Orochimaru glanced at the Wood Human and sneered, "A far cry from the First Hokage's."
Even though the sealing barrier had been shattered, Orochimaru ordered the Anbu to lock down the surrounding area and forbid any other Jonin from the village from providing support.
As Danzo unleashed his Wood Style, trees erupted continuously from the ground within the Four Violet Flames Formation.
Neji was knocked to the ground, but the impact finally jolted him back to his senses. The moment the Four Violet Flames Formation shattered, Neji froze for an instant before scrambling to his feet, grabbing Hizashi's body, and fleeing.
Hyuga Shoboku stayed close behind Neji, his only goal to escape this dangerous place as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, Hyuga Kaito remained inside, evading the fight. He held one hand up, a single vertical sign, as he mentally pictured the faces of the branch family members one by one. The first to come to mind were the ones he often sparred with: Hyuga Asahi, Hyuga Kosuke, Hyuga Aoto, and Hyuga Ryu.
Back at Training Ground 6, every member of the Hyuga branch family was on edge. A traitor had emerged from their own Main Family. Worse, this traitor controlled the Caged Bird Curse Mark and could kill the branch family members at will.
Expressions of terror had already appeared on the faces of many branch members. Were they going to die without having done anything wrong?
Hyuga Hayato had gathered most of the branch members here. Many of them had been infested with White Zetsu clones earlier, and some of the weaker ones had their chakra completely drained, killing them. Hayato could only try to keep everyone together and calm their frayed nerves.
What would happen next? To be honest, even Hayato felt he couldn't escape this calamity.
As if to confirm their worst fears, Hyuga Asahi suddenly clutched his head, screamed, and collapsed. Within seconds, he stopped moving.
The branch members erupted into a panic. They rushed to Asahi's side and pulled back his forehead protector, revealing that the Caged Bird had been activated. His cerebral nerves looked as if they had been scorched, emitting a pungent, burnt odor.
"Hyuga Asahi was killed by the Caged Bird!"
Chaos swept through the crowd. A moment later, Hyuga Kosuke also clutched his forehead and fell to the ground. Smelling the same burnt odor in the air, the Hyuga branch members knew another of their kin had just died by the curse mark.
"No! I haven't done anything! I don't want to die!" one of them screamed in despair as he watched a clansman collapse beside him.
Many of them wanted to flee, thinking that if they couldn't see their relatives die, they might find some peace. But at that moment, a large number of Anbu operatives moved in. Hayato knew that letting this panicked crowd run loose would only cause greater chaos.
He raised his voice and tried to reassure them, "Everyone, calm down! The Third Hokage, Lord Fifth, and our clan head are dealing with this problem! Even if you run, where could you possibly go?"
The commotion quickly subsided as they were struck by a harsh realization—no matter where they ran, they could never escape the grip of the Caged Bird. In the midst of the chaos, several more branch family members had been cursed to death.
Utterly defeated, the remaining members sank to the ground, waiting for death to claim the next victim.
Would it be you? Him? Or me?
The Hyuga clan's tradition dictated that the Main Family must protect the Byakugan at all costs. To this end, they used the threat of death as a tool of absolute control, forcing the branch family into submission and perpetual servitude.
Now, that ever-present threat of death had awakened a deep-seated hatred within the hearts of the branch members. The feeling of waiting to die was pure agony.
After a few moments, another branch member would fall.
A little while later, yet another would collapse.
It didn't matter how much they had contributed to the clan or how strong they were as individuals. They were all dying here in this absurd manner.
The Main Family was the one that had been subverted and controlled, so why were their lives being used to fill this bottomless pit?
The eyes of every Hyuga branch member at Training Ground 6 began to burn with the light of hatred.
Just then, outside the training ground, the Anbu brought three more people. To be precise, two were alive, and one was a corpse. The survivors were Hyuga Neji and Hyuga Shoboku. The dead man was…
Hyuga Hizashi!
The already anxious Hyuga Hayato completely broke down the moment he saw Hizashi's body.
"Lord Hizashi! How could this happen!"
"Why did things turn out this way!"
Hayato rushed to Hizashi's side, his eyes turning bloodshot. Over the years, Hizashi had supported him and helped him rise through the ranks. Hyuga Hizashi was one of the people Hayato respected most. He never imagined he would die so senselessly.
And judging by the Caged Bird's scorched mark on Hizashi's forehead…
Hayato finally understood. Lord Hizashi had been killed by the Caged Bird curse!
At that exact moment, another branch family member nearby fell to the ground with a dull thud.
Hayato fell into complete despair, slumping to the ground, his strength gone.
The Hyuga clan… it was well and truly finished.
…
Back in the Hyuga Main Family's grand courtyard, Danzo finally unleashed his Wood Human Technique. Standing atop the wooden giant, he looked down with smug satisfaction. The Wood Human he summoned had a humanoid appearance, with a massive wooden dragon coiled around its body.
His gaze was locked onto the Third Hokage as a voice in his head urged him on.
Kill Hiruzen Sarutobi! Kill him!
Hiruzen, your day has finally come. Today, you will die here!
Danzo began forming hand seals, and the Wood Human beneath his feet took a deep breath. A piercing gust of wind shot from its mouth, transforming into a massive blade of air that flew straight toward Hiruzen Sarutobi.
By this point, Hiashi had been thrown far outside the battlefield. As he was sent flying, he had screamed with all his might, "You have to stop Kaito! If he keeps using the Caged Bird, the entire branch family will be annihilated!"
Seeing the tense situation, Tsunade realized how dire things were. The sight of Hyuga Kaito continuously using the curse spurred her into action. The Strength of a Hundred Seal on her forehead began to glow.
Release!
As the seal was undone, an immense torrent of chakra erupted from her. Black markings spread across her face from the diamond on her forehead.
This was Ninja Art: Creation Rebirth — Strength of a Hundred Technique!
At the same time, Jiraiya summoned two Sage Toads. As they appeared, the unique markings of Sage Mode materialized on his face, and his nose grew slightly warty.
In stark contrast, Orochimaru remained composed, clearly holding back his true strength. To put it simply, he was slacking off.
However, just Tsunade and Jiraiya taking things seriously was more than enough.
The two Sage Toads spat out sharp blades of water, slicing through the air.
Sage Art: Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan!
Jiraiya then thrust the massive Rasengan forward, slamming it into the Wood Human's leg and blasting a huge crater in it.
Tsunade shot forward like a cannonball, heading straight for Hyuga Kaito. Kaito was still in the middle of casting the curse and didn't anticipate the attack on the Wood Human's leg. The entire construct tilted violently, causing the attack meant for Hiruzen to miss its mark.
Tsunade flew into the newly created opening and landed a heavy punch squarely on Kaito's chest.
Hyuga Kaito's eyes flew wide open as he was sent flying, his chest completely caved in.