stonecrandall Chapter 206 My target has never been Neji, it's Itachi!
Chapter 206 My target has never been Neji, it's Itachi!
Chapter 206 My target has never been Neji, it's Itachi!
This series of combined punches immediately stunned the group of country bumpkins who had never seen the world.
Even the Hokage, a figure of great stature, has bowed his head and apologized to you. What else can you do?
Do we expect the Hokage to kneel in reverence?
Can't we be this disrespectful?
Moreover, the main family has bowed down and promised never to use the "Caged Bird" curse seal to bully the branch family again. Isn't that exactly what you wanted to achieve through your rebellion?
The ladder to the downfall of the rebellious branch family has already been set up. Why don't you hurry up and take this opportunity to come down? What are you still hesitating about?
Under the watchful eyes of many, some members of the rebellious branch family began to waver.
It can only be said that the title of Hokage is deeply ingrained in people's minds. Even knowing that the village and the main family are colluding, many people are still willing to believe in the Hokage's promise.
Fortunately, they were quite disciplined and did not speak recklessly. Instead, they all turned their attention to their leader, Hyuga Neji, waiting for him to make a decision.
An and Zetsu, who were watching from a distance, also saw everything. Zetsu chuckled and said, "An, it seems Konoha has escaped another calamity safely!"
"Your plan has failed!"
"So, should we start it?"
"Now that the stage you requested is set up and the audience is in place, it's time for you to take the stage."
"Don't rush." An Youzai shook his head leisurely, chuckling as he continued watching. "To kill someone, you must destroy their spirit. Mere physical destruction is no longer enough to satisfy me."
"I've already transcended vulgar tastes."
"I'd rather see someone have a mental breakdown and regret their madness than see them die a horrible death."
"Like Obito?" Zetsu said with a strange expression, "You're not planning to come up with some new tricks, are you? Let me tell you, Obito is still useful to me, I can't let you keep playing with him!"
"No, no, no, Obito's already done." An said with a grin, "A madman can't feel pain, there's no fun in continuing the game."
"I now have a new goal."
"Hyuga Neji?"
"No, no, no, my goal has never been Hyuga Neji."
"It's a weasel!"
"But let's give Neji a chance for now and see if he can seize it."
"What mischief are you up to now?"
This time, An didn't offer an answer. He just smiled and looked at Neji in the distance, waiting for him to make a choice.
Neji himself was starting to waver.
Although he and his companions had long considered trading their lives for freedom, wouldn't it be better to resolve the issue peacefully?
He hesitated for a moment, then finally asked, "So, what about the 'Caged Bird' curse mark from the split-family affair?"
"Will the children who separate from the family in the future continue to have the 'Caged Bird' curse mark engraved?"
"This—" Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned, his gaze drifting towards the Hyuga main family.
As for him personally, whether it's the main family or the branch family, they are all his subordinates, and he doesn't care whether they have this mark or not.
Although it might increase the probability of him receiving unwanted attention, he prioritized the present over future problems.
However, he also knew the main family's attitude towards this, and they would definitely not agree.
Sure enough, the expressions of those members of the main family became extremely ugly when this issue was brought up.
If the previous conditions were vague and could be fulfilled in other ways, then the condition of whether or not to imprint the "Caged Bird" seal is very specific.
Engraving is engraving, and not engraving is not engraving; there is no room for ambiguity.
Moreover, a promise made in front of so many villagers would be extremely difficult for them to renege on later.
If they go back on their word, not only will the branch families that have rebelled now cause trouble, but even those branch families who currently trust them will likely lose their trust in them.
"We are just ordinary members of the clan. This 'Caged Bird' inscription is a family motto passed down for hundreds of years. How can we just abolish it with a casual remark?"
"Even if it's to be abolished, the decision should be made by the clan chief!"
Upon hearing the mention of the clan leader, everyone remembered their acting clan leader, Hinata Hyuga. When they rushed to find her, they discovered that Hinata was kneeling in front of the altar at the memorial ceremony, tears streaming down her face, silent and motionless.
At such a young age, she couldn't understand why, when everyone was of the same race, they had to fight to the death.
Earlier, when everyone was fighting, she was shouting loudly from behind, trying to stop the bloody battle between the clansmen, but no one listened to her at all.
Feeling utterly powerless, Hinata was exhausted and simply knelt there silently, shedding tears, offering no resistance and letting herself be slaughtered.
Every clan has guards, but the clan leader's guards all died when Hiashi was captured. The current guards are all arranged by the clan and are actually other people's confidants.
They're fine as guards in normal times, but when danger strikes, their first priority is always protecting the clan they're loyal to.
When the clansmen left, all the guards stayed close to their masters and no one cared about the little girl who had no parents. They just left her there and didn't care.
But the family members aren't murderers. No one would kill a child without reason. Seeing that she didn't resist, they ignored her and just wanted to leave her to be killed by others, while they went to fight the adult members of the main family.
As it turned out, everyone thought the same way, which ironically saved her life.
Hiruzen Sarutobi hurriedly sent someone to bring Hinata over, and asked seriously, "Hinata, I ask you, are you willing to end the tradition of the Hyuga clan's branch family having to bear the 'Caged Bird' cursed seal?"
"Um—" Hinata's body was still trembling, but she still mustered up her courage and asked softly, "Is it...is it that if we end this tradition, everyone will stop fighting?"
"That's right!" Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Hinata with encouraging eyes. "As long as you nod and end this tradition completely, the branch family will naturally stop fighting with the main family."
"Then—" Hinata's eyes lit up, and she was about to nod in agreement when she was immediately interrupted by a member of the main branch of the family.
"Wait a minute!" the head of the main branch of the family shouted. "The current head of the clan is Lord Hiashi; we need his approval!"
"Furthermore, although Hinata is the heir to the main family, she is too timid and not a qualified candidate for the position of clan leader. The main family has long wanted to replace her with Hanabi."
"Furthermore, now that she has lost her 'Ten-Saigan,' she cannot escape blame and should be stripped of her position as heir to the main family."
"Let's wait until Lord Hiashi returns and then let him announce it!"
These members of the main clan originally thought Hinata had died in the turmoil, so they used it as an excuse to buy time by claiming there was no clan leader, and planned to wait until a new clan leader was elected.
To everyone's surprise, Hinata was incredibly resilient and survived the chaos, completely ruining their plans.
Seeing that Hinata was about to abolish the "Caged Bird" system under Hiruzen Sarutobi's guidance, all the main family members were unhappy. They disregarded everything else and quickly interrupted, demanding that Hinata's identity be abolished first, and that the responsibility be shifted to the missing Hiashi Hyuga.
Interrupted by this person, Hinata's previous courage immediately dissipated, and she shrank back to her chest like a frightened quail.
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