The world begins with refining skills

Chapter 372 It's decided! (It's my birthday today, please vote with monthly tickets!)

The Hyuga clan's council chamber is very large, and can usually accommodate more than a hundred people for meetings without feeling crowded.

However, it was crowded with hundreds of people at the time, making it feel somewhat cramped.

In the main seat of the council chamber sat Hyuga Hizashi, dressed in a dark gray kimono.

On his left and right were more than a hundred baptized members of the family who had received the Holy Fruit baptism and were freed from the caged bird's confinement.

Without exception, all of these people removed their ninja headbands, revealing wings of freedom fluttering on their foreheads.

Ryota Hyuga stared intently at Hizashi and the others' foreheads, even though he already knew about this from the guarding ninjas.

But upon seeing it with his own eyes, even Ryota Hinata's aged heart began to pound violently.

"It's really...unlocked."

If given a choice, who would willingly become a slave whose life and death are controlled by others?

No matter how nicely or grandly the significance of the family division system is presented, it cannot conceal its exploitative and oppressive nature.

Ryota Hyuga's gaze swept over Hizashi and the others, and landed on the members of the main family who were being held captive in the center of the council hall.

These once high-ranking family elders have lost their former arrogance and domineering attitude.

Those who were better off, such as the clan head Hiashi Hyuga and his wife and daughters, could still kneel neatly on cushions, maintaining the dignity of the main family.

Those who fared slightly worse, like the elder of the Zong family with the missing arm, were gagged, tied up, and thrown on the ground, their struggling and writhing movements resembling those of a maggot.

"woooooo"

Upon seeing Hyuga Ryota and the others, the elder of the main family let out a sobbing sound, seemingly ordering Hyuga Ryota and the others to come and rescue him.

boom!
The branch family ninja guarding him kicked him, saying, "Behave yourself! If you make another sound, I'll cut off your other arm!"

The elder of the Zong family paused upon hearing this, his shame and anger intensifying.

These damned traitors who split up the family dare to humiliate him like this; it's utterly outrageous!
Hyuga ancestors, come quickly and take these arrogant and unfilial sons and grandsons away!

The elders of the Zong family roared and cursed in their hearts, but dared not move their bodies.

Because these traitors were truly daring to take action, the bruises on his face were proof of that.

"Everyone's here, let's begin the meeting!"

Hyuga Hizashi looked around and said in a calm tone.

He spoke in a low voice, but everyone present heard him clearly.

A member of the branch family bearing the mark of the Wings of Freedom brought a table and placed it in front of Hyuga Hizashi.

"The first item on the agenda is a proposal to abolish the position of clan head of the Hyuga family."

Hyuga Hizashi picked up a document from the table and, without looking up, took the clan head's seal and stamped it on the document: "The motion is passed!"

Hiashi Hyuga:
"No! The Hyuga clan has never done that."

"Hizashi, this is insubordination! You..."

In the open space in the middle of the council hall, several members of the main family who were being held captive were about to say something when they were punched and kicked by the branch family ninjas guarding them, and they immediately lost their will to object.

"The clan leader was just dismissed like that?"

"How could it be fake? This is a clan coup. If the coup succeeds, how could the clan leader not step down?"

On the other side, among Ryota Hyuga and the rest of the family, a brief, faint buzzing sound came from within, before quickly fading into silence.

Didn't you see that none of the elders in the main family have any objections?
Those family members who have no say in the division of the family don't need to step forward at this time.

The second item on the agenda: Hyuga Hizashi set the first document aside and picked up the second: "A proposal to appoint Hyuga Hizashi as the head of the Hyuga clan."

Before he could finish speaking, Hizashi Hyuga casually stamped the document in front of hundreds of Hyuga clan members: "It's decided!"

The council chamber was silent. Compared to the slight commotion during the first proposal, the family members reacted even less to the second.

The elders of the main family did want to object, but all they got in return was another beating, which had no effect whatsoever.

By this point, no one cared about their opinions anymore.

"Third item on the agenda"

Hyuga Hizashi finally raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the faces of everyone present: "A proposal to abolish the branch family system."

All eyes were fixed on Hyuga Hizashi's face.

The former clan leader, Hiashi Hyuga, wore a look that was both expectant and tinged with worry.

It's clear that Hyuga Hizashi and his group have the support of other forces, which makes Hyuga Hiashi somewhat worried about the future of the Hyuga clan.

The faces of the other members of the main family were filled with shock, anger and panic. Without the family division system, how could they maintain their status and rule?

Those branch family members who had received the baptism of the sacred fruit and wore the mark of the Wings of Freedom on their heads were filled with excitement and pride.

For the rebirth of the Hyuga clan, for their great achievements, and for the great Sacred Tree!

As for Ryota Hinata and the others, they felt a mixture of anticipation and trepidation, as well as a sense of disorientation and dizziness.

You were sleeping peacefully at home when suddenly a rebellion broke out in the tribe, and then suddenly the rebellion succeeded.

This all seems like a dream!
Under the watchful eyes of hundreds of people, Hyuga Hizashi picked up the clan chief's seal and pressed it heavily onto the document in his hand.

Snapped! ! !
The motion is passed!

As Hyuga Hizashi's voice faded, the scene suddenly became noisy.

"Did you hear me clearly? Does Lord Hizashi mean to abolish the family division system?"

"Yes! Yes! The passage of the bill means..."

"What about our Caged Bird Seal?"

"What's there to worry about? Didn't you see something different about Lord Hizashi and the others? The Caged Bird Seal has been lifted!"

"."

Those who split up the family cheered with joy, while the members of the main family looked like the dead.

"No! No, Hizashi! If the branch family system is abolished, the Hyuga clan will be finished!"

Several clan elders cried out, "Richie, we know you have suffered a lot of injustices over the years, and Ritsu did indeed do many wrong things during his reign."

But this has nothing to do with the family division system; it's a matter of Hitachi's personal abilities and character!

"???" Hiashi Hyuga looked at the elders of the main family with a constipated expression. You guys knelt down way too quickly, didn't you?

"And what do you mean my abilities and character are questionable? Even if my character is terrible, it's still better than yours, old guys, isn't it?"

Hiashi Hyuga suddenly felt that it was good that the branch family system had been abolished. He didn't know what the future of the Hyuga clan would be, but the future of these old guys was definitely not good!

"You want to be the clan leader? No problem, we'll all support you. But the branch family system can't be abolished!" "Yes, Hizashi! You're not from the main family, you don't know. If the Caged Bird Seal didn't exist, the Hyuga clan would fall into internal strife and even be wiped out!"

"Yes, yes, yes! These are all recorded in the lineages of the main families. It was because of this that the ancestors of the Hyuga clan created the Caged Bird Seal and the branch family system!"

Several clan elders spoke up one after another, but Hyuga Hizashi didn't take their words to heart.

It wasn't that he didn't believe what they said about the crisis that would lead to the extinction of the Hyuga clan; after all, someone had told him that by combining hundreds or thousands of Byakugan, a powerful weapon could be created.

However, after being baptized by the sacred fruit, Hyuga Hizashi believed that this crisis was impossible to occur.

With a wave of his hand, branch family ninjas rushed forward and dragged the main family elders back.

"Please give me the sacred fruit!"

Hyuga Hizashi announced loudly, and a Hyuga ninja behind him took out a sealing scroll from his robes.

As the scroll was opened, hundreds of thumb-sized fruits appeared before Hyuga Hizashi.

“Uncle Ryota.” Hyuga Hizashi looked at Hyuga Ryota in the crowd, and the latter immediately stepped forward.

"Lord Patriarch!"

"Eat it!" Hyuga Hizashi picked up a fruit and handed it to Hyuga Ryota.

Without hesitation, Ryota Hyuga took the fruit and popped it into his mouth.

The moment it entered his mouth, the fruit transformed into a cool chakra energy that surged into his brain.

Ryota Hyuga instinctively tried to mobilize his chakra to resist, but Hizashi Hyuga stopped him: "Don't resist, accept it!"

"Receive the baptism of the sacred fruit, and under the witness of the sacred tree, shed your shackles and welcome new life!"

Ryota Hyuga suppressed his instincts, allowing the chakra to seep into his brain and into his fragile brain tissue.

A moment later, Ryota Hyuga heard a soft gasp, and the branch family members who had come with him also turned their gazes toward his face.

"What's wrong? Is there something on my face?" Ryota Hinata touched his cheek in confusion.

"Lord Ryota, look!"

A member of the branch family took out a small mirror and handed it to Ryota Hyuga.

Ryota Hinata looked closely and saw fine chakra runes appearing on his face and head.

Runes quickly covered his entire head. Ryota Hyuga ripped off his headband, revealing that the Caged Bird Mark on his forehead was being gradually eroded by the runes.

A few minutes later, the chakra runes disappeared, and the Caged Bird Seal on his forehead also vanished.

"It's off! It's really off! The Caged Bird Seal has been lifted!"

The branch family members who had been paying close attention to Ryota Hinata's situation immediately exclaimed in surprise.

The Caged Bird Curse, which had imprisoned the separated family for hundreds of years and could not be escaped even by death, was actually broken by a small fruit!
The gazes of everyone fixed on the hundreds of fruits in front of Hyuga Hizashi instantly turned fervent.

"How is this possible?" Hiashi Hyuga, who had been silent all along, suddenly exclaimed.

If Hyuga Hizashi had used some kind of advanced sealing technique to break free of the Caged Bird Seal, Hiashi wouldn't have lost his composure like this.

After all, no one knows how many forbidden techniques the Second Hokage left behind, and it's possible that one of them was the forbidden technique to undo the Caged Bird Seal.

Indeed, according to Hiashi Hyuga's speculation, the force behind Hizashi is very likely Konoha Village.

After all, Danzo had been eyeing the Byakugan for a long time. If it weren't for the Caged Bird Seal, a genius from the Hyuga clan would have been recruited into Root long ago.

However, what he saw made Hiashi Hyuga somewhat doubtful: could Danzo and the Third Hokage, or rather the village, really have such abilities?

The ninjutsu to remove the Caged Bird Seal has been incorporated into a single fruit. Could it be Wood Release?
Hiashi Hyuga was confused, but Ryota Hyuga, standing beside him, was not.

Looking at his smooth forehead in the mirror, Hyuga Ryota was so moved that tears streamed down his face. He knelt down on one knee with a thud and shouted, "Hyuga Ryota is willing to die for the clan leader!"

"Uncle Ryota, there's no need for that!"

Hyuga Hizashi stood up and stepped forward to help Hyuga Ryota up: "The branch family has been trapped like a caged bird for too long. I think the clan members are also impatient. You shall distribute the sacred fruit to the clan members!"

"Yes, clan leader!" Ryota Hinata accepted the task without hesitation and went to distribute the sacred fruit to the branch clan members.

Soon, a long, winding queue formed inside the council chamber!

"Sage, this is yours. Remember, you must wholeheartedly accept the baptism of the sacred fruit."

"Ling, this is yours."

While distributing the sacred fruit, Ryota Hinata patiently reminded everyone of the precautions.

Hyuga Hizashi approached his older brother Hiashi, extending a hand in front of Hiashi's eyes, upon which lay three thumb-sized fruits.

"Brother, you've heard how to take it, so please eat it!"

Hiashi Hyuga grabbed the small fruit from Hizashi's hand and examined it closely, but couldn't see anything special about it.

"I never imagined that the system that the Hyuga clan has inherited for hundreds of years would fall to a mere fruit!"

"What exactly is this thing? Is it Wood Release?"

Hiashi Hyuga wanted to know if the village was targeting the Hyuga clan.

"Wood Release?" Hyuga Hizashi chuckled and shook his head. "Wood Release can't create such a perfect sacred object. Eat it, brother. If you want to know the answer, then eat it!"

Holy object?

Hyuga Hiashi remembered that Hizashi always called these fruits "sacred fruits." Could it be that Hizashi had joined some kind of cult?
Thinking about this, Hiashi Hyuga felt even less inclined to eat.

"Eat, elder brother! Only those who have been baptized can welcome the arrival of the new Hinata!"

Seeing that Hiashi was somewhat resistant, Hyuga Hizashi kindly advised, "Brother, you don't want Hinata to lose her father, do you?"

Hiashi Hyuga had no choice but to swallow the fruit in his hand in the end.

Soon, the mark of the Wings of Liberty appeared on his forehead.

Is this what it feels like to separate from your family?

Hiashi Hyuga touched his forehead, somewhat understanding the feeling of splitting up the family.

Hinata, Keiko

Hiashi Hyuga then fed the remaining two fruits to his wife and daughter.

Seeing that the former clan leader's family had compromised, the remaining clan members also realized that they either had to join or die!

After all, Hizashi said that only those who eat the fruit will welcome the arrival of the new Hyuga. So, what will happen to those who don't eat it?

"Hizashi, clan leader, please give us a chance, for the sake of us being from the Hyuga clan!"

(End of this chapter)