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

Chapter 238 Whether wings are strong or not, you'll only know after they fly!
What methods did Hyuga Kumokawa use when facing pressure from the main family?
Threat!

The threat of mutual destruction!
We risked every life of the branch family, which we considered worthless, to gamble with the high and mighty elders of the main family. Whoever dared to kill one of us, we would kill Hyuga Higo!
Unreasonable! Domineering and extreme!
But it was this unreasonable tyranny that, for the first time, tied the fates of all the branch families to the fates of the main family elders on the same scale, making the main family wary and fearful.

And now...

Realizing the meaning behind Hyuga Neji's words, Hyuga Iroha's body trembled violently as if it were a leaf.

"No! No! No way!"

He shook his head frantically: "I... I don't have the same appeal as Lord Yun Chuan. It's impossible for me to get everyone in the branch family to overcome their fear of death and stand behind me to rebel against the main family."

"Moreover, moreover, Hyuga Higo has clearly made up his mind; he's going to gamble his life with us!"

"If he dies, even more people will die in our branch family! And then, even more people in the main family will be killed by the branch family..."

The relationship between the main family and the branch family is now almost equivalent to that between the Trisolarans and Earthlings in "The Three-Body Problem," with both sides operating under the "Dark Forest Theory."

Both sides were suspicious and wary of each other, but Hyuga Kumokawa was more ruthless before, successfully intimidating the main family and putting the branch family in a dominant position in the relationship between the two sides.

But now, Hinata Kumokawa has left.

Hyuga Iroha, who was in charge of intimidating the main family, was not ruthless enough, had too many concerns, and was not strong enough. He did not have the power to overturn the main family on his own.

If he's ruthless enough, he can gamble his life against the main family, just like Hyuga Kumokawa did.

If he is strong enough, he can be like Hyuga Kumokawa, even if the main family is determined to gamble with their lives, he will still have a greater chance of winning.

Unfortunately, he wasn't ruthless or strong enough. The main family knew he wasn't ruthless or strong enough, which is why they dared to do this.

Hyuga Iroha thought he had made up his mind and was prepared to perish together with the main family.

However, when he was actually faced with a choice, countless concerns flooded his mind...

It's acceptable to break ties with the main family.

You can also do it by following Lord Yunchuan's method.

However, if Hyuga Higo is killed, will the other main families retaliate fiercely?

Can the family bear the cost of splitting up? How many people are willing to bear the cost? If they face a counterattack from the main family, can they stand together to survive and perish?

Too many concerns lead to too much risk!
Even if everyone is willing to take the risk, wouldn't the practice of exchanging lives for lives lead to too many deaths, and would the Hyuga clan fall apart?

So what if we kill them all? Will we all defect together?

No, without the protection of Konoha, the Hyuga clan, with their Byakugan, would be lambs to the slaughter in the eyes of all other powers!

Will the deaths caused by his decision, and the tragic consequences resulting from his decision, ultimately all be blamed on him?

"No, no, it really won't work." Hyuga Iroha kept shaking her head. "I can't, I can't gamble with everyone's lives, I..."

"Iroha!!"

Before he could continue, Hyuga Neji suddenly let out a low growl, grabbed Iroha's collar hard, and forcibly pulled the limp Iroha up from the ground.

Two pairs of white eyes stared intently at each other at extremely close range.

The veins on Hyuga Neji's forehead bulged and throbbed wildly like earthworms, and his pure Byakugan eyes burned with a madness akin to hellfire!

"Do you want to live like a dog, kneeling on your knees, like before?!"

He spoke each word with force, striking Iroha's face with a deep voice: "Hyuga Kumokawa has done everything and handed everything over to us!"

"He's only been gone a few days, and you're already going to let the main family destroy everything?!"

“If we allow the main family to make the branch family kneel down like dogs, when Hyuga Kumokawa returns, no one will stand behind him. Even if he dies, no one will avenge him.”

"Then, as the backbone of the branch family, he too will be broken by the main family, who will no longer have any scruples!"

"Even then, it will still still be your fault!"

Each word struck Iroha's heart like a heavy hammer, causing his lips to tremble slightly.

After saying that, Hyuga Neji suddenly released his hands.

Pfft!
Hyuga Iroha crashed heavily to the ground, her body trembling violently with fear.

Neji looked down at him, the hatred and madness in his eyes gradually replaced by a coldness.

Why didn't the main family dare to take action against the branch family when Hyuga Kumokawa was around?
Why did the main branch of the Hyuga clan dare to take action after Hyuga Iroha temporarily took over the responsibility?
Why don't the Uchiha clan, who possess the Sharingan, need the protection of the Cursed Seal?
He thought of Hinata Kumokawa.

He then thought of the Uchiha clan.

Hyuga Neji finally realized a fact and understood the problem that had previously been incomprehensible to him.

The Hyuga clan's current predicament and the branch family's current situation are all due to "weakness"!
"I understand now." Neji's voice was hoarse. "Hyuga Kumokawa shouldn't have entrusted the branch family to you, shouldn't have entrusted the branch family to anyone else!"

"Because in the entire branch family, no one but him can intimidate the main family like he does."

"The fear of the entire Hyuga clan led to the appearance of the 'cursed seal,' while the fear of the entire branch family led to the main family's atrocities against the branch family."

"If the entire Hyuga clan were as assertive as the Uchiha clan, and if you and the other branch families were as reckless and forceful as Hyuga Kumokawa..."

He paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, "No, not like Hyuga Kumokawa, but like Uchiha Itachi."

"If our branch family members were as insane and extreme as Itachi Uchiha, how could the main family dare to do those things to us?"

Hyuga Iroha lowered her head and subconsciously shook her head, saying, "No, this hypothesis simply doesn't exist."

Because the Hyuga clan values ​​etiquette and rules, which to some extent represent "discipline".

The Hyuga clan does not share the Uchiha clan's characteristic of becoming stronger the more extreme they are, nor do they exhibit the same extreme tendencies as the Uchiha clan. Furthermore, they are constantly instilled with the concept of master and servant from a young age.

How could the Hyuga clan possibly produce someone like Itachi Uchiha?
"It didn't exist before, but it does now."

Hyuga Neji lowered his eyes and said calmly, "If you don't dare to do it, then let me do it."

"We don't need too many people to die..."

At this point, his voice lowered, and a whisper reached Iroha's ears, hoarsely saying, "Only I need to be sacrificed, and a very small number of others!"

"Everyone else, all the divided families, will be preserved, they will all be free, and all future troubles will be completely eliminated!"

Sacrifice, for the few?

Iroha abruptly raised her head, her pupils trembling with horror, and blurted out, "You, what do you want to do?"

Hyuga Neji slowly turned around, his gaze fixed on the tightly closed hospital room door. The twisted hatred on his face finally coalesced into a cold, emotionless killing intent.

"Continue doing what I wanted to do before, but didn't finish."

His voice was icy cold, each word echoing in the deathly silent hospital room. "Kill them all! Everyone who possesses the Caged Bird Seal!"

At that moment, Neji Hyuga's mind suddenly became incredibly clear.

All the problems and difficulties have been solved in one way.

Continuing to do what I wanted to do before... but didn't finish...

Upon hearing this, Hyuga Iroha suddenly realized something, and his heart felt as if it were being gripped by an icy hand.

"Neji!" He stared intently at Hyuga Neji, his voice rising sharply in shock, "You...you are the one..."

“Yes.” Hyuga Neji answered calmly, “I was the one who killed those two main family members. The only one I didn’t lay a hand on was Hyuga Haruto.”

Upon hearing this, Hyuga Iroha's pale face flushed with a sickly red, his teeth clenched so tightly they clicked, and his body trembled with rage!
It's Neji?! It's actually Hyuga Neji?!
Neji Hyuga is the real culprit; he's the one who stole the Byakugan from the main branch of the Hyuga clan!
"You!" Iroha growled, wishing he could pounce on him immediately and tear this crazed executioner to pieces.

However, when his gaze met Neji's cold, calm Byakugan...

That overwhelming rage was instantly extinguished, as if doused with a bucket of ice water.

Is anger useful?
Even if you know Neji is the real culprit, what can you do?
It's too late to say anything now; it doesn't matter anymore whether Neji or Takashi is the murderer.

Who the murderer is and who dies first is no longer important. As long as they are members of the branch family, it will become a reason for the main family to take action against the branch family.

Having figured all this out, the sickly flush on Iroha's face quickly faded, replaced by a deathly despair.

"Neji." He gave a bitter laugh, his voice hoarse and weak, filled with exhaustion. "What exactly do you want? Why did you tell me all this?"

"Cooperate with me and kill all the main family members who possess the Caged Bird Seal!" Hyuga Neji said in a deep voice. "You should understand that you have no choice."

Yes.

Iroha had no choice.

If he were to inform the main family now and expose Neji as the real culprit, even if Neji were executed, what would the main family think? What would they do?
Will they believe that this is just Neji's madness all by himself?

Do not!
They will only become more fearful and wary, terrified that the branch family has gone so far as to escalate from threats from Hyuga Kumokawa to assassinations like Neji's!

This fear and apprehension has far exceeded the limits that Hyuga Kumokawa initially imposed on them. Ultimately, Hyuga Kumokawa's threat only remained at the level of mutual destruction; it was a form of deterrence!
And Neji...

He has already done it; he has already killed people, gouged out eyes, and even wanted to kill all the members of the clan.

Would the main family dare to gamble that no one else would follow suit in splitting up the family?
In order to eliminate any future troubles, the main family is capable of doing anything!

Hyuga Iroha dared not think any further. He was a pillar of the branch family, entrusted by Hyuga Kumokawa-sama, and his responsibility was to protect the branch family.

If he informs on them, it would be tantamount to personally pushing the entire family into an abyss of no return!
So……

He only had three choices left.

Just sit idly by and let Neji go crazy, then pray that he succeeds, and that if he fails, the main family's anger won't reach the branch family.

Stop Neji, imprison Neji, or even kill Neji? Then what? How will the branch family resolve its current predicament?
And then there's the final choice...

"Help me, do everything in your power to help me, help me kill all the main family members who possess the Caged Bird Seal."

As if reading his mind, Hyuga Neji, mimicking what Hyuga Kumokawa had done to him, slowly leaned down and approached Iroha.

That young face, yet filled with icy killing intent, magnified in Iroha's pupils.

“I said it,” Hyuga Neji said coldly, mimicking Hyuga Kumokawa, “you, me, and the branch family all have no choice.”

"Either do nothing and watch as everything Hyuga Kumokawa brought to the branch family is destroyed by you and the main family, making the branch family's situation even more miserable than before."

"Or, gamble with me. If we win, we can free the branch family from the main family, break free of the cage that the main family has bound us, and gain true freedom."

"If we lose, I will die, and you will all end up the same way as those who did nothing."

Every word struck Iroha's heart like a heavy hammer.

His fists were clenched so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms, and blood dripped from between his fingers. At that moment, they relaxed as if deflated.

"..."

Hyuga Iroha slowly raised her head, looking at Neji who was so close to her, and seeing the madness in Neji's eyes, she said with a dry, hoarse laugh, "You... you really are a madman..."

"Yes, like Hinata Kumokawa, I'm a madman too."

Hyuga Neji's reply remained eerily calm: "But only madmen like me and Hyuga Kumokawa can instill the fear of death in the main family..."

"Only then can the division of the family give them a glimmer of hope for freedom!"

Upon hearing this, Hyuga Iroha fell into a long silence.

He thought of everything Lord Yun Chuan had done to divide the family, and of Lord Yun Chuan's back as he stood before everyone.

Thinking of Lord Yun Chuan's expectations for him, and Lord Yun Chuan's instructions before leaving.

Finally, Hyuga Iroha exhaled a deep breath, her body trembling.

“You’re right. Lord Yun Chuan shouldn’t have entrusted the division of the family to me.” He said in a low voice, “I don’t have his determination and sense of responsibility to make the choice and bear all the consequences.”

"But you've already made the choice for me. If I don't even have the courage to carry it out, then I'm really just a useless piece of trash."

At this point, he staggered to his feet, coughing violently.

He had heard from the main family more than once, in a tone of disgust and mockery, that the branch family was becoming increasingly powerful.

but……

"Whether the wings of the separated family are strong or not, those guys don't get to say," he said. "We'll only know when they're ready to fly."

Upon hearing this, Hyuga Neji's slightly narrowed pupils and tense body suddenly relaxed.

Did he not feel fear?

No, he was just a teenager, how could he not be afraid?
Even the words he spoke to Hyuga Iroha were imitations of Hyuga Kumokawa's tone, forced down by the fear surging within him.

He will still be afraid.

However, Hinata Kumokawa had already shown him through his actions that "fear" meant nothing to the main family and would only be used by those guys.

There is only struggle, only madness, only anger!
Only by turning fear into hysteria can he instill fear in those guys from the main family and obtain what he has always craved!

Talent is the key to breaking free from that utterly nonsensical so-called destiny!

　One more chapter

　　
　
(End of this chapter)