Chapter 107: The Gaze of the Caged Bird
Rimon didn't risk the rooftops here. The Byakugan was the ultimate deterrent against aerial infiltration, capable of seeing the heat of a human heart through a foot of solid stone. Instead, he moved through the subterranean foundations, his Vortex-Cloak working overtime to dampen the vibration of his footsteps.
"The Hyuga are different from the others, Patriarch," Black Zetsu's voice was like a cold draft against Rimon's ear. "The Senju have their pride, the Uchiha have their fire... but these people? They have a wall inside their own minds. They won't just look at your seals; they will look through them."
"They see everything, and yet they see nothing," Rimon replied, his voice a ghost of a sound. "They are so focused on guarding their 'Treasure' that they haven't noticed the guards have become the prisoners."
They reached the designated meeting point—a secluded tea house at the very back of the estate, bordering the dense bamboo thickets of the outer wall. Inside, two men sat in the dim light of a single, low-burning candle.
On the left sat Sadao Hyuga, the Head of the Main Branch and his two son Hiashi Hyuga and Hizashi Hyuga. Hiashi Hyuga is older than his twin brother, Hizashi Hyuga. His posture was regal, his white eyes cold and unyielding, reflecting the tradition of centuries. To his right sat a man who looked remarkably like him, but with a forehead protector tied tightly across his brow—Hizashi Hyuga, a representative of the Branch family and a man whose very existence was defined by the seal hidden beneath that cloth.
Rimon stepped from the shadows. He didn't use a disguise. He stood before them as the Patriarch of the Whirlpool, his red hair a vibrant, shocking contrast to the monochrome austerity of the Hyuga room.
"You are a bold man, Uzumaki Rimon," Sadao said, his voice like the crack of ice. "To enter our compound uninvited is an act of war. To do so while the village is on high alert is a death wish."
"I'm not here for a death wish, Sadao-sama," Rimon said, walking to the center of the room and sitting down without being asked. He placed his hands on his knees, his presence expanding until the tea cups on the table rattled. "I'm here to offer the Hyuga something the Leaf has stolen from you. Sovereignty."
Hizashi's eyes flickered, a momentary break in his stoic mask. "Sovereignty? We are the protectors of the Leaf's strongest ocular trait. We have our traditions. We have our security."
"You have a leash," Rimon countered, turning his gaze toward Hizashi. "You call it the Caged Bird Seal. You say it's to protect the Byakugan from being stolen. But we both know it's also a weapon used by the few to control the many. It's a seal born of fear, not of strength."
Sadao narrowed his eyes, his veins bulging slightly around his temples—the precursor to activating his dōjutsu. "Be careful, boy. Our internal affairs are not for an outsider to critique."
"I'm not critiquing, I'm observing," Rimon said, his voice calm. "I have met with the Senju. I have met with the Uchiha. They are both realizing that the Leaf is a sinking ship. But the Hyuga? You are the ones being used to keep the hull together while the captains prepare the lifeboats."
Rimon leaned forward, the candle flame dancing in the reflection of his eyes. "The 2nd Shinobi War is escalating. The Cloud and the Stone are hungry. How many Branch members will you send to die to protect a 'Dream' that treats them like disposable tools? How many eyes will be extinguished because you're too afraid to find a better way to protect them?"
Hizashi spoke up, his voice tight. "There is no other way. The Byakugan is too valuable. If one falls into enemy hands, it's a national disaster."
"In the Leaf, perhaps," Rimon said, a predatory smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "But in Uzushiogakure, we don't build cages to protect our treasures. We build fortresses. I've been studying your seal, Hizashi. It's a masterpiece of the old world, but it's crude. It destroys the eye upon death, yes... but it also restricts the soul while the person is alive."
Rimon stood up, his cloak sweeping the floor. "I'm not asking for your answer tonight. I know the Hyuga move slowly. But I want you to consider this: I am building a village where every eye is guarded by the collective strength of the Whirlpool, not by a curse on a forehead. I can give you a seal that protects the Byakugan perfectly without enslaving the wearer."
Sadao stood as well, the air in the room turning frigid. "You claim to be able to improve upon the work of our ancestors? The Uzumaki were always arrogant about their seal, but this is madness."
"Arrogance is thinking you've reached the peak of sealing art," Rimon replied. "Madness is watching your clan slowly wither away and calling it 'Tradition.' Talk to your Elders. Talk to the Branch members who are tired of looking at the world through a cage."
Rimon looked at Hizashi one last time—a look of genuine empathy from one warrior to another. "The birds are already leaving the forest, Hizashi. Don't be the last ones left in the cage when the fire starts."
Before Sadao could summon the guards, Rimon's form flickered. The Mass-Vortex Cloak swallowed him whole, leaving only the scent of sea salt and the faint, lingering hum of a power that the Hyuga eyes couldn't quite track.