Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its character belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I make.
Chapter 95: Freedom
"I've heard so much about you, Lady Haruko," said Nezuko.
"Oh? What have you heard about me?" Kazuha asked curiously.
Nezuko smiled. "The first person to escape Konoha to get married. Your love story with Uchiha Setsuna has spread among the people in Konoha."
Haruko laughed. "Hahaha!"
"Because of you, many young girls are now dreaming of their own prince charming," Nezuko revealed. "They admire your love story."
Nezuko wasn't usually interested in gossip, but since the news involved two major clans in Konoha, even someone like her had heard about it.
"Hahaha!" Haruko laughed again. "My husband couldn't believe that Izuna got married, but now I understand why he wanted to."
Nezuko blushed and shyly asked, "Why?"
"Hmmm, it's because of you. It's hard for a man to resist your cuteness," Haruko complimented her.
Although it was the first time Haruko had met Nezuko, Nezuko had a charm that made people love talking to her. She could easily engage in conversation and win others over.
Their conversation was overheard by their husbands. Uchiha Izuna grinned like an idiot, while Setsuna looked at him with an expression that said, 'Nezuko really managed to change her war maniac husband completely.'
Hyuga reaction...
There are some unspoken rules in the Hyuga Clan. Before Konoha was founded, Branch members would tie a white cloth around their foreheads to hide the shameful mark of the cursed birdcage seal. After Konoha was founded, they began using the forehead protector instead.
The cursed seal is a symbol of their enslavement to the Main Family, and it also looks unsightly and ugly. Over time, the Branch members grew to deeply resent the mark, which is why they always tried to hide it from others.
This is why today commotion occurred because a group of Hyuga Branch members saw Haruko return, openly showing her forehead. Most importantly, Haruko no longer bore the cursed mark, meaning she was no longer tied to the Main Family and could no longer be controlled by them.
At first, they didn't notice, but when they realized it, they hurried back to the Hyuga residence.
"Haruko has returned," said a 13-year-old girl.
"What? She came back? Isn't she afraid of our clan heir's wrath?" another boy replied.
"Don't you remember? A few years ago, the patriarch was humiliated by the First Hokage after visiting Uzushiogakure," Hyuga Kari reminded them.
"No, she doesn't need to worry about him anymore because she managed to release herself from the birdcage seal," Hyuga Kuro revealed.
"What? Really?" asked Hyuga Kari.
"Yeah. If you want to see for yourself, let's go meet them," Hyuga Kuro invited.
Hiro become crazy....
Haruko and Setsuna noticed some people following them after they left Uchiha Izuna's residence and began heading toward Senju Hashirama's house.
"Husband, let me handle this. Byakugan," Haruko activated her Byakugan and saw several figures.
"It looks like people from my clan."
"Your clan? Did Hiro send them?" asked Setsuna.
"One way to find out is to ask them," Haruko replied.
Setsuna then approached them who were hiding. "Why are you following us?" he asked.
The Hyuga ninjas, now fully aware they had been discovered, mustered the courage to step forward and meet Setsuna. There were about seven ninjas in total who had been trailing them.
"Setsuna-sama, we noticed Lady Haruko is no longer wearing a forehead protector and her birdcage seal has been removed," said the bold Hyuga Kari.
"Hmmm," Setsuna looked them over before explaining. "Of course, it's because the people from Uzushiogakure taught us fuinjutsu."
The Hyuga ninjas were stunned. None of them willingly accepted the cursed birdcage seal, it had been forced on them from a young age by the Hyuga clan's patriarch.
If they had been treated well, they might have tolerated it, considering the Hyuga Clan's wealth and power, which kept others from bullying them. But instead, they were often humiliated, and during training, Hiro Hyuga from the Main Family would purposely torment them.
He would sometimes act as an instructor, challenging children between the ages of 9 and 13 to fight him. Hiro didn't hold back his power, fighting with full strength.
When his actions were almost exposed, he forced several children to fight him together. Naturally, these children, being Genin and academy students, stood no chance against him—Hiro was already a Jonin-level ninja, so even ten kids couldn't defeat him.
When their parents sought justice and demanded to fight him, Hiro didn't even give them the chance. Using the tiger hand seal, he activated the birdcage seal, instantly defeating the parents. The Branch family wanted to rebel, but how could they. when the Main Family could suppress all rebellious thoughts with a single hand seal?
It only worsened over time. Perhaps if Setsuna hadn't come to this world, Hiro might have become matured. But he was deeply hurt when Haruko chose to marry Setsuna, and then the woman he had wanted to marry which is Hyuga Miho had ran off to Uzushiogakure.
Those who remained behind regretted not joining her in Uzushiogakure when they had the chance.
Slave seal...
"Setsuna-sama," said one of the Hyuga ninjas, his eyes shifting toward Haruko. "Haruko-sama, please help us remove the birdcage seal."
As he begged, the other Hyuga ninjas followed suit.
"Please help us remove the birdcage seal."
"The birdcage seal is meant to protect your eyes from enemy ninja trying to steal your Byakugan," said Setsuna, testing them. "Why do you want to remove it?"
"Setsuna-sama, this seal isn't for protection. It's to enslave us," Hyuga Kari explained.
"Enslave you?" Setsuna asked, feigning ignorance. Haruko frowned, listening intently.
"Yes, if it were for protecting our Kekkei Genkai, we would only be branded when we become Genin. But they brand us when we're still very young," Hyuga Kari said, his voice trembling slightly. "The Main Family is doing terrible things to us."
"Terrible? Explain, Kari," Haruko interjected.
He then recounted what Hiro Hyuga had done after Setsuna and Haruko left Konoha.
"The treatment got worse after Miho Hyuga left Konoha. Many of us thought about migrating to Uzushiogakure, but we feared retaliation if we were rejected. That's why we've waited for your return to Konoha, hoping you could help us migrate to Uzushiogakure," he explained.
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