Konoha: The Absolute Justice of the Uchiha

Chapter 151 Why Doesn't the Main Family Carve a Caged Bird? A Sin Disguised as Rules!

The face of the head that fell to the ground with a "thud" was frozen with the lingering fear and pleading from before death.

When Hijikata glanced at him without leaving a trace, it seemed he could still read a hint of confusion in the other's eyes.

Before his death, Hyuga Kenjiro seemed to be very confused as to why Hyuga Hiashi, the head of the Hyuga clan, did not stand up for him.

Why not take a tougher stance and protect the clansmen?

Why allow an Uchiha clan ninja to "randomly" kill people inside the Hyuga clan's territory?
An indescribable sense of guilt filled Hiashi Hyuga's heart.

He couldn't give the other party any answer or explanation; all his words could only turn into a sigh from the bottom of his heart.

Subsequently.

Under the strange gazes of many clansmen around him, Hiashi Hyuga looked up and met Izumi Uchiha's eyes. But less than a second after their eyes met, Hiashi vaguely remembered Izumi Uchiha's Mangekyou Sharingan, which seemed to possess an inexplicable and strange power.

Danzo Shimura, the leader of the former Root organization, once fell victim to his eyes, utterly powerless to resist.

Furthermore... the opponent is suspected of possessing the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai.

Wood Release plus Sharingan plus Lava Release.

What a strange combination!
Hiashi Hyuga suddenly had a strange idea—that if Uchiha Izumi opened and closed his eyes one day, he might not even find it strange that he had Byakugan.

With strange thoughts swirling in his mind and a sense of unease in his heart, Hyuga Hiashi subtly shifted his gaze slightly.

He did not continue to look at Uchiha Ikezumi.

“Ikezumi, the Hyuga clan has no objection to the ‘absolute justice’ you executed today.” Hyuga Hiashi bowed his head, retreated, and endured: “Hyuga Jinsuke’s actions many years ago were indeed unjust. Hyuga Kenjiro’s cooperation with Gato in transporting prohibited drugs also violated the laws of the Land of Fire.”

“This father and son should pay the price for their actions. As the clan leader, it is also my fault for not noticing their wrongdoing, and I will reflect on it.”

Hearing what Hiashi Hyuga said, Neji Hyuga was momentarily stunned.

Is this the lofty and powerful main family?
Is this the same Lord Hiashi, whose dignity is unassailable and who can cause his father immense suffering simply by forming a hand seal that triggers the spell of the caged bird?

Faced with Uchiha Ikezumi's "absolute justice," the Hyuga main family turned out to be nothing at all.

The main branch of the Hyuga clan, which holds a superior position within the clan, has repeatedly retreated and bowed to others outside the clan.

In a daze, Neji's idealized image of the main family as superior seemed to be cracking.

But then, Neji suddenly heard Uchiha Ikezumi speak.

"You said you reflected on your actions? That's quite funny, it almost made me laugh."

Neji and Hiashi were both taken aback.

Hyuga Neji looked up at Uchiha Ikezumi's retreating figure with considerable confusion. In his eyes, what Hyuga Hiashi had just said could indeed be considered a concession and a sign of remorse, right?

After all, Hiashi Hyuga is the head of the Hyuga clan. Isn't saying these things considered a concession? It could even be considered somewhat cowardly!
Uchiha Ikezumi's gaze fell on Hyuga Hiashi's face.

For some reason, Hyuga Hiashi was starting to feel a little nervous under his watchful gaze.

Uchiha Ikezumi continued, "You only acknowledged that what Hyuga Jinsuke did many years ago was indeed a sin, but you did not acknowledge that what he did last night was wrong."

"This shows that Hyuga Yokogari, the branch family elder who tried to break the Caged Bird Seal, was deserving of death because of the deeply ingrained and corrupt family rules in your heart."

"You think it's right for Hyuga Jinsuke to torture him. Hyuga Yokogari died because of this, simply because he was unlucky and his old illness relapsed."

"Your true thoughts are exactly the same as those of Hyuga Jinsuke before his death, because your thoughts are exactly the same."

"In your eyes, there is nothing wrong with the Hyuga main family riding on the head of the Hyuga branch family."

"Am I right? Hyuga Hiashi."

Hiashi Hyuga stood frozen in place, while Neji Hyuga stiffened completely.

Neji suddenly came to his senses.

Yes!

Hiashi Hyuga never said that it was wrong for Jinsuke Hyuga to torture Yokogari, causing his old illness to relapse and die!

The fundamental issue that Hyuga Hiashi was reflecting on was not this point; in other words, he never empathized with the branch family ninjas in the slightest!

He had just naively thought that the other party had truly reflected on their actions and realized that they shouldn't have treated the Hyuga branch family ninjas that way.

He himself harbored an inexplicable "hope" for Hiashi Hyuga, hoping that the other party would treat the branch family better.

We hope the other party can admit that the branch family elder, Hyuga Yokogari, was not wrong.

'When did my expectations of the Hyuga main family become so low? I bear the hatred of having my father sacrificed himself, so why am I inexplicably siding with the main family?'

While Neji was constantly questioning himself.

Taking a deep breath, Hyuga Hiashi finally spoke: "Ikezumi, you don't understand the situation of the Hyuga clan. While it's wrong for Hyuga Jinsuke to deliberately torture Hyuga Yokogari for half an hour, he was just acting impulsively in a reasonable form of punishment."

"Or you could say that... it was right for him to deal with Hyuga Yokohari according to the Hyuga clan rules, but his excessive and deliberate torture was wrong. I acknowledge that."

“I don’t think Hyuga Yokokari deserved to die, and I also feel sorry for his death, but that doesn’t mean that Hyuga Yokokari didn’t make any mistakes.”

"The Caged Bird Seal is the foundation upon which the Hyuga clan's bloodline has continued unbroken for hundreds of thousands of years. Hyuga Yokosai's attempt to break the Caged Bird Seal means that he is undermining the foundation of the Hyuga clan."

"The main family cannot tolerate his attempt to destroy the continuation of the Hyuga clan's bloodline."

Hyuga Hiashi paused, as if regaining some confidence, and said solemnly, "Hyuga Jinsuke is wrong, but Hyuga Yokogari is also wrong. This is my opinion."

Naruto, who was standing behind Uchiha Ikezumi watching the commotion, was completely bewildered.

He couldn't help but nudge Sasuke next to him, then leaned closer and whispered, "Hey, can you understand what he's saying?"

Sasuke glanced at Naruto speechlessly and replied in a low voice, "He thinks that the rules of their Hyuga clan are above all else. Even if they are not above all else, they are at least on par with the laws of the Land of Fire, the rules of Konoha, and the absolute order of justice."

Naruto was taken aback, and muttered suspiciously, "How could you understand that?!"

Sasuke paused for a moment, then said, "Because he's very similar to some of the most stubborn people in the Uchiha clan. In fact, I think he's even more stubborn than those stubborn people in the Uchiha clan."

"In the eyes of such people, the rules of the ninja clan are the most important rules. If the rules of the ninja clan conflict with the rules of absolute justice, they will feel that the rules of the ninja clan are the ones that should be followed."

Sasuke added, "Even if it conflicts with Konoha's rules, they will still think and act in the same way."

Sasuke, who came from a powerful ninja clan, naturally knew this type of person very well.

After all, such people are not a minority within the Uchiha clan.

However, the Uchiha clan's rigid adherence to tradition wasn't as severe as the Hyuga clan's. After all, the Sharingan itself is inherently somewhat extreme and rebellious, making it impossible for all members to strictly adhere to the rigid clan rules.

However, Sasuke discovered that it seemed that everyone in the Hyuga clan, from top to bottom, highly respected their family rules.

Well……

Especially this group from the Hyuga main family.

Even the Hyuga branch family, which was oppressed, was no exception.

"What are you saying, meow?!" The strange voice that suddenly rang out startled Hiashi Hyuga.

He couldn't help but look at the orange ninja cat that was speaking human language at the feet of Uchiha Izumi.

Tachibana Jiro raised his eyes, full of disdain, and met Hyuga Hiashi's gaze: "Are you going to say next that the main family is the true inheritor of the Hyuga clan, and the branch family is merely the guardian of the main family?"

"Should members of the branch family uphold their duty as guardians and not overstep the bottom line of the main family in the slightest? Once they overstep the bottom line, is it only natural that they should feel the pain of the Caged Bird Curse?"

Hiashi Hyuga didn't say anything, because the ninja cat had already said everything he was about to say.

However, the ninja cat's tone was very unfriendly, and Hiashi Hyuga felt that this orange ninja cat wanted to scold him.

The next second, he didn't expect that his feeling would actually come true.

This rude cat is really swearing at itself!

"Meow! How disgusting, Hiashi Hyuga!"

"What inheritors, what guardians, you almost made me laugh. You so-called Hyuga main family ninjas are nothing but using the Caged Bird Seal to enslave the branch family ninjas, coercing them with death and pain, so that you can become the superior ones!"

"The Byakugan with and without the cursed seal is the mark you use to distinguish between superiors and inferiors! Stop calling yourselves inheritors of the Hyuga clan's bloodline. I think your Hyuga main family is going crazy from inbreeding."

As Tachibana Jiro continued speaking, perhaps feeling unsatisfied, he suddenly turned his attention to the Hyuga branch family.

It jumped directly onto Neji's shoulder, its weight almost causing Neji to fall headfirst.

Tachibana Jiro poked Neji's cheek hard: "And you Hyuga branch family members, have you really been brainwashed by the main family? He just said a few words, and you almost bowed down in gratitude? Even the dogs in the Inuzuka clan aren't as easy to train as you. Besides, the dogs are treated better than you Hyuga branch family members."

"At least with the dogs of the Inuzuka clan, if they try to break the contract, the Inuzuka clan ninjas will ask them with concern: Why are you trying to break the contract? Has one of the clansmen treated you badly?"

"What about you Hyuga branch family members? You're being tortured to the point of death just trying to break the caged bird curse that doesn't even want to be etched on someone's head! They don't treat you like human beings, they treat you like dogs!"

Neji's face immediately turned bright red.

"Just one sentence!" Tachibana Jiro said, "The so-called rules of the Hyuga clan are a deformed product bred from a distorted and morbid ninja world, and the 'Caged Bird' is the most extreme of these deformed products."

"Meow, you almost made me furious while you were talking to me."

After thoroughly venting his anger, Tachibana Jiro muttered something until his mouth was dry.

The entire Hyuga clan compound was completely silent.

No one expected that a ninja cat would so openly criticize the Hyuga clan in front of so many members of the main and branch families.

It even occasionally included vulgar language.

Hikaru Hyuga was calm enough to have chosen to back down.

As a result, Tachibana Jiro's words caused a slight ripple on Hyuga Hiashi's tense face. He realized that if he didn't speak up, it would be tantamount to him, as the clan leader, tacitly agreeing to what the ninja cat had said.

If these words get out...

The Hyuga clan will never be able to hold their heads high again.

The branch family ninjas would certainly be provoked by these words. Hiashi Hyuga had already keenly noticed that many branch family ninjas had turned bright red with anger at the words.

At that time, it is highly likely that it will escalate into a conflict between the main family and the branch family, and the rift between the two sides will become wider and wider.

It could even escalate into armed conflict!

Even if the main family can manipulate the branch family at will through the Caged Bird Seal in the event of a violent conflict, it wouldn't be necessary to kill all the members of the branch family, would it?

"The Caged Bird Seal is not intended to enslave the branch family, nor does the main family intend to be superior to others."

Hiashi said in a deep voice, "Bloodline limits like the Byakugan are naturally coveted by enemies. Before the Caged Bird Seal was created, many members of the Hyuga clan had their eyes stolen by enemies. In order to protect their clan members, an ancestor of the Hyuga clan created the 'Caged Bird' Seal."

"As long as someone tries to gouge out the Byakugan, the Caged Bird Seal will destroy it on its own. Over time, many people in the ninja world realized that the Hyuga clan's Byakugan cannot be taken away. In this way, the clan members can be protected from being hunted by others."

"Hoo! This is the explanation for why the Caged Bird Seal was inscribed. The Caged Bird is not the oppression and exploitation that you outsiders perceive it to be."

"Is that so?" Uchiha Izumi asked calmly, "Why don't the main family members carve 'Caged Birds' for themselves?"

Hiashi Hyuga instinctively replied, "Since there are already branch families acting as guardians of the main family, the main family naturally doesn't need to carve a caged bird."

The moment those words left his mouth, the room fell silent once more.

The branch family ninjas looked at Hiashi Hyuga with considerable astonishment.

"Why?" The rather childish voice sounded particularly abrupt.

Neji Hyuga spoke up, looking directly at Hiashi Hyuga, gritting his teeth in confusion: "Why must the branch family always be the protectors of the main family? Why must they die for the main family? Just as this Lord Ikezumi said... if the main family also carves a caged bird for themselves, wouldn't it be unnecessary to make the branch family the protectors, unnecessary to make the branch family the scapegoats of the main family..."

Neji was provoked by Tachibana Jiro's words, and he didn't know where he got the courage to pour out all his thoughts.

"The Hyuga clan has a long history of having a main family and a branch family, spanning hundreds of years and nearly a thousand years."

A slightly deep, hoarse voice sounded from the side, and an elder of the Hyuga main family walked over slowly: "Neji, as Hizashi's son, don't you understand this principle?"

"It's one thing for outsiders to misunderstand the Hyuga clan, but do you also misunderstand the Hyuga clan? Even Hiashi, as the clan head, will eventually divide his two daughters into the main family and the branch family."

"As long as you have the blood of Hyuga flowing in your veins, no one can break the family rules or the laws of our ancestors."

"The ancestral laws cannot be changed—this is the ninja way of the Hyuga clan."

As the elder of the clan finished speaking, he stopped in his tracks, his gaze fixed on the two blood-stained heads on the ground.

He took a deep breath, his facial wrinkles twitching slightly, but he didn't react. Instead, he calmly said to Uchiha Ikezumi, "Uchiha Ikezumi, your absolute duty of justice is to eliminate evil in the ninja world. Our Hyuga clan's rules are not within your scope of responsibility, are they?"

"Having killed two 'Hyuga villains,' you should have fulfilled your duty. The rest is beyond the reach of your absolute righteous ninja way and the Uchiha clan."

result.

The clan elder was astonished to find that Uchiha Ikezumi was completely ignoring him.

Suddenly, this extremely dangerous young man turned around and coldly asked Hyuga Neji, "Kid, what do you think 'justice' is?"

The sudden question seemed a bit abrupt, leaving not only Hiashi Hyuga and the others puzzled, but even Neji himself was momentarily stunned.

He didn't expect that Uchiha Ikezumi would take the initiative to speak to him.

"justice……"

For some reason, Neji suddenly recalled some words that Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha had once said to him.

Those words were very formal theories of justice, which left a deep impression on him.

Before Neji could hurriedly answer, Uchiha Ikezumi's voice rang out again: "Order, fairness, justice, morality, punishing evil, promoting good... do you consider that justice?"

"Yes!"

Neji answered quickly this time, afraid that he would be interrupted again before he could speak.

"Have you seen fairness and justice in the Hyuga clan?"

Do you think the Hyuga clan's order is a positive one?

"Are the moral values ​​you see or follow correct?"

A barrage of questions, accompanied by a cold voice, were thrown at Neji.

These questions caused the expressions of the clan elder and Hyuga Hiashi to become noticeably strange.

"I……"

Neji sensed that many people were watching him, including Hiashi Hyuga and the elder of the main family.

Is the Hyuga clan fair? Is it just?

He couldn't help but touch his forehead, recalling the time his father became the scapegoat of the main family; he thought of Hyuga Yokogari, who was only trying to break the Caged Bird Seal but was tormented by pain; and he remembered what Tachibana Jiro said to him while poking his face.

That's definitely unfair!

It must be unfair!

The moral code followed by the Hyuga clan must be wrong!
The Hyuga clan members, blinded by their own interests, might not have realized much, but when a ninja cat loudly reprimanded him to his face, Neji vaguely realized that some of his thoughts might have been corrupted by the Hyuga clan's distorted morality.

What limited his belief in absolute justice was not his own hesitation, nor his instinctive fear of Uchiha Ikezumi.

It was the deeply ingrained moral code unique to the Hyuga clan that bound him, making him completely different from the others in Konoha!

If a caged bird is merely a physical prison, then deeply ingrained moral concepts are a spiritual prison.

Let Father, let myself...

No one can escape it!

"Your answer is written all over your face."

Uchiha Ikezumi withdrew his gaze, glancing indifferently at the Hyuga clan elder whose expression was slightly tense.

"The duty of justice is not merely to arrest or try the guilty. When it encounters distorted ideas and unhealthy rules that violate justice, justice has the responsibility and obligation to correct them. Otherwise, such distorted and unhealthy phenomena will breed a vast amount of evil."

"So."

"Are you trying to obstruct the execution of justice?!"

……

"Something doesn't seem right..."

Kakashi's forehead was covered in sweat.

He had assumed that Uchiha Ikezumi would leave after killing the two villains.

However, judging from the tense atmosphere, it is clear that Uchiha Ikezumi's purpose in coming here is not just to kill villains.

He actually dared to openly interfere with the Hyuga clan's long-standing family rules!

He even wants to interfere with the traditional ideas and beliefs of the Hyuga clan!

hiss……

Isn't this a bit too much interference? You know, even the Hokage of each generation couldn't change some of the Hyuga clan's beliefs, let alone interfere with the Hyuga clan's rules.

Could Uchiha Izumi really do it?
With his formidable strength?
And his absolute justice?

"The way those Hyuga main clan ninjas were looking at Uchiha Ikezumi was a bit strange."

Knowing full well that some Hyuga clan ninjas had discovered him, Kakashi continued to observe everything from the shadows, muttering to himself.

"They are all beneficiaries of the family rules. How could they possibly be willing to have the Caged Bird Seal etched on their foreheads, just like the Hyuga branch family?"

In fact, many Konoha ninjas were well aware of the problems within the Hyuga clan.

Just as they could see that the Uchiha clan had definitely wanted to cause trouble in Konoha.

The Hyuga main family is therefore not well-liked in Konoha; otherwise, the incident of the main family's eldest daughter being bullied by a scoundrel would not have occurred.

Even so, the Hyuga main family still refused to make the slightest change...

That alone is enough to show just how stubborn and obstinate these people are.

Who wouldn't want to be protected and served by a branch family member?

Who wants to breathe the same air as those peasants who have separated from their families?

and.

The main family, which has been so highly regarded for so many years, is truly "fallen to earth" one day. It's unimaginable what the Hyuga branch family, which has been suppressed for hundreds of years, would do to the Hyuga main family.

"Phew, I have a feeling something's about to happen. I should have had Yamanaka Yoshinobu call the Hokage over while I was at it..."

Kakashi muttered something to himself.

……

"See that, kid?" Tachibana Jiro, perched on Neji's shoulder, poked Neji's cheek again and said, "Even an 'outsider' like Lord Ikezumi is more concerned about the situation of your branch family than your main Hyuga family, meow."

"In Lord Ikezumi's values ​​of justice, the Hyuga branch family has no need to kneel before the Hyuga main family. The Hyuga main family has no right to make you kneel for hundreds or even thousands of years."

"Meow, don't let 'evil' disguised as rules brainwash you!"

"Hyuga brat!"

Neji was deeply shocked by what both Uchiha Ikezumi and Tachibana Jiro said.

……

……

P.S.: Ah! I forgot to check for typos before posting the last chapter, and when I woke up this morning and looked at the chapter description, the sky seemed to have fallen (crying).
(End of this chapter)