"How would they play dirty?"
Both Uchiha Izumi and Uchiha Ashikaga turned their eyes toward Uchiha Rokuro.
Uchiha Rokuro chuckled softly.
"There are plenty of ways. You'll see soon enough. For now, I'm going over there—can't just let Captain Hizashi's side suffer a loss."
He grabbed two steamed buns and stood to leave, but his mother, Uchiha Ashikaga, caught him by the arm.
"Uchiha Rokuro, are you sure you want to go? You know what this means—once you show yourself, there's no going back to the shadows!"
"Mom," Uchiha Rokuro said calmly, "the moment I promised Captain Hizashi that I'd help him remove the Caged Bird Seal, my fate was already sealed. Whether it ends with the Branch House overthrowing the Main, or the Main House crushing them in retaliation, once they investigate afterward, they'll know it was me who lifted the curse."
Ashikaga's brows furrowed, but she could only sigh in resignation.
"Don't worry," Uchiha Rokuro said with a faint smile. "It's time I stepped into the open anyway. Everything I've done is for the Uchiha. And if the Uchiha want to change our current rat-in-the-gutter status, we can't rely solely on ourselves—we need allies. And the Hyūga are perfect for that. I can't just stand by."
Ashikaga exhaled deeply, then released his arm.
Uchiha Rokuro stepped out of the basement and activated the Flying Thunder God Technique, reappearing near the Hyūga Clan's ancestral estate. The instant he arrived, dozens of Byakugan eyes turned in his direction.
There was no helping it—tensions between the Branch and Main Houses were about to explode, and nearly every Hyūga on the grounds had their Byakugan activated. With over two hundred living radars sweeping the area, hiding was impossible.
Fortunately, the visual effect of the Flying Thunder God resembled the Body Flicker Technique. Since the Hyūga weren't staring fixedly in that direction, most assumed Uchiha Rokuro had simply used an extremely fast flicker, not teleportation.
"Quite the crowd here," Uchiha Rokuro said, smiling lightly. "Captain Hizashi, do you need a hand?"
Since he had already been spotted, there was no point in concealing himself. He strode straight in.
Nearly half of the Branch House members had met Uchiha Rokuro before, and those who hadn't at least knew he was the one who had lifted the Caged Bird Seal. Instinctively, they bowed to him in respect.
As a younger shinobi, Uchiha Rokuro naturally returned each greeting with courtesy.
This behavior, however, made the Main House shinobi narrow their eyes in suspicion—then, realization struck.
"Uchiha Uchiha Rokuro," barked the Hyūga's Great Elder, his voice sharp, "was it you who broke the Caged Bird Seal?"
Uchiha Rokuro shrugged with a smile.
"Looks like you're not completely senile. Yes, it was me. Captain Hizashi was my instructor; we've fought side by side as comrades, bound by true loyalty. Watching him suffer under that cursed seal, growing old before his time—I couldn't stand by. Helping him was simply an act of the Will of Fire."
"Rubbish!" the Great Elder spat. "The Caged Bird is a sacred Hyūga tradition! What right does an Uchiha have to interfere in our affairs?!"
Captain Hyūga Hizashi stepped forward, his glare cold and fierce.
"The Caged Bird was never a tradition—it was a distortion of history by the Main House! Great Elder, you lived through the Warring States era; you know the truth. Yet you dare lie through your teeth to protect your power? You shame the Hyūga name! You're the true sinner of this clan—unworthy of the Hyūga name, and unworthy of those eyes you claim to protect!"
"You! Traitor!" the Great Elder shouted, veins bulging at his temples. "Men! Seize Hyūga Hizashi!"
His roar echoed across the courtyard, but no one moved.
The truth was simple—after decades of privilege, the Main House had gone soft.
In the old days, some of them at least had a sense of family honor. They believed that as the Main House, their privilege came with duty—that they should lead by example and earn respect through strength.
But after the Third Shinobi War—when a Main House member's Byakugan was stolen by Kirigakure—it all changed. Though the Branch House shinobi who failed to protect him were punished, the incident terrified the pampered elites.
From that point on, the Main House became a nest of cowards.
They avoided the battlefield, took only safe D- or C-rank missions, and gradually, even the once-strong became weak.
So now, even as the Great Elder bellowed for aid, not one Main House shinobi dared step forward.
Laughter burst from the Branch House side—harsh, scornful, liberating.
The Great Elder's already grotesque face turned purple with rage. He looked as though smoke might start pouring from his ears.
"You worthless ingrates!" he roared. "Fine! Kill Hyūga Hizashi and his rebels!"
He jabbed a trembling finger toward a group of Branch House "loyalists"—the ones like Hyūga Tetsu, his hired hounds. But in truth, only a handful were genuinely loyal.
After all, when there are too many leeches, there's not enough blood to go around.
Most of these so-called loyalists were glorified errand boys—lapdogs who got a sip of soup while their masters feasted. Now that they were being told to risk their lives, they balked.
To quote a line from an old action film:
"Who'd risk their life for a few hundred ryō a month?"
And indeed—few people fight for scraps.
So despite all his screaming, only a few of the Branch lackeys moved. Tetsu, who had initially stepped forward, froze when he saw no one backing him up.
The Great Elder was livid. Face twisted, he formed seals—and triggered the Caged Bird Curse Mark.
"Argh!"
One of the Branch lackeys collapsed, clutching his head, blood gushing from his eyes, nose, and mouth. Within three seconds, he lay dead—his Byakugan destroyed.
The Great Elder's face contorted into a demonic grin.
"See that?! If you don't obey, this is what happens! The Caged Bird doesn't just control you—it can reach across any distance! Defy me, and not only you, but your entire families will die with you! Now attack!"
Fear and fury twisted through the Branch lackeys' hearts as they stared at their dead comrade.
"Monster!" Hizashi shouted, trembling with rage. "You call yourself Hyūga? You're worse than a beast!"
The Great Elder sneered, reveling in the chaos.
"Oh? Just moments ago you said I was unworthy of the Hyūga name. Then what does it matter what I do? They're just Branch trash—expendable pawns! The Main House is the core of the Hyūga clan! A few dead Branch dogs mean nothing! Now fight, or your families die screaming!"
He turned back toward Hizashi, his voice dripping with venom.
"And as for you—this little revolt of yours was meant to 'liberate' the Branch House, wasn't it? To give these lower-class worms their freedom? Then let's see it! When they attack you—will you kill them, or let them kill you? If you strike back, it proves you're no better than me—just another hypocrite drunk on self-righteousness!"
He grinned wickedly.
"Come on, Hizashi. Show me that noble heart of yours. Kill them. I know you can."
END OF CHAPTER
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