress of the main family. As for Hinata, she will be marked with the Caged Bird and become a branch family member."
He had been contemplating this for a long time. In the past, he had shown Hinata enough patience, but his daughter was too disappointing. She let him down time and again, unable to even defeat her own younger sister. A ninja without strength will naturally be abandoned.
Naruto's fingers were still tapping on the table. He said softly, "In that case, Hinata will marry me. I assume the Hyuga main family wouldn't want to use the Caged Bird to control the Hokage's wife, would they?"
As he spoke the last words, his fingertip was still tapping on the tabletop. A surge of chakra seeped into the tea table, destroying its internal structure from within.
When his finger tapped the table again, the entire thing instantly disintegrated, turning into a pile of dust that collapsed onto the floor.
"Lord Hokage… this is not funny!" Hiashi Hyuga's brows furrowed as he sternly refuted, "The Hyuga clan will never allow the Byakugan to be married out! Even though Hinata is my daughter, her destiny is set…"
"Think clearly before you answer me."
Naruto Uzumaki interrupted him, slowly raising his head to look into those pure white eyes. "My power is stronger than the First Hokage's. So, look into your heart, and then tell me the correct answer. Either abolish the Caged Bird, starting with Hinata and Hanabi, or refuse me right now."
"Is the Lord Hokage not afraid of causing internal strife?" Hiashi Hyuga froze in place, covered in sweat.
A playful smile appeared on Naruto's face. "Back when Konoha was at its weakest and nearly forced you to your death, Lord Hiashi, the Hyuga clan did not choose to resist. Do you think the Hyuga have anyone who would resist now?"
When the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha threatened the Hyuga to either join Konoha or leave the Land of Fire, their ancestors didn't resist. When Hiruzen Sarutobi and the elders forced the Hyuga to hand over the body of their main family head, the entire clan didn't resist.
Would they resist now?
Perhaps the Hyuga clan was important in the Jonin trust vote for the Hokage succession, but that small bit of importance was worthless in front of someone truly powerful. The young man sitting before him was strong enough to defeat three Hokage by himself. How could he possibly allow anyone to oppose him?
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Inside the Seal Space
The tall figure in the divine Hokage robe was also covered in sweat. "Kurama, I'm being so forceful. Will this cause any problems? If something goes wrong today, Granny Tsunade and Pervy Sage will kill me!"
"Hahahaha…" The wicked Nine-Tails laughed loudly before grinning. "Don't worry, Naruto. The weak always submit to the strong. Cutting the Gordian knot is the best way!"
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Back in the room
Hiashi Hyuga's expression shifted rapidly for a moment. Then, he suddenly spoke. "I have only one question. Is the Lord Hokage's proposal to marry Hinata… serious?"
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Bonus:
Naruto: So cool!
Hinata: Was scaring my father really that fun?
Naruto: Hey, you don't get it. When I used to visit your family, I always got the cold shoulder from your dad and sister!
Hinata: Hm?
Naruto: So happy! I finally get to be this tough!
Hinata: Huh?
Naruto: What's with that look?
Hinata: Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm