Tell Us Your Dreams!
After Chi Yu took Hyūga Neji, he first went home, picked up Uzumaki Cangna, and then headed to the forest on the edge of Konoha.
On the grass in the forest, Chi Yu, Hyūga Neji, and Uzumaki Cangna sat cross-legged, facing each other.
Chi Yu said to the two, "Before we formally begin our training, I want to ask you a question: why do you want to train?"
Uzumaki Cangna was the first to answer, "Because you, Dad and Mom, want me to train, so I'm training!"
Chi Yu's face darkened as he said, "Wrong answer! If you didn't want to train, could Kushina and I force you to?"
Uzumaki Cangna's small face wrinkled up. "But… if I don't train seriously, Mom really will hit me. Doesn't that count?"
Chi Yu's face stiffened, and he coughed dryly. "Ahem, of course not. Let me rephrase the question: what are your future dreams?"
Uzumaki Cangna raised his small fist and said excitedly, "My dream is to have endless tempura to eat in the future!"
Chi Yu finally couldn't bear it, and he tapped Uzumaki Cangna on his little head, roaring, "The dreams I'm talking about are your dreams after you become strong, not these! For example, becoming the strongest in the ninja world, protecting your family—those kinds of proper dreams!"
Uzumaki Cangna covered his head and said aggrievedly, "But Mom always says Dad is the most amazing, and Dad will protect us. You've already achieved those dreams, Dad, so why should I still have them as my dreams?"
Chi Yu covered his forehead, looking helpless. "Forget it, with your current experience, asking is pointless. Neji, what about you?"
Hyūga Neji thought for a moment, recalling how the branch family had no status whatsoever in the Hyūga Clan, and how his father was tortured by his own brother, Hyūga Hiashi, with the Caged Bird Curse Mark.
Hyūga Neji said with sharp eyes, "I want to change the current situation. I am not content to be inferior from birth. I want to become strong, very, very strong, just like Sensei was in the clan compound just now. Only then can I protect myself and protect my father!"
A faint, imperceptible smile appeared on Chi Yu's face.
Chi Yu said seriously to Hyūga Neji, "Your dream is good, but do you know the effect of the Caged Bird Curse Mark?"
Hyūga Neji nodded. "I know. The Caged Bird Curse Mark is a method used by the main family to control the branch family. When activated, it causes unbearable pain."
Chi Yu shook his head. "It seems Hizashi hasn't told you the full effects of the Caged Bird Curse Mark. The pain is only the most insignificant effect."
"The true function of the Caged Bird Curse Mark is extremely cruel. I think Hizashi couldn't bear to tell you this truth, which is why he only told you about the pain."
Hyūga Neji asked in confusion, "Just the most insignificant effect? Sensei, then what is the true effect of the Caged Bird Curse Mark?"
Chi Yu replied, "The Caged Bird Curse Mark can control and destroy the brain's nerves of branch family members. It can be used to kill them at the will of the main family, and upon death, it seals away the Byakugan's power. This prevents the Byakugan from being stolen, destroying the eyes completely when the bearer dies."
"In other words, your lives are in the hands of the main family. That is why the branch family has such low status within the Hyūga Clan—like slaves."
"To put it harshly, the mark on your foreheads is equivalent to a slave's brand. That is why the branch family hides it with headbands or cloth, because it is a symbol of disgrace."
Hyūga Neji stared blankly at Chi Yu.
This truth was too much for him to take all at once.
"Lives completely controlled… only released upon death…"
Hyūga Neji suddenly felt a wave of despair and sorrow, lowering his head. "Is all of this destined from the beginning, with no way to change it?"
Chi Yu reprimanded him sternly, "Don't make that face just because you hear a truth you don't like! That attitude won't solve problems; it will only cloud your judgment!"
"You need to learn to think. If everything is destined, then why did your father try everything to send you to me, to make me your master?"
"You've also seen how your Hyūga Clan treats me, as if I'm an enemy. If there's no way to change anything, then Hizashi sending you to me would be suicide. Not only would he be seeking death himself, but he would also be condemning you!"
"Would your father harm you? Neji, what are brains for? They're for thinking, not for self-pity!"
Hearing Chi Yu's scolding, Hyūga Neji's body trembled.
Uzumaki Cangna shrank his head; it was the first time he had seen his father so strict, as he was usually very gentle at home.
Hyūga Neji tried hard to calm down and think.
His master was right; his father would never harm him.
If the Caged Bird Curse Mark could only be released upon death, then Hyūga Hizashi would never have allowed him to become Chi Yu's disciple. Otherwise, for someone who defied the main family so openly, the main family might have already used the seal to kill them.
Based on this premise…
Hyūga Neji looked up at Chi Yu. "Sensei, could it be… you can release the Caged Bird Curse Mark?"
Chi Yu nodded. "It seems you've finally thought it through. That's right. I can release the Caged Bird Curse Mark, and your father hopes to give you a choice—to let you decide your own path for the future."
Hyūga Neji's small brows furrowed tightly. "Sensei… there's one thing I don't understand."
"Ask."
Hyūga Neji asked in confusion, "If Sensei can release the Caged Bird Curse Mark, has my father never asked you to release it for him?"
Chi Yu shook his head. "I had that thought, but your father refused."
Hyūga Neji asked in confusion, "Huh? Why? Sensei can release the Caged Bird Curse Mark, and Father wants me to be free of it, so why would Father refuse Sensei's help?"
Chi Yu paused, then said, "Your father only wants you to have a choice, not himself. He has already resigned himself to his fate, but he does not want that for you. Hizashi is loyal to the Hyūga Clan, even if the clan is harsh and unjust. There are many reasons for this loyalty."
"Hizashi's loyalty may come from valuing loyalty itself, regardless of whether the clan deserves it. Or it may come from ties he cannot abandon—family, love, friendship. Those bonds make it impossible for him to betray the Hyūga, even though he knows the system is cruel."
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