Hyuga Neji's mind is very chaotic right now, he is still digesting the words Haku said to him. Because the information contained in Haku's words is really too much.
Hinata, the young lady of the main family, actually joined the Whitebeard Pirates?
And recognized that Whitebeard as her father?
This... how is this possible?
Neji's first reaction was to doubt the truth of these words.
Because in his impression, considering the style of the Hyuga clan's main family, they would absolutely not allow such a thing to happen.
Especially Hyuga Hiashi, the head of the Hyuga clan's main family, and those old and conservative elders... How could they possibly allow Hinata to join the Whitebeard Pirates?
Neji looked at Haku in front of him, but found that there was no falsehood in Haku's expression, at least he couldn't see any falsehood.
If this person called Haku, didn't lie to him in front of him...
No, Neji still feels it's not very likely.
Even if the sun rises from the west, even if the head of the Hyuga clan, the elders of the Hyuga clan, everyone took the wrong medicine.
But it can't change Hinata's weak and timid character.
That kind of person is only suitable to be a breeding tool for the main family.
Because, this is the destiny of the young lady of the Hyuga clan's main family.
Would Hinata dare to do such a thing?
"..." But Neji didn't know how to question Haku.
Because he was looking at the backs of Hinata and others.
Hinata followed Naruto and Karin away, indicating that she indeed had a special relationship with those people that was unclear.
"This is Hinata's resistance to 'destiny'." Haku said with a smile: "Even someone like her who lives a privileged life, does not want to succumb to the 'destiny' written by others for her."
"Although I don't know Hinata very well, I know that Hinata's character is indeed not brave. However, when she encounters such a thing, she will burst out with a special kind of courage."
"Hinata will use her barely visible 'courage' to resist the destiny she doesn't like. Instead of staying in the cage, she laments alone."
"Free-flying birds have moments when they yearn to fly higher; caged birds also have days when they yearn to fly out of the cage.
When Haku said this, it was already very clear that he was hinting at something, which also made Neji's expression change a bit.
Hinata... resisting destiny....
Neji clenched his fists tightly, bad memories surfaced in his heart, he gritted his teeth: "She is already the young lady of the Hyuga clan's main family, we branch family exist to protect her. For this protection, the branch family even has to give up their own lives."
"She has such favorable conditions, she is destined to be a successful person, and she is also destined to be the heir of the Hyuga clan's main family." Neji's emotions have become a bit out of control: "What does she need to resist her enviable destiny?"
"My father... my father... in his lifetime, he always dreamed of making me the heir of the main family."
This is what Neji doesn't understand, and it's also where he's a bit broken, in the end, he still yearns for Hinata a bit.
This yearning does not mean that he is interested in Hinata.
It's simply because, Neji yearns for the "main family" position.
His father, Hyuga Hizashi, always told him in his lifetime... "You, who have this talent, are the best heir to the Hyuga main family, it's just a pity... sigh!"
This kind of talk makes Neji hate the main family at the same time, and also has a strange longing for the main family.
Hate the main family for treating his father like this.
And hate that he is not a member of the main family.
This is Neji's tangled heart. Whether his heart will be like this in the future is unclear, but he is indeed like this now.
He and his deceased father sought after the "main family heir" position, the high and mighty "main family heir" these five words, in Hinata's eyes, is actually a destiny that needs to be resisted?
Neji is broken...
And a bit confused.
"Are you interested in talking to me about your father?" If Haku said this to Hyuga Neji in the morning, it would definitely step into Neji's minefield, and then the two sides might fight.
But after a day of acquaintance, and Haku took the initiative to talk about his tragic past.
The sentence he just asked is not considered stepping on a minefield.
At least Neji didn't feel offended.
It shows that compared to Naruto's talk-no-jutsu, Haku's talk-no-jutsu is more tactful, and one is more direct.
They are different.
Each has its own advantages.
"My father..." Neji took a deep breath, he knew he had lost his composure, he tried to calm himself down, his eyes were filled with a bit of reminiscence: "My father... and the current head of the Hyuga clan are twin brothers. Both of them were the geniuses of the Hyuga clan in the previous generation."
Neji's relatively closed heart was forcibly chiseled out a small hole by Haku's verbal offensive.
Even Neji didn't know why he said so many unnecessary things in front of a person he had just met for a day?
But the words that were suffocating in his heart...
If you don't say it, it's even more uncomfortable.
Besides...
This is not a secret.
Just say it when you say it.
"Hyuga Hiashi, Hyuga Hizashi... As twin brothers, even their names are so similar. But because my father, Hyuga Hizashi, was born 15 minutes later than the current head of the Hyuga clan."
"So, Hyuga Hiashi became the head of the Hyuga clan, and my father... became the branch of the Hyuga clan, and at the age of three, the bird cage curse mark was engraved on his forehead."
"From then on, my father's fate was destined, he had to use his own life to protect the head of the family, to protect his elder brother, who is the current head of the Hyuga clan."
"And in fact, my father did achieve this, he used his own life to exchange for the life of the head of the family."
When he said this, it was false that there were no waves in Hyuga Neji's heart.
Because this was just four years ago.
Just four years, everything that once seemed to be only a day apart.
The memory pictures of four years ago echoed in his mind.
Everything in those pictures is so clear.
There is no way Neji would forget this.
"I guess... something that shouldn't have happened happened then?" Haku tilted his head, moved to stand on Neji's left side, and blocked the setting sun on Neji's left side.
"Something that shouldn't have happened? This sentence is very correct. This kind of thing should not have happened to my father."
Neji, who was blocked by Haku's shadow, continued in a deep voice: "Four years ago, something happened in Konohagakure... A messenger from Kumogakure came to Konohagakure to discuss peace talks. But who would have thought that the messenger had another purpose."
"He sneaked into our Hyuga clan on the night... He wanted to kidnap the young lady of the Hyuga clan, that is, Hinata. But he didn't succeed because the head of the family arrived in time."
"And there was a little accident at the time, the messenger from Kumogakure, died in the hands of the head of our Hyuga clan."
"Who would have thought that Kumogakure, who made the first mistake, took this opportunity to make trouble for Konohagakure, accusing Konohagakure of breaking the agreement, and put forward many unreasonable demands. One of the demands is that Kumogakure wants the corpse of the head of the family, Hyuga Hiashi!"
Upon hearing this, Haku's eyebrows also frowned slightly.
"Konohagakure, wouldn't agree to such an unreasonable demand, would it?"
Haku felt that no matter how unbearable a ninja village was, it wouldn't be like this, right? Moreover, Konohagakure village is one of the five major ninja villages.
Although... the opposite Kumogakure is also one of the five major ninja villages, but there is no border between the two major ninja villages.
If the other party wants to wage war, they have to travel thousands of miles to the Land of Fire, which will consume a lot of military resources, right?
In this situation...
Is it necessary to compromise on such an unreasonable demand?
"No, Konohagakure, which has always valued peace, agreed." Neji nodded, revealing the scar in his heart from four years ago: "For the responsibility and obligation of the branch family, the one who died at that time was not the head of the Hyuga clan, but my father, Hyuga Hizashi."
"Because they are twin brothers and look very similar. My father became the substitute for the main family of the Hyuga clan, and eventually, he went down the path of death..."
"Isn't it sad?"
Neji's eyes were a bit red, he forcefully suppressed the sadness in his heart: "Even though they are twin brothers, just because my father was born 15 minutes later, he became the branch family that had to give up his life."
"This is the fate of the Hyuga clan. No matter how hard the Hyuga branch family tries, they can only sacrifice their lives for the Hyuga main family."
"No matter how cowardly the Hyuga main family is, they can enjoy this kind of life-sacrificing protection and have the right of inheritance of the Hyuga clan."
Expressing all the scars that have been accumulated in his heart for four years.
Neji felt as if a huge stone in his heart had been moved away.
But the hatred for the main family did not dissipate because of this.
"I see..." Haku nodded: "Indeed, it is something that should not have happened."
"A bird that is free may really have the wish to fly high; a bird in a cage may really have the idea of escaping." This is the first time Neji has had a heart-to-heart talk with someone, and he feels that this kind of heart-to-heart talk is not disgusting, and even feels quite good.
Maybe it's because the person called Haku in front of him didn't make him feel disgusted.
Is it because the other party is polite enough?
Or does the other party look good?
Neji murmured to himself: "But no matter what kind of bird, they cannot easily escape the shackles of fate. They naively think they have escaped, but they find that they are still in the game, and the so-called escape is also a part of the 'fate' arrangement."
"From the moment a person is born, they will bear an irresistible fate. Perhaps there are really people in this world who can escape fate, but in the world of ninjas, how many billions of people can produce one or two such special ones?"
If it were in the past, Neji would not say "one or two special ones".
He can say this sentence, indicating that his thinking has been influenced by what Haku said before.
Even if it is only influenced a little bit.
It also made him have a different view of "fate".
At this time, Haku finally understood why Neji had so much malice towards Hinata, it turned out that such a thing had happened.
It seems that his initial guess was correct.
Neji's increased hatred and malice towards the Hyuga clan was because it was involved with a human life.
And it was his father's life!
....
The conversation between Haku and Hyuga Neji is limited to this.
Because Neji has returned to the Hyuga clan's residence.
Neji, who returned to the Hyuga clan's residence alone, just wanted to go back to his home, but suddenly heard a faint footsteps behind him.
When he quickly turned his head to look, he found that there was a ninja from the Hyuga clan behind him.
"Who are you?" Hyuga Neji is not very familiar with this person.
The entire Hyuga clan, large and small, old and young, totals hundreds of people, he can't be familiar with everyone.
A Hyuga clan ninja suddenly appeared behind him.
It looks like a middle-aged man.
The appearance is actually somewhat similar to Hyuga Hiashi and Hyuga Hizashi.
After all, the Hyuga clan rarely intermarries with other clans.
The bloodlines of each clan member are very similar.
"Hyuga Neji... I saw you and the little devil called 'Haku' from the Whitebeard Pirates, it seems quite familiar."
The ninja of the Hyuga clan crossed his arms in front of his chest and spoke expressionlessly: "You two have been chatting for a long time, almost more than half an hour."
Neji's face darkened instantly.
When he looked at this man, his eyes were somewhat displeased, and he coldly questioned, "Have you been following me all along?"
"That's too high an opinion of yourself. Although you are an absolute genius among the young generation of the Hyuga clan, you, Hyuga Neji, are after all just a child of the branch family, not worth me, a dignified Hyuga Jounin, to follow you in secret."
The middle-aged ninja of the Hyuga clan laughed lightly, every word he spat out made Neji's forehead veins bulge.
The Jounin of the Hyuga clan said, "I was following Hinata-sama, it's just that in the process I suddenly found that you are somewhat familiar with the people of the Whitebeard Pirates, that's all."
"I'm not familiar with him," Neji retorted.
He bluntly said to this Jounin, "If you have something to say, say it, don't beat around the bush here, my time is precious."
"There are some things, I can't say much to you."
The Hyuga Jounin smiled and said, "As the son of Hyuga Hizashi, you should know 'Hyuga Taisou', this elder of the clan, right?"
Neji didn't answer.
"Hyuga Taisou" is a highly respected elder of the Hyuga clan.
Although this elder is not the head of the Hyuga clan's main family, his voice is of great importance in the entire Hyuga clan.
Even Hyuga Hiashi, the head of the Hyuga clan's main family, has to ask for this elder's opinion on some important family matters.
This person is a wise man in the family.
"Hyuga Neji, Elder Hyuga Taisou wants to see you."
The Hyuga Jounin turned around and spoke without looking back, "Family matters, can't tolerate your willful behavior, you little rascal!"
Neji: "...."
Helplessly, Neji could only follow this Jounin for a while.
Finally, he arrived at a residence in the Hyuga clan's residence.
This residence is next to the Hyuga main family's mansion.
It goes without saying... the importance of the owner of this residence.
Neji met a white-eyed old man here.
His hair was white, and his face was full of wrinkles and age spots, he must be at least seventy or eighty years old. This was also the person who stood behind Hyuga Hiashi last night and suggested that Hinata be marked as a caged bird.
"Elder." Neji maintained the etiquette of a big clan disciple.
He greeted this elder.
Neji keenly noticed that there was a bit of bruise on this elder's face, as if he had fallen.
But he didn't ask more.
"Neji! Hizashi's child." Hyuga Taisou was kneeling on a cushion, he opened a pair of slightly cloudy eyes: "Sure enough, our Hyuga clan's young genius, at such a young age, has such a sharp look. This is a look that even the young lady of the main family, Hinata, has never had!"
Neji found this elder a bit strange, why did he mention Hinata's name in front of him?
And the words he said vaguely had a feeling of provoking him.
Like wanting to ignite the anger in his heart.
"Neji, you should know what happened to Hinata, right?" Hyuga Taisou asked.
"I know." Neji answered simply.
"Cough cough!" Hyuga Taisou coughed twice, he said: "Hinata, as the heir of the main family, abandoned the name of Hyuga and joined the not-so-glamorous Whitebeard Pirates. This incident has already brought shame to the reputation of the Hyuga clan."
"We elders and Hiashi have discussed all morning and made a new decision... The status of the main family heir of the Hyuga clan will be stripped from Hinata."
This sentence made Neji's eyes widen slightly.
Hinata's status as the main family heir was stripped away?
"The new main family heir will be Hiashi's second daughter, the one called 'Hyuga Hanabi'." Hyuga Taisou said, "Hinata, who has lost the status of the main family heir, although not yet clearly determined, is already considered a member of the branch family."
After a few words, Neji was somewhat 'dazzled'.
Just like that, Hinata became a branch family member like her?
Did she really give up the destiny of the main family heir?
"Elder, isn't this something you adults decided? Telling me, a student of the ninja academy, seems to be of no use, right?"
Neji tried to calm himself down.
After a conversation with Haku about his father, Neji's emotions were harder to stir than before.
And he always felt something was not quite right.
This elder's motive was not pure.
"Cough cough!" Hyuga Taisou took out a scroll from his bosom and gently threw it to Hyuga Neji in front of him. Neji, with his quick eyes and hands, caught it in one hand.
Before Neji even opened the scroll, Hyuga Dazong explained, "Inside the scroll, is the curse seal technique of the caged bird."
A brief sentence made Neji's pupils suddenly constrict.
The hand holding the scroll couldn't help but tremble.
"Hinata is no longer the main family heir, so she should be marked with the caged bird curse seal just like you." Hyuga Taisou, with a wrinkled old face, continued calmly, "But we are not very good at marking her with the caged bird."
"And you, Neji... your relationship with Hinata is okay, after all, your mission was to protect her life. Plus, you have a bit of a relationship with a person from the Whitebeard Pirates, no one is more suitable than you."
"I want you to put the caged bird curse seal on Hyuga Hinata!
This is the task given to you by this elder, and it is also a top-secret task, even the head of the main family cannot be informed!"
"Neji, you are a very excellent child. I also know that you are not very convinced of Hinata and the main family. I think, you won't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, right?"
"Don't let the Hyuga clan down, don't let your deceased father down, and don't let me down!"
"Neji!!"
...
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