Of course.
The most stunned person in the courtyard was none other than Hyuga Neji himself. Even after Hiashi finished speaking, Neji was still dazed.
He had come to the Hyuga compound primarily for revenge.
The other reason was that if circumstances allowed, he wanted to take a few Branch Family members with him.
After all, he had grown up within the Hyuga Clan. No matter what, he held a certain attachment to them.
Now that Konoha had fallen, the Hyuga as the foremost clan had naturally borne the brunt of it.
Neji might have harbored resentment toward those who had driven him away, but he still held feelings for the Branch Family. He wanted to bring some of them along.
How many would ultimately leave with him, Neji wasn't certain.
More precisely–how many would want to follow him!
But now, he had suddenly become the new patriarch of the Hyuga Clan. How could Neji not be stunned and shocked?
On the rooftop.
Yuto's lips curved slightly upward as he listened to Hiashi's words below.
During the great battle against Konoha, Yuto had noticed that very few Hyuga members had participated in the fighting.
At the time.
He had already vaguely guessed at Hiashi's thoughts.
One had to admit–the person who could lead a clan truly possessed a boldness beyond ordinary people!
Shirking one's duties during a great battle was tantamount to betrayal in a certain sense.
Hiashi, without even knowing whether Senju Hashirama would achieve victory, had placed his bet squarely on Yuto's side. That took extraordinary nerve.
Because the consequence was clear–regardless of who won or lost, Hiashi would die.
If Konoha prevailed, Hiashi would have to answer for his lack of participation in the war.
If the Hidden Mist won, the patriarch of the clan most deeply tied to Konoha would still have to die.
Yet even in this extremely unfavorable position, Hiashi had seized the initiative with precision.
That initiative was Hyuga Neji!
As one of the Seven Swordsmen and Yuto's acknowledged disciple on the surface, Neji occupied a unique and awkward position within the Hidden Mist Village.
If Neji wanted to change his awkward standing, then the Hyuga Clan was indispensable to him!
"Is the clan more important than the shinobi village?"
On the rooftop, Yuto gazed down below with a calm expression, murmuring to himself.
In the courtyard.
"Correct. From this day forward, you are the patriarch of the Hyuga Clan."
Hiashi looked up at Neji, his voice weak but earnest.
At this point.
Hiashi turned to face the gathered Hyuga shinobi behind him, their expressions a tangled web of complex emotions. He let out a cold snort.
The authority of the former patriarch struck every Hyuga shinobi present, their bodies trembling in unison.
Whether willing or unwilling, every Hyuga shinobi looked toward Neji and spoke:
"Greetings, Patriarch."
"Greetings, Patriarch."
"Greetings, Patriarch."
Seeing this scene and hearing the words echoing around him, Neji felt a moment of awkward uncertainty. He didn't know how to respond.
Though Neji had always appeared mature, he had never faced anything quite like this.
Right now, Neji would rather face a horde of Hyuga enemies than this situation.
Hiashi naturally noticed Neji's bewilderment, but he didn't mock him.
Setting aside Neji–even the most composed person would be at a loss when suddenly thrust into such a situation.
The Hyuga was no minor clan. They possessed the Byakugan, one of the Three Great Dōjutsu, and stood as the most ancient lineage in existence.
Even within the entire shinobi world, the Hyuga ranked among the very apex.
Becoming patriarch of such a clan meant that in a sense, Neji had ascended to the highest echelon of the shinobi world in a single step.
"I must trouble you both."
Hiashi's ashen face turned to the two elders standing at the front of the gathered shinobi. His tone carried a note of apology.
These two elderly Hyuga were also members of the Main Branch.
The two elders sighed softly upon hearing Hiashi's words, though their faces held no trace of blame.
They stepped past Hiashi and walked to where Neji stood. Under Neji's cautious gaze, each produced a key and a scroll from within their robes.
"This key opens the secret vault of the Hyuga Clan. It contains our family's deepest heritage."
The elder on the left placed the ornately designed key into Neji's hand.
The elder on the right regarded Neji with unprecedented gravity in his eyes.
"This scroll is the foundation of the Main Branch. It will now become your foundation."
The elder on the right spoke in a hoarse, solemn voice as he placed the scroll into Neji's other hand.
If Hiashi handing over the patriarch's position was a transfer of title.
Then the two elders giving him the key and scroll represented the transfer of power.
Only with both transfers complete could Hyuga Neji truly be considered the patriarch of the Hyuga Clan.
Neji held the key in one hand and the scroll in the other. Many words surged within him, but when he looked at the two aging elders before him, only two words escaped his lips: "Thank you."
The two elders exchanged a glance. Then, with faint smiles on their faces, they clasped their hands and bowed deeply to Neji: "Patriarch."
With that said.
Before Neji's disbelieving eyes, both elders drew kunai from within their robes and drove them straight into their own hearts.
Two jets of fresh blood erupted, crimson as a sunset's glow.
Neji's face went blank. His pupils contracted sharply.
"Why?"
In disbelief, Neji looked at the two elders who had already collapsed to the ground.
The elder who had given him the scroll spoke in an extremely weak voice, though his eyes remained sharp as they fixed on the scroll in Neji's hand:
"There can be only one Main Branch of the Hyuga!"
Only one Main Branch?
Neji watched the two elders gradually fade from existence, mumbling to himself. Then he snapped his head up to look at Hiashi in the distance.
"What is recorded in this scroll?"
Neji raised the scroll, his eyes locked onto Hiashi.
The entire scene had naturally been witnessed by every Hyuga shinobi present.
Some of the sharper ones stared intently at the scroll in Neji's hand, their eyes flickering with a nameless light.
The sound of swallowing echoed intermittently through the courtyard.
"You shouldn't ask. It's best you read the scroll's contents yourself when you return."
Hiashi let out a bitter laugh, his voice carrying a note of helplessness.
Under normal circumstances, a patriarch's transfer of authority would be conducted in secret before a formal ceremony.
But the current situation was clearly far from normal.
There was no other choice. Their desperate circumstances no longer allowed Hiashi to follow proper procedure.
That was why this significant hidden danger had emerged.
But since it was called a hidden danger, it naturally meant the situation remained under control.
Even if the Branch Family guessed what the scroll contained, so what?
Neji was not merely the new patriarch–he was also the disciple of the First Mizukage, Yuto.
That single identity was enough to keep every Branch Family member from daring to overstep their bounds.
If not for this, then with the two Main Branch elders dead by their own hands and the former patriarch gravely wounded, the Branch Family would have already revolted.
Neji continued to stare at Hiashi: "I want you to tell me now!"
Facing Neji's unyielding determination.
Hiashi sighed. "It is the seal of the Caged Bird."
The moment these words were spoken!
The entire courtyard fell deathly silent. Only the sound of heavy breathing could be heard.
Countless burning gazes turned toward Neji–or more precisely, toward the scroll in his hands.
Neji's hands trembled involuntarily around the scroll. As a former Branch member, he understood better than anyone the pull this scroll held.
Neji felt as though he were being stared down by a pack of starving wolves. A chill ran through his entire body.
Standing beside Hiashi were Hinata and Hanabi.
Seeing the Branch Family members who had once been respectful toward them now resembling starving wolves, the two girls trembled slightly.
"What's wrong with them?"
Hanabi's voice carried confusion and fear as she shrank back.
Though Hinata was similarly frightened, she said nothing. Being older than Hanabi, she understood the reason behind this.
Hiashi reached out with a trembling hand and gently clasped both Hinata's and Hanabi's palms to calm them.
From the moment he had spoken, Hiashi knew this scene would unfold.
Hiashi turned his head slightly, sweeping his gaze across the Branch Family members who looked like starving wolves with blazing eyes. A hint of contempt crossed his face.
When forced to choose between their own lives and the Caged Bird.
Any normal person would choose their own life!
As this scene demonstrated–no matter how desperately the Branch Family wanted the Caged Bird scroll, no one dared make a move against Neji.
They even watched each other with caution, wary that someone else might attack him.
Everyone understood that if anything happened to Neji here, given that person's temperament, the entire Hyuga Clan would be wiped out.
Just then!
A sound like tearing fabric ripped through the courtyard.
Hiashi turned to stare at Neji, his lips quivering with utter disbelief.
The look of greed on every Branch Family member's face had vanished, replaced by identical expressions of shock and incredulity.
They watched as!
The "Caged Bird" sealing scroll in Neji's hands disintegrated under his chakra control, reduced to nothing but powder.
Countless tiny fragments of the scroll scattered through the air before slowly drifting to the ground.
Both Hiashi and every Branch Family member present followed the swirling fragments downward with their eyes.
The entire courtyard sank into an eerie silence.
On the rooftop.
Yuto stared at the scene in equal astonishment, his eyelid twitching involuntarily.
"Lord Yuto, what's going on down there? It's gotten so quiet."
Ranmaru blinked his red eyes and looked at Yuto with puzzlement.
Hearing Ranmaru's question.
Yuto slowly withdrew his gaze, his voice carrying a note of genuine admiration: "Neji did something that even I find impressive."
"Something that even Lord Yuto finds impressive?"
"Neji-niisan is amazing!"
Ranmaru's eyes widened as he stared down at Neji below, his voice filled with astonishment.
Yuto chuckled and shook his head at Ranmaru's words.
As an outsider, Ranmaru could never truly understand the significance of the "Caged Bird."
Moreover, Neji was now the patriarch of the Main Branch–yet without even looking at it, he had destroyed the Caged Bird scroll outright.
Remarkable.
That was Yuto's true assessment of Hyuga Neji.
In the courtyard below.
As the last fragment of the Caged Bird scroll touched the ground.
"From this day forward, there is no Main Branch and no Branch Family in the Hyuga Clan."
Hyuga Neji looked out at the Hyuga shinobi before him. His calm, measured voice rang in everyone's ears.
"Cough… cough…"
Hiashi felt a rush of blood surge toward his throat. Already weakened, his face grew even more ashen.
In that instant, Hiashi suddenly doubted whether handing the Hyuga Clan to Neji had been the right decision.
"Greetings, Patriarch!"
"Greetings, Patriarch!"
"Greetings, Patriarch!"
After a moment of stunned silence, the air erupted with fanatical cheers.
Every Branch Family member dropped to one knee, their eyes burning with fervent devotion as they gazed at Hyuga Neji, their shouts growing louder and louder.
If earlier they had called Neji "Patriarch" merely because of Hiashi's command.
Now, every Branch Family member genuinely embraced Neji as the true patriarch of the Hyuga Clan.
"To destroy, one must first tear down?"
"Just like Hizashi–this habit of acting recklessly on his own is truly beyond anyone's control."
Hiashi listened to the deafening cheers, a bitter smile on his face as he murmured to himself.
"Since I am the patriarch, I will do what I believe is right."
Hyuga Neji walked to Hiashi's side, his voice steady and resolute.
Hiashi smiled bitterly and glanced at the shattered scroll fragments behind him. Even if he wanted to stop it now, it was far too late.
"I had been worrying about what would become of Hinata and Hanabi after I died."
"But now, somehow, I'm not so worried anymore."
Hiashi didn't know whether he should feel relieved or bitter. His voice carried the weight of both exhaustion and acceptance.
[
Dear Readers,
I hope you are doing well. I am writing to you today because things have become genuinely difficult, and I need to be honest about where I stand.
I am currently posting five to seven chapters every day across my active fictions, keeping up with bonus releases and extra chapters on top of that. The schedule is relentless, and I am putting in everything I have to make sure nobody is left waiting.
Going forward, I am also bringing more quality fictions to the table — unfound gems and hidden stories that deserve a wider audience. I want to keep expanding what is available for you to read, but I cannot do it alone.
Right now, my financial situation has dropped to the lowest point it has ever been. Patreon support is not just helpful anymore — it is what keeps this work alive. Without it, I do not know how long I can sustain this daily output or continue hunting down those new stories for you.
If you have been reading and enjoying the work, please consider joining a tier. I have increased what each tier offers so that your support goes further:
Adventurer — $3 per month
20 chapters in advance for all of my works
Warrior — $7 per month
40 chapters in advance for all of my works
Immortal — $10 per month (Highlighted Tier)
60 chapters in advance for all of my works
Access to character images
Important note: Subscribing through the Apple App adds an extra 30 percent fee due to Apple/Patreon policy. Please subscribe through your browser to avoid the extra charge. Apple also processes payments very late — two to three months — which makes it much harder for me to receive funds quickly when I need them most.
I am pleading with you because I need your help right now. Your support would let me keep the daily releases going, keep the early access flowing, and keep bringing you those new, quality fictions I have lined up. It would keep my head above water while I do what I love.
If you cannot subscribe, sharing the work with others who might enjoy it still helps more than you know.
Thank you for reading, and thank you for your time.
Patreon: patreon.com/anish_44
Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/anish_44
]