Ever since he had been branded by the Caged Bird Seal, Neji had felt as though his life had been shrouded in darkness.
His future had always seemed bleak and hopeless.
But now—
the Caged Bird Seal had been removed by the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Ren.
For Neji, it felt as though he had been reborn.
That's right.
Reborn.
For years, Neji had nearly given up in the face of the Caged Bird Seal's inescapable curse.
Main family.
Branch family.
What difference did any of it make?
But now, before the Fifth Hokage, the so-called Caged Bird Seal had proven to be nothing more than a joke.
It had been erased effortlessly.
"Wow… the Caged Bird Seal is really gone!"
Hinata covered her mouth in surprise as she stared at Neji's completely smooth forehead.
"With Neji-niisan's talent, without the Caged Bird Seal suppressing him, won't he become even more monstrous?"
"Hahaha! I've hated the Caged Bird Seal for a long time already!"
Hanabi laughed loudly, openly revealing the joy on her face.
Truthfully, despite her young age, Hanabi understood far more than people thought.
For a long time, she had secretly feared one thing.
After her father began raising Hinata as the clan heir, Hanabi had developed an uneasy feeling—
that one day, she herself might become part of the branch family.
After all, that had been exactly what happened between Hiashi and Hizashi.
But now everything was different.
Uchiha Ren had personally destroyed Neji's Caged Bird Seal.
That meant the division between main family and branch family would disappear forever.
Just thinking about it made Hanabi happy.
At that moment, the most stunned person present was undoubtedly Hiashi.
He had considered countless possibilities, but never once imagined that Ren would erase the Hyūga Clan's Caged Bird Seal so casually.
It was unbelievable.
Of course, once Hiashi thought about Ren's terrifying strength, he quickly came to terms with it.
It was not that the Caged Bird Seal was weak.
It was simply that the Fifth Hokage was far too powerful.
Before Ren, even the Caged Bird Seal amounted to little more than a child's trick.
"Lord Fifth Hokage…"
Finally recovering from his shock, Neji wiped the tears from his face.
Then, without hesitation, he knelt heavily on the ground.
"From this day onward, my life belongs to Konoha. Even in death, I will remain one of Konoha's shinobi!"
"It's nothing important."
Ren waved his hand dismissively.
"Neji, nobody can predict the future. Continue training hard."
"When your strength reaches a certain level, I'll personally help you awaken the Tenseigan as well."
Truthfully, now that he was Hokage, Ren naturally valued talented individuals.
And Neji was undeniably a genius.
Ren did not mind giving him even greater power than in the original timeline.
At the very least, Neji would no longer die such a miserable death.
"I…"
Neji completely froze.
Happiness had come too suddenly.
To him, Uchiha Ren had already become synonymous with a god.
Originally, Neji had come here with almost no expectations.
But the result?
The Fifth Hokage had not only agreed to abolish the main and branch family system—
he had also removed the Caged Bird Seal…
and even promised to help him awaken the Tenseigan in the future.
One shocking surprise after another left Neji wondering if he was dreaming.
"Hiashi. You know what to do now, right?"
Ren shifted his gaze toward the trembling Hiashi.
"The future of the Hyūga Clan depends entirely on the decisions your clan elders make."
"Rest assured, Lord Fifth Hokage."
Hiashi hurriedly lowered his head.
"I understand what must be done. I will not disappoint you."
"The main and branch family system… truly should be abolished."
"Good. Very good."
Ren nodded calmly before extending both hands.
"Hinata. Hanabi. Let's go."
"Okay…"
Hinata blushed slightly, but still gathered her courage and gently took Ren's right hand.
"Come on! I want to test the power of the Tenseigan!"
Hanabi showed no hesitation at all. She grabbed Ren's left hand and excitedly dragged him outside.
"Fine."
Thus, Ren left the room while holding the hands of both sisters.
The matter had already been handled.
What remained now depended entirely on the Hyūga Clan's own choice.
Hopefully—
their elders would make the correct decision.
"Sigh…"
Watching Ren leave while holding the hands of his daughters, Hiashi's expression turned complicated once again.
He finally understood what people meant by:
Serving a ruler is like living beside a tiger.
Compared to the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Fifth Hokage was simply on another level entirely.
Perhaps—
this was what true power looked like.
With enough strength…
one could do whatever one wanted.
Of course, Hiashi did not dare resent Ren.
Instead, he could only steel himself and prepare to convene the Hyūga Clan elders to officially announce:
From this day forward—
the distinction between main family and branch family would be abolished.
"Neji… the clan really owes this to you."
Thinking of that, Hiashi stepped forward and patted Neji's shoulder.
"Although I still feel conflicted… I truly am happy for the Hyūga Clan."
"I hope you can grow stronger soon."
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