I, Naruto Uzumaki, don't need your approval.

When he was one of the Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru would always avoid him.

However, not long after he became Hokage, Orochimaru took the initiative to approach him, wanting to make a deal with him.

Chapter 214 Hinata, Hanabi, and Neji

After the Uchiha clan's territory was sealed off, the Hyuga clan's territory became the clan's residence furthest from the Hokage Building, effectively becoming a small, semi-independent kingdom of Konoha.

However, unlike the Uchiha, who controlled the security forces and were feared by the Hokage's faction.

The Hyuga clan pursued the empty title of the strongest clan, never occupying key positions in the village, nor expressing any desire to become Hokage, content to stay quietly in a corner of Konoha.

The reason why the Hyuga clan retreated into seclusion.

On one hand, there are the lessons learned from the Senju and Uchiha clans; on the other hand, there are the flaws in the Hyuga clan's Caged Bird system. Once they reveal any unwarranted ambitions, it will sooner or later provoke conflict between the main family and the branch family.

At this moment, in the Hyuga clan's dojo, Hinata, Neji, and others were practicing Gentle Fist.

After practicing several sets of Gentle Fist, Hinata had a few beads of sweat on her forehead. She sat on the tatami mat and sipped water. As the eldest daughter of the main branch of the family, she had to maintain proper etiquette at all times, even though she had lost her status as heir.

After calming her breathing, Hinata looked at Hanabi, who was sparring with Neji.

Compared to her timid older sister, Hanabi is much stronger and her talent in Gentle Fist is no less than that of Neji, who is hailed as a genius in the village. She is more suitable to be the heir of the main family than her.

Moreover, the curse mark on the caged bird was too ugly, and she didn't want her sister to have this ugly mark on her as well.

Fortunately, her father did not have any intention of having her imprint the Caged Bird Mark for the time being. It seemed that he planned to delay until she and Hanabi came of age before officially selecting the head of the Hyuga clan.

But when that time comes, will I deliberately lose to Hanabi as before, or will I become the head of the Hyuga family?

At that moment, Hinata looked at Neji, who had been marked with the Caged Bird Seal. If she could become the head of the Hyuga clan, could she abolish the Caged Bird Seal system and free Neji as well?

Compared to Neji from the branch family who constantly refers to Hinata-sama, she prefers Neji, her younger sister.

But can I really accomplish what even my father couldn't? Besides, Naruto is by my side, but Naruto hasn't been seen for a very, very long time.

Thinking about this, Hinata felt a little lost and didn't know what to do.

Suddenly, Hinata heard Naruto's voice in her mind. Naruto once said that if you encounter something you can't decide, don't think about it for the time being, and instead focus on training.

Powerful force may not solve the problem, but it can eliminate the person who raises the problem.

She didn't know if Naruto's words made sense, but after Naruto disappeared, she had been using this method to escape, secretly training in the training ground.

Without his father's or other adults' knowledge, he mastered the Bagua Sixty-Four Palms and a few days ago he also learned the clan's secret technique, Bagua Palm: Return to Heaven.

As a result, her appetite seems to have increased, and she has completely lost her ladylike demeanor.

Pulling her wandering thoughts back, Hinata stood up, intending to quietly leave the dojo and head to a secluded training ground within the clan to continue escaping her problems in this way.

Hinata was blocked back by several figures not long after she left the dojo.

These people were all members of the Hyuga main family, and the one in the lead was his own father, the head of the Hyuga clan.

Hiashi Hyuga glanced at Hinata and sighed softly in his heart. Ever since the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki disappeared, Hinata seemed to have lost her soul. Whenever she encountered difficulties, she would hide in the training grounds of the clan to numb herself.

A month ago, I found a fox wallet somewhere and I was always grinning like an idiot.

With such a personality, he would certainly be unable to shoulder the responsibility of the head of the clan in the future, but he was also reluctant to harden his heart and plant the Caged Bird Curse on his daughter.

Is it really necessary for this system, which turns brothers and sisters into slaves, to continue to exist?

However, this is a tradition of the Hyuga clan and the only way to prevent the caged bird from escaping. Even the head of the Hyuga clan is no match for the rules passed down from their ancestors.

Although he felt sorry for his daughter, Hiashi Hyuga still put on a stern face.

"Hinata, it's time for your monthly assessment. Where are you going to run off to again? Running away won't solve anything. Only by defeating Hanabi can you become the future head of the clan."

Under the watchful eyes of the main family members, Hinata obediently returned to the dojo.

Seeing so many members of the main family, Hanabi realized it was time for the assessment. She raised her head to look at her older sister Hinata, assumed the Gentle Fist stance, and said with a cold face, "Sister, it's time for the assessment again."

Hinata took a deep breath, walked to the center of the dojo, and formed the opposing seal with Hanabi.

Bang bang bang!

As Hinata and Hanabi launched their attack, the two quickly clashed. Just as Hinata was about to hold back as usual, she discovered that her casual palm strike had forced Hanabi to retreat several steps.

Hanabi stared wide-eyed at Hinata in disbelief.

Hinata realized something was wrong. She had clearly controlled her strength, so why had she still managed to push Hanabi away? Now she couldn't keep hiding her strength any longer.

In the ensuing battle, Hinata carefully controlled her strength while holding back, striving to make her defeat seem less contrived.

Hinata deliberately created an opening, allowing Hanabi to hit her, and then took the opportunity to fall to the ground, voluntarily admitting defeat.

Such poor acting skills naturally could not escape the eyes of the Jonin of the main clan. After glancing at Hiashi Hyuga, the elder of the main clan said to the front, "Hanabi, you go down first. Neji, you go and spar with the young lady."

"Yes."

After receiving the order from the head of the main family, Neji stepped forward, looked at Hinata, and said, "Lady Hinata, you flatter me."

Soon, the two clashed, and the power of their soft fists made the air rustle.

Judging from the battle between the two sides, Hinata was able to put up a fight, but she gradually fell into a disadvantageous position.

Just as Hinata was about to lose to Neji, the voice of the clan elder rang out again, saying calmly, "Hinata, show your full strength. Stop hiding your power. Don't you want to become the future head of the clan?"

Upon hearing this, Neji paused, staring intently at Hinata.

Hinata, who is usually easily defeated by him and can't even beat Hanabi, has actually been hiding her strength?

Hanabi's eyes widened. Had her sister been letting her win all along? Judging from the battle between her sister and Neji, it seemed that was indeed the case. But why would her sister deliberately let her win? Was she worried that she would be branded with the Caged Bird Seal?

After Hinata's hidden strength was exposed, she gritted her teeth and unleashed a portion of her power, restoring the battle to a stalemate. Neji felt the pressure mounting.

Seeing this, the elder of the main family first frowned, then looked at Hiashi Hyuga and chuckled:

"Hiashi, I didn't expect Hinata to be hiding her strength. If she had revealed such talent earlier, she should have been trained in the clan instead of wasting her time in the Ninja Academy."

"I didn't expect my daughter to be so willful, and I didn't expect her to be so strong. Her strength is almost comparable to that of a Chunin."

Unlike the elders of the main family, Hiashi Hyuga felt a bit of a headache. Hinata's act of hiding her strength was obviously something she learned from Naruto. That kid has been gone for so long, how come Hinata still hasn't forgotten him?

As the clan leader, he knew some extremely confidential inside information, such as the reason for Naruto's disappearance and whereabouts.

Chapter 215 Hinata's Resistance

Three years ago, a major event occurred in Konoha.

The Uchiha clan, a large family of hundreds, suffered a massacre. All members of the clan disappeared overnight, leaving only the sole survivor, Uchiha Sasuke. The culprit was none other than the S-rank rogue ninja, Uchiha Itachi.

Since that day, Naruto the fox spirit, who was active in the village, has also disappeared without a trace.

This incident sparked discussion among the villagers of Konoha, but the fervor died down after a few weeks. The villagers were no longer concerned about Naruto's life or death; they were more interested in the Uchiha massacre.

According to the Hokage Building, Naruto was previously attacked by the Uchiha clan.

For safety reasons, Naruto was not suited to continue studying at the Ninja Academy and was taken to the Anbu for training, where he received more rigorous ninja education and became a member of the Anbu elite.

This claim might fool Chunin and Genin, but it wouldn't fool elite Jonin like Hiashi Hyuga.

According to information from the black market, the Uchiha clan was not actually wiped out on the night of the massacre. Instead, they led their clansmen to the Land of Whirlpools overseas, where they established the Whirlpool Village. Their leader happened to be a member of the Uzumaki clan...

Naruto's disappearance must be related to the leader of Uzumaki Village; he might have been adopted by an old monster from the Uzumaki clan.

The Hyuga clan once had a similar old monster, but he passed away more than a decade ago. If that person were still alive, his younger brother Hyuga Hizashi would not have died because of this, and he would have had more say.

Ultimately, the so-called Will of Fire is all a lie; one still has to rely on the strength of the clan's top combatants.

While Hiashi Hyuga was deep in thought, the battle between Hinata and Neji continued. Their Gentle Fist fighting style had changed from a normal stance to the Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms, and the two were locked in a fierce and evenly matched fight.

Upon witnessing this scene, Hiashi Hyuga felt both joy and sorrow.

Hinata's ability to fight Neji to a draw is already considered genius within the clan, and he doesn't need to worry about her future. However, this also means that he can no longer use this excuse to delay the selection of the next successor.

Soon, the thing Hiashi Hyuga feared most came to pass.

After observing the battle between Hinata and Neji, the elder of the main branch of the Hyuga clan intervened, stopping the fight. He then approached Hiashi Hyuga and spoke in an unquestionable tone:

"Master, Hinata's strength has surpassed that of the genius Neji. It's time to confirm her status as the heir to the main family."

"It's too early to confirm the heir of the main family now. Let's wait until Hinata and Hanabi come of age. I plan to serve as the head of the family for another twenty years."

The elder of the main family glanced at Hiashi Hyuga and said calmly, "Hiashi, the lineage of the head of the family will have to choose an heir sooner or later. If you continue to delay, it will not change the fate of one of them being in the main family and the other in the branch family. For the sake of the main family's rules, it is better to make a decision as soon as possible."

Before he finished speaking, the other members of the main family also looked at Hyuga Hiashi.

Hiashi is indeed the head of the Hyuga clan, but even greater than the clan head are the rules of the Caged Bird Seal. Even the clan head cannot change the rules of the Hyuga clan.

Hearing this, Hiashi Hyuga sighed softly and looked helplessly at his youngest daughter, Hanabi.

He ultimately could not protect his daughter, even though he was the head of the Hyuga clan. However, his attempt to buy time was perhaps wishful thinking and could not change the Caged Bird Seal system.

My father must have felt the same way back then, which is why he ultimately gave up on his younger brother and made himself the head of the family.

The conversation between Hiashi Hyuga and the elders of the main family reached Hinata, Neji, and Hanabi's ears. Although Hanabi knew about the Caged Bird system, she looked puzzled and still did not understand the cruelty of the Caged Bird system.

Hyuga Neji, on the other hand, was much calmer. He had long accepted his fate as a member of the branch family and was indifferent to everything before him.

The caged bird exists to protect the branch family, and the branch family exists to protect the main family. They are willing to give their lives for the main family. This is the inherent mission of the branch family, which is determined from the moment they are born.

What makes these branch families feel fortunate is that the descendants of the main family will also become branch families.

Hinata's expression darkened, somewhat annoyed that she had inadvertently revealed her strength. She knew all along that doing so would result in Hanabi being branded with the ugly Caged Bird Seal.

What can be done now to stop Hanabi from being branded with the Caged Bird Seal...?

Hinata was somewhat at a loss, but she didn't have the courage to stand up against her father and the elders. She couldn't possibly be a match for the adults, nor could she change the Hyuga clan's thousand-year-old rules.

At this moment, the elder of the clan glanced at the fireworks not far away and said calmly, "You few go and prepare for the caged bird ceremony. There are so many vacancies in the position of the clan head successor. It's time to confirm the identity of the successor."

Upon hearing this, Hanabi finally realized that something was wrong and slowly backed away.

Hiashi Hyuga frowned. Hanabi Mirai would be branded with the Caged Bird Seal, but were the clan elders really disrespecting him as the clan leader, daring to attack him in front of everyone?

Just as Hiashi Hyuga was about to reprimand the elders of the main family, Hinata took a deep breath, stepped forward, and shouted, "Father, Elder Grandfather, I voluntarily give up my position as the heir to the main family and let Hanabi be the heir."

After saying all that in one breath, Hinata's face turned bright red with excitement.

Voluntarily giving up her status as the heir to the main family and letting Hanabi become the head of the family was the best way she could think of to save her sister, and only in this way could Hanabi be prevented from being cursed with the Caged Bird Seal.

Hinata's words stunned Hanabi and Neji, who hadn't expected her to voluntarily give up her position as heir.

The elders of the main family hadn't expected Hinata to give up her position as heir, but they still shook their heads and said, "The position of heir of the main family is not a game, nor is it something you can just give up if you want to."