"Hmph, look at this disgraceful fellow. A member of the Hyuga clan actually practicing Steel Fist!"
The one who walked into Kirito's residence was none other than a group of Hyuga clan elders.
The branch family Kirito belonged to had, for generations, been responsible for guarding the direct heirs of the main family. Among the branch families, their line actually held a fairly high standing. At the very least, in the eyes of the other branch members, Kirito's lineage was the one closest to the main house.
One could tell just by looking at where he lived. A spacious room and even a small courtyard—living conditions that rivaled some members of the main family.
However, after Kirito's parents both sacrificed their lives in loyal service to the main house, everything changed. Kirito, their only son, was born unable to awaken the Byakugan. A useless failure in the eyes of the clan.
Letting such a person continue living in such a good place naturally made many Hyuga clan members unhappy. So they began looking for ways to drive the eyesore known as Kirito out of the clan.
As for Kirito himself, he honestly didn't care much about any of this.
To be frank, if someone from the main house simply said the word, he would move out immediately without the slightest psychological burden.
Seeing the Hyuga clan elders gathered at his doorway, Kirito immediately stopped practicing his Steel Fist. There was no fear or disgust in his expression. Calmly and naturally, he performed the proper greeting of a junior toward his elders.
However, Kirito's composed and dignified demeanor only made the elders even more displeased.
In their eyes, their status within the Hyuga clan was extraordinary. Naturally, they believed clan members should fear them.
If someone from the main house behaved this way, they would praise them for being calm and steady.
But when a branch family member did it, they would call it a lack of respect for hierarchy.
And Kirito? Not only was he from the branch family, he was also the shame of the Hyuga clan. Yet upon seeing them, he showed no fear, no shame, no panic—just a calm and ordinary expression.
Unyielding yet respectful. That phrase wasn't meant for someone like him.
Although they were unhappy, they couldn't openly reprimand him for this. After all, the Hyuga clan rules never stated that branch family juniors must grovel before their elders.
The leading elder cleared his throat and said coldly,
"Hyuga Kirito, starting today, you are to move out of the Hyuga clan immediately."
He intended to establish dominance right from the start, catching Kirito off guard with a blunt declaration.
"I understand."
Kirito's response completely exceeded the elders' expectations.
In their imagination, upon hearing this verdict, Kirito should have felt like he'd been struck by a bolt from the blue—crying and begging on his knees for them to reconsider.
Of course, even then they might not have changed their decision.
But now? Kirito agreed without hesitation.
It felt as if they had punched cotton. The elders couldn't help but feel frustrated.
"Hmph! Hyuga Kirito, you understand what this means, don't you?" one elder snorted. "From now on, you are forbidden from using the name of the Hyuga clan for anything. And you will never again receive the protection of the Hyuga clan!"
Kirito simply nodded calmly.
In truth, he had never used the Hyuga name to do anything outside. As a branch family member, he had never enjoyed any so-called clan protection either.
"…Good. As long as you understand."
Seeing Kirito still so calm only made the leading elder more irritated. He added another sentence.
"Oh, and one more thing. Anything that belongs to the Hyuga clan—you are not allowed to take even a single coin with you!"
Kirito nodded again.
Originally, every Hyuga clan member could collect a monthly allowance from the steward for daily living expenses. But a year ago, after the steward deliberately withheld his allowance, Kirito simply stopped going to collect it.
All the money he needed for living expenses came from part-time work he did outside the clan.
"..."
Kirito's easy acceptance left the elders confused.
After all, when the steward withheld his allowance, Kirito hadn't made a fuss or reported it. Because of that, very few people in the Hyuga clan even knew about the incident. And the lofty elders certainly wouldn't bother paying attention to such trivial matters.
Kirito turned out to be unexpectedly easy to "deal with."
The elders looked at each other awkwardly.
They had prepared a stomach full of sarcastic remarks beforehand. But now Kirito hadn't protested or argued with them at all.
All those carefully prepared taunts could only rot in their stomachs.
"Hmph! That's all. Take care of yourself, Hyuga Kirito!"
The reason they didn't strip him of the Hyuga surname wasn't out of pity. Looking through the entire history of the Hyuga clan, there had never been anyone expelled while also being deprived of their surname.
Such punishment was reserved for the most unforgivable criminals.
The Hyuga clan was extremely proud of its long-standing traditions and honorable history. How could they allow a useless failure like Kirito to break that precedent?
There was also another detail worth mentioning.
From a young age, every member of the Hyuga branch family was branded with the "Caged Bird" curse seal—a mark that placed their fate under the control of the main house.
The original purpose of the Caged Bird seal was to protect the Hyuga clan's bloodline limit, the Byakugan, from being stolen or studied by outsiders.
Once a branch family member died, the seal would automatically activate, permanently sealing the power of the Byakugan.
Ten years ago, Kumogakure had used extremely underhanded methods to obtain the intact corpse of a Hyuga clan member. Even so, they still failed to uncover the secret of the Byakugan because of this seal.
Furthermore, every member of the main family possessed a secret technique capable of controlling the Caged Bird seal.
If a branch family member ever dared to rebel against the main house, the seal could be activated to decide their life or death instantly.
More than eighty percent of the Hyuga clan consisted of branch family members, yet they were controlled by the remaining twenty percent of the main family for this very reason.
Of course, another major factor was that the main family possessed purer bloodlines. Their inheritance of the bloodline limit was more complete, and their talent and potential were generally far superior to most branch family members.
Though naturally, this wasn't absolute.
The relationship between the main family and branch family won't be explained further here.
Returning to the main point—because the Caged Bird seal was designed specifically for the Byakugan, the foundation of the technique required the Byakugan as a prerequisite.
And since Kirito, despite being a branch family member, had never awakened the Byakugan, the Caged Bird seal could not be placed on him at all.