The courtyard of the Branch Family head's residence was not brightly lit. The night air carried a distinct chill.
Thud… thud…
A steady, muffled sound of impact came from within the garden. A fair-skinned boy, his forehead bound and hidden beneath bandages, stood in the yard, continuously striking a wooden post with a fluid fist technique.
But as he struck, the vacant expression on his youthful face gradually twisted into something ferocious and ugly. The former placidity vanished, replaced by a hint of savagery. The Gentle Fist in his hands grew increasingly ruthless and violent.
Each palm strike used no chakra. This self-mutilating method of striking gradually turned his fists into a bloody mess. The deeply imprinted depressions on the post's surface began to show stark, bloody stains.
It was less practice, more venting.
And even so, he showed no sign of stopping.
Hyūga Neji's mind was consumed by the memory from days ago—the first time he had witnessed the Caged Bird with his own eyes.
Like every other day for years, he had gone to spar with the young Main Family mistress.
By then, he had already been branded with that ugly seal, but he didn't truly understand its meaning. He naively believed it was what other clan members called it—a symbol of the branch family's "duty" to protect the main family.
Duty.
The word held no real weight for him. In his view, as an older brother, protecting his younger sister was simply what one did.
Even without this so-called "duty," he had done exactly that every day, cherishing Hinata as his sister.
Until that day. That moment.
Seeing his revered father clutching his head, body convulsing, writhing on the ground in agonized screams like a wounded animal.
He had never understood why, even within their own home, his father refused to remove his forehead protector.
Until that moment, when the protector fell from his father's brow, revealing the branded forehead beneath. Bulging veins like centipedes. The ugly, cyan-colored seal seeming to writhe.
And that so-called Main Family head, the man he should have called "Uncle," merely watched him and his father with cold indifference, mercilessly activating the seal.
"Only this once," Hyūga Hiashi's Byakugan gleamed coldly in the dim room, his voice detached. "Do not forget your purpose."
That was Hyūga Neji's first glimpse of the Caged Bird's true ugliness. The first time he understood what the seal truly meant for them.
The so-called seal could easily destroy their brain nerves. This meant the Main Family, who held control over the seal, held power over the branch family's life and death.
Should a branch member harbor rebellious thoughts, overstep their bounds, or fail in their duties, the Main Family could use the seal to execute them.
And in everyone's words, this curse-like seal could only be escaped through death.
From that day on, the once gentle Hyūga Neji grew cold. The look in his eyes when he regarded Hinata was no longer a brother's affection, but the loathing and hatred reserved for an enemy.
Crack!
Hyūga Neji ground his teeth, his fists and palms flying. In his ears, his father's admonitions seemed to echo once more.
"Neji, do not hate the Main Family. The Caged Bird is not a curse. It is merely a protective measure."
"I understand, Father."
"Our Byakugan is coveted by our enemies. The Main Family does this to protect the eyes from falling into enemy hands. It is for the future of the Hyūga clan."
"I understand, Father."
"This is the duty of the branch family. It is our fate. One day, you will understand."
"I understand, Father…"
CRACK!!
With the sharp shriek of tearing air, the wooden post finally gave way, snapping in two. Wooden splinters scattered like snow.
Hyūga Neji staggered and fell to his knees, looking down at his blood-dripping hands. His long black hair hid his face as he muttered, "I understand, Father…"
'But I don't understand.
Why can the Main Family accept all of this with such a clear conscience?
By what right can the Main Family accept all of this with such a clear conscience?!
Those who harm their own clan members… what gives them the right to sit on the backs of the branch family, serenely accepting everything? And what gives them the right to glorify the branch family's sacrifice as "fate"?!'
Click.
The faint sound of a door opening broke the deathly silence in the courtyard.
The soft, hazy yellow light from behind was switched on. A figure gradually approached from behind Neji, his broad shadow enveloping the boy.
"Neji…"
Looking at his child's back, Hyūga Hizashi's expression was indescribably complex.
Through decades, even centuries, of "tradition," most branch family children were indoctrinated from birth with the notion that "the branch exists to protect the Main." Few branch members would even think to resist the Main Family anymore.
They rejoiced at the Main Family's praise, feared their anger, and felt rage at their sorrow.
Hyūga Hizashi should have, like others, implanted this master-servant mentality in Neji from childhood. But in the end, he hadn't done so.
Over the past three years, he might have regretted it at times. But whenever he saw the genuine, affectionate smile on Neji's face when he looked at Hinata, he was glad he hadn't.
He didn't want the relationship between Neji and Hinata to become like the one between him and his brother. He hoped that when the day came for Neji to be branded, he would feel from the bottom of his heart that it didn't matter, that he could still treat Hinata like a brother as he always had.
In his view, with Hinata's gentle nature, she would never use the seal on Neji. The two could still interact as they had in childhood.
But Hyūga Hizashi had never imagined that the scene from that day—his momentary impulse, the murderous intent he'd directed at Hinata and everything that followed—would have such a profound and damaging impact on Neji...
"Father."
Hyūga Neji stood up, hiding his hands behind his back.
Hizashi snapped out of his reverie, gently ruffling Neji's hair, a strained, gentle smile on his lips. "Neji, your Thirty-Two Palms are already quite proficient. In a little while, I'll be able to teach you the advanced Gentle Fist techniques."
"Yes, Father." Hyūga Neji's expression remained flat, showing no joy.
Seeing Neji like this, Hizashi fell silent, sighing inwardly.
"Go tend to your wounds," he said, glancing at Neji's hidden hands. "Don't do this again."
"..." Hyūga Neji lowered his head. After a moment, he said, "Yes, Father."
Watching Neji walk into the house, Hyūga Hizashi stood still for a long time.
He had once tried to resist this so-called fate. But now, he understood. Fate wasn't a person standing before him, whose throat you could seize if you tried hard enough.
Fate had no weaknesses. It could advance, and it could retreat. Neither you nor I could escape it.
"I can only hope that as Neji grows, he can let go of the resentment in his heart." Hyūga Hizashi seemed to be speaking to himself, his voice low. "The suffering he endures now will become the treasure that makes him stronger."
As the words left his lips, just as he was about to turn and leave, a derisive chuckle, carried by the wind, reached his ears.
"How pathetic," a voice said. "The unfortunate always create others more unfortunate than themselves."