Early the next morning, Hiashi and Hisashi, the Hyuga brothers, arrived together at Naraku's residence.
They brought Neji and Hinata with them.
"What? You've broken the seal of the Caged Bird?" Hiashi asked in surprise.
He had come today because of the events surrounding the clan elders. Of the three elders, one was executed— the Great Elder. The second and third elders had been subdued using the Caged Bird Seal, which stripped them of their status.
Now, only Hiashi's lineage remained in power.
Naturally, Hiashi began thinking about a long-cherished goal: abolishing the Caged Bird Seal.
He didn't want his own brother to continue suffering, and he wished to have more children. But under current Hyuga traditions, only one member of each main family line could carry the clan's honor. Others were marked with the cursed seal on the third birthday of the main heir.
The seal gave the main family absolute control over the branch members—able to inflict pain or even destroy their minds with a single hand sign.
Just like Hisashi. Though a twin, he was relegated to the branch simply because only one twin could be in the main house.
"Currently, I can't remove the Caged Bird Seal completely," Naraku said, looking at Hisashi's forehead. "But I can block its activation."
The dark green curse mark looked grotesque. To hide it, branch members often tied forehead protectors over it.
"Soon, though," Naraku added, "I'll be able to eliminate it completely."
He glanced at his system panel: his chakra affinity rating now stood at 93%.
"You can block the control chakra?" Hisashi asked, a bit disappointed.
His main concern wasn't himself—it was his son, Neji. Neji was already four. He wasn't far from the age when the seal would be engraved.
"Then we'll wait a little longer," Hiashi said calmly.
With the elders gone, there was no one left who could force the branding ceremony on Neji.
Changing the subject, Hiashi said, "Naraku, that move you used yesterday—was it called Kamikaze Strike?"
He still remembered the overwhelming shock when that technique detonated in the forest training ground, turning the world into pure white light.
But could such a powerful technique really be the result of the Byakugan?
Naraku pulled out a small booklet.
It was filled with notes—his training logs, breakthroughs, and refinements of the Kamikaze Strike. It even included tips on Yin Release practices suitable for the Hyuga clan.
Now that the elders were no longer a threat, he could share it to strengthen the clan as a whole.
For justice's sake.
Though the Byakugan was classified among the "Three Great Dojutsu" alongside the Rinnegan and Sharingan, it was generally regarded as the weakest of the three.
In other words, the Hyuga clan fell short compared to the Uchiha.
"This..." Hiashi flipped through the booklet and was stunned.
It was a deep, structured analysis of the Byakugan's nature and its applications.
Unlike the Rinnegan or Sharingan, the Byakugan released chakra through all tenketsu points in the body. By increasing chakra strength and focusing its release through the palms—amplified by Yin Release techniques—Hyuga-style techniques could achieve a whole new level.
It also referenced illusions from the Yamanaka and Uchiha clans, and secret arts from the Nara clan.
Hiashi saw familiar elements... but reimagined in ways he'd never considered.
"You may share this within the clan, but don't distribute it outside," Naraku said seriously.
In truth, he hadn't shared it before because of the selfishness and short-sightedness of the previous elders.
"I understand," Hiashi replied with a solemn nod.
With this manual, the Hyuga clan's power could be elevated immensely.
"Naraku, Hisashi and I also came to discuss one other thing," Hiashi said after a pause. "We'd like to ask you to take Hinata and Neji as your students."
Behind them, the two children sat nervously.
Naraku looked at them and replied casually, "Don't be so formal. I'll find time to train them."
Hiashi and Hisashi looked relieved and grateful.
After the past few days, it was obvious:
Naraku was now the strongest shinobi in their clan.
With him as a mentor, Hinata and Neji's future was practically limitless.
"Sensei!" the two children called out, switching to a formal and respectful tone.
Neji's talent was already evident, but Hinata's talent—while decent—was not extraordinary.
Naraku almost felt like saying, "Hiashi, hurry up and have Hanabi already…"
With Hanabi's pure Byakugan and partial Ōtsutsuki lineage, it might even be possible to synthesize a Tenseigan one day.
The Next Day
As Naraku walked from his home through the Hyuga compound, every member of the clan greeted him with warm smiles and deep respect.
The day before, Hiashi had distributed copies of the training booklet to every member of the clan and strictly instructed them not to share it outside.
Every Hyuga who read it had been stunned. And when they learned it was written by Naraku, they were no longer surprised.
After all, Naraku was the one who broke the power of the Caged Bird Seal.
He had changed the fate of the branch.
They had all seen the Kamikaze Strike with their own eyes.
Naraku sighed as he passed through the courtyard.
"This is becoming a bit of a hassle…" he muttered.
The clan's enthusiasm made him slightly uncomfortable.
Suddenly, as he left the Hyuga grounds, a figure appeared in front of him.
"Naraku-sama, Lord Danzo requests your presence," said a Konoha ninja respectfully.
Even though the man looked like a typical Root operative, his tone was unusually polite.
Danzo had ordered him to be especially courteous when addressing Naraku.
"Danzo?" Naraku was surprised.
Why would Danzo invite him—more importantly, what made Danzo think he'd accept?
The ninja stepped forward again. "Lord Danzo asked me to deliver this to you, Naraku-sama."
He handed over a thick stack of documents.
Naraku frowned as he looked through them.
This wasn't ordinary intel.
It was blackmail material—damning secrets—about the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.