Over the next month, she prepared carefully. Once ready, she informed Kiba and Shino that they would take on their first mission together.
As a newly promoted Chunin, Hinata now had the qualifications to lead her team — allowing Kurenai to take on higher-ranked missions to help ease the shortage of personnel caused by Orochimaru's attack on the village.
The mission they received was rated C-rank, but Kiba immediately objected, insisting on taking a B-rank mission instead. His confidence earned him a harsh scolding from a veteran Chunin at the mission desk.
"You're still a rookie Genin!" the man snapped. "Be grateful you're even cleared for C-rank work. A B-rank mission will get you killed."
The next morning, the three met at Konoha's village gate, showed their leave permits to the guards, and set out together.
A member of the Hyuga branch family, tasked with watching over Hinata, witnessed their departure and hurried home to report to Hiashi.
Hiashi listened silently, his expression unreadable. After a long moment, he rose and walked to the dojo.
Through the slightly open doors, he saw Hanabi inside, her movements crisp and sharp as she practiced Gentle Fist. Watching her, Hiashi's eyes darkened.
After all this time, it had come full circle — and the succession of the main family would still fall to Hinata.
"Hanabi," he said softly, "stop for a moment. I need to speak with you."
Hanabi wiped the sweat from her brow and turned to him, confused.
"Father?"
They sat together on the steps outside the dojo, facing the tall tree in the courtyard. Hiashi spoke calmly, his voice carrying the weight of generations.
"Do you know what's most important for a tree? Its roots and its trunk. As long as they remain, no matter how fierce the storm or how many branches break, the tree will survive."
He paused.
"Compared to the roots and trunk, the branches and leaves only make it look beautiful. But in times of crisis, those branches and leaves must be sacrificed for the sake of the whole."
Hanabi's expression flickered with uncertainty. She understood… and yet didn't.
"Hanabi," Hiashi continued, his tone heavier, "your fate has been decided. You are the branch and the leaf. For your sister to live a better life — to protect and pass on the Byakugan — you must be prepared to sacrifice yourself for her at any time. That is your duty. Do you understand?"
Hanabi's eyes trembled.
"Father, I…"
Hiashi rested his hand gently on her head.
"This is your fate, my daughter. You must learn to accept it."
…
Word spread swiftly throughout the clan. Both the main and branch families heard what had been decreed.
Neji, upon learning the news, immediately abandoned his training and rushed to the ancestral hall.
Outside, dozens of Hyuga gathered, whispering quietly among themselves, their gazes toward Hanabi filled with pity and sorrow.
"Please wait!" Neji's voice cut through the murmurs.
All turned toward him — the prodigy of the branch family, stepping forward to defy the clan head.
"Such a decision shouldn't be made in haste. We should wait until Lady Hinata returns before proceeding!"
Hiashi's eyes narrowed.
"It's precisely because she isn't here that this must be done now. Hinata is too gentle. If she knew, she'd oppose it — she might even relinquish her inheritance."
"Father understands me best."
The calm, feminine voice froze Hiashi in place. He turned sharply.
Standing at the outer doorway of the ancestral hall was Hinata, very much present — the daughter who should have been on a mission beyond the village.
"Hinata…"
Hanabi's composure broke. She ran straight into her sister's arms, trembling.
Hinata embraced her tightly.
"Father has been acting strangely lately," she said quietly. "He kept urging me to leave the village. Even if the family was struggling, his insistence was too unusual. I suspected something was being hidden from me, so I pretended to depart — then slipped back in secret. I didn't expect this."
Hiashi said nothing.
Hinata looked up, her expression serene but her eyes blazing with resolve.
"The Byakugan is just an ability — a tool. If I must sacrifice my family's happiness, or their lives, to protect something like that…"
Her voice hardened.
"Then I would rather destroy it."
The words fell like thunder. Both the main and branch families froze in disbelief.
The Hyuga clan's greatest strength — and its greatest curse — had always been the Caged Bird Seal. Once, they had been a single loving family, unified in purpose. But that seal had divided them, binding one half in servitude to the other, twisting protection into control and kinship into hierarchy.
And now, for the first time in generations, someone from the main family had dared to question it.
"Hinata!" Hiashi's voice rose sharply, his composure slipping.
"This rule has guided our clan for thousands of years! Do you mean to rebel? This tradition has endured for generations — without it, the Hyuga would not exist! As the heiress of the main family, as the one who benefits most from this system, you have neither the right nor the standing to oppose it!"
Hinata's pale eyes hardened.
"Qualified or not, strength is the only true measure."
Her Byakugan flared open, veins rippling around her temples, and a fierce aura filled the hall. The oppressive stillness made everyone present stiffen. For the first time, the family saw the true steel behind her gentleness — a side of Hinata they had never imagined.
Hiashi's anger faded into a deep frown. His tone softened slightly.
"Without order, there can be no clan. Rules exist for a reason."
"Then please give me time, Father," Hinata said firmly. "I'll find a way to change things. But until then, you must not place the Caged Bird Seal on Hanabi!"
Hiashi exhaled deeply, rubbing his temples. He exchanged glances with the clan elders. After a quiet discussion, they finally nodded in reluctant agreement.
A verbal compromise was reached — until Hanabi turned twelve and officially became a genin, the Caged Bird Seal would not be discussed again.
As the crowd dispersed, murmurs rippled through both branch and main family members. Some looked thoughtful, others troubled. The elders merely shook their heads and left in silence.
Hinata rested a reassuring hand on Hanabi's shoulder, gave Neji a faint nod, and turned to leave.
"Onee-sama!" Hanabi called, chasing after her — but by the time she reached the door, Hinata was already gone.
Neji watched quietly, then said with rare sincerity,
"You have a good sister."
With that, he turned and headed toward the training grounds, where Rock Lee was already waiting. As he practiced, Neji felt a quiet conviction stir in him — that fate could, indeed, be changed. Whether by one's own will or by the will of another, change was possible.
Hinata, having regained her calm, entered Ten-Tails Chakra Mode and accelerated at full speed. Her glowing figure streaked through the trees like a beam of white light, catching up to Kiba and Shino, who were waiting for her by the roadside.
Kiba frowned when he saw her.
"What was that about? You ran off without saying a word — I thought you were ditching us for another mission!"
Hinata waved her hands quickly.
"Of course not! I just… forgot something important."
Kiba huffed.
"Seriously… you're unbelievable."
Hinata smiled faintly.
"A D-rank mission wouldn't suit us, but even a C-rank can be dangerous. I can't relax completely while you two are in charge."
Kiba bristled immediately.
"Hey! Don't butt in, Hinata! Shino and I can handle this ourselves. We'll prove what we can do!"
Hinata hesitated.
"Are you sure?"
"Don't you dare interfere!" Kiba shouted, his pride flaring. "Otherwise, I'll get mad for real!"
Hinata sighed softly and nodded.
"Alright… I'll trust you."
Kiba turned to Shino, seeking agreement. Shino remained silent for a moment, then gave a small nod.
"Good!" Kiba raised a fist. "Let's move out. A C-rank mission like this? Piece of cake! You'll see!"
Unable to contain his excitement, Kiba charged ahead with Akamaru close behind. Shino followed at a steady pace, and Hinata brought up the rear — reading as she walked. The book in her hands contained annotations on sealing techniques.
The deeper she studied, the more profound and mysterious the art seemed.
Seals could bind chakra, souls, beasts, even elemental forces like fire and water. In the right hands, they could imprison anything — living or not.
And that was precisely why Hinata had pursued the art in the first place: to deal with beings like Orochimaru, who could not be killed by ordinary means.