Chapter 195: Father and Son Turn Against Each Other
After that person's intervention, all the Branch House heroes immediately nodded in agreement, believing his assessment completely. Their hostility toward Neji only intensified.
"Well, boy, looks like you've got nothing to say now, huh?"
"We're not some wet-behind-the-ears kids like you! When we were making our mark across the shinobi world, you were still wearing split pants!"
"We've seen it all during our years in the shinobi world. What kind of situation haven't we encountered?"
"If you think you can deceive us with clever rhetoric, you can forget about it!"
Having found some sense of superiority by shutting down Neji's arguments, the group of heroes burst into mocking laughter, their voices dripping with derision.
Even Hizashi couldn't help but furrow his brow as he advised his son, "Neji, I know you feel wronged."
"But we have to accept our fate when it's time to accept it."
"There's no way to break the Caged Bird seal. Once you're Branch House, you're Branch House for life."
Watching his father remain so defeated even after death, with none of the proud spirit Neji remembered from his childhood, Neji understood just how deeply being forced to commit suicide had broken him.
Though Hizashi had said at the time that he died for his older brother, not for the Main House—what difference did that make?
Wasn't Hiashi part of the Main House?
Neji's gaze swept across the faces of everyone present before he continued, "Since you all insist on deceiving yourselves, let me share some news with you."
"You wondered what happened to my Byakugan, didn't you?"
"The answer is simple. The Main House has finally bared its fangs and begun truly using the Caged Bird seal."
Neji explained everything about the Tenseigan—especially how the Main House had forced Branch House members to "offer" their ocular power, resulting in massive numbers of Branch House shinobi losing their Byakugan. He laid out every detail.
This revelation shocked everyone into stunned silence.
"If you don't believe me, I can take you back to the clan compound to see for yourself. I'm not the only one who lost their Byakugan—there's a whole group of us. You'll know whether I'm telling the truth or not."
The two teammates who had come with Neji stepped forward to testify, using their own experiences as evidence.
Now the assembled Branch House members could no longer continue deceiving themselves.
But even with this knowledge, different opinions emerged within the group. Some objected, but others still expressed understanding.
"Damn it!"
"How could the Main House do such a thing?"
"Actually, it's kind of acceptable, right? For the clan's survival, having the Branch House make some contributions isn't really a problem, is it?"
"Exactly! They're just offering their Byakugan, not their lives."
"What kind of talk is that? It's only called offering or sacrifice when it's voluntary! When you're forced, it's called oppression!"
"Besides, we're talking about the Byakugan! Without our Byakugan, are we even still Hyuga?"
"Nonsense! The bond between clan members lies in bloodline and connection, not whether or not you have a Byakugan!"
"And if you can't even sacrifice your Byakugan for the clan, what right do you have to call yourself Hyuga?"
The group descended into chaotic argument, voices rising until faces turned red, nearly coming to blows.
Hizashi quickly stepped forward to mediate. "Everyone, please! We're already dead. Even if the Main House has hidden the truth about the Caged Bird seal from us, what can we do about it now?"
"There's no point in arguing like this!"
His words gradually quieted the dispute, though sighs of frustration filled the air.
"That's right, we're already dead!"
"The dead should rest peacefully in the Pure Land, not meddle in the affairs of the living."
Having finally separated the two arguing factions, Hizashi turned to Neji. "Neji, you didn't tell us all this just to inform us of the truth, did you?"
"Tell me—what are you really planning?"
Neji spoke bluntly. "I'm going to save the Branch House from its enslaved fate!"
"I'm going to completely end the thousand-year curse brought by the Caged Bird seal!"
"I'm going to let all Branch House members live freely on this land, just like the Main House does!"
"I see!" Hizashi looked at his son, now grown as tall as himself, with gratified approval. "That's the spirit! You're definitely my son!"
"But how do you plan to do it?"
"Are you going to have us family heroes speak with the Main House and pressure them into changing?"
"Heh..." Neji laughed coldly, his tone dismissive. "What's there to negotiate with them?"
"Why would those Main House parasites ever willingly give up their power to enslave us?"
"If we're going to do this, we do it completely. We can't give the Main House any chance to retaliate or turn things around!"
"I'm going to launch a coup and slaughter every last Main House member!"
"Once the Main House is dead, no one will be left to continue enslaving the Branch House. The Branch House will naturally be free!"
"What?" Hizashi's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. He pointed at his own son, lips trembling so badly he could barely form words.
"You—you... How can you do something so treasonous?"
"Treasonous?" Neji raised an eyebrow, clearly displeased with his father's choice of words. "How is it treasonous?"
"The Main House has never treated us Branch House members as human beings. Are we supposed to remain loyal to them like dogs?"
"It's not that serious, not that serious." Hizashi waved his hands frantically, trying to dissuade his son from this course of action. "We're all part of the same clan, connected by blood. Why talk about humans and dogs?"
"The conflict between the Main House and Branch House is just a matter of hierarchy and status."
"Every clan has its own internal rankings. We're not the only ones."
"Yes, the Main House sometimes goes too far, but we're all family. If we show each other some tolerance and understanding, everything can be forgiven."
"Neji, don't be so extreme!"
"That's right, that's right! Boy, you're being way too extreme." The other Branch House heroes gathered around to criticize Neji as well.
"We know your heart is in the right place for the Branch House, but have you considered what kind of impact a Branch House rebellion would have on the clan? On the village?"
"Even if the Branch House rebellion succeeds, do you think the village will still trust a group that annihilated its own Main House?"
"How would the Branch House even maintain a foothold in Konoha after that?"
"Neji, you're still too young. You lack a sense of the bigger picture!"
"You said yourself that the village is facing internal and external troubles right now. It can't handle this kind of upheaval."
"You can't be so selfish! You need to think about what's best for the village as a whole!"