After their brief reunion, everyone went their separate ways.
Uchiha Kai was in the best condition of them all. After leaving the Akimichi Barbecue Shop, he went straight home and fell asleep.
As for the eye power he had consumed, he didn't care in the slightest.
For him, increasing his eye power was troublesome, but restoring some of the power he had spent was nothing at all. With the system's blessing, it would take him at most six or seven days before he was once again full of vigor.
And given the current situation in Konoha, the Uchiha had long passed the dangerous stage. Now, the Uchiha Clan was a towering behemoth.
Anyone who dared to target Uchiha Kai would essentially be declaring war on half of Konoha.
Even a stubborn man like Danzō wouldn't dare try such a thing!
But on the other side of the village…
Hyuga Aya was clutching the signal flare in her hand, her heart pounding furiously.
Perhaps, if not for the shackles of her clan, she would have already confessed her feelings.
But she couldn't.
The thought of her cold, lifeless clan filled her with an icy chill that seeped from the inside out. After tonight's gathering, it might even become nearly impossible for her to leave the clan again.
Sigh…
With a helpless sigh, she finally made her way back toward the Hyuga compound.
As she walked, she began experimenting. She hadn't had the chance during the gathering, but now she finally had time to test—what had become of the Caged Bird Curse Seal on her forehead?
She activated her Byakugan.
The moment her vision changed, she couldn't help but gasp.
The Caged Bird Curse Seal was still there, yet her Byakugan now allowed her a full 360-degree vision with no blind spots—something only branch members of the main family were supposed to achieve!
She refined her chakra a little, and instantly felt an unfamiliar sense of freedom. The suffocating restrictions she used to feel when circulating chakra were completely gone.
In truth… aside from the seal's mark on her forehead reminding her she hadn't escaped the clan's control, she could no longer feel any of the Caged Bird Curse Seal's restraints.
"This… it actually worked?"
"But how could this be? How could the Caged Bird Curse Seal possibly be undone?"
"Kai-kun wasn't lying… he really has the power to break the Caged Bird Curse Seal?"
"What a terrifying Mangekyō Sharingan technique… worthy indeed of the Uchiha, who stand shoulder to shoulder with the Hyuga."
"In that case… once Kai-kun recovers his eye power, perhaps one day I really can be freed of the Caged Bird Curse Seal…"
Her heart thumped wildly at the thought.
Excitement, fear, and helplessness all tangled together. But one thing she was certain of—this secret could never be revealed.
If others found out Uchiha Kai possessed such an ability, the consequences would be disastrous.
Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Aya returned to the Hyuga compound. Her gaze hardened, and her whole body instinctively tensed.
Yes. In the Hyuga Clan, all branch family members lived like this—walking on eggshells. A single misstep, a single offense to a main family member, and one could die without ever knowing how.
Just as she arrived at the gate of her little courtyard, before she could enter, another Hyuga from the branch family stopped her.
"Hyuga Aya!"
"The clan head, Hizashi-sama, summons you. Come with me."
Aya frowned slightly. But she dared not hesitate, and after a small nod, she followed him.
Twenty minutes later, the two arrived at an exquisite courtyard.
Though Hizashi was a branch family member, he was also the younger brother of Hiashi, the clan leader, and the head of the branch family. Naturally, his living conditions were far better than ordinary branch members.
After all, outside the main family, Hizashi held the greatest authority.
Soon, Aya found herself in a small teahouse, facing Hyuga Hizashi.
He knelt behind the low tea table, dressed in a black kimono, his entire being radiating an austere dignity.
"Hyuga Aya, greets the clan head!" Aya bowed respectfully.
Her eyes were full of doubt. She had no dealings with Hizashi at all. Why would he summon her?
"Hm. Aya," Hizashi's brows lifted slightly with a smile. "Come, sit. Let's talk."
Aya frowned faintly, but without protest she knelt across from him.
Yet the tea he poured for her remained untouched. Instead, she asked cautiously, "Clan head, may I ask what business you have with me?"
She knew very well—a branch family member like herself, just a mere chunin, had no qualifications to sit here with the branch family leader.
Better to ask directly.
Hizashi shook his head, clearly surprised at her impatience. But then he spoke bluntly.
"Very well. Since you're so eager, I'll get straight to the point."
"You just came from a gathering with your teammates, didn't you?"
"One of them is an Uchiha—you know his situation. He has openly set himself against the Hokage."
"The Hyuga will not side with either camp."
"As head of the branch family, it is my duty to warn you—keep your distance from Uchiha Kai from now on."
"Of course, that is only my advice as a fellow branch member. The real decisions lie with the main family."
"In fact, the main family is already aware of your circumstances—and they have decided your future."
"Main family Elder Yotai's only son, Hyuga Yū, will hold his coming-of-age ceremony in one month."
"On that day, you will be gifted to him as a branch family servant maid."
"Do not resent this. Do not harbor inappropriate thoughts. This is the fate of the branch family. Yours, mine—everyone's."
"If you must blame someone, blame your misfortune."
"That's all. You may leave."
Hizashi's voice grew faint, and at the end, even his face was tinged with irony.
Yes—he wasn't only mocking Aya, but himself as well. His own children, too, would one day be branded with the Caged Bird Curse Seal.
Yet to his surprise, Aya's expression didn't change at all. She merely nodded calmly, bowed, and left.
As though… she didn't care about her fate in the slightest.
"…What's going on?"
Hizashi frowned, unease stirring in his heart.
He knew very well how most branch family members reacted upon learning of their "assigned destiny"—with hatred, fear, despair.
But Aya's serenity was unnatural.
And considering she was on the same team as Uchiha Kai—whose power and cunning were known throughout Konoha—and with a Nara clan member in her squad as well, famous for their intellect…
Could it be that Aya had grown close with her teammates, and they had already devised some countermeasures for her?
Hiss—!
A chill ran down Hizashi's spine.
No… that must not be allowed! He even considered consulting Hiashi about this.
But after a moment, he deflated.
The Hyuga were in no position to challenge the Uchiha now.
And deep down, a part of him even hoped Aya would succeed. If not for his own sake, then for the sake of his son's future.
"Forget it."
"It's none of my concern. I'll act as though I know nothing."
"Hyuga Aya… good luck."
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