Chapter 307: The Location and Origin of the Caged Bird Seal
Evening, Hyuga Clan Grounds
After discussing with the branch family elders, Hizashi went to the Hyuga clan leader's residence.
At that moment, his son Neji was sparring with Hinata. The two exchanged blows in a seamless flow, and instead of any animosity, the interaction seemed somewhat… warm and even ambiguous.
Nearby, Hinata's father, Hiashi, stood watching and occasionally giving pointers to Neji and Hinata on their Gentle Fist techniques.
Seeing such a harmonious family scene, Hizashi lingered at the doorway for a moment before stepping inside.
"Clan leader."
"Hizashi, there's no need to be so formal. Call me elder brother when no outsiders are around," Hiashi said with a smile.
Relaxing after Hiashi's words, Hizashi loosened his stance. Hiashi continued:
"Did the Hokage have a request today?"
"If so, we Hyuga must try to meet it. Even if it involves the clan's Caged Bird Seal, it is something we can discuss openly."
"The Hokage has been advocating for the protection of every villager's property and freedom for more than a year now. Whether it's the main family or the branch family, we should align ourselves with the times, don't you think?"
Hearing this, Hizashi immediately understood that his brother was already aware of the branch family's quiet support for the Hokage.
For once, Hiashi had candidly expressed his inner thoughts—he too agreed with the Hokage's vision and did not want the Hyuga clan's outdated system of main and branch families to continue.
"The Hokage asked me to inquire about the history of the clan's ancestral shrine relocations, specifically between 389 and 443 years ago."
"Due to the constant wars between clans during the Warring States period, the Hyuga clan frequently moved their territory, and the ancestral shrine was relocated several times. Some of this information has only been orally passed down among the main family."
Hizashi relayed Haneda's request, something he had deliberated with the branch family elders before deciding to ask.
The branch family was concerned that the main family might try to obstruct the Hokage's efforts to uncover the secret of the Caged Bird Seal.
Hiashi thought for a moment. He remembered something his father had entrusted to him before passing away—an item said to be connected to the Sage of Six Paths and their ancestors.
It was an extraordinarily ordinary-looking book that Hiashi had read a long time ago but hadn't thought much of at the time.
The book detailed a part of the Hyuga clan's relocation history, as well as the origins of the Caged Bird Seal.
The recorded period aligned closely with the timeframe the Hokage had specified!
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Nightfall, Uchiha Clan Training Grounds
Haneda's true body was teaching Naruto and Sasuke as they trained, while his shadow clones were all practicing other Kekkei Genkai techniques.
Without mastering Yin-Yang Release, Haneda's Kekkei Genkai collection project wouldn't make much progress.
For now, he could only fuse the basic chakra natures and achieve the combination of five elements.
Currently, Haneda had managed to fuse up to three chakra natures but could only fully utilize one—Onoki's Dust Release.
"Sasuke, this A-Rank jutsu, Rasengan, is such a pain! It's totally not as cool as Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
After training for two and a half hours, Naruto had only completed the first stage of the Rasengan.
As for the second stage, involving the water balloon, he hadn't made any progress.
He was now fiddling with the water balloon, noticing that Sasuke wasn't doing much better.
Frustrated, Naruto simply sat down and gave up.
"Forget this stupid Rasengan. Whoever wants to practice it can go ahead—I'm done!"
Sasuke glanced at Naruto, noting his lack of determination. Watching Naruto slack off and grow complacent, he couldn't resist a jab:
"Naruto, aren't you supposed to surpass me? To catch up to me? Why have you stopped? No wonder, after more than a year, you're still dead last."
Triggered, Naruto immediately shot up, bracing his hand against the ground as he stood.
"Sasuke! I'm the one in the lead now! I've already mastered an A-Rank jutsu!"
"Yeah, right," Sasuke scoffed, turning his head. Yet, he sneakily glanced back to see Naruto practicing seriously again, a faint smile curling at his lips.
Not long after, four figures approached from a distance.
It was Hiashi, Hizashi, and their respective children, Hinata and Neji.
The moment they arrived, Hinata hid behind Neji, peeking at Naruto from behind him.
When Naruto noticed and looked back at her, Hinata's face instantly turned red.
After just a brief moment of eye contact, her cheeks flushed like ripe apples, and she buried herself behind Neji's back.
Feeling the warmth radiating from Hinata, Neji turned toward Naruto with a look full of wariness and hostility.
At that moment, Haneda turned around and looked at them.
Neji quickly withdrew his gaze, shifting his attention from Naruto to his father and uncle.
"Hokage-sama, I've found what you requested."
"This contains information about the Hyuga clan's ancestral shrine relocations from three to four hundred years ago, as well as the origins of the Caged Bird Seal."
As Hiashi spoke, he took out an old book and handed it to Haneda.
Hearing this, Haneda's eyes flashed with excitement, and he eagerly took the book.
He had spent the entire afternoon using shadow clones to search for such information and hadn't found anything.
It seemed his suspicion was correct—the records had likely been hidden by members of the main family.
The book in his hands had an aged cover that was slightly yellowed.
However, upon opening it, Haneda found that the pages inside were as fresh as those of a new book.
In fact, the paper felt cool to the touch, with a surprisingly pleasant texture.
It appeared to be made from some special material.
Haneda began flipping through the book, while the four Hyuga members stood silently nearby.
Naruto, on the other hand, couldn't help but sneak peeks over Haneda's shoulder.
Since he wasn't tall enough to see properly, he resorted to jumping up and down to catch glimpses.
"It's in the Naka River? That close?"
"The Uchiha clan is near the Naka River, and so is the Senju clan. Could the Naka River be where the Shinobi Sect was founded?"
"After all, Indra and Ashura fought countless battles along the Naka River… it's highly plausible."
"Perhaps Otsutsuki Hamura lived near the Naka River—the Shinobi Sect's hub—to stay in touch with his brother, the Sage of Six Paths."
"Hamura probably monitored the situation when the Sage of Six Paths passed away, just in case anything went wrong…"
As Haneda read through the descriptions of the ancestral shrine, he pieced together his theories.
When the Sage of Six Paths was still alive, his two sons had already been locked in a deadly struggle over the Shinobi Sect's inheritance.
It made perfect sense for Hamura to set up a spatial passage nearby to keep an eye on things.
Having his descendants observe the situation would also be a logical precaution.
However…
Haneda noticed that the book made no explicit mention of the Otsutsuki surname.
Yet, the information in the records hinted at ties to the Otsutsuki clan.
For instance, the Hyuga clan's establishment of the main and branch family system was said to be a safeguard against outsiders stealing the Byakugan—a statement that was accurate.
But rather than warding off common outsiders, they were protecting themselves from an "evil force."
Before relocating their shrine and clan grounds, they had recorded a history of defeating this so-called "evil force."
One critical piece of information stood out in this record—puppets.
During the Warring States period, the Village Hidden in the Sand didn't yet exist, and most master puppet users resided in the Wind Country.
So where would puppets used to attack the Hyuga clan near the Naka River—deep within the Fire Country—have come from?
Especially with two other massive powers, the Uchiha and Senju clans, nearby?
Clearly, these were puppets controlled by the Tenseigan's power!
***
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