"One, two! One, two!"
"Do you want freedom?"
"Yes!"
"Do you want honor?"
"Yes!"
"Then what should you do now?"
"Train hard and bravely kill the enemy!"
"Wrong. You're all just rookies—rookies who can't even make it onto the battlefield. Do you know what the first priority on the battlefield is?"
"To fear neither life nor death and charge forward!"
"Wrong. Completely wrong. The clan has spent so much money and resources on you—do you think it's just to send you to your deaths?"
"No!"
"Remember this: you've received the clan's support. Trading one life for ten isn't a loss. Trading one for a hundred—that's a huge profit. Can you do it?"
"No!"
"Why not? You useless bunch! You've got armor that can withstand ninjutsu (C-rank), plenty of soldier pills, a large supply of Explosive Tags, the Aburame clan's new insects, and Hiyasu's improved Gentle Fist. What excuse do you have?"
"We can do it!"
"That's right. Only then can you earn this mark of honor."
Hyūga Wataru, who was giving the lecture, proudly pointed at the Caged Bird Seal on his forehead.
Something about this scene felt… off.
The Hyūga branch family—
No.
There was no longer any branch family.
The entire Hyūga clan seemed to have become… strange.
On the training grounds within the Hyūga compound, Hyūga Wataru was passionately training the new generation of Hyūga youths.
But that ever-present smile at the corner of his mouth looked rather unsettling.
...
"Hiyasu, is your dad… mentally okay?"
"Uh… maybe. He is a bit too excited. But it's understandable, right, Uncle?"
"That's true, haha. After suppressing his nature for so many years, he's finally letting it out. Of course he's going to vent properly."
At a nearby tea house, the retired old clan head and Hyūga Hiyasu were sipping tea while watching the fiery scene outside.
Smiles couldn't help but creep onto their faces.
Since the old clan head had retired…
Then the current clan head was naturally—
"Damn it! Why does all this work fall on me?!"
Hyūga Hiashi slammed a massive pile of scrolls in front of him.
They were labeled:
"Hyūga Elderly Recreation Room Construction Plan"
"Hyūga Heroes Memorial Hall Construction Plan"
"Hyūga Warring States History Compilation Plan"
...
He picked up a scroll and looked closely.
It was filled from top to bottom.
After carefully reading it, he realized it only conveyed two words:
Pay money.
"Ah, it seems being clan head really is this busy."
Hyūga Hizashi said as he picked up the scattered scrolls.
"That's impossible! Hizashi, I used to help Father all the time. His daily routine was just drinking tea, attending banquets, and saying a few 'mm-hmm's in meetings before calling it a day. How could it be this busy?!"
Hiashi complained angrily.
Cough, cough…
Kid, why do you think I retired so early? Working every single day—if I had to keep doing that, why even be clan head? That's just being a beast of burden.
That was the old clan head's thought.
No money to skim, no free time—only a fool would want this position. It's not like I have the burdens of Senju Hideki, the responsibility of supporting clan members like Aburame Shiken, the need to back up a sister like Uchiha Kamito, or the pressure to get married like Inuzuka Ryoha. Why should I work that hard? As Hiashi once said—when your cousin is frail, you must strive harder.
That was Hyūga Hiyasu's thought.
...
"Brother, all of this was Hiyasu's idea. He said it's to improve the overall working conditions of the clan and create a sense of happiness."
"Hyūga Hiyasu—I should never have agreed to your reforms!"
Hiashi roared.
Five years ago—
How many steps does it take to change the Hyūga clan?
Answer: the following steps.
Step one: The Hyūga clan shall never be slaves—cough, wrong script.
Hyūga Hiyasu's original words:
"Why do we have to do all the trivial chores ourselves? Can't we hire people from outside? Are members of the Hyūga clan that cheap?"
Everyone thought about it and agreed.
So now, many civilians had entered the Hyūga compound to clean, cook, and do laundry—all voluntarily, of course. The Hyūga clan wasn't short on money. Spend enough, and you could probably even hire the Hokage to sweep the floor.
Hiruzen Sarutobi: ???
Not talking about you.
"Minato, this is your pay for today."
"Great! Hiyasu, I've saved up for seven days—I can finally buy Kushina some clothes!"
Minato Namikaze said happily as he held his 200 ryo.
A regular bowl of Ichiraku ramen costs 30 ryo.
Earning 200 ryo just for a day of sweeping was already very generous.
As for why Minato wasn't doing missions—
Too many wolves, too little meat. Nearly twenty thousand Konoha ninja were eyeing the mission board.
Minato wasn't the competitive type, so life was naturally a bit tight.
Anyway, back to the point—
Would hiring civilians allow spies to infiltrate?
Heh.
Hasn't happened yet.
Besides, catching spies with the Byakugan would probably be pretty fun.
It might also be because the main family could no longer freely command the branch family, so relations between them gradually eased.
...
Step two: The branch family must fully protect the main family.
Hyūga Hiyasu's original words:
"The ancestral rules must have their reasons. As members of the branch family, we must protect the main family at all times—no matter when or where."
Thus—
"Ugh, you guys are so annoying! I want to play with my friends—what are you doing?!"
A young master from the main family shouted at his two branch family guards.
The two guards, expressionless as ice, had already scared off several children who came to play with him.
"Branch family duty: to protect the main family at all costs. We are merely standing nearby—we are not preventing you from playing, young master."
"But you've scared everyone away! How is that any different from stopping me?!"
That was the treatment for the younger generation of the main family.
...
For the young adults of the main family—
Nighttime.
A time when new life should be conceived.
But—
Example:
A young jōnin from the main family kicked open his bedroom door, veins bulging on his forehead, Byakugan activated, glaring at the two branch family guards standing outside.
"What exactly are you trying to do? It's 10 p.m., and this is my bedroom!"
"Branch family duty: to protect the main family at all costs. Night is the most dangerous time. We must remain vigilant at all times. If necessary, we will activate the Byakugan."
"Ah—no!"
A disheveled Hyūga woman hurriedly ran out of the room.
"No! It's my first time today!"
The jōnin collapsed to his knees, crying in despair.
The two branch family guards exchanged a glance.
"…This is kind of satisfying."
"Definitely."
...
As for the older generation of the main family—
"Listen, I tolerated you standing outside while I sleep. I tolerated you standing beside me while I eat. I even tolerated you following me around while I stroll, play chess, fish, or drink tea. But now I'm going to the bathroom—don't you think this is too much?!"
An old man stood at the restroom entrance, angrily pointing at two branch family guards.
"Branch family—ahhh!"
"Ahhh!!"
The old man formed hand seals.
"Do this again, and I'll double the time!"
Thus—
The next day—
The number of guards in front of him became eight.
All with their Byakugan activated.
...
Hyūga Hiyasu's original words:
"If a member of the main family punishes us, it must mean our protection work was insufficient. That means their security level must be raised to the highest."