Aokawa's gaze seemed as if it could pierce through every single thought within Hyuga Zetsu's heart.
"Right now, you must be thinking that as long as you can return to the clan, you will immediately have that Elder grandfather of yours kill all of us present, including our families."
As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of the surrounding Branch Family youths instantly turned deathly pale.
"H-How could that be!" Hyuga Zetsu's body trembled as he hurriedly defended himself. "As long as you let me go today, we'll call it even! I promise I will never look for trouble with any of you again!"
Aokawa walked up to him, slowly squatted down, and looked down at him.
"I will let you go."
A flash of wild joy flickered in Hyuga Zetsu's eyes.
However, the people surrounding them all grew anxious.
"Aokawa!"
"You can't let him go!"
Hyuga Ryosuke and Hyuga Kamon spoke at the same time, attempting to stop him.
Aokawa turned a deaf ear to them, simply staring into Hyuga Zetsu's eyes as he spoke word by word.
"But, listen carefully."
"From this day forth, if anything happens to any member of the Hyuga Branch Family present here, or their families in the Village—even the slightest accident—"
"The very next day, I will distribute the hand signs for the unique Bird in a Cage Curse Seal on your head to every single member of the Hyuga Clan's Branch Family."
Hyuga Zetsu's pupils violently constricted into needlepoints.
"I have modified this curse seal; its effective activation distance is three kilometers."
"Unless you keep your Byakugan active twenty-four hours a day without interruption, as long as you enter the Hyuga Clan grounds, any Branch Family member within a three-kilometer radius could activate the curse seal on you while you are eating, drinking, or sleeping."
"Guess how many people would want you to taste the suffering they once endured?"
"Great idea!" Hyuga Go was the first to react, slapping his thigh in excitement.
The other youths also understood instantly.
That's right! This guy's curse seal is independent! If the activation method is spread, there will be plenty of people who would want to hide in the shadows and torment him!
When that time comes, Hyuga Zetsu will never know another day of peace!
"Devil!"
Hyuga Zetsu finally broke down. Looking at the smiling youth before him, he let out a desperate roar.
"Aokawa! You are a devil!!"
...Inside the Barracks, the air seemed to solidify.
Aokawa's words were like a rusty saw, pulling back and forth across Hyuga Zetsu's taut nerves.
"Devil..." Hyuga Zetsu slumped to the ground, his eyes vacant, his mouth only capable of repeating those two words.
"Devil?"
Aokawa gave a noncommittal smile and turned to look at the two Guards who had been holding down Hyuga Zetsu's legs.
"Hyuga Go, Hyuga Shin."
The two brothers' bodies jolted, and they subconsciously straightened their backs; it was an instinct for obedience carved into their very bones over many years.
"Present!"
"Want to learn?" Aokawa pointed at Hyuga Zetsu on the ground, then at his own hand. "The method to control this dog."
As soon as those words came out, the two brothers' breathing instantly became heavy.
They exchanged a glance, both seeing a ball of wildly dancing flames in the depths of each other's eyes.
That kind of flame is called ambition, and it is also called revenge.
"Yes!" Hyuga Go gritted his teeth, squeezing the word out from between them.
"Very good."
Aokawa beckoned to them. "Come here, I'll teach you."
"No! You can't!"
Hyuga Zetsu on the ground was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on; he suddenly sprang up from the floor. Unsure where the strength came from, he actually broke free from the suppression of Hyuga Ryosuke and Hyuga Kamon.
Scrambling with both hands and feet, he retreated frantically until his back hit the cold wall.
"This is a Secret Technique of the Main House! No one but the Main House has the right to learn it!"
"You bunch of pariahs! If you dare to learn it, it's a capital offense! You'll all die!"
He roared, tears and snot streaming down his face, completely losing his image as a noble Young Master.
He was afraid.
Truly afraid.
If only Aokawa possessed it, he could still lie to himself and say it was an isolated case.
But if even lowly Guards like Hyuga Go could master it... then what kind of Main House member would he be in the future?
He would completely become a plaything in the hands of these'slaves'!
Aokawa didn't bother to pay attention to his barking. He had a Shadow Clone use a Barrier to block out the others and began to demonstrate the hand signs to the brothers, Hyuga Shin and Hyuga Go.
"It's actually very simple."
Aokawa slowed down his movements, his long fingers dancing flexibly.
"The original Bird in a Cage Curse Seal requires a large amount of Chakra and complex Technique circuits."
"But the one I just implanted in him is a 'Receiver'."
"You don't need vast amounts of Chakra; you only need to use specific hand signs to simulate that specific frequency."
As he spoke, his hands formed a strange 'Ram' sign, then he pressed his index and middle fingers together, giving them a slight tremor.
Buzz!
An invisible ripple seemed to undulate through the air.
"Aaah—!!!"
In the corner, Hyuga Zetsu suddenly clutched his head, his whole body arching like a cooked prawn as he let out a pig-slaughtering shriek.
The intense pain came quickly and left just as fast.
Aokawa released his hand, and the screaming stopped abruptly.
Hyuga Zetsu gasped for breath, cold sweat pouring off him like rain, looking as if he had just been fished out of water.
"Did you see clearly?" Aokawa looked at the two brothers.
Hyuga Go and Hyuga Shin stared fixedly at Aokawa's hands and nodded frantically, as if they wanted to carve those movements into their brains.
"Come, try it."
Aokawa stepped back, yielding the stage.
Hyuga Go took a deep breath and tremblingly extended his hands.
It was not just because of excitement, but also because of a sense of thrill from breaking a taboo.
He recalled Aokawa's movements in his mind.
Forming hand signs.
Mobilizing Chakra.
Tremoring.
The first time, he failed.
There was no reaction.
A glimmer of hope flashed in Hyuga Zetsu's eyes in the corner, and he was just about to open his mouth to mock them.
Beside him, Hyuga Shin suddenly had a flash of inspiration; his hands quickly formed the signs, and his fingertips gave a violent tremor.
"Ugh, aaaah!"
Hyuga Zetsu's screams rang out again, even more shrill than before.
Because Hyuga Shin's Chakra control wasn't precise enough, the frequency fluctuated, causing the pain to be not an instantaneous burst, but rather like a dull knife sawing through flesh—intermittent and continuous.
"I... I succeeded?"
Hyuga Shin stared blankly at his own hands, his eyes full of disbelief.
He, a member of the Branch Family.
He actually made a high-and-mighty Main House Young Master roll on the ground in pain before him!
An unprecedented surge of pleasure, like an electric current, shot up his spine, making every pore on his body open up in relief.
At this moment, the dignity of the Main House and the suppression of Bloodlines were all shattered to pieces.
"My turn!"
Seeing this, Hyuga Go grew anxious and tried again.
This time, he also succeeded.
"Aaaah—stop! Stop it! I am your master! You two mad dogs!" Hyuga Zetsu convulsed wildly on the ground in pain, his head thumping against the wooden floor.
"Master?"
A ferocious smile appeared on Hyuga Go's face, and the movements of his fingers didn't stop; instead, he applied even more force.
"When you told us to go die just now, did you think about being the master?"
"When you called us dogs just now, did you think about this moment?"
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