Naruto: A parody of the entire ninja world, the opening scene infuriates the Kage.

Chapter 328 Neji's Disappointment, Releasing the Caged Bird

Konoha, the Hyuga clan.

Neji was very disappointed.

Boruto wanted to help him free the bird from its cage, which excited him, as he had always longed for freedom.

"I underestimated things." Neji's gaze was icy.

The Third Hokage spoke with Boruto, but Neji doesn't know what they discussed.

However, the Third Hokage probably opposed Boruto helping him get rid of the caged bird!

After all, the caged bird is related to the stability of the Hyuga clan, and the Hyuga clan is the most powerful family in the village. If the Hyuga clan is in chaos, the village will also be unable to maintain stability.

Therefore, it's best to maintain the status quo.

Many members of the clan also do not want the caged bird to be broken.

This relates to the Hyuga clan's main family and branch family system.

As for the claim that Neji's Caged Bird Seal was lifted while the Caged Bird Seals of the other branch families remained unlifted, that's not the case.

In fact, some members of the clan also deeply resented the caged bird system.

Children who split up will only split up, but children from the main family will also split up.

Just like Neji's father, Hyuga Hizashi, and Hyuga Hiashi, who were twin brothers, but Hiashi became the clan head while Hizashi was a member of a branch family.

According to the rules, one of Hiashi's two daughters, Hinata and Hanabi, will also be required to join the separate family.

Boruto seems to have given up on helping him free the caged bird.

This fueled Neji's resentment.

As the screen showed, he came to believe Naruto.

The results of it?
Naruto kept saying he understood him and that he would break the Hyuga clan's caged bird fate, but it was all just talk.

He sacrificed himself during the Fourth Shinobi World War, and Naruto even praised Obito.

Now, Boruto says he'll help him get rid of the caged bird, but after the Third Hokage says something, Boruto gives up.

snort!
As he thought about it, a surge of anger welled up in Neji's heart.

You shouldn't trust others; the only person you can trust is yourself.

However, despite his best efforts, he saw no hope of freeing the caged bird.

That's normal. After all, if it were so easy to break free from the caged bird problem, the separation would have happened long ago, and the problem wouldn't have persisted for so long.

Some people who separated from their families even gouged out their own eyes, but this was actually suicide.

To relinquish the contempt of others is to gain freedom, the freedom to die.

As for the idea that one will be free once the scorn is gone, and then become blind, or receive a transplant of someone else's eyes, that's just wishful thinking.

The caged bird is far more complex than that.

"You must be very unwilling! As a branch family member, you possess talents that surpass those of the main family, yet you are confined like a caged bird."

A voice suddenly rang out behind Neji.

Neji was also startled and quickly turned his head to look, where he saw a man in black robes.

The face of the man in the black robe could not be seen.

Furthermore, Neji could not sense the chakra of the black-robed man in front of him.

However, Neji is certain that the man in black robes has no chakra.

Without chakra, Neji's perception wouldn't be what it is now.

Therefore, one can only say that the person in front of us is unfathomable.

"Who... are you?" Neji asked warily, preparing for battle.

“Who I am is not important. What is important is that I can help you break the Caged Bird Curse. Not only you, but everyone in the branch family can break the Caged Bird Curse,” Awei said with a smile.

Releasing the caged bird was not difficult for Awei.

With the wedge of Urashiki Otsutsuki, it will be much easier for Awei to release the Hyuga clan's Caged Bird Seal.

Well then, Ah Wei wouldn't mind helping Neji get rid of the caged bird.

The Hyuga clan has far more members in the branch family than in the main family.

The Hyuga clan has a larger number of genin, chunin, and jonin from the branch family.

Once the restrictions imposed by the Caged Bird Seal are removed, the person in charge of the Hyuga region will definitely need to be replaced.

No, it's the Hyuga clan that's bound to have internal strife.

After all, the Hyuga branch family has a deep-seated grudge against the main family, and if it were to fully erupt, it would be absolutely terrifying.

"Help me untie the caged bird?" Neji was taken aback.

Neji would be more than happy to have the chance to remove the Caged Bird Seal from his body, but could this man in black robes be trusted?
Getting a caged bird out of its cage is not an easy task.

Can this man in black robes really free the bird from its cage?
Why help him? What was his intention?
For a moment, Neji had many doubts in his mind.

Seeing Neji's confusion, Awei didn't offer much explanation.

The decision to release Neji from the caged bird trap is made, and getting Neji to cooperate willingly is not difficult.

The next moment, Neji saw a pair of eyes—Awei's eyes.

With just one glance, Neji fell under the spell.

Now, Ah Wei's genjutsu is no weaker than Itachi's, and is far beyond what Neji can withstand.

Controlling Neji with illusion magic is no challenge for Awei at all.

As Neji fell into the genjutsu, Awei walked to Neji's side and reached out to remove Neji's headband. It wasn't a ninja headband, just a black strip of cloth, since Neji was still a student at the ninja academy and hadn't become a genin yet.

Only genin who graduate from the ninja academy can receive a ninja headband.

Every ninja has a headband, and the headband symbols of ninjas from different villages are different. The headband symbol of Konoha ninjas is a swirl shape, which also represents the friendship between Konoha and the Uzumaki clan.

Without the headband to conceal it, Neji's Caged Bird Seal on his forehead was exposed.

The Caged Bird Seal looks a bit ugly at first glance, but the longer you look at it, the uglier it becomes.

This cursed seal is bound to Neji and cannot be removed, but that applies to others.

Ah Wei has already explained the mystery of the caged bird.

Now, the caged bird holds no secret for Awei.

Therefore, freeing a caged bird is not a difficult task.

Furthermore, it doesn't take long to release the caged bird.

Sage Chakra appeared on Awei's right hand.

Unlike the hermit-like forms of Mount Myoboku, Shikkotsu Forest, and Ryuchi Cave.

Sage Chakra is a mixture of natural energy, physical energy, and spiritual energy.

Cultivating Sage Chakra is extremely difficult and carries considerable risk.

For example, in the Sage Mode of Mount Myōboku, even the slightest mistake during training can result in petrification or frogification.

Many people enter Mount Myōboku to cultivate the Sage Mode, but very few succeed.

In the original storyline, it wasn't easy for Naruto to master Sage Mode.

Minato also learned Sage Mode from Mount Myōboku, but he wasn't good at it, even though he could activate it instantly.

Using Sage Chakra makes it easier for Awei to break free from the Caged Bird Seal. While ordinary chakra can also break free, it would take more than 10 times longer.

Ah Wei's goal isn't just to remove the Caged Bird Seal from Neji, but also from everyone else in the Hyuga branch family besides Neji.

As for the consequences of releasing the Caged Bird Seal from the Hyuga branch family, Awei is somewhat looking forward to it.

Sage Chakra appeared in Awei's hand and then covered Neji's forehead.

Neji's Caged Bird Seal on his forehead was also covered by Sage Chakra.

Within this Sage Chakra, the Caged Bird Seal began to become increasingly blurred.

Not long after, the Caged Bird Seal on Neji's forehead disappeared. That's right, Wei helped Neji break free of the Caged Bird Seal.

In the blink of an eye, Ah Wei was gone.

Not long after Ah Wei left, Neji regained consciousness.

When I woke up from the illusion, I found that there was no one around me.

Neji paused for a moment, then, as if struck by a thought, he immediately sensed something.

Neji was overjoyed when he discovered that the Caged Bird Seal on his body had been removed.

The man in black robes used illusion magic to control him and removed the Bird in the Cage curse before he regained consciousness.

They said they would help him break the curse on the caged bird, and they actually did it.

"Who exactly was that man in black robes just now?" Neji wondered.

Those who can break the curse on the caged bird are no ordinary people.

Furthermore, what was the purpose of helping him break the curse on the caged bird?
Could there be some kind of conspiracy behind this?
With too little information, Neji couldn't analyze the situation for the time being.

Right now, Neji has more to consider about himself.

The caged bird curse mark on his body has been removed, which can be concealed for a while, but the main family will find out sooner or later. Once they find out, it won't be as simple as just replanting the curse mark on him.

After all, if the curse mark on his body can be removed once, it can be removed twice, three times...

After much deliberation, Neji decided to leave Konoha.

A rogue ninja, that's right, being a rogue ninja.

If it were the Neji on the screen who was fooled by Naruto, he definitely wouldn't have become a rogue ninja, but the current Neji would.

Now that he has gained his freedom, Neji is not willing to lose it again.

Since being cursed with the Caged Bird Seal at the age of 4, Neji has finally gained his freedom and he would never lose it again.

Since being caged like a bird, the feelings I've had are truly indescribable.

Now that the Caged Bird Seal is gone, Neji's Byakugan is also free of flaws, and his strength has increased somewhat.

However, his current strength is at most comparable to that of an ordinary genin, or even inferior to a genin.

With this level of strength, they cannot resist the main family.

However, Urashiki Ōtsutsuki had recently visited Konoha. After a battle, Urashiki, severely wounded, escaped, but patrols in the village became much stricter.

It won't be easy for Neji to leave Konoha now.

Therefore, escape is not possible for the time being.

Pick up the headband from the ground, cover it up first, and then find a chance to escape from Konoha.

What Neji didn't know was that he wasn't the only one from the Hyuga branch family to break the Caged Bird Seal.

As time passed, one after another members of the Hyuga branch family broke free from the Caged Bird Seal.

First, there were those below the rank of genin, almost all of whom were still children attending the ninja academy.

Then comes the genin, followed by the chunin.

The Hyuga clan's territory was divided into two branches.

A large group of people gathered together.

The elders of the branch families were all shocked.

Many of the large group of people present had their caged birds released.

Everyone unanimously said that a man in black robes helped to dispel the curse.

The family members who hadn't yet freed the caged bird were not only surprised but also envious.

Only those who have been cursed like caged birds will understand the preciousness of freedom.

Meanwhile, several branch elders kept asking the clansmen who had freed the caged bird, all of them asking the man in black robes.

Who exactly is the man in black?

"Is this to help all the members of the divided family break the caged bird curse?"

……

The thought that everyone's Caged Bird Curse could be lifted excited the elders of the branch families.

At this point, those who had broken the curse on the caged bird were either excited or considering their next steps.

The fact that many members of the branch family have released the caged bird will make the main family very uneasy.

But even if the main family is willing to compromise, the members of the branch family will not agree!

Every single person present harbored deep hatred for the main family.

Many members of the branch families are very powerful. In the past, they were restrained by the Caged Bird Seal and dared not act recklessly against the main family. But now that they are no longer bound by the Caged Bird Seal, they plan to kill everyone in the main family.

But several branch elders, as well as the rest who had not yet broken the curse on the caged bird, all frowned.

Many who had been freed from their caged state wanted to start a war with the main family.

But for the elders of the branch families, this is not a good thing.

After all, the caged birds on the elders of the branch families have not yet been freed. If the branch families and the main family go to war, what will happen to those in the branch families who have not yet been freed from the caged birds?

Just as the elders of the branch families were worrying, a man in black robes appeared out of nowhere.

Time and space ninjutsu!
At first, they were startled, but then the elders of the branch families were overjoyed.

Man in black robe?
So, is this the person in front of us who helped many people in the divided family escape their caged state?

"Was it you who helped many of my clansmen break the caged bird curse?" the branch elder asked.

“That’s right,” Awei replied calmly.

"...What is your purpose?" After hesitating for a moment, the branch family elder still asked.

He helped many members of the Hyuga branch family break the Caged Bird Seal; who would believe there was no ulterior motive behind that?

“The Hyuga main family is inherently evil. I just can’t stand using such a vicious curse as the Caged Bird Seal to enslave the branch family. Since I have the ability to remove the Caged Bird Seal, I will also help you remove it,” Awei said with a smile.

At this point, some elders of the clan couldn't hold back any longer and also wanted to free the caged bird from their bodies.

At this moment, all the members of the Hyuga branch family present, those still bearing the Caged Bird Seal, placed their hopes on Awei.

"Which of you wants to go first?" Awei asked, looking at the branch elders.

The elders of the branch families exchanged glances, and then one of them beamed with joy.

Although the identity and purpose of the man in black robes are unknown, it is an undeniable fact that the bird-in-the-cage curse has been lifted for many people.

Now that I have a chance to break the curse on the caged bird, I certainly can't miss it.

Not long after, an elder from a branch family walked up to Awei and took off his headband.

Without further ado, Ah Wei produced Sage Chakra in his hand.

Soon, the curse mark on the elder's forehead was erased.

With the restrictions of the Caged Bird Seal gone, the elders of this branch family cried tears of joy.

How many years has it been? Because caged birds live without dignity.

I'm finally free.

Seeing that one of the elders' Caged Bird Seal had been removed, the other elders, as well as those who still had the Caged Bird Seal on them, became even more agitated. They were practically scrambling to remove it.

Several elders from different branches rushed to Awei's side.

“Those with the Bird in a Cage curse mark, line up, one at a time,” Awei said with a smile.

As soon as Awei finished speaking, those with the Caged Bird Seal on their bodies lined up in front of him.

Although these people were curious, they didn't care who the black-robed man was or what his purpose was, as long as he could help free the caged bird.

Removing the curse from the caged bird is the most important thing for the family to separate; everything else can be postponed.

Before long, Awei also removed the Caged Bird Curse from the bodies of several branch elders.

(End of this chapter)