Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 17 How could it willingly return to its cramped cage? (Seeking monthly votes QAQ)

"you……"

The words, carrying a strong seductive meaning, came from beside his ear, startling Hizashi Hyuga, who was in a daze. He subconsciously took a step back and almost stumbled.

"What exactly are you?" Looking at the black-robed man beside him, Hizashi felt a chill run down his spine and couldn't help but ask in a trembling voice, "Why are you telling me all this?"

"I'm just removing pests and pruning while looking forward to seeing what kind of flowers will bloom."

When Hinata Kumokawa said those words, even though he couldn't see the face in the shadows, Hizashi seemed to see a pair of eyes, a pair of eyes that hid deep malice.

It's like a fire is burning, not fierce or grand, just quietly swaying.

The other party didn't care what his fire would ignite or destroy; he, the head of the branch family, was merely fuel for the fire.

Hyuga Hizashi fell silent.

"The main branch of the Hyuga clan is the root of the Hyuga clan. As long as the root is still there, it doesn't matter whether the branches wither or flourish."

He was instilled with this idea from a young age by his father, who was the clan chief.

However, when he thought of Hinata again, who was full of flaws and weak during training, all sorts of dark thoughts began to surge into his mind uncontrollably.

"With Neji's talent, he could have become a strong member of the Hyuga clan, but because of his status as a member of the branch family, he was put into the Caged Bird Seal, completely losing his freedom and living in the shadow of the main family for the rest of his life..."

"And the cowardly daughter of the main branch can reap the benefits without lifting a finger, taking Neji's protection for granted, and letting him sacrifice his life..."

As a father, it is truly incompetent to take away even the freedom of one's child.

He was willing to die humbly for a brief period of freedom.

However, he wanted Neji to live a freer, more human life.

Rather than being an appendage of anyone, or burdened by some so-called destiny.

Believe me, it is not shameful to sell your soul to the devil.

Hinata Kumokawa said softly, "It's shameful not to get a good price."

"...What can you do?"

After a long silence, Hyuga Hizashi finally spoke: "What do I need to give in return?"

"I can grant you the power to break free from your cage," Hinata Kumokawa said calmly. "You will need to give up everything you have: your name, your future, your life, your soul..."

"You..." Hizashi Hyuga paused for a moment, then couldn't help but ask, "This deal is completely unfair?"

"Isn't this what the devil is like?" Hinata Kumokawa said quite frankly. "So, what's your answer?"

Hyuga Hizashi's breathing became increasingly rapid. Even so, even knowing the other party's malice, he found himself unable to refute it.

The other party really stripped him completely naked, truly like a devil who saw through human desires, meticulously scraping away his flesh inch by inch, laying out his desires on the table.

After a moment, he gritted his teeth, shook his head, and said, "I don't believe you can free Neji and me from this cage, nor do I believe anyone can do it."

As long as the Caged Bird Seal remains, Neji will never truly escape his cage.

Even the head of the main family only knows how to activate the curse seal, but has no way to undo it.

“Alright.” Hinata Kumokawa ignored his doubts, nodded, and stretched out an arm from the shadow of the black robe. “Then let you experience it.”

At the same time, he silently chanted in his mind: "Conjure the item - Caged Bird Seal for ten seconds."

[Will the 300 Realization Points spent materialize?]

"As expected, without a method to undo it, just undoing it for ten seconds won't take too much." Hinata Kumokawa's eyes flickered, and he silently replied, "Manifest."

Upon hearing his words, Hyuga Hizashi was stunned for a moment. Looking at the two fingers extended towards his forehead, he felt as if the blood in his body had stopped flowing for a moment, and he subconsciously wanted to take a step back.

But the next moment, those two fingers stopped on his forehead, and a surge of emotion instantly welled up in his heart. It was as if a crack had opened in his forehead, and a clear spring poured in from the outside, then split into several thin tributaries, washing away every blockage in his brain.

Hyuga Hizashi even heard the sound of invisible shackles breaking and felt a veil covering his eyes slowly being lifted.

The world has never been so clear.

Hyuga Hizashi's pupils trembled, and his first reaction upon regaining his senses was that the veins around his eyes bulged.

"Rokugan! Activate!!"

there is none left?
Really no more.

There are no more blind spots in the visual field!
How can it be? !
Hyuga Hizashi couldn't believe what he was feeling, but a ecstatic, almost ferocious smile gradually appeared on his face.

"Hahaha!"

Is this what freedom feels like?
Light, clear, and joyful...

A variety of sensations filled my limbs and bones, as if some hidden constraints had been lifted, and the whole world became bright at this moment.

Hyuga Hizashi completely abandoned the etiquette he used to always pay attention to, laughing wildly and unrestrainedly, even with tears welling up in his eyes.

Others cannot truly understand the feeling of having something once possessed but then ruthlessly taken away, having one's life constantly held in the hands of others, and now suddenly regaining it.

However, the caged bird mark on Hyuga Hizashi's forehead, which had faded considerably, soon returned.

The once flawless, 360° white eye now has a blind spot spreading out from directly behind the first thoracic vertebra, and the world has become dark again.

"what happened?"

Hyuga Hizashi's joyful expression froze on his face, and a look of bewildered pain even appeared in his eyes.

But he quickly remembered that this was just an "experience".

"You!" Hyuga Hizashi suddenly grabbed the arm of the person next to him and asked impatiently, "What do you want me to do?"

Hinata Kumokawa was not surprised, nor did he rush to answer. Instead, he asked, "You and Hinata Hiashi are identical twins, right?"

"……Correct."

Seeing him nod with a gloomy expression, Hyuga Kumokawa said calmly, "I need you to become Hyuga Hiashi, and Hyuga Hizashi will die."

"What?!" Hyuga Hizashi's pupils contracted, and he blurted out, "Impossible!"

Is this guy trying to fake his death so he can take his brother's place?
How is this possible?

"You said you could." Hinata Kumokawa looked at the hand that was gripping his arm, raised his hand and gently pried it off, saying softly, "You just need to follow orders."

The moonlight cast their shadows on the ground, swaying in the shadows of the surrounding trees.

"..."

Thinking back on everything he had just experienced, an overwhelming desire almost crushed him, but Hyuga Hizashi gritted his teeth and said, "Fine! I'll do it!"

Seeing his flustered appearance, Hinata Kumokawa chuckled to himself.

The birds, who had lost their freedom, briefly regained it and soared once more in the vast sky.

How could it be willing to go back to the cramped cage?
However, Hyuga Hizashi was merely a supporting character he had chosen.

The truly important pieces...

Hinata Kumokawa's gaze shifted slightly, looking towards a desolate mansion in the distance.

(End of this chapter)