With the signal flare launched, branch family members, whether busy or idle at home, all rushed towards the main compound.
Being able to fire so many signals in succession definitely meant it was no small matter. Could it be that the Hyūga clan was under attack?
No one dared to delay, advancing at high speed. Even the other clans in Konoha sent their representatives to the Hyūga clan grounds to investigate.
Such an event was not common. Even if it was nothing, they had to join the crowd and watch the excitement, to have material for future conversations. Otherwise, not knowing anything would make one seem too foolish.
Because more and more people gathered, someone said, "Branch family members, quickly take the Cage Breaking Pills! The day to break free from the Caged Bird Seal is today!"
Hearing this, the representatives from other families watched with interest at the Hyūga family's entrance. The branch family members were first stunned, then began crowding frantically, wanting to get one of the Cage Breaking Pills.
Who wants to be a slave? Especially a slave who works hard but gets no appreciation, even having to hand over 70% of their mission earnings?
All of this stemmed from this mark called the Caged Bird! Sometimes, they thought, how much better it would be if they weren't shinobi of the Hyūga clan.
Even without a Kekkei Genkai like the Byakugan, they could still live with dignity and freedom, instead of being playthings for the main family.
Now, the Cage Breaking Pill became their only salvation. In fact, over 70% of the Jonin in the Hyūga clan came from the branch family.
If they broke free from the Caged Bird Seal, the change of power in the Hyūga clan could happen overnight!
The Hyūga Great Elder watched as the situation developed in an uncontrollable direction. He couldn't help but grit his teeth. "Uchiha Ryun, can you, as Hokage, be so overbearing as to interfere in a clan's internal affairs?"
He understood the tide was irreversible, but he wanted to tarnish Uchiha Ryun's reputation, make all the clans wary of him, and reject him.
They say old men become shrewd, and those who live long without dying become thieves. This one sentence from the Hyūga Great Elder made the faces of the assembled clan representatives change, their expressions shifting uncertainly as they looked at Uchiha Ryun.
Although they also felt regret and disgust towards the Hyūga clan's main and branch family system, they had never thought of interfering, because it was their family matter.
After the Great Elder finished, the Second Elder stepped forward. "Lord Hokage, stop this. Lord Hashirama once said that Konoha was created by the union of various shinobi clans. And he established an agreement of non-interference in internal affairs, which made everyone willing to follow him. Now, are you going to be so unrighteous to this extent?"
The Third Elder snorted coldly. "Uchiha Ryun, this old man gives you a chance. Arrest all the Uchiha clan branch family members, and let us brand them with the Caged Bird Seal again. Otherwise, this old man will take the Hyūga main family to find Lord Hashirama Senju!"
"This Konoha is not just for you, Uchiha Ryun, to decide alone! You cannot cover the sky with one hand!"
The faces of the other clan representatives present were not good. As they listened to this farce, or rather coup, they also observed Uchiha Ryun's words and actions.
"Unrighteous? Covering the sky with one hand? Ridiculous!" Uchiha Ryun's aura burst forth fully. His eyes revealed a cold chill as he swept his gaze over the main family members. Before he even spoke, it made the Hyūga main family members lower their heads, not daring to speak.
Uchiha Ryun's right hand gently lifted, opened, then slowly clenched. He then said in a mocking tone, "What you call unrighteous is actually just prejudice."
"You, the main family, eat well, drink well, stay at home all day, never stepping outside, living the life of elites. Sounds good, right?"
"It really does. Even I, the Hokage of Konoha Village, am moved and attracted by it. However, don't forget who worked desperately to earn these living conditions for you. The branch family."
"The branch family fights desperately to bring glory to the clan, while the main family indulges in pleasure at home, enjoying the fruits of their labor? Tsk, tsk, people like you from the main family are worthy of saying I, Uchiha Ryun, am unrighteous?"
Uchiha Ryun's words were like a heavy hammer, pressing on the hearts of the many clan representatives, the main family elders, and the main family members.
"Nonsense! There is no difference between the main and branch families! The reason for the Caged Bird Seal is only to prevent our Hyūga clan's Kekkei Genkai from leaking out. What do you, a junior, understand! This is the essence of our Hyūga clan!" said Hyūga Kyōdō.
The Hyūga Great Elder could no longer maintain his composure and dignity. He was afraid. He was afraid that if he let Uchiha Ryun continue speaking, the ugly side of the Hyūga clan would be completely exposed by him!
"Essence? My Uchiha clan finds this kind of essence disgusting! If our clan's Kekkei Genkai is stolen, then our Uchiha clan will expend the full strength of the clan to make the enemy pay in blood!"
"Not like you cowards, who attack your own people but bow and scrape to outsiders! When the main family makes a mistake, they have the branch family take the blame."
"People like you are worthy of being called Konoha's top dōjutsu clan alongside my Uchiha?" Uchiha Fugaku said loudly. No matter what happened, he had to take a stand for his teacher!
Coincidentally, he knew a bit about this so-called Byakugan clan, so he would just say all the shameful things they had done!
Uchiha Ryun laughed. He looked at Uchiha Fugaku. Uchiha Fugaku lifted his chin, indicating to Uchiha Ryun, 'I did well, right!'
"You! Uchiha Fugaku! Do you want to make an enemy of the entire Hyūga clan? Then let's fight!" The Second Elder, Hyūga Un, stepped forward, first trying to shift the conflict. They could discuss the rest later.
Unfortunately, they miscalculated. Uchiha Ryun was someone skilled in negotiation and psychology. He would not give them the chance to change the subject.
"Second Elder, you are mistaken. We are discussing the matter at hand. And we are talking about the irrationality of your Caged Bird system. Can we not even talk about it?" Uchiha Ryun retorted.
Hyūga Un's face turned pale. He gritted his teeth, snorted coldly, and stepped back.
The Third Elder, Hyūga Fū, was still struggling. "Then, what do you have to say about you intervening in the internal affairs of my Hyūga clan?"
The Third Elder was clever. He seized on Uchiha Ryun's weak point, wanting to make him unable to refute it, forcing him to bow to the main family under the pressure of public opinion from the many clans.
But they forgot one thing. They forgot that next to Uchiha Ryun was the Hyūga Clan Head, a head from the Hyūga main family, the representative of the Hyūga clan.
"Third Elder, you seem to have forgotten. I, Hyūga Hiashi, said that the Caged Bird is no longer suitable for the Hyūga of today. Today, it is I who asked Lord Hokage to assist me in cleansing the clan of all corrupt forces!" Hyūga Hiashi waved his sleeve and said coldly.
"You traitor to the main family, you wretched creature, you have been expelled from the main family! You are no longer the head of the Hyūga clan! This was decided unanimously by the three of us!" Seeing the situation turning dire, the one point where he had the moral high ground began to crumble. The Third Elder had to compensate.
He ended up finding such a ridiculous reason. Uchiha Ryun couldn't help but laugh heartily. "Everyone knows the representative of the Hyūga clan is Hyūga Hiashi, the successor of the Hyūga Sekijō line. You, you are just a few decaying elements, and you dare to recklessly discuss deposing the clan head here!"
Hearing this, everyone suddenly understood. So it was these three old guys coercing Clan Head Hiashi, going against Clan Head Hiashi's decisions, and flaunting their seniority.
Instantly, a hint of displeasure flashed in the eyes of the spectators. We just came here to watch a show, and look, you all actually started scheming against us, the onlookers!
Luckily, we are all people who have seen great winds and waves. We didn't state a position, we didn't oppose the Hokage. Otherwise, the ones pushed into the spotlight now wouldn't just be three old things!
"You three old things flaunt your seniority! If you can't do the job, then step down! Do you know how much Clan Head Hiashi has sacrificed for the Hyūga family?"
"That's right! Clan Head Hiashi is strict but fair. Anyone in the Hyūga family who makes a mistake must be severely punished. Anyone who makes a contribution, the family will give encouragement and financial support!"
"I bet these three old guys opposed it vehemently back then. It was only through Clan Head Hiashi's desperate pressure that the Hyūga clan has its present day."
Public opinion had already changed. They began to denounce the Hyūga main family one after another. Hyūga Kyōdō trembled all over. He never thought that today would turn out like this!
It's over, all over! As for taking action, are you treating Uchiha Ryun as a rookie, or treating him, Hyūga Kyōdō, as a fool? If they really fought, it wouldn't take ten minutes for Uchiha Ryun to trample the Hyūga clan grounds.
No matter the outcome, the three of them would become sinners of the Hyūga clan, condemned for eternity!
Watching the branch family members entering one by one from outside, the Caged Bird marks on their foreheads had all dissipated, revealing clean, white foreheads. He knew that today, the branch family, no, today the Hyūga family would no longer have the designations of main and branch families.
The Hyūga Second Elder, Hyūga Un, spat out a mouthful of blood. His gloomy eyes looked at Hyūga Hiashi, full of venom. Our main family's planning and scheming for nearly a hundred years, the benefits and status we gained, all of it was destroyed by you, you brat, today!
Heavens, why do you not help our main family, but instead help those branch family members who are destined to be slaves?
The Hyūga Third Elder, Hyūga Fū, would not accept fate! Or rather, he was unwilling to accept fate! If he accepted fate just like that, losing everything he possessed, then, he would fight!
Thinking of this, the blood vessels on Hyūga Fū's temples bulged. He struck towards Uchiha Ryun.
"Eight Trigrams Empty Palm!" Hyūga Fū gathered chakra and released it from the chakra points in his palm. A small air cannon formed, colorless and odorless, shooting towards Uchiha Ryun's head.
"No!"
"Fool!"
The ones who said these two phrases were the Hyūga Great Elder, Hyūga Kyōdō, and the Hyūga Second Elder, Hyūga Un. The two of them, seeing Hyūga Fū's actions, instantly felt their scalps go numb!
Right now, they were not in the right. And attacking at this time, never mind whether it would hit or not, just this action alone showed they were guilty, that they didn't dare continue debating with Uchiha Ryun!
If it hit, this would be an attack on the Hokage! A capital crime! One that implicates the family! Originally, Uchiha Ryun was still worrying about how to deal with their main family. Once this move hit, if Uchiha Ryun pursued it, he wouldn't need to worry anymore. Just execute them all!
The Hyūga Great Elder and Second Elder knelt on the ground at this moment, their eyes vacant. They really wanted to faint right then and there. Even if they failed today, they could at least live, albeit in poverty.
With Old Three's attack, the nature of everything changed!
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