Neji has a special status, he was the branch family member closest to the main family. His father, Hyuga Hizashi, had died for the main family, so Hiashi is indebted to him.
There is no reason for the main family to target a qualified member of the branch family like Neji, as doing so would cause unrest within the branch family.
After all, the people of the branch family may not necessarily remember the arrogance of the Kumogakure's envoys, but they will always remember that Neji's father died for the sake of the main family.
If Neji was a person who had his Caged Bird removed, then no matter whether he stood on the side of the main family or the branch family, he wouldn't be welcomed. In fact, he would face rejection.
According to Tsunade's analysis, the branch family had long been a suppressed group. Their feelings toward the main family were complex and constantly shifting. It wasn't just simple hatred or fear, but rather a respect for power without any real admiration for virtue.
Fueled by hatred for the Caged Bird, if the branch family managed to remove the seal from their foreheads, their first instinct would be to seek revenge against the main family, perhaps even demanding how the seal was applied in the first place.
Some branch family's members, like Neji, only wanted freedom. It's because Neji had a bright future, and as long as the Caged Bird was removed, he could escape his fate as a sacrificial pawn.
For Neji, the Caged Bird was a shackle, a stumbling block on his path to greatness.
But not everyone in the branch family was like Neji. Some harbored resentment and would undoubtedly seek to wield more power. They despised the main family, yet secretly longed to become the main family.
Once the opportunity arose, someone would surely make a move. And at that moment, when the main family was stuck in the quagmire, it will be the most appropriate for Neji to step forward again.
He would be, after all, the last 'Caged Bird'.
"The Last Caged Bird?" Naruto muttered as he stood in front of the bathroom mirror, staring at his reflection. His eyes were bloodshot, a clear sign of his lack of rest.
He squeezed toothpaste onto his toothbrush, muttering to himself.
"The Last Caged Bird... the shackle is no longer just a shackle, but a sword. It can pierce the main family, or it can strike the branch family."
"At that time, all that's needed is to intimidate the branch family, leaving the main family with nothing to say. After all, by that point, it will be too late, and the Hyuga Clan will no longer have the Caged Bird."
"The main family wouldn't dare to harm Neji. Instead, they would ask him to remove the seal because, to them, the Caged Bird was once a mark of servitude. But when all the branch families have become part of history and the main family's prestige has crumbled, the seal on Neji's forehead would become a thorn in their hearts, constantly reminding them of the absurdity of their actions. The shackles were engraved on Neji's forehead, but they would be engraved in their hearts."
As he said that, Naruto put the toothbrush into his mouth, and as he brushed, his mind wandered back to what had happened last night in the office.
…
Tsunade...
If Naruto were being honest with himself, he had once harbored some thoughts about her. Setting aside her 'headlights', Tsunade's ageless beauty easily ranked her among the top three, maybe even the top two, in Konoha.
Older, beautiful, and... well-endowed. It's hard for anyone not to have thoughts about her. Naruto wasn't a eunuch, after all, and the two had been in close contact for almost six years.
As his body matured with age, it would be a lie to say he never felt anything.
However, Naruto was very aware that Tsunade's interest in him wasn't the romantic kind. She just regarded him as a junior, with no inappropriate feelings.
That's what he had always thought, so he never felt any burden in their relationship. Even when they were in contact, Naruto would act carefree, joking around without restraint.
If he could take advantage of the situation, he would. After all, why miss an opportunity?
Everything had been perfectly normal up until that point. It wasn't until he traveled through time with the power of the Ryumyaku and, by sheer bad luck, ended up meeting Tsunade in the Land of Wind, that things changed.
Naruto hadn't done anything special at first. He just tricked her into playing cards and dice with him. On a whim, he used his real name and appearance, as he's too lazy to hide it.
He had grown accustomed to his usual dynamic with Tsunade. Even though it was technically their first meeting, they still got along comfortably, as if they were longtime friends. It felt so natural.
And Naruto had forgotten that Tsunade felt the same way, especially during her lowest point… when her loved ones had all perished on the battlefield, leaving her to realize how powerless her lifelong pursuit of Medical Ninjutsu truly was.
The cruelty of war, the fragility of life, the despair of fate…
The successive blows completely destroyed her faith in Medical Ninjutsu, and she even suffered from hemophobia.
She couldn't stay in the village that stifled her, so she left, wandering the world aimlessly with Shizune, teaching medical knowledges along the way. Tsunade believed she'd never fully escape those shadows and that living was merely a way to pass the time.
And yet, at such a moment, an extraordinary person appeared out of nowhere. He was ten years younger than her, and even though it was their first meeting, they got along so well.
It felt as if they had been old friends for years. He even knew all her quirks and habits. Being around him made her happy, helping her forget her sorrows.
But then one day, he left, saying they would meet again in the future. Tsunade had wanted to run after him but hesitated, leaving it as her greatest regret.
She told herself she didn't want to bring misfortune to him, so the rainstorm that day gave her an excuse to stop her pursuit. After all, they would meet again... right?
Who could have guessed that 'in the future' would stretch to almost twenty years? And when she saw him again, she realized he was Minato's son, a kid barely over twelve.
In that instant, Tsunade didn't know how to face Jiraiya, let alone how to reconcile with herself. Jiraiya sat there rambling about how the village needed her, but what he said had long blurred into incomprehensible shapes.
After wandering in the Shinobi World for twenty years, a journey that felt longer than anything else, Tsunade thought she'd never see that man again and had come to believe her life would end like that.
After all, some people pass by once, never to be seen again. But what made it worse was that when she saw him again, he had grown younger, while she had become an old woman.
…
In the bathroom.
Naruto called up Task Line III while brushing his teeth, looking absentmindedly at the reward for it.
[Dear World Traveler, Rodger, Jashin has extended an invitation to you. Gather ten followers, and you'll be rewarded with: Hashirama's Cells Activation Technique (The complete activation of the body once and return to the age of 18)]
'The complete activation of the body… far more thorough than Tsunade's method of suppressing her life force to maintain a youthful appearance. This was a genuine return to an eighteen-year-old body, with only thoughts, soul, and memories unchanged.
He originally reserved this reward for Tsunade. Naruto knew that if it weren't for Tsunade, he would never have been able to reach his current position with such ease.
Spitting out the mouthwash, Naruto casually shut off the system. He walked into the living room, poured himself a glass of water from the kitchen, and sat on the couch.
The living room was silent, Ajisai and Yakumo were still sleeping in their respective rooms. The wild dog hadn't returned all night.
The curtains on the balcony were open, and the faint blue light of dawn filtered through the glass into the room. Holding his glass, Naruto took a sip, feeling a bit lost.