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The Monkey D. family was invited to stay at the Hyūga residence. Although the main house was no longer habitable, a few makeshift shelters were erected overnight.
"I'm so sorry about all this," Garp apologized, scratching the back of his head while sitting on a wooden board.
"Not at all. I've long been dissatisfied with the structure of our estate. Now, I don't even need to hire a demolition crew—just a renovation team," Hiashi said dismissively, waving off Garp's concerns.
Did the Hyūga Clan lack money? Not at all. The most profitable institution in Konoha, the Konoha Hospital, was built with significant investments from the Hyūga Clan.
Countless women in the clan worked there, utilizing their Byakugan. The Hyūga Clan was never short of money; they had more than they could spend.
Compared to wealth, Hiashi's mind was occupied with expanding the Hyūga Clan's roster of Trainers and acquiring Devil Fruits.
"Speaking of which, I don't oppose girls practicing martial arts. There are many strong female soldiers in the Navy," Garp mentioned nonchalantly, steering the conversation towards Hinata.
"Indeed," Hiashi nodded knowingly, taking a sip of tea, waiting to hear what Garp would say next. Hiashi had always respected the words of powerful individuals.
"However, it's clear that Hinata doesn't have much talent in that area."
"That's true. My younger daughter, Hanabi, is much more suited to it. If Hinata doesn't make significant progress in the next couple of years, I may have to make Hanabi the head of the clan," Hiashi sighed as Garp brought up the topic. For a moment, he set aside his ambitious thoughts, remembering his role as a father and starting to worry.
"They're both your daughters. What's the point of this Main House and Branch House stuff?" Garp questioned.
"That's not something I can change on my own," Hiashi replied, knowing full well what Garp was getting at.
No one understood the true purpose of the Caged Bird Seal and the division between Main and Branch houses better than Hiashi. He had watched his once-close brother grow distant and silent. He had seen too many branch members suffer injustice and pain.
But there was nothing he could do about it. The Hyūga Clan wasn't a dictatorship under Hiashi; it was governed by the collective decisions of the Main House elders, while the Branch House members had no say.
The Main House was not willing to give up their status. Even Hiashi, who had grown accustomed to this system, was reluctant to abolish the Caged Bird Seal.
"If that's the case, I won't trouble you any further. You can make Hanabi the clan head, and Hinata can live with her brothers," Garp suggested, seizing the opportunity to lay out his idea.
If you can't solve the problem properly and only show hesitation, let me help you solve it.
"That works," Hiashi agreed almost instantly, his tone slightly hurried as if afraid Garp would change his mind.
Hiashi's thoughts were quite cunning. Hanabi was already more favored by many of the Main House elders. If Hiashi forcibly made Hinata the clan head, it could lead to resentment among the elders.
Moreover, if Hinata went to live with the Monkey D. family, it would maintain a good relationship between the Hyūga Clan and the Monkey D. family. Plus, without the status of the clan head, Hinata wouldn't be bullied or ridiculed at home.
The most important point was that Hiashi now had a legitimate reason to prevent Hinata from being marked with the Caged Bird Seal, even if she lost her position as the clan head.
If Hanabi were designated as a Branch member, she couldn't escape the Caged Bird Seal. But Hinata, with the backing of the Monkey D. family, wouldn't face that threat. Who in the Hyūga Clan would dare seal Hinata?
If anyone suggested it, Hiashi could easily reply, "Why don't you do it? I won't."
"You're quite reasonable. Hinata will be better off with me than staying here. Prepare everything; tomorrow, we'll have her withdraw from school. Sabo has a spot for her at the Pokémon Academy, where she can become an excellent Trainer," Garp nodded, satisfied with Hiashi's attitude and decision.
As for Hiashi's underlying motives, Garp could guess them to some extent but didn't bother to stop Hiashi from daydreaming.
"Pokémon Academy..." Hiashi muttered. As a seasoned individual, he knew that anything involving a "spot" in such a context meant that the Pokémon Academy was likely a prestigious school many wanted to attend but few could get into.
While Hiashi couldn't guess what exactly was taught there, that wasn't the point. He never intended for Hinata or Hanabi to become powerful fighters and go on a killing spree on the battlefield.
His hopes for his daughters were that they would marry well, bringing powerful sons-in-law into the Hyūga Clan to lead it to glory.
If Hinata attended such a prestigious school, she would surely meet many talented young men or sons of wealthy merchants. If one of them took a liking to Hinata, wouldn't that mean he had snagged a wealthy son-in-law?
"No problem. I'll have the paperwork for her withdrawal from the Ninja Academy handled tomorrow, and you can take her with you then," Hiashi agreed after thinking it over, nodding his approval.
Though they had lost their home, it was a small issue. Hiashi had glimpsed a bright future. Under his leadership, the Hyūga Clan would grow stronger and more prosperous.
Feeling like he had made a great deal, Hiashi continued to discuss various matters with Garp, particularly about the Pokémon Island, which further fueled his ambitions.
Late that night, Hiashi lay alone in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling with his Byakugan.
He began to wonder if staying in the ninja world was even necessary anymore. The constant fighting was tiresome, and maintaining power and status required him to pander to the Konoha leadership.
On the other hand, Pokémon Island was peaceful, with no need to worry about safety. Moreover, the island was still in its developmental stages, and Garp had mentioned a new city being built under the World Tree, called "Yggdrasil."
The moment Hiashi heard the name, he was sold. Such a grand name—surely, it would become a major city on Pokémon Island.
Now, this World Tree City was in its early stages, and many from the pirate world were vying for a place within its borders, willing to pay any price to become permanent residents of Pokémon Island and enjoy eternal peace.
If the Hyūga Clan could secure a piece of land in this city, not only would they be closer to the Pokémon League, but they would also be nearer to those Pokémon, and perhaps even to the pirate world, allowing them to profit from it.
Once the clan was well-established, Hiashi could bring the Hyūga members back to Konoha and show Hiruzen and Danzo just how powerful the Hyūga Clan had become.
Just thinking about it filled Hiashi with excitement.
If the Konoha leadership were willing to bow their heads and seek his help at that time, he might even consider sending people to help Konoha unite the entire ninja world.
After all, this was still the Hyūga Clan's ancestral home, and Hiashi didn't want to see Konoha's situation deteriorate.
Though he had considered the difficulties Konoha might face after the Hyūga's departure, he reassured himself that the introduction of Pokémon to the village would be enough to compensate for the loss of the Hyūga's strength.
And in any case, Hiashi couldn't bring himself to sacrifice the Hyūga Clan's bright future for Konoha's sake.
"Heh heh heh..." Hiashi couldn't help but chuckle.
Because time was limited and Garp had to work the next day, they had to part ways for the night. But Hiashi still had many things he wanted to discuss with Garp, such as how the Hyūga Clan could become residents of Pokémon Island and how to keep Hiruzen and Danzo from discovering the clan's plans to relocate.
By the next morning, as the sun rose and roosters crowed, Hiashi, looking aged, emerged from his room.
He had been too excited to sleep all night.
The last time he had felt this excited was when... Hinata was born.
She was so tiny, nestled in his arms, so adorable.
As for Hanabi's birth later on, Hiashi wasn't as excited, having already experienced it with Hinata.
"..." Taking a deep breath, Hiashi looked up at the clear blue sky, setting aside his memories.
Since becoming the Hyūga Clan head, he had gradually lost his identity as a good brother, husband, and father. He had sacrificed his brother, his wife, and his daughter...
"Sigh..." Hiashi sighed, comforting himself that at least he could become a good clan head.
He walked to the hastily constructed guest room and gently knocked on the door.
Creak.
Little Hinata opened the door, her face showing signs of fatigue, likely having been kept up late by her noisy brothers.
"Father," Hinata looked up and softly called out.
"Mm." Hiashi glanced inside.
Garp, Machamp, and the seven brothers from Mt. Gorbo were all sprawled out, fast asleep. But in the middle of them was a clean, comfortable-looking bedroll that hadn't been disturbed.
It seemed that Hinata had slept there last night.
"..." Hiashi was silent for a few seconds, then placed a gentle hand on Hinata's head.
"I'm sorry, Hinata."
(End of Chapter)