In Konoha, Naruto lies down

"I..." Hinata blushed. This place was still in the wilderness, so luckily not many people came. "I have two dreams... to become an excellent nin... and a housewife."

Her words were intermittent, and Naruto shook his head. Hinata's physical fitness was obviously inferior to his. Her physique, trained from trekking all day, was far superior to that of an ordinary person.

"You are a Jonin now, right?" He suddenly remembered that Hinata had mentioned this to him some time ago.

"It's been a long time since then." Hinata's voice was a little resentful. "I wanted to tell you, but my father wouldn't let me meet you, so I never got to see you."

My father-in-law is so unkind, even interfering with my free love. Damn, I'm still too kind. Then I must give him a gift, a grandson.

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it." Naruto said this and took out the wholesale gifts from the sealed space.

A delicate crystal pendant, emitting a warm glow in the sunlight. Even though it was purchased in large quantities, the style and quality are absolutely excellent.

Besides, when it comes to jewelry, trends change every few years and are often retro. There is no need to worry about not keeping up with the trend, as long as it looks good.

"Congratulations on becoming a jonin, Hinata." Naruto said, holding the necklace in one hand.

".....Thank you, Naruto." She was touched, but she would rather Naruto put it on her with both hands instead of one hand...Why couldn't the other hand be free?

"It's okay. When it comes to relationships, I like a long-lasting relationship." Naruto said affectionately.

Hinata wanted to say that she had felt it, but her face felt like it was on fire. She lowered her head and hummed. All around her were the chirping of insects and birds, the shady bamboo forest, and the gurgling stream.

........

Neji was not as leisurely as Naruto. The elders of the main family in the hall were still discussing how to punish Hinata Sachiko, and the Hyuga branch family kneeling in the courtyard were already ready to make a move.

The girl kneeling on the ground could hardly cry anymore, but her body kept shaking.

"We must put the caged bird mark back on. How could the mark fall off naturally? There must be something hidden. We must investigate it thoroughly." The elder of the clan was very emotional.

"Maybe it's an exceptional case. It's better to check among the branch families first to see if similar things have happened." Another elder from the main family advised.

"Let's check it out first, and then we can say if it's man-made." Hinata Hiashi sighed and spoke.

"What about her?" someone from the Zong family asked in a bad tone.

Hinata Hiashi was silent for a moment and pondered.

"Let's add a caged bird mark first to prevent the situation from escalating further."

Neji, who was kneeling at the end of the hall, suddenly raised his head and glanced at Hyuga Hiashi. He could understand the strong reaction of the main family, but this was also an opportunity, wasn't it?

To prevent the situation from escalating further, is it necessary to patch up the caged bird mark? This isn't a bandage, it can be easily torn off after being put on. Is the division of the family really unimportant?

It turns out that no matter how beautiful the words are, they are not as real as actions.

Hinata Sachiko, kneeling in the hall, heard that she was about to be cursed with the Caged Bird Seal, and her body trembled like a sieve. If she was cursed again, she would definitely be punished by the main family.

The caged bird experiences excruciating pain that ordinary people simply cannot endure. In the mildest case, they will suffer from incontinence, and in the worst case, they will become a fool or a disabled person.

The main family is now too lazy to even maintain superficial respect. Without any substance or dignity, the existence of the branch family is truly meaningless. We share the same blood, yet we insist on ranking each other.

"Someone come here!" an elder of the clan called out.

This kind of thing is usually done by the branch family, and of course the main family is responsible for applying the seal. After all, it is core technology and cannot be allowed to be dabbled by the branch family.

But this time, no one responded after he called out twice, and the elders of the clan couldn't help but feel a little angry.

"Are the people outside deaf? You unruly people! Come in quickly! I think you are getting more and more outrageous. Are you planning a rebellion?"

There was a rustling sound outside, and finally someone came in.

But there were not just one or two people, but a dozen or so scattered around. Outside, some people from the branch families had appeared at some point, silently surrounding them.

The bad-tempered elder of the clan's clan had his eyelids twitching violently, and he gritted his teeth and was furious.

"You're just courting death! You bitches!"

Normally, the attitude of the Zong family members was not as bad as this old man, but the prejudice was deep-rooted. Even if their brothers and sisters were separated from the family, in the Zong family members' subconscious, class was above family ties.

Neji, Hinata and Hanabi are exceptions. One reason is that Hyuga Hizashi died for his brother Hiashi, and the rigid Hyuga Hizashi was touched.

Secondly, Hyuga Hiashi did not want his two daughters to be labeled as caged birds, so he deliberately downplayed the concept of branch families of the main family and emphasized family affection.

Therefore, Hinata and Hanabi's relationship is still very good. If the caged bird is beaten, even if she is the daughter of the clan leader, she will not be bullied at most, but the essence is still to separate the family.

The pathetic thick barrier refers to the bird in the cage.

"We have no intention of rebelling, we are just rejecting you, Lord Sunfoot, Lord Tywin, and..." A young member of the branch family bravely stood up.

He started from the middle and read out the names of all the clan members present one by one, his voice steady and without a trace of fear on his face.

"Sachiko won't be branded as a caged bird again unless you kill us all."

"Rebellion! They've all rebelled!" The hot-tempered elder laughed in anger, stretched out his hand and made a gesture to activate the caged bird curse, but found that the man was standing there unharmed.

The wind blew through the courtyard, and nothing happened.

"What's going on! You guys!" The elder expanded the scope, but found it was useless. "Damn it! How could it be ineffective? Could it be you!"

The branch family members standing in the hall did not move at all, not even their expressions changed. They stared coldly at the elder without saying a word.

Hinata Hiashi frowned, as if he had guessed something, and spoke lightly.

"There's no need to hide it now. Take off the bandages on your foreheads."

The dozen or so branches were a little unsure when they heard this and all looked at the young man who was leading the group. The young man was also a little nervous, but at this point he had no choice but to go ahead.

"Let's solve it." he said.

As he spoke, he took the lead in untying the white bandage on his forehead, and the rest of the branch families followed suit. In a flash, dozens of branch families in the hall and the courtyard took off their bandages.

Their foreheads were smooth, without any trace of caged birds.

The members of the Zong family who were seated at the top table were in an uproar, standing up one after another, stunned. The caged bird had been freed, and the code had been deciphered on a large scale.

"You! How dare you do this? Unleash the seal without permission?" the elder shouted angrily. "Who gave you the right to do this? Who allowed you to do this?"

"Tywin, calm down, things haven't reached that point yet." Another elder of the main family came out to persuade, and then said to the people of the branch family.

"Let's make things clear first. There might be a misunderstanding, but there's still a chance to remedy the mistake in time..."

"This isn't a mistake!" The young man from the branch family knew he couldn't win the argument with the old guys, but he couldn't help but continue, "The bird in the cage is a mistake. We are no longer a branch family."

"We are members of the Hyuga clan, not a branch family."

The hall was filled with noise and commotion. A kneeling girl was pulled up by her companions and supported by them. Hinata Hiashi's eyes swept over everyone, finally settling on Neji.

Hyuga Neji seemed to sense something, looked up and exchanged a glance with Hyuga Hiashi, his eyes calm.

"Nonsense, the system of branching out of the main family has existed for hundreds of years. This is the rule set by our ancestors." The elder was furious and wanted to take action immediately.

But without Hinata Hiashi's order, he couldn't act rashly. Even if the opponent only had a few inferior branch family members, their fighting power was not up to par.

"Ancestor?" The young man snorted coldly, "Since we are a branch family, then let the branch family members manage it. There is no need to trouble the elders of the main family."

"What did you say?"

"Our ancestors must have thought so too!" The young man was not afraid at all, like a newborn calf that is not afraid of a tiger.

The elders of the clan were so angry at these outrageous words that they laughed, their eyes cold. Since they couldn't persuade them, they could just suppress them directly.

Whether there are ten or a hundred branch families, in terms of resources and strength, the branch families are simply unable to compete with the main family. Now they are even thinking about splitting up the Hyuga family, which is simply absurd.

The elders looked at the clan leader, Hinata Hiashi, waiting for his decision. The branch clan members also looked at the stern clan leader with a sense of unease.

In front of the Zong family, they were nothing but a mob. They had no advantage in either righteousness or force, their only strength being their sheer numbers.

The scene instantly became quiet. Hinata Hiashi's expression did not change. He just turned and looked at Neji.

"Ningji, what do you think?"

Hearing this, everyone turned their attention to Neji, who had remained silent. The elders of the main family looked at him with anger and impatience, and instantly felt dissatisfied.

What could a person who had split up the family think? Perhaps the caged bird mark on his head had also been removed, and all the careful training that Master Rizu had given him was in vain.

In the end, isn't it still a dog that can't be tamed?

Neji looked up at the sound and first glanced around, carefully taking in the expressions on the faces of the elders of the main family. Finally, he looked at the branch family standing in the center, then silently stood up.

Without saying anything, he walked to the front of the hall, knelt down, and reached out to untie the bandage on his forehead.

The main family members folded their hands and sneered, the branch family members looked nervous, and Hyuga Hiashi frowned slightly. They all stared at Neji's forehead, as if waiting for the prize to be announced.

Swish, swish, the bandages were unwound layer by layer. Starting from the last layer, the blue mark of a caged bird was revealed.

Chapter 387: Hyuga changes, if you lose the deer, you must chase it away

When the caged bird mark on Neji's forehead was revealed, the faces of the main family members were obviously not happy. They were neither happy nor sad, as if they had been hit hard.

"Still keeping it?"

"Why is he still keeping it? Doesn't he want to free the bird from the cage?"

The people from the branch family exclaimed in surprise. They naturally knew that Neji had helped them to unlock the caged bird, and subconsciously thought that he should be the first to unlock it.

But who could have known that the caged bird on Neji's forehead would still remain.

"Ningji-sama, why...why doesn't he untie it?"

"Yeah, wouldn't that mean we try it first?"

"Shut up, don't speak so loudly. Hiashi-sama has done Neji-sama a favor, wouldn't it be ungrateful to untie him? Even if it's just an experiment, there have been so many cases..."

Hinata Hiashi was silent. Neji did not choose to untie the caged bird. But many young people from the branch families behind him had untied the cage. These people would be the future pillars of the branch families.

Punish them all, and make all the young men of the branch families become caged birds again? This is obviously unrealistic. Even if this is forced upon them, the Hyuga clan will face a strong backlash. Without the support of the branch families, the main family is no longer the main family.

Moreover, the caged birds planted by the new generation of the branch family have all been unlocked, which is obviously not a coincidence. If they can be unlocked once, does it mean that they can be unlocked a second time?

But if we let it go, there will no longer be any difference between the branch family and the main family. The conflict between the branch family and the main family has long been formed, so how should the main family deal with it in the future?

Even Hyuga Hiashi, a man accustomed to the most challenging situations, found the current situation extremely difficult. He frowned slightly, unsure of what to do and could only wait and see.

"Are you asking for my opinion, Lord Hiashi?" Neji stood up and stood in front of a group of young people from the branch families.

The cyan caged bird curse mark on his forehead stood out against the crowd of smooth foreheads. His long black hair hung down. He raised his head and looked quietly at the Zong family, his face expressionless.

"I have no objection. I don't know about the other branches, but if the head of the main family needs someone to serve in the future, I would be happy to serve."

These words were like a soft rejection, which made the adults sitting in the audience uncomfortable.

The elders of the main family stared at Neji, looking at the hideous mark on his forehead. Those high-sounding reasons and the family's sacrifices were particularly ironic at this moment.

"The future of the Hyuga branch clan all stands here, no one is left out." Neji said calmly, "I think they should listen to their opinions instead of asking me, a person with a caged bird tattoo."

"After all..." Hyuga Neji looked at the most irritable elder of the main family, paused, and continued, "They are the majority of the branch families, I am only a minority."

This puts the problem back on Hyuga Hiashi. What Neji said is right. He is indeed a minority among the younger generation of the branch family.

The last bird in a cage, emotions only appear when there is contrast.

Neji stood at the forefront of the branch families, a caged bird tattooed on his head. He looked like a yin-yang line illuminated by sunlight, with the arrogant main family in front and the younger generation of the branch families behind him, brave enough to fight back.

On one side is the supreme power, and on the other side is the burning fire of resistance.

And he, with a tattoo of a caged bird, stood at the forefront of the branch family. Because of his presence, the main family could not blame the branch family, but instead made the main family look ugly.

Because of him, the anger of the branch family has been accumulating, which in contrast has strengthened the beliefs of the hesitant younger generation of the branch family.

I would rather die standing than kneel like a dog.

Behind Neji, the young man from the branch family stood up and shouted at the old man from the main family with gritted teeth.

"We will not compromise. Either you destroy the caged bird or kill us. Since you look down on us, from now on, Hyuga will only need the main family. There is no need for branch families."

"I really want to see how the eldest master of the main family will plan the branch family. Will he put some of the main family members in a cage and continue to serve as branch families? If that's the case, I'll be looking forward to it."

Hinata Hiashi knew that no matter how this matter was resolved, the Hyuga main and branch families would cease to exist from now on. Putting a caged bird out in the open was like putting unwashed underwear in years.

The Zong family stood like statues, and Hinata Hiashi waved his hand and said.

"We'll discuss this later. Now that the seal has been broken, there's no point in putting it back. Give us some time to discuss it, and it won't be too late to announce the decision later."

Hearing this, Neji politely bowed and left. He still had great respect for Hyuga Hiashi, and he didn't untie the caged bird, which was considered to be a tribute to Hyuga Hiashi.

When the people from the branch family saw Neji retreat, they simply followed suit and retreated as well.

Only the main family members were left in the hall, and Hinata Hiashi had to take charge of the situation. He glanced at the main family elders and spoke with dignity.

"At this point, there's nothing left to discuss."

"Rizu, are we going to compromise?" the elder asked somewhat unconvinced.

"Yes." Hinata Hiashi nodded and said, "From now on, the branch family no longer needs to be branded with the caged bird. All resources within the clan will be open to all Hyuga clan members."