Chapter 84

At the moment when the mark on his forehead disappeared, Hinata Shingo understood that the "Caged Bird" that had troubled him for many years had become a thing of the past.

But there were still many questions that remained unanswered.

"Are you confused? There's no need to be grateful to me. It just so happens that you became one of my test subjects."

It seemed that Shishito could see the bewildered and complex emotions in Shingo's heart, and he began to explain.

"Why did you..."

"Release the Caged Bird?"

Hearing Shishito's counter-question, Shingo began to understand.

He was not entirely ignorant of Shishito. As the top-ranked jōnin of Konoha, Sakumo Hatake, whose reputation even surpassed that of the Three Great Sannin, every move he made was closely watched by many in Konoha.

Even a prestigious clan like the Hyūga had a high regard for Sakumo Hatake and did not dare to be the slightest bit negligent.

Shishito, as a former member of Sakumo's team, although he was a completely unremarkable and transparent figure in terms of status, had a lot of information collected about him.

After all, a medical ninja did not need particularly high combat skills, only a mastery of medical ninjutsu.

Compared to regular ninjutsu, mastering medical ninjutsu was more difficult.

It required a lot of specialized knowledge and constant practice to accumulate experience. The formation of a medical ninja took much longer than that of a regular ninja.

"Is it for Ayame?"

As one of the outstanding young members of the Hyūga clan, Shingo, who had become a jōnin at the age of sixteen and was a former member of Sakumo's team, could not be completely unaware.

After all, Ayame was a genius of the branch family, not the main family.

"Let's not talk about that. What do you plan to do next?"

Shishito was not particularly interested in this topic and instead asked about Shingo's future plans.

Plans?

The joy and excitement of being freed from the "Caged Bird" had gradually subsided, and Shingo fell into deep thought.

What to do next?

"If you have nowhere to go, would you like to work for me?"

"Do I have a choice?"

Shingo gave a bitter smile.

This boy, around the same age as Ayame, was no ordinary person.

He did not know how Shishito had broken the "Caged Bird," but he knew it was not easy.

"It seems not. If you return to the Hyūga clan now, you will be subjected to severe interrogation and then executed. The removal of the Caged Bird makes you an extremely unstable bomb for the main family. It could even implicate your parents, your wife, and your children."

Shingo was very clear about this, even without Shishito reminding him.

After the "Caged Bird" was broken, the Hyūga clan would certainly split.

The long-standing rule of the main family would be shaken, as there were many in the branch family who did not want the ugly mark on their foreheads.

Resentment, hostility, and internal strife.

At that time, the Konoha leadership would intervene.

Shingo did not know how they would handle the situation with the Hyūga clan.

Whether they would support the main family, the branch family, or balance both, creating a new Hyūga clan ruled by the former branch family.

All of these were possibilities.

As for joining another ninja village or wandering in the ninja world, not to mention the safety of survival, what about his wife, parents, and children? Should they stay in the Hyūga clan?

If he took them with him, whether he could leave the Hyūga clan was also a problem.

Even if he managed to escape the Hyūga clan by chance, how to leave Konoha and the Land of Fire would be blocked by Konoha ninjas and the Anbu.

There was only one path to death.

"If I agree to become your subordinate, can you save my family?"

Shingo looked at Shishito with hopeful eyes.

Shishito gave him a positive response, smiling and saying, "Of course. Because your family is in my hands, I can make you serve me loyally without placing a curse on you."

Hearing this, Shingo did not know whether to be relieved or to give a bitter smile.

Forget it, this was much better than the original situation.

And in this world, where was there true freedom?

"I will arrange for you to go to the Land of Demons. There, in an organization I have established, you will serve as a guard at the organization's headquarters. For now, you cannot appear in the public eye."

Shishito decided Shingo's fate with a few words.

With the strength of a jōnin and now possessing the all-seeing Byakugan, Shingo was the perfect choice for a guard at the organization's headquarters.

At least, it would provide a boost to the organization's high-level combat capabilities.

"Understood. What about my family..."

"Don't worry, I don't plan to leave Konoha just yet. But it won't be long. You won't have to wait too long."

"Understood."

Shingo had no choice but to give up.

"By the way, there are certainly many branch family ninjas in the Hyūga clan who are hostile to the main family. Make a list of these people; I have a great use for it."

Shingo gave Shishito a deep look.

He did not need to ask to know what Shishito planned to do next.

To eliminate all the branch family members who were hostile to the main family.

◎

Ayame had just returned from outside when she was intercepted by her colleague, Hyūga Tōma.

He frowned, trying to keep his tone as calm as possible.

"Ayame, where did you go?"

"What, are you interested in my whereabouts, Tōma-senpai?"

Ayame did not answer, only looked up at him with a gentle smile, showing no dissatisfaction with Tōma's stiff attitude.

In fact, she always demanded perfection in her etiquette.

"After all, you and I are both guards for Hiashi-sama. It's best to avoid leaving your post without permission."

"But I have already taken leave from Hiashi-sama, and he has approved it."

"The issue is not there."

"Isn't this a direct order from the future clan leader, which should take precedence in the clan?"

Ayame smiled and countered.

Tōma was speechless.

"Tōma-senpai, you should know that the future leader of the Hyūga clan is Hiashi-sama, not the elders. Honestly, they should retire and enjoy their lives. After all, they have worked hard for the family all their lives."

Ayame walked up to Tōma, stopped, and added:

"I seem to have caught a cold recently. Going out to buy some cold medicine shouldn't be a problem, right? This is also to better protect Hiashi-sama."

Ayame deliberately took out the cold medicine she had bought.

Tōma bowed slightly and said, "I apologize, I overstepped my bounds."

"No, Tōma-senpai, you are always my role model for loyalty to duty. Please don't take my words to heart; you are a qualified Hyūga jōnin."

Despite Ayame's praise, Tōma felt there was something more to her words, but he could not figure out what she meant.

He knew that this woman's personality was out of place in the entire Hyūga clan.

Why did Hiashi-sama treat her so specially?

He knew that Ayame had followed Hiashi-sama earlier than him, but their relationship was not ambiguous and was only at the level of a superior-subordinate relationship.

It was confusing.

As the sun set and evening approached,

Ayame finished work on time.

Being Hiashi-sama's guard was very boring, and in the Hyūga clan, it was almost impossible to encounter any assassination attempts. It was more about bolstering the future clan leader's reputation.

It was more accurate to call them tools and weapons.

Tōma stayed behind because it was his night shift.

After Ayame left, he came to Hiashi-sama and suggested, "Hiashi-sama, with all due respect, you are too lenient with Ayame."

"Is this the elders' opinion?"

Hiashi-sama asked with an unchanged expression.

"Not at all, it's just my personal feeling that Ayame is... dangerous."

Tōma was indeed concerned for Hiashi-sama.

As the future clan leader, it was his duty as a branch family member to consider his master's safety.

"You are overthinking it. Even if something unexpected happens, isn't there still you?"

Hiashi-sama said.

Tōma could only sigh.

No matter how he tried to persuade, he could not change anything.

At least, it was a good thing that the clan leader had his own considerations.

Tōma agreed with this.

He was indeed too cautious. In terms of strength, Tōma had absolute confidence in his ability to suppress Ayame, who had just become a jōnin.

Since he had absolute power, he could restrict her when she made a mistake.

This way, Hiashi-sama would have nothing to say, Tōma thought.

◎

"Welcome back, Ayame. How was your work today?"

Her mother had already prepared dinner, calculating the time of Ayame's return.

"It was fine, just like usual."

Ayame smiled in response.

She went to the kitchen to wash her hands and sat down to eat with her mother.

"Hiashi-sama is an excellent person. You must protect his safety; he is the hope of our Hyūga clan."

Ayame only smiled and nodded in response to her mother's earnest words.

After all, the hope of the clan... every generation of leaders was like this.

This hope was too much.

But Ayame did not expect her mother to give any meaningful advice.

She probably had already forgotten what freedom felt like before the "Caged Bird" was imprinted on her.

But Ayame would not forget.

And as time passed, this desire grew deeper and more intense, unable to be shaken off.

After dinner, Ayame took the initiative to do the housework, helping to wash the dishes. Whether as a guard or a daughter, she was flawless in the eyes of others.

After finishing the housework, Ayame returned to her room alone.

The room had only a futon, a lamp, and an alarm clock, with no other furniture.

The emptiness allowed her to find a sense of freedom.

She sat cross-legged on the floor and took out the cold medicine she had "bought" in the afternoon.

It was the medicine given to her by Shishito.

It looked like ordinary cold medicine, but its effects were completely different.

It was a drug developed to suppress the activation of the "Caged Bird" seal.

There were twelve blue capsules in total.

Each capsule could suppress the "Caged Bird" seal for four hours.

It could maintain forty-eight hours of freedom from the "Caged Bird" seal.

In the medicine box, there was also an instruction manual, which contained the normal usage instructions for cold medicine.

Ayame made a hand sign and used chakra to unlock the true content, then touched the paper with one finger, inputting natural energy.

The text on the instruction manual began to change, rearranging itself.

"A temporary seal to prevent the 'Caged Bird'?"

The manual described a temporary seal to limit the "Caged Bird."

It could be set in the brain, and when the "Caged Bird" activated, the seal would trigger, forming a protective layer in the brain to significantly reduce the pain and damage caused by the "Caged Bird."

"Still so thoughtful, Shishito-kun."

Ayame smiled slightly.

Considering the possibility of an accident, she might not have time to take the blue capsules and could be restricted by the "Caged Bird" seal, dying in pain.

This seal, generated in the brain, could not fundamentally solve the "Caged Bird" seal but could significantly reduce its power.

At that time, taking the blue capsules would allow her to remain free from the "Caged Bird" seal for forty-eight hours.

During that time, she could find Shishito to perform the surgery to remove the "Caged Bird."

Leaving Konoha safely was not a difficult task for them; they had already practiced it many times in secret.

But Ayame thought such an accident was unlikely to happen.

There was no reason for the main family to attack her, a loyal branch family ninja.

Using this seal was just a precaution.

"Should I wait any longer? I hope the Third Great Ninja War comes soon..."

Ayame, who had no interest in war, now looked forward to its arrival.

She hoped the Third Kazekage would not disappoint them.

Drag Konoha into the mire of war.