14 Chapter 14: Bird in a Cage

Hyuga Yuto bowed respectfully, standing with his hands clasped before the two geniuses of the Main House.

Even the most rigid and old-fashioned elder of the Hyuga clan couldn't find any fault in his etiquette.

"Hyuga's Jewel..."

Hyuga Shinji murmured, the shadows of leaves covering most of his face, fragmenting the young Main House member's expression:

"As expected of Hyuga's Jewel. I had heard that a remarkable individual had emerged from the Branch House, but I didn't believe it at first. Seeing you in action tonight, indeed, you are truly impressive." He paused, his voice suddenly becoming sharp: "However, the Branch House cannot bear the title of [Hyuga's Jewel]. That is the responsibility and glory that belongs to our Main House! Hyuga Yuto, you have overstepped your bounds!"

You think I want to carry the name of Hyuga... Unmotivated parasites, Hyuga Yuto scoffed inwardly, but his face remained impassive as he calmly replied:

"That is merely the kindness of my fellow villagers. Yuto is inexperienced and certainly cannot represent the Hyuga clan."

"It's good that you understand this." Shinji's expression softened slightly: "The technique you used to defeat Uchiha Shota tonight, is it your own creation?"

"Yes."

"Hand it over to the clan school's secret technique archive." Hyuga Shinji's expression was as casual as if he were saying, "Let's have grilled meat tonight": "As a member of the Hyuga clan, everyone has the duty to enhance the clan's foundation. According to the rules, if the Branch House submits their own secret techniques, they will receive due rewards. At the next clan meeting, you can kneel behind me or even the clan elders to listen. As long as you continue to make contributions in the future, there will be more opportunities like this. How about this, why don't you hand it over to me now..."

If the atmosphere weren't so tense, Hyuga Yuto would have burst out laughing.

– The secret technique developed through countless nights of deep thought, enduring loneliness and pain, you want to take it away with just a word? And the reward is to kneel beside you?

Of course, I know that in occasions like the clan meeting, the closer a Branch House member is to the Main House, the higher their status. But look closely at me – do I really look like a dog?

Hyuga Yuto blinked, trying to brush off the trouble before him:

"Sorry, young master Shinji, the time for the Hokage's ordered regrouping is approaching..."

Hyuga Shinji's face completely darkened:

"Hyuga Yuto, do you dare disobey the clan rules?" He took a step forward, veins bulging at his temples: "The Main House is the master of the Hyuga, and the Branch House is the shield and sword of the Main House... I see, you have truly forgotten the obligations of the Branch House."

As if in perfect sync, the Main House girl, Hyuga Miko, also activated her Byakugan, staring coldly at Yuto.

Hyuga Yuto frowned, sensing trouble. He had stolen the spotlight tonight, hurting their ridiculous pride.

Before he could come up with a solution, the sound of footsteps on the grass came from behind.

Instantly activating his Byakugan, Hyuga Yuto didn't need to turn around to see Hyuga Naoto approaching aggressively from behind through his 360-degree vision.

What an obedient dog, Hyuga Yuto sneered inwardly.

One against three, Hyuga Shinji, Hyuga Miko, and Hyuga Naoto were not weak opponents. Once the fight started, he would have to go all out.

Clan rules? Ridiculous, should he just offer his face to be stepped on? He, Hyuga Yuto, wasn't that lowly!

The lone young man remained expressionless, but within his body, chakra roared rapidly, and the lion's fangs emerged silently.

However, the fierce battle that Hyuga Yuto expected did not occur.

In the dark garden, Hyuga Shinji raised one hand to his mouth and scoffed at Hyuga Yuto.

That smile was as flippant as if he were crushing an insect.

The next moment, endless pain erupted from the depths of Hyuga Yuto's eyeballs.

Starting from the eyeballs, to the optic nerves, and then to the entire brain, it felt as if a rusty pair of scissors were lacerating his flesh and nerves from the inside out – needle pricks, knife cuts, burns, sword wounds... No pain could compare to this torture.

Unable to resist, Hyuga Yuto clutched his head and curled up in agony.

A hand suddenly appeared in front of him. It was Hyuga Naoto. He firmly covered Hyuga Yuto's mouth, his fingernails digging into his flesh, completely disregarding the ravaged body of his Branch House comrade, preventing him from making a single sound.

After an unknown amount of time, Hyuga Yuto stopped struggling.

Hyuga Naoto let go, flicking away the blood on his hand – it was Hyuga Yuto's tongue that he had bitten off in pain.

Hyuga Yuto was dazed. He supported himself and tried his best to open his eyes wide, only to find that everything was blurry.

"Can't see clearly, can you?" Hyuga Shinji walked over and examined Hyuga Yuto's bloodshot eyes with interest:

"The Caged Bird is a sealing jutsu that has been perfected for over a thousand years. It can not only automatically destroy the brain and eyeballs upon the death of the recipient but also be controlled through secret orders to actively damage brain tissue according to the will of the Main House... Of course, even the most perfect things have their flaws..."

The young man from the Main House lowered his head, his pure white eyes filled with condescending malice:

"For example, after activating the Caged Bird, the recipient often suffers varying degrees of vision damage. Some recover within a few days, while others are irreversible. You might even become blind in the future..."

A gurgling sound suddenly came from Hyuga Yuto's throat.

Shinji leaned in and listened for a while, unable to make out what he was saying. He could only stand up disappointedly:

"You bit off your own tongue, didn't you? You can really endure... But what's the point of enduring and having a strong will? You're just a Branch House member after all."

"Hyuga Yuto, listen carefully, I will only say this once."

Shinji pointed to himself and then to Yuto's forehead protector:

"My Hyuga and your Hyuga are different!"

"For a ninja, the most important thing is who you are born to."

After speaking, he didn't look at Yuto again and left with Miko and Naoto.

In their place, only the immobile Hyuga Yuto remained.

The handsome young man from the Branch House clutched the soil tightly, desperately trying to stand up and chase after them.

He didn't care about any plans or waiting for the right moment. He just wanted to tear those three guys' throats apart with the lion's teeth and bathe in the blood of revenge.

Unfortunately, he tried for a long time but failed.

The activated Caged Bird was one of the most brutal tortures in the ninja world.

In the dark garden, moonlight slowly spilled down. It took a long time for Hyuga Yuto to regain some strength.

He tremblingly took out a hemostatic ointment from his pouch and fiercely applied it to his tongue. The stinging pain of the ointment tormented his nerves, but this pain was far less than the pain of the Caged Bird, and even less than the burning anger and hatred in the young man's heart.

Sand, sand.

Footsteps approached from behind. Someone unexpectedly came here.

"... You look terrible, young man."

In the darkness, a woman's voice reached Hyuga Yuto's ears.

The young man from the Branch House turned around.

A blonde woman was holding a jar of wine upside down. She looked tipsy, somewhat bold, and a little lazy. The Senju clan's characteristically abundant life force and sun-like chakra seemed to dispel the coldness of the night.