Orochimaru's golden eyes gleamed as he spoke, each word deliberate and cutting.
"If I were to replace the Caged Bird Curse Marks on every Branch Family member's forehead, the Main Family would lose their control. Without that leash, would the Hyūga Main Family dare to cling to their old beliefs?"
The room fell silent. Orochimaru studied their expressions with an unsettling calm before continuing.
"The Main Family would have no choice but to seek peace, to avoid being killed by Branch members who are no longer shackled by hatred. At that moment, when you appear and take control, the Hyūga's oppressive hierarchy will naturally collapse. No other clan will accuse you of meddling in their internal affairs. On the contrary, the entire Hyūga clan will thank you for preventing a bloody conflict."
Utatane Koharu's eyes lit up. She stepped forward and ruffled Orochimaru's hair like a proud elder.
"Then let's do exactly as Orochimaru says!"
"That truly is the best way," Hiruzen Sarutobi murmured, lighting his pipe. He exhaled a slow ribbon of smoke, hiding the worry in his eyes. Handing over his brilliant but dangerous student would feel like giving up a part of his own life. Yet he knew that once he chose a side, Lady Mito and the other clan leaders would descend on him with pressure and demands.
Orochimaru's research had brought undeniable benefits to every ninja clan and strengthened Konoha as a whole. The plan gave them both power and prestige. They would neither openly interfere in Hyūga affairs nor stand by and watch the Main and Branch families slaughter each other. Their role would be to prevent a civil war—and to emerge as heroes.
"If everyone agrees, leave this matter to me," Orochimaru said softly. "To make this work, I need to meet members of the Hyūga Branch Family."
The critical moment of his plan would come when the tension between the Main and Branch families exploded. Hyūga Mio and her allies were the perfect spark to ignite that confrontation.
---
In the Anbu Detention Center
Later that night, under the watchful eyes of the Anbu, Orochimaru entered the temporary holding cell where Hyūga Mio and her companions sat.
"Orochimaru… neden buradasın?" Mio's pale eyes widened in shock. Why is he here? She had never betrayed him. Why had the Anbu brought him here?
"Did you arrest the wrong person? The Caged Bird Curse Mark has nothing to do with him!" Mio's Byakugan pulsed faintly, veins swelling as emotion overtook her. She thought he was a prisoner.
Two Anbu guards shifted uncomfortably under her glare. Even trained shinobi found that unblinking white gaze unnerving.
"Stay where you are," Orochimaru told the guards smoothly. "I need your assistance."
The Anbu looked at one another in confusion but obeyed.
"You're not… under arrest?" Mio asked, startled when she noticed the respect in the guards' tone.
"I have a plan, and I need your cooperation," Orochimaru replied. His eyes swept across the Branch members. "To abolish the Hyūga's Main and Branch system, I need your help."
Mio and the others exchanged astonished looks.
"You can't be serious," one whispered.
"Orochimaru, we blamed you… didn't we?" Mio's voice carried guilt and hesitation.
"This is also the will of Konoha's elders," Orochimaru said. "They too despise the clan's twisted system, but they cannot intervene openly without setting a dangerous precedent. I am Hiruzen-sensei's student—it's only natural that I help resolve his troubles. Besides…" He allowed himself a thin smile. "I was the one who originally studied the Caged Bird Curse Mark."
He laid a reassuring hand on Mio's shoulder. "The rest is up to you."
The Branch members were stunned. None had imagined Orochimaru would not only unseal the cursed marks but create a replacement of his own design. He explained just enough of the plan to win their trust, keeping the more dangerous details to himself.
"I will exchange every Branch member's Caged Bird Curse Mark for a new seal of my own making," he said. "But to end the Main Family's control, you must fight for your freedom. I will give you the chance—whether you seize it is your choice."
---
The Midnight Operation
That night, Orochimaru moved like a phantom. Kikaichū insects, each bearing the Flying Thunder God formula, slipped into the Hyūga compound with astonishing ease.
The clan's architecture formed a protective circle: Branch Family houses encircled the Main residence like stars guarding the moon. Yet no alarm sounded. Have I overestimated them? Orochimaru wondered with a sly smile. Not even a proper detection barrier?
With a whisper, he summoned ten shadow clones. Each vanished with the Flying Thunder God Technique, reappearing inside Branch homes. One by one, Branch members were spirited outside the village before they could react. Orochimaru swiftly unsealed each cursed mark and replaced it with his new seal, then returned them as silently as they had left.
Soon, every Branch forehead bore the new mark. Orochimaru absorbed his clones' memories and fatigue, then turned to Mio and her group.
"It's done," he said. "Now… escape."
The Anbu "guards" obligingly collapsed to the floor, pretending to be knocked out as Mio's group made their dramatic "escape." Swallowing soldier pills, they raced toward the Main Family compound.
---
Revolt
With a resounding crash, the gates of the Main Family residence burst open. Hyūga elders stumbled into the courtyard, startled from their beds, only to face a sea of Branch members glaring with unrestrained fury.
"What do you think you're doing?" an elderly Main Family member barked, forming the single-hand seal to activate the Caged Bird Curse Mark.
Nothing happened.
"The Main Family's control ends tonight!" Mio stepped forward, Byakugan flaring, her pale eyes blazing with righteous anger. "The time has come to end this cruel system!"
"All of you—no more Caged Bird Curse Marks!" shouted another Branch member, and a chorus of voices erupted:
"We will never again be your prisoners!"
"The Main–Branch system dies tonight!"
"That cursed mark should have been abolished long ago!"
The Branch members' eyes pulsed with fury, the veins around them bulging as their Byakugan activated in unison. Under that storm of defiance, the Main Family could no longer posture or threaten.
"This… this can't be happening," an elder whispered, sinking to his knees.
"The Main and Branch system ends here!" Mio declared, her voice ringing across the compound. "Abolish it, or we will fight for our freedom—even if it means bloodshed!"
The collective shout of the Branch family rose like thunder, echoing through the village. It was the roar of people who had endured generations of quiet suffering and now demanded to be free.
---
The Clash of Convictions
Hyūga Hatsume, leader of the Main Family, stepped forward with a grim expression.
"Do you even understand what you're doing? The Main–Branch system exists to protect the Byakugan!"
"Protect?" Branch member Hyūga Kojin tore the protector from his forehead, revealing the ugly mark beneath. Blood trickled down as he glared at Hatsume.
"If that's true, why don't Main Family members bear this curse? Admit it—it's about control, not protection!"
Around him, other Branch members ripped off their headbands, exposing the cursed seals like a shared wound.
"The prestige of the Hyūga clan," Kojin shouted, "was built on the suffering of the Branch family. What right do you have to boast of it?"
The Branch fighters shifted into Gentle Fist stances. They had no intention of retreating. If the Main Family refused to abolish the system, they were ready to burn everything down—even if it meant their own destruction.
"Stop!" A commanding voice sliced through the tension.
Shadows leapt across the courtyard as ANBU squads materialized. At their center stood Hiruzen Sarutobi, armored and stern.
"If you truly wish to kill, then fight us instead!" the Third Hokage barked.
His arrival froze the courtyard. The Branch family's furious cries quieted to a simmer. The night held its breath.
---
The Hyūga's long-buried conflict had erupted at last. Whether this night would end in reconciliation or in tragedy remained to be seen, but one truth was undeniable: the old order had already begun to crumble.
---
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