However, after attempting to activate the Caged Bird Curse Seal, the elder of the Hyuga main family was horrified to find that nothing happened to the branch family members within his Byakugan's range.
"The Caged Bird Seal isn't responding? How is that possible?"
His voice, filled with disbelief, rippled through the assembly like a stone cast into a still pond, stirring panic among the main family. The idea that the curse seal—long used to maintain their dominance—was no longer effective was unthinkable.
One after another, the main family members attempted to trigger the seal.
But to their growing dread, they couldn't even sense the chakra link to the Caged Bird Seal—not even a trace remained to manipulate.
Realizing something was seriously wrong, a few elders grimaced and attempted to activate the seal's fatal failsafe: a command meant to destroy the brain of any branch family member showing disobedience.
But nothing happened.
Across the courtyard, the branch family members watched quietly. Their expressions, once obedient and resigned, now carried cold determination—some even emanated a murderous intent.
Despite this, none made a move. They didn't need to.
Not long ago, Lord Kawaki Aoba—a rogue Hyuga genius who defected from the main house—had secretly altered or removed the Caged Bird Seals from almost all branch family members in Konoha. His methods, blending advanced fūinjutsu and medical ninjutsu, had rendered the cursed mark inert without setting off any detectable alarms.
In essence, the Hyuga main family's greatest tool of control had become useless—nothing more than a dead switch.
While the main family reeled in confusion, one of the elders—the Sixth Elder—surreptitiously tossed several small, black spheres to the ground. Each rolled silently across the courtyard before halting in a precise formation, forming an invisible perimeter.
Within moments, an airtight encirclement was complete.
Many of the faces around them were familiar. Once full of respect and fear, those same faces now looked down on the main family with icy contempt.
The main family had long held the belief that they were superior, that the branch family existed only to serve. But now, surrounded and disarmed, that illusion shattered. For the first time, they were forced to confront their own vulnerability.
To be fair, the Hyuga main family still had its fair share of elite shinobi. Years of privilege and training had elevated many to jonin rank or higher. But in this moment, stripped of their psychological advantage and numerical superiority, few could summon the will to fight.
It wasn't just that they couldn't win—it was that they were afraid to try.
"You traitors! Ingrates! I knew you branch house dogs would betray us one day! We should've purged you all long ago!"
A young main house shinobi snarled in rage, his voice cracking with hysteria and fear.
His outburst was echoed by others—screams of denial, fury, and desperation. The idea of losing control over the branch family was more than some could bear.
On the opposite side, several branch family shinobi sneered.
"Traitors? That's rich coming from you," one of them replied coldly. "Do you think we wanted this? We endured your oppression for years without complaint. Bound by the cursed seal, we couldn't even die on our own terms. We fought for you, protected you, and in return, you treated us like disposable tools."
Another stepped forward and raised his voice.
"Call it betrayal, call it rebellion—but let's be honest: this is your doing. Your arrogance, your tyranny... this is the result. Now listen well! Elder Aoba has declared that the Hyuga main family is plotting a coup against the village—planning to eliminate loyal Konoha shinobi to seize control."
Gasps rippled through the main family. Several looked around in confusion, still not understanding how things had escalated to this point.
"The evidence is overwhelming," the branch shinobi continued. "You've been branded as traitors by the Konoha Council. There's nothing left to discuss."
At his side, another added curtly, "Enough talk. By Elder Aoba's orders, all main family shinobi must surrender immediately. Resist, and we are authorized to eliminate you without hesitation."
A dignified elder from the main family trembled with rage but couldn't find the words to respond. Another, standing beside him, made no pretense of restraint. He turned abruptly and charged toward the group of branch family children being guarded nearby.
His intent was clear—hostages.
Whether to shield himself or force negotiations, his cruelty was unmistakable.
Just as he neared them, a shimmering chakra barrier surged to life around the children—a dome of lightning-infused energy enveloped them completely.
The elder crashed into it without hesitation, thinking it a bluff.
But he was wrong.
The moment he touched the barrier, a surge of lightning lanced through his body, bypassing his Gentle Fist chakra defense as if it were paper. Though the barrier was defensive, not lethal, the elder dropped to the ground—burnt, stunned, and completely incapacitated.
The remaining main family members froze.
The elder's condition was a grim warning. Whatever barrier that was, it wasn't something they could brute-force.
Still, several tried. They unleashed Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm strikes, hoping to shatter the barrier.
Sixth Elder, standing calmly outside the formation, spoke with finality:
"It's useless. That barrier is a prototype ninja tool designed and powered by Lord Aoba himself. With your strength, you won't break through it any time soon."
Without a doubt, the sudden appearance of the barrier was thanks to Kawaki Aoba. The beads he had thrown earlier played a decisive role in its formation.
However, he was bluffing. Although the barrier beads were carefully crafted using a technique developed by Kawaki Aoba, their defensive capabilities were limited due to material constraints. Had the Hyuga main family coordinated their attacks, especially using the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm in unison, they could have eventually broken through.
In fact, they wouldn't have needed to break it at all. The barrier consumed a tremendous amount of chakra, and it was likely that the chakra stored within the beads would be depleted in time.
Unfortunately, the Hyuga main family had no knowledge of this weakness.
And it seemed they wouldn't have time to discover it now.
Upon witnessing the main family attacking their own children, the branch family members could no longer stand by.
They launched a full-scale assault on the Hyuga main family.
At the front of this revolt were dozens of elite Jōnin raised by the Hyuga clan itself.
While the main family had always restricted the branch family's access to the deepest techniques of the Gentle Fist, the reality was that the branch members were still highly trained. As Jōnin, they were formidable in their own right—and more importantly, they held a significant numerical advantage.
If one Jōnin wasn't enough to bring someone down, what about two? Or five?
The battle was one-sided. Even before Aoba's personal forces could intervene, the branch family had already seized control of the battlefield.
Jōnin launched the assault while Chūnin provided flawless support. Their coordination could only be described as surgical.
Whether by intent or accident, one of the Hyuga main family elders, already paralyzed by the barrier's electrical backlash, now lay lifeless on the ground. His body was grotesquely twisted—a tragic end.
Some main family members, including children and pregnant women, were spared the retaliation.
Among them was the wife of Hyuga Hiashi, the clan head.
However, those who resisted fiercely suffered fates similar to the fallen elder.
Years of resentment, betrayal, and systemic oppression had festered in the branch family's hearts. The fact that they managed to restrain themselves and avoid harming innocents was already a testament to their discipline.
When the conflict ended, most of the main family elders were dead. Nearly a third of the remaining main family members had also perished.
There was no question: some of these deaths were acts of personal vengeance.
And Kawaki Aoba did nothing to stop it. On the contrary, he allowed it.
---
Konoha Village – Hokage Building, Conference Room
Namikaze Minato sat at the head of the room, with Konoha's elders and clan heads seated in rank below him.
They had lost count of how many emergency meetings had taken place in the past month. Each time, the news was significant—and never good.
This day was no exception.
Aoba stood calmly before them, composed as ever. Turning to Hyuga Hiashi, he said:
"Hokage-sama, everyone—my subordinates have apprehended the Hyuga main family defectors. They are en route to Konoha and will be here shortly."
He turned to Hiashi. "Clan Head Hiashi, do you have anything to say regarding your main family's attempted defection? Or will you continue your silence and hope for a miracle?"
Hiashi, seated on his knees in silence, kept his eyes closed. He neither replied nor resisted.
Aoba gave a thin smile. "So be it. The defection is now confirmed. As of this moment, the Hyuga clan is disbanded."
"From today onward, all surviving branch family members will integrate fully into Konoha, as independent shinobi."
The room fell into a heavy silence.
No one doubted it now—the Hyuga main family had fallen, and Kawaki Aoba had orchestrated it with chilling efficiency.
He had altered the Caged Bird Seal at will. He had toppled one of Konoha's oldest and most powerful clans.
Even those who once only admired Aoba now feared him.
Among the gathered clans, Uchiha Fugaku quietly observed Hiashi's silent form.
As a fellow leader of a powerful dōjutsu clan, Fugaku felt a deep, unsettling empathy. The Uchiha had once rivaled the Senju, and he could not ignore the sense of shared fate now hanging over him.
Perhaps this was what the former Uchiha clan head had felt watching the decline of the Senju.
And yet, the Hyuga clan's ending had one mercy—the branch family could still use the Hyuga name. That was more than the Senju had received.
Fugaku shifted his gaze to Aoba.
He remembered their first meeting in the Uchiha Police Force headquarters. Back then, Aoba wore sunglasses to conceal his Byakugan.
That had been the start of his long conflict with the Hyuga clan.
And now, just a few years later, this once-obscure shinobi had single-handedly dismantled the Hyuga main family.
Fugaku would not have believed it if he hadn't seen it himself.
---
Extra! Extra!
Hyuga Main Family Rebellion Quelled! See Hokage Assistant Aoba Turn the Tide and Save the Village from Internal Collapse!
Extra! Extra!
New Defensive Ninja Tool Developed by Lord Aoba Greatly Enhances Shinobi Survival Rates on the Battlefield!
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