At this moment, Hyūga Muneyoshi stood trembling on the spot.
He couldn't find any words to refute what Kaze had said for a moment.
"Today, I am not here to debate with you."
Kaze raised his right hand, palm facing up.
The movement was light, but it seemed to grasp the pulse of the entire space.
"I am here to tell you..."
"The times have changed."
Uchiha Kaze held up his hand.
The Mangekyō Sharingan appeared.
"Since you think the Branch House should protect the Main House."
"Then... let them choose for themselves."
"Amenoshinra!"
As Kaze's voice fell, the Caged Bird seals on the foreheads of those Hyūga Branch House ninjas outside the reception room shattered one after another.
"Crack...!"
The shattering sound was clearly audible.
Not only did the curse marks shatter, but the shackles deep within the soul of every Branch House ninja also exploded along with them.
In the courtyard, a Branch House ninja reached out a trembling hand and touched his forehead.
There, where the curse mark should have been... was smooth and clean.
"My... my curse mark..."
"My curse mark is gone!!"
His voice went from disbelief to ecstasy, and his Byakugan burst with brilliance.
"Mine too!"
"Mine too!"
"It's really gone! Gone!"
The courtyard boiled over.
Branch House ninjas confirmed the smoothness of each other's foreheads. Some fell to their knees, covering their faces with their hands, shoulders shaking violently.
Some looked up to the sky and roared, their voices mixed with relief and venting.
Some hugged their heads and cried bitterly; that was the thorough release of emotions accumulated for years, decades, or even generations.
Inside the reception room, the Main House elders rushed out.
When they saw the vanished curse marks on the foreheads of those Branch House ninjas in the courtyard, their faces all turned as pale as paper.
"No... impossible..."
"The Caged Bird is a permanent curse mark set by the ancestors. Even the caster themselves cannot remove it, how could it be..."
Hyūga Muneyoshi staggered back, almost unsteady on his feet.
He knew that what was removed was not just the curse mark.
But the dogma and exploitation that had always existed.
It was the Hyūga Main House's greatest reliance...
"Permanent?"
"In front of my eyes, nothing is permanent."
"Except death."
Kaze turned around and looked at this stubborn elder.
"You... you destroyed the Hyūga!"
"Uchiha Kaze, don't think that just because you became Hokage through that kind of means..."
Another elder roared hysterically...
"Space-Time Severing Sword · Dust."
Uchiha Kaze didn't have much patience left, not to mention these guys were really... too noisy.
With just a glance, an almost invisible spatial rift flashed.
That elder's barking stopped abruptly.
He stared wide-eyed, looking down at his chest.
There was no wound there, but he could feel something collapsing from the inside.
The next second, his body began to "fade".
Starting from his feet, like a pencil drawing erased by an eraser, inch by inch turning into gray-white dust, dissipating with the wind.
No blood, no screams.
Only thorough, silent erasure.
The remaining Main House elders were completely frozen.
Fear choked their throats, making even breathing difficult.
"Hokage, we..."
Hyūga Hiashi panicked a little. If this continued, the Hyūga would really be erased.
These Main House elders had sat on fake power for too long.
Even now, can't they see the situation clearly?
"Clan Head Hiashi, you should first... handle your so-called—divergences."
Uchiha Kaze raised his hand, interrupting Hyūga Hiashi.
Hyūga Hiashi followed Kaze's indication and looked into the courtyard.
The flames of hatred in the eyes of each Branch House ninja made Hyūga Hiashi feel even more powerless.
He knew that this fire ignited by Kaze could no longer be extinguished.
"Lord Hokage!"
"Please stop them!"
"Hyūga cannot have infighting anymore!"
"I am willing to lead the Hyūga clan to pledge allegiance to you! I only ask you..."
Hyūga Hiashi took a deep breath and decisively knelt on one knee in front of Kaze.
"Clan Head Hiashi, do you know why your younger brother Hyūga Hizashi chose to die for you back then?"
Uchiha Kaze did not give an answer but threw out a seemingly unrelated question.
Hyūga Hiashi shook all over.
"Not because of the Caged Bird, not because of the Main House's order."
"It was because he believed that if you lived, you would change the Hyūga."
"You would abolish this unreasonable system, you would let his son Hyūga Neji... not repeat his fate."
"He believed in you."
"But you, disappointed him."
Kaze's voice was calm, narrating the bond between these brothers.
Hyūga Hiashi lowered his head, hands clenched tightly, nails piercing into his palms, blood seeping out.
"I... I tried."
"I proposed abolishing the Caged Bird countless times at the Elder Council, but the Main House elders..."
Hyūga Hiashi's voice trembled. He knew... he knew it all.
So, he still wanted to defend himself.
"But the Main House elders opposed, so you gave up?"
"So like a shrinking turtle, you hid behind excuses like tradition and rules, watching helplessly as Branch House people were enslaved generation after generation?"
Uchiha Kaze's face remained calm, but somewhat disappointed.
"No... not..."
Hyūga Hiashi still wanted to argue.
"Whether it is or not is no longer important."
"What matters is, now, the opportunity is before you."
"Are you going to stand with them and break this rotten system together?"
"Or stand with the Main House and become the dust of history?"
"Choose."
Kaze turned around and looked at those Branch House ninjas in the courtyard.
Hyūga Hiashi knelt on the ground, his body trembling violently.
He knew that the choice at this moment would determine the future fate of the Hyūga clan, and also determine his own fate.
In the courtyard, Branch House ninjas gathered around.
Their gazes held expectation, doubt, and also... the last bit of patience.
"Hiashi! You are the Main House! You are the Clan Head! Are you going to betray the Hyūga too?!"
Seeing this, Hyūga Muneyoshi shouted sternly.
He was afraid!
If even Hyūga Hiashi was persuaded, then the Main House really had no chance.
"Hyūga?"
"Is the current Hyūga still Hyūga?"
"Such a Hyūga, better off without it."
Hyūga Hiashi stood up with difficulty and slowly turned to face all Hyūga clansmen.
"From today on, the Hyūga clan abolishes the distinction between Main House and Branch House. All clansmen are equal in status."
"The Caged Bird Curse Mark is permanently abolished."
"Anyone who objects..."
"Expelled from Hyūga."
He looked at those Main House elders.
In the courtyard, dead silence.
Then, Branch House ninjas erupted in thunderous cheers.
Hyūga Muneyoshi and other elders turned pale and wanted to say something more.
But seeing the unconcealed killing intent in the eyes of the surrounding Branch House ninjas, they finally chose to shut up.
"Very good."
"From today on, the Hyūga clan is incorporated into the Konoha Guard Department. Responsible for all sensory barriers, border patrols, and internal security work in Konoha."
"Hyūga Hiashi, you serve as the Minister of the Guard Department, reporting directly to me."
Watching this scene, Kaze's mouth curled slightly, and he walked up to Hyūga Hiashi.
"Yes."
Hyūga Hiashi knelt on one knee, his voice firm.
"Minister Hiashi, a piece of advice for you."
"Some injuries and illnesses cannot be cured... it's best to dig out that lump of rotten flesh to avoid another outbreak."
Uchiha Kaze walked past Hyūga Hiashi, reminded him softly, and his figure disappeared from the Hyūga clan grounds...