Chapter 7: The Bird That Wants to Fly Out of the Cage
Hyuga Miyuki clutched at her eyes, feeling the sharp sting radiating from them.
Suppressing her excitement, she carefully erased any traces she had left at the scene, redirecting the clues toward the Yamanaka clan. Without bothering with the corpse, she quickly left.
The Caged Bird seal destroyed the nervous system of the Hyuga branch family upon their death, making it nearly impossible for even the Yamanaka clan to extract information from their bodies.
Additionally, with many members of the Police Force being temporary recruits, patrols had gaps in their coverage.
Relying on the advantages of her Byakugan, Hyuga Miyuki had attacked ten people without being discovered.
That's right, ten!
She had now absorbed the Byakugan ocular power of ten individuals!
At first, absorbing their ocular power had only increased her chakra and, as a result, enhanced her physical strength, accelerating her overall growth.
But something changed with the tenth pair of Byakugan.
It felt like a transformation—a leap she had never experienced before.
"Byakugan, activate!"
Back at home, after the pain subsided, Hyuga Miyuki activated her Byakugan.
Buzz!
The air vibrated.
The furniture around her—desks, chairs, and so on—emitted faint creaking noises, as if pressed by an intense force. The surface of a fragile wooden chair even showed signs of cracking.
"My Byakugan's range has increased to a three-kilometer diameter, and my chakra has tripled!"
Hyuga Miyuki was enveloped in a thick blue chakra, and a surge of joy filled her heart.
If before, she could barely contend with a jonin, now she could even take on an elite jonin!
After a long while, she regained her composure and walked to the desk, picking up a mirror to examine her eyes.
Her once pure white eyes now carried a faint sky-blue tint.
Even the bulging veins around her eyes, a trademark of an active Byakugan, had become much less noticeable.
"It seems I'll have to use a transformation jutsu to disguise this in the future. Sky-blue Byakugan would draw too much attention."
Hyuga Miyuki calmed her excitement.
Suddenly, her gaze sharpened.
"Who's there?!"
A breeze drifted in through the window, but her Byakugan detected no one nearby.
"An illusion?"
She shook her head, unwilling to believe her instincts were wrong.
She was certain she had been watched.
---
"So the first significant change occurs with ten pairs, does it?"
Hyuga Fuji quietly made notes.
"Chakra has increased by nearly threefold, becoming twice as dense. The Byakugan's visual range has increased significantly—similar to how the Sharingan evolves into the Mangekyo."
"However, unlike the Mangekyo Sharingan, which unlocks powerful ocular techniques, the Byakugan's evolution enhances the user's foundation."
"Hyuga Miyuki's chakra is now extraordinarily dense. If she uses Gentle Fist, its power will be greatly amplified—likely reaching the level of an elite jonin."
As he recorded his observations, Hyuga Fuji noticed Miyuki becoming more alert. He deactivated his Byakugan to avoid being detected and continued writing.
"Of course, the Byakugan's enhancements won't suddenly elevate her to Kage-level like the Mangekyo does.
But the Byakugan has its advantages—it doesn't rely on chakra-draining ocular techniques and simply improves a shinobi's fundamentals. It likely won't lead to blindness like the Mangekyo Sharingan does."
"Stability... it seems stability is the Byakugan's defining trait."
Is that why the Byakugan, as the foundation of the Otsutsuki clan, was designed this way?
With some new hypotheses in mind, Hyuga Fuji stored his research notes in a custom-made scroll.
He would continue observing for a while longer. If Miyuki's Byakugan showed no abnormalities, it would soon be his turn to act.
The evolution of her Byakugan had increased her Yin Release chakra and even strengthened her soul, sharpening her intuition.
Using only the Byakugan to observe her wouldn't suffice in the future—direct contact would become necessary.
And if he didn't have overwhelming strength to control the situation, that would be problematic.
Hyuga Fuji chuckled softly to himself.
---
"This can't go on any longer, Hiruzen!"
Danzo's voice was cold. "Eleven Hyuga clan members have been killed recently, and the culprit has left misleading clues everywhere. If I hadn't suppressed the rumors, the village would already be in chaos!"
"We need to confine the entire Hyuga branch family. The killer is likely one of them!"
"No, the new Caged Bird seal has been completed. Soon, the branch family will receive the updated seal," Hiruzen Sarutobi replied firmly. "I will oversee the process myself."
"Hiruzen, you!" Danzo glared at him in frustration, unable to understand what he was so stubborn about. "The village is already short-handed. Both Root and the ANBU are tied up gathering intelligence on the battlefield.
We can't afford to waste manpower on the Hyuga clan's internal conflicts!"
"It's you who doesn't understand, Danzo."
Hiruzen's face looked weary. "How many Hyuga branch members do you think harbor resentment toward the Main Family?"
Danzo's brow twitched. "Are you suggesting..."
"Just before you came to me, there was another attack. Three more victims… including a member of the Main Family."
---
"Well, this is... quite the unexpected reward."
Hyuga Fuji observed the panicked young man before him, his thoughts drifting back to the earlier scene.
In the room, an old man lay collapsed on the ground, his face filled with terror and despair. Blood pooled beneath him, flowing from a wound on his neck.
Hyuga Meiken, a Hyuga elder from the Main Family, had been killed by the boy standing in front of him.
"Why did you do it?"
Fuji's calm voice gradually steadied the boy's erratic breathing.
If it weren't for Fuji's intervention, he would have already been caught by the guards who had responded to the commotion.
Thinking of this, the boy murmured, "My sister is only five years old. I thought this upheaval might spare her from the Caged Bird seal…"
"But of course, it wasn't possible."
He laughed bitterly at himself.
"You understand, don't you? To the village and the Main Family, we're nothing but dogs—obedient, useful dogs that wag their tails for scraps!"
"I hate them, but I never had the courage to fight back! Now, though, someone else has made the first move!"
He clenched his teeth and continued in a low voice, "I don't know who they are, but they're killing ninjas close to the Main Family. It's thrown the Main Family into disarray, forcing them to deploy their own guards to investigate.
Without the guards to protect them, what are the Main Family members? What use is the Caged Bird seal then?"
"It's the branch family that takes care of them, that prepares their meals. Is it really so hard to poison them or assassinate them in their sleep?"
"They have no experience, no ability. Their privileged lives have made them forget everything about being a shinobi! If not for those traitorous branch members protecting them, would it really be hard to kill a bunch of useless Main Family members?"
The boy's bloodshot eyes bore into Hyuga Fuji.
"A bunch of high-and-mighty trash—what right do they have to be our masters?
If the village won't change the Hyuga clan, then killing off the Main Family should solve everything!"
A faint smile appeared on Hyuga Fuji's otherwise calm face.
"Killing them all would accomplish nothing. You'd still be a caged bird."
The boy's impassioned expression froze.
"But don't worry. I know where you can learn to fly free of the cage."
"While the Caged Bird seal is being refined, research into breaking it has also begun."
"Your strength isn't enough yet, and neither are your allies."
As the boy's pupils widened, Hyuga Fuji spoke softly.
"Can you become the bird that flies out of the cage?"
(End of Chapter)