"Hmph, how can a member of a branch family compare to the main house?"
Asuma Sarutobi snorted coldly and then glanced disdainfully at the woman cradled in Aomatsu Hyuga's arms.
"Besides, I heard that Neji made a grave mistake, which is why his mother was punished as well!"
Asuma sneered at the feud between Neji and the Hyuga main house.
In his view, it was only natural for someone from the branch family to be disciplined if they dared to act against the main house.
Just like in the Sarutobi clan, no one dared act against their own. The ninja world had always upheld such rules.
Therefore, Asuma believed that the suffering Neji's mother endured was only to be expected, and the main house's actions were justifiable.
However, Neji's rebellion was simply wrong!
"What mistake did Neji make? Wasn't it the main house causing trouble for him, pushing him to retaliate when he couldn't endure it anymore?" Aomatsu Hyuga demanded. "He did nothing wrong!"
At that moment, Aomatsu still wanted to defend Neji.
In his eyes, Neji had done nothing wrong.
Even so, under the leadership of Hyuga Choryū, they still went after Neji.
Back then, Aomatsu had no choice. Now, he could finally speak his mind.
"His mistake was striking the main house!" Asuma said calmly. "Those are your clan's rules. You must follow them!"
"Why should we? It's the main house who bullied the branch family that caused this!" Aomatsu snorted coldly, questioning him again.
Aomatsu had lost hope in this so-called son of the Hokage.
"Lord Asuma, don't waste words with him. Stop him for me, I'll go after Neji!" Hyuga Nagafumi had no time to argue with Aomatsu and spoke to Asuma.
Asuma nodded. "Go ahead."
With Asuma's nod, Hyuga Nagafumi immediately moved forward.
Aomatsu hurriedly placed Neji's mother aside, trying to intervene.
But as soon as he moved, Asuma blocked him. "You're dealing with me. Someone… take this guy down first!"
Seeing Hyūga Aomatsu still trying to fight back, he signaled the remaining ANBU to strike together, hoping to take him down.
Hyūga Nagafumi and another companion saw this as an opportunity to try and break through Hyūga Neji's Eight Trigrams Seal.
Bang!
However, as one of them stepped into the Eight Trigrams Formation, an invisible chakra palm slammed into him.
In an instant, the clan ninja beside Hyūga Nagafumi was sent flying, sliding over ten meters across the ground before crashing down! His chest caved in, and blood spurted from his mouth.
"Neji, you…" Hyūga Nagafumi froze, staring at his companion's fate. His raised foot hung in midair, eyes wide with shock and fear.
He felt a grim relief—luckily, he hadn't stepped in, or he might have suffered the same grave injury.
Because of this strike, those who had been entangled with Hyūga Aomatsu, including Sarutobi Asuma, also turned their attention to the Eight Trigrams Formation.
"This…?"
Sarutobi Asuma's pupils constricted!
The Eight Trigrams Formation before him looked like a barrier—no one could step inside! He wasn't even sure he could withstand a strike like the one just unleashed.
"I know… this is the Hyūga clan's Eight Trigrams Palm, but Neji… he's expanded the range of the Eight Trigrams Palm to such a vast area!" Hyūga Nagafumi's face showed pure terror.
"Im…impossible!"
As a member of the main Hyūga family, he had only managed to confine the Eight Trigrams Palm within a one-meter radius around himself.
But Neji had extended it nearly a hundred meters, creating his own domain within that space.
And he was just a child of barely over ten years old. Even the clan leader… no, even the Hyūga ancestors probably never reached this level.
Such an enormous domain filled him with despair.
Hyūga Nagafumi knew he couldn't save the main family members now; all he could do was wait for reinforcements.
Buy time!
Yes, buy time!
As his mind raced, he finally focused on Neji's mother, temporarily set aside nearby.
An idea struck him—he could use Neji's mother's body to restrain him, to make Neji stop his bloody rampage.
At that thought, a glint of cunning appeared in his eyes as he rushed toward Neji's mother lying on the ground.
"Don't move!"
Hyuga Aomatsu shouted as he saw Hyuga Nagafumi strike at Neji's mother, trying to stop him, but it was already too late.
The moment he moved, Asuma Sarutobi entangled him.
"That's enough…"
Just as Hyuga Nagafumi was about to land his strike, a hand gripped his wrist.
Hyuga Nagafumi froze in shock and looked at the person who had stopped him.
"Kakashi? You want to interfere in Hyuga matters?"
"No. Neji's mother is already on the brink of death. I just don't want you to involve anyone else," Kakashi Hatake said calmly, his tone steady yet serious.
For a moment, both sides were at a near standstill.
"Oh? What's all the commotion about?"
At that moment, a laid-back voice called out, and the newcomer's eyes landed on Neji in the Eight Trigrams Formation.
"Neji… what happened to you?"
The newcomer was none other than Might Guy.
Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office…
"Hokage-sama! There's really trouble with the Hyuga Clan!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been awaiting news, saw a member of the Anbu burst in and speak urgently.
He drew in a slow breath and lifted his gaze.
His brows knitted slightly as he asked, "Explain in detail. What happened?"
After all, as Hokage, he needed to understand the situation fully.
He had to know the sequence of events before deciding the next course of action.
"Hokage-sama, when we arrived, members of the Hyuga Branch Family tried to stop us, and then…"
The Anbu ninja hurriedly reported everything he had seen, leaving no detail out.
Especially the screams coming intermittently from deep within the Hyuga Clan—they were horrifyingly detailed.
Hiruzen Sarutobi listened quietly, his frown deepening.
He had long known that internal conflicts within the Hyuga Clan had reached a critical point.
If not handled properly, it could trigger an even greater crisis, potentially threatening the stability of the entire Hidden Leaf Village.
In the past, the Hyuga Main Family had always controlled the Branch Family with the "caged bird" seal, keeping relations stable.
The Branch Family had long obeyed, and the Main Family looked down on them from above, directing their actions.
But now…
The Branch Family had learned to resist.
This?
Something must have happened for the branch family to be so determined to sever ties with the Hyuga main family.
Thinking of this, the corner of his eye twitched slightly, and the sense of foreboding in his heart grew stronger.
The Hyuga clan is the largest clan in Konoha. Nothing can go wrong, and nothing can be left unchecked.
"Hokage-sama, Asuma-sama has already entered with his team!" At last… the ANBU ninja spoke.
****
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