Chapter 11: Swear Allegiance to Me!

This pain, as if ten thousand shuriken were stabbing into his brain, was something Hizashi had only just experienced a short while ago.

It happened when he was watching Hinata’s training. He had revealed a deep murderous intent toward the gifted Hinata, which was sensed by Hyuga Hiashi standing nearby, who then activated the "Caged Bird" to punish him.

And he did it right in front of Neji.

But why would the mysterious person before him know the hand seals to activate the "Caged Bird" curse mark?

This was arguably the Hyuga Main House’s most core secret, one that had never leaked in hundreds of years, passed down only by word of mouth between successive clan heads and elders.

It was absolutely impossible for anyone outside the Main House to know it!

Moreover, in the hundreds of years since the "Caged Bird" curse mark was born, there had never been any record of someone outside the Main House being able to use it!

Yet, the person before him was shattering Hyuga Hizashi’s traditional understanding of the Hyuga clan time and time again!

As Uzumaki Menma finished his hand seals, the splitting headache in Hizashi’s head finally eased significantly.

"You are not a member of the Hyuga clan!" Hyuga Hizashi panted, looking at the mysterious person before him with lingering fear; this was the only thing he could be certain of.

"And you are not one of those who slaughtered my Hyuga clan in the past!" Unknowingly, Hyuga Hizashi had already accepted the "historical truth" instilled in him by Uzumaki Menma.

It wasn't as if the Byakugan had never leaked out of the Hyuga clan before; for instance, Ao of the Hidden Mist had seized the Byakugan of a Hyuga Main House ninja during the Third Shinobi World War, earning himself the reputation of "Byakugan Killer."

But these were absolute minority incidents, nowhere near enough to explain the large-scale implementation of the "Caged Bird" within the Hyuga clan.

Therefore, only an external enemy powerful enough to be difficult for the Hyuga clan to contend with could explain how the "Caged Bird" came to be.

"Your goal is that eyeball fused from a large number of Byakugan, isn't it!" Hyuga Hizashi recalled the power of that giant eyeball, his voice trembling slightly.

He was not a mediocre man; on the contrary, Hizashi was very intelligent—intelligent enough that, even after being forced to commit suicide, he left behind a so-called "last testament" instructing Neji not to resent the Main House.

But this testament had remained in Hiashi’s hands, and it wasn't until the first Chunin Exams that Hiashi finally gave it to Neji.

Was this not, in its own way, Hizashi’s protection of Neji?

"You are very smart. That is one of the reasons I chose you instead of your brother." Uzumaki Menma did not deny his ambition.

The existence of the giant Tenseigan was equivalent to a space-based weapon that could launch attacks on the ninja world directly from the moon, while the people of the ninja world had no power to fight back.

Naturally, Uzumaki Menma wanted to hold such a weapon of mass destruction in his own hands.

When he was in the "Road to Ninja" world, he had also searched for traces of the giant Tenseigan and the "Otsutsuki clan" on the moon, but unfortunately, after scouring the Hyuga clan’s archives in that world, he had found nothing.

Hearing the other party compare him to his brother, Hizashi’s knuckles turned white.

"You are no worse than him, and I can feel that you should have already mastered the essence of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. So why didn't you use it in the previous battle?" Uzumaki Menma continued to provoke Hizashi with his words.

That’s right...

Recalling the previous battle, if it hadn't been for the sense of impending death brought about by the mysterious person attacking his blind spot, Hizashi would never have used the Rotation.

"I... am not worse than him..." Hizashi muttered to himself.

This had been his mental illness for over twenty years.

Just because he was born a dozen minutes later, he, as a twin, was relegated to the Branch House. Not only was the Caged Bird carved into his forehead, preventing him from learning higher-level Gentle Fist taijutsu and Hyuga secret techniques, but even his children and his descendants would be branded with the "Caged Bird" for generations to come!

"Pledge your loyalty to me." Uzumaki Menma, wearing a white three-eyed fox mask, walked up to Hyuga Hizashi and extended his right hand, forming a seal with one hand.

"Caged Seal!" As the hand seal was completed, Menma’s right hand covered Hizashi’s forehead.

A dark, tyrannical chakra surged into Hizashi’s brain, temporarily sealing the "Caged Bird" curse mark.

In an instant, Hyuga Hizashi felt a clarity he had never experienced before, and—

Freedom!

Although the "Caged Bird" curse mark on Hizashi’s forehead had not been completely erased, it had dimmed significantly.

The lingering pain from earlier vanished instantly, and the blind spot behind his head was gone; he had regained his 360-degree Byakugan vision!

Tears flowed from Hyuga Hizashi’s Byakugan, slowly sliding down his cheeks.

He had almost forgotten what this 360-degree Byakugan sensation felt like.

This long-lost freedom caused Hyuga Hizashi, who had been dormant and almost resigned to his fate for over twenty years, to stir once again.

"This technique will only last for 24 hours." Uzumaki Menma withdrew his right hand.

This was a seal he had specifically researched to counter the "Caged Bird," utilizing the sealing talent of the Uzumaki clan during his time in the "Road to Ninja" world.

In fact, the principle was simple: curse marks like the "Caged Bird" were primarily a combination of sealing techniques and chakra. Such a curse mark was like a parasite, living on the target and feeding on their chakra to maintain its existence.

Therefore, as long as one was proficient in sealing techniques and conducted dedicated research, it was natural to be able to develop a seal that could temporarily suppress the "Caged Bird."

But it was only a temporary suppression.

However, Uzumaki Menma had at least three ways to completely erase the "Caged Bird"—three!

It was just a pity that these methods could not be tested in the "Road to Ninja" world.

And besides, who would dare to research such a simple sealing technique?

The Uzumaki clan, who were proficient in sealing techniques, had been destroyed, and the number of ninjas in Konoha proficient in sealing techniques could be counted on one hand.

Any Hyuga ninja who had the opportunity to approach sealing techniques would be stopped by the Main House immediately.

Hyuga Hizashi raised his hand to touch the "Caged Bird" on his forehead, feeling this rare freedom.

"Do you want to be a coward for the rest of your life, or do you want to be a hero of the Branch House? Even if it’s only for a few minutes." Uzumaki Menma dispelled the illusion space and vanished from Hizashi’s sight.

Hizashi was back in the hospital room, but the glaring sunlight shining in from the bright window gave him an unreal illusion.

After experiencing multiple illusions, he found it difficult to distinguish whether this was reality or the world of illusions.

Hizashi activated his Byakugan, feeling the regained 360-degree perspective, and felt a sense of exhilaration he had never known before.

"Is this... the scent of freedom?" Hizashi thought of his child.

When Neji was wailing in pain during the ceremony where the "Caged Bird" was carved into him, he, as a father, could only kneel to the side and watch with worry.

He thought of the Branch House members who had been branded with the Caged Bird, those pairs of Byakugan with deep-seated resentment hidden beneath their numbness.

And, his own biological brother, Hyuga Hiashi, who was destined to be superior just because he was born earlier than him!

"Be a coward for a lifetime, or... a hero for a few minutes?" The mysterious person’s whisper coiled around Hizashi’s heart like a venomous snake.