Naruto: From Shikotsumyaku to Otsutsuki

"A caged bird! Why does such a vile creature exist?!"

"I hate it so much! I'm so resentful..."

On the tatami mat, Hyuga Hizashi, the head of the branch family, listened to the elders of the main family speaking, his whole being filled with anger, sorrow, and despair.

He was treated like merchandise, used by the clan elders as a bargaining chip to appease Yunyin.

The clan elders and Tuanzang talked animatedly there, without anyone even asking him what he thought.

"Main family? Branch family? Heh... Why? Just because I was born two minutes later?" Hyuga Hizashi was filled with resentment and hatred for the main family.

He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms, and crimson blood dripped down.

He wanted to rebel, to stand up and roar, to tear apart the ugly faces of the clan elders!

But when he saw the hand seal that his older brother, Hiashi Hyuga, made with one hand opposite him, he felt as if his spine had been instantly removed.

That's the activation technique for the "Caged Bird" spell.

With just a single hand seal, a single thought, he could lose all power to resist.

The coldness and ruthlessness in Hiashi Hyuga's eyes, his own brother, were like a sharp sword that pierced him, leaving him riddled with wounds.

He wasn't someone who lacked a sense of the bigger picture; the outcome was unchangeable, but all he wanted were some comforting words.

An apology, a word of concern for Neji.

Even if it leaves him with some false comfort, it's still worth it.

However, Hiashi Hyuga wouldn't even give him something so cheap.

All he ever does is coldly raise his finger and activate the incantation.

"Family ties? Ha... How could Hinata possibly deserve such a noble thing!"

Hisashi resigned himself to his fate.

He knelt on the tatami mat, not listening to what the clan elders and Danzo were saying, since it didn't matter anyway.

His only thought now is about his four-year-old son, Neji, who was recently branded with the Caged Bird Seal.

"My son, Neji, I'm sorry, it's my fault for being incompetent."

"If I had been more ambitious and been born a few minutes earlier, you would have been the future head of the main family, and you wouldn't have had to be branded as a caged bird."

"It's all fate; no one can defy it."

"I'm sorry, Neji."

Hizashi's eyes were dim and lifeless. The thought that Neji would one day become a sacrifice for the main family just like him filled him with guilt and sorrow that almost materialized.

The hatred he had accumulated for the main family since childhood had grown deeper and deeper.

"If I were the head of the family..." A fleeting thought suddenly popped into his mind, but it vanished in an instant.

This was simply because Hiashi on the other side did not lower his hand seals at all.

The Caged Bird Seal is always poised to strike, ready to kill in a single blow.

Meanwhile, the power struggle between Danzo and the clan elders also came to an end.

All eyes were on Rizashi, and everyone's expression was different as they watched his dejected and resigned look.

The clan elder, high above and in charge of the curse seal, never cared about Hijiri's thoughts.

Danzo's old face was full of wrinkles, and a dark light gleamed in his single eye. His fingers moved slightly as he rubbed his cane.

The Japanese player still had marks on his feet, but the worry on his face had faded considerably.

As for the remaining three, the two Root members, Aburame Ryoma and the others, were not surprised. Many years ago, when they passed Root's final trial, they had personally ended the useless thing called emotion.

Kaguya Kazama sighed silently: "Fratricide is both pathetic and laughable. That's why it's best to keep your life and fortune in your own hands. Even in death, you shouldn't be so miserable."

Now, everything is settled.

Since Danzo was attending as Konoha's representative, after hitting the Hyuga with a stick, he naturally had to offer some sweet treats as compensation.

He forced a smile and said reassuringly, "Hiashi, starting tomorrow, the village will designate an entire commercial street for the main family to manage. At the same time, the rewards for missions involving the Hyuga clan will be significantly increased. The village still needs you to continue leading the Hyuga clan in their service."

As he spoke, he handed the cane to Ryoma Aburame, stepped forward, gently patted Hiashi Hyuga's shoulder, and said kindly, "Don't blame the Third Hokage. He's old and can't suppress public opinion. I hope you can understand."

Kaguya Kazama, standing to the side, rolled her eyes and muttered to herself, "This old man, he's still trying to sow discord between Hiruzen Sarutobi. How much does he want to be Hokage?"

However, Danzo's performance was not over yet.

He feigned a kind and approachable demeanor, first offering tempting benefits, then patting Rishi on the shoulder to comfort him, and finally glancing at the dejected Rishi before turning to the old Taoist priest of the Zong family:

"Elder, although the matter is settled, the necessary procedures still need to be followed. How about this, I will supervise Hiashi's actions from now on, and I will take Hizashi's body away and hand it over to Hizane later."

The clan elder, unsuspecting and uninterested in witnessing such an unpleasant scene of eye-gouging, nodded and said:

"Then I'll trouble you, Lord Danzo. I'll go prepare some tea first. Please stay a while longer, as it's the revenue from the entire commercial street. We hope to donate a portion of it to the Root organization. Lord Danzo's dedication to cultivating talent for the village is also a huge investment."

The veteran's words are always delightful.

Danzo was slightly taken aback, then his smile widened as he said, "Haha, no problem, no problem. I haven't yet tasted the fine tea collected by the Hyuga clan."

Soon, the clan elders left.

Inside the room, apart from Hiashi and Hizashi, the rest were Danzo's men.

Hijiri's expression was conflicted, his fingers trembling slightly, as if he couldn't bear to gouge out his younger brother's eyes with his own hands.

Danzo narrowed his eyes, gave a hand gesture, and two members of the Root organization walked behind Hizashi, pressed his shoulders, and lifted his head.

The shrew's eyes remained vacant, like a walking corpse, offering no resistance whatsoever.

Danzo walked to Hiashi's side, formed a hand seal, and said, "Hiashi, I know it's a bit much to ask you to gouge out your own brother's eyes yourself. How about I do it instead?"

Upon hearing this, Hiashi breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Lord Danzo."

Killing one's own brother is completely different from ordinary punishment.

He forced a grateful smile at Danzo, and his tense body completely relaxed.

However, his stiff smile never quite faded before it could return.

"Ninja Art: Seal of Self-Karmic Binding".

A murderous intent suddenly arose, accompanied by Danzo's cold voice, and black lines suddenly appeared on the body of Hiashi Hyuga, the head of the main family.

These patterns climbed and spread rapidly, imprisoning Hiashi's body and sealing his chakra flow.

His face still wore a stiff, grateful smile. His heart skipped a beat, and before he could react, he saw the two Root members who had been holding Hizashi down suddenly teleport over. One reached out and touched his eyes, while the other's hand emitted the energy of a chakra scalpel, attacking his cervical spine.

"???"

As Hiashi stared at the rapidly enlarging finger in front of him, his mind went blank.

But before he could figure it out, he felt a sharp pain in his eyes, and then the world went dark.

puff!

Aburame Ryoma gouged out his pair of white eyes.

But this was only the beginning. The next moment, he felt a pain in his neck and then lost all sensation and control over his body.

Tanuki used a chakra scalpel to sever his cervical spinal cord nerves.

He not only went blind, but also became paralyzed from the waist down.

This scene unfolded in the blink of an eye.

The three members of the Root organization, through pre-planned traps, precise timing, and ingenious teamwork, completed a perfect sneak attack, a textbook example of the art of killing.