chapter 73 part 2
Tsukasa Kaede looked up, taking a deep gaze at the faintly visible Moon.
Ōtsutsuki, Hyuga Clan, Tenseigan...
In truth, the exact era of the Caged Bird Seal's origin is impossible to ascertain, but at least one thing proves its necessity: the Hyuga Clan still continues to exist.
Yes, it's that simple.
As descendants of Hamura Otsutsuki, one group traveled to the Moon, fought a civil war where the Branch House annihilated the Main House, extracted the Byakugan of all Otsutsuki Clan descendants, and assembled a Giant Tenseigan.
The group that settled in the Shinobi World became the Hyuga Clan, using the Caged Bird Seal to bind most of its members, ensuring the Byakugan would never fall into outside hands, much less be extracted and used by others.
If the Hyuga Clan were like their kin on the Moon, with the Main House having no means to control the Branch House, it's hard to say what might have happened. Perhaps over these thousand years, some genius Hyuga Clan member might indeed have discovered that Byakugan could be combined and fused, leading them to exterminate all their clan members.
The Uchiha Clan could discover that the Three-Tomoe Sharingan could evolve into the Mangekyo Sharingan, and Madara even discovered that transplanting his younger brother's eyes could evolve into the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. It would be normal for the Hyuga Clan to make discoveries over a millennium of activity.
Tsukasa Kaede instantly saw through Iroha's little scheme.
"Let me tell you one more thing: my Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu can activate all the dead cells in a deceased person's body. You know what this means, don't you, even though I don't know much about the Caged Bird Seal," Tsukasa Kaede said calmly.
Iroha understood instantly.
It meant that deceased Hyuga Branch House members, whose eyes lost their function due to the Caged Bird Seal's activation, might have their Byakugan restored after being resurrected by Tsukasa Kaede.
This is truly game-changing.
If Kato Dan, with his level of injury, could be perfectly resurrected by piling on various rotten organs, then it stands to reason that when a Branch House member is resurrected, their Byakugan might also be revived.
"However, don't hold absolute hope. Whether it will actually succeed is still uncertain. At the very least, I need to study the Caged Bird Seal," Tsukasa Kaede stated.
Hyuga Iroha took a deep breath: "Understood, Lord Tsukasa Kaede. This is a matter of great importance, potentially influencing the fate of our clan. I need to think this through carefully."
"You will agree. Even if you don't, there will always be Branch House members unwilling to accept their fate who will take risks. Joining forces with me is only a matter of time."
Tsukasa Kaede smiled and patted Iroha's shoulder. Today's events had been too stimulating for this junior; he could give him ample time to think.
Besides, Iroha himself was never the one who could make the final decision.
"Lord Tsukasa Kaede, someone is approaching us," Iroha said in a low voice.
Tsukasa Kaede nodded: "I know. Showing up only now, they're cautious enough."
A squad of Root Ninja appeared before Tsukasa Kaede, kneeling on one knee, displaying flawless conduct. Iroha naturally assumed these "Anbu" were Lord Tsukasa Kaede's subordinates—perhaps Lord Tsukasa Kaede had already joined the Anbu? That, too, was normal; Anbu Ninja were known for their hidden identities.
"Lord Tsukasa Kaede, do you require us to deal with this Hyuga Clan Member?"
The Root Ninja leader's first sentence left Iroha stunned.
Was Anbu's approach so extreme? To immediately eliminate unrelated personnel, even fellow Ninja from the same village? "...There's no need. Such a crude test is unnecessary. Withdraw."
The two returned to the main group without causing any ripples. Even if someone saw them, they didn't pay much attention—wasn't it normal for Lord Tsukasa Kaede to patrol with his favored subordinate, talking and giving instructions along the way?
Tsunade and Kato Dan also didn't ask what Tsukasa Kaede had discussed with Iroha.
At dawn, the group resumed their journey, finally reaching an outpost on the border.
"I bear full responsibility for the failure of this war and am willing to accept all punishments from the Village," Kato Dan wrote down the details of the battle, naturally concealing the process of his death and subsequent resurrection by Tsukasa Kaede.
Tsukasa Kaede comforted him: "There's no need to blame yourself too much. Perhaps we've even achieved a victory. If the Four-Tails went berserk, it would surely prioritize attacking the Hidden Stone Village Ninja."
Kato Dan's face was filled with bitterness. It was clearly a defeat, with six hundred comrades killed in action. If the outcome was an alternative "victory"... it would be too ironic. He doubted the Village would recognize such a victory.
Two more days passed, and the Village sent Anbu Ninja to convey instructions from the Hokage.
Just as Tsukasa Kaede had predicted, it was indeed a victory, and a remarkably significant one at that.
"What? The enemy's losses are even greater than ours? A force of a thousand was completely annihilated, with most of them killed in action?" Kato Dan's expression was complex.
The Anbu Ninja calmly stated: "Yes, the enemy's losses were greater than ours. According to intel from our spy, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, after going berserk, destroyed the Hidden Stone Village forces with several Tailed Beast Bombs and ultimately fell into a deep coma. It's unknown when he will awaken. This matches your battle report."
It was more than a victory; it was an overwhelming one. Hidden Stone Village suffered two to three hundred more casualties than the Hidden Leaf Village. This alone was a victory. After all, Konoha had more people and more money; even a 1:1 casualty ratio was considered a victory, let alone when the enemy's losses were even greater.
Most importantly, Kato Dan, at no cost to himself, managed to incapacitate the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, leaving him in a deep coma—the Four-Tails' rampage was also a significant reason for Roshi's coma, but that wasn't important. This kind of victory was too crucial.
"If that's the case, taking the Four-Tails Jinchuriki out of the war might directly influence the situation on the main battlefield," Tsunade also breathed a sigh of relief, looking relaxed.
A Jinchuriki's role on the battlefield was often greater than that of a Kage-level powerhouse, precisely because of their terrifying destructive power when they went berserk! Who could withstand several Tailed Beast Bombs fired in an indiscriminate bombardment, causing heavy casualties to large forces? Take the current Sannin, for example; even though each could be considered a Kage-level powerhouse, it's hard to say for sure if any of them could definitively defeat a Tailed Beast.
"It's a pity the Village's Jinchuriki can't be deployed, otherwise we wouldn't need to go through all this trouble," Tsukasa Kaede remarked casually.
"Grandma is old; it's time for her to live out her golden years in peace. If it comes to a point where she has to go to the battlefield, it would be a disgrace to us, the younger generation."
Tsunade shook her head repeatedly. She would never allow her grandmother to go to the battlefield. She also knew that Mito Uzumaki's main energy was focused on training Kushina Uzumaki, who, barring any accidents, would be the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
In fact, some in the Village also had designs on the Nine-Tails, wanting to transfer it to another body after Mito Uzumaki's death. For instance, why must the next Jinchuriki be an Uzumaki descendant?
Couldn't a Senju descendant work? Nawaki was dead, but Tsunade, Toka Senju, and others were still alive. As for the Senju Clan's Sealing Technique not being as good as the Uzumaki Clan's... couldn't they just learn it? It was a Sealing Technique, not a Bloodline Limit.
Moreover, it didn't necessarily have to be only the Senju or Uzumaki.