A Hyūga's Gate Between Worlds

Hiashi watched as Natsu ignored him, and instead knelt in deep reverence before Tanaka. His mind went blank for a moment, and his heart sank into the depths of despair.

Even Natsu, who had always appeared firmly loyal to him and the main house since childhood, turned against him and the clan the moment the Caged Bird was lifted.

It was easy to imagine how the other branch house members would react once freed from their shackles.

"You! You! You—!"

"Traitor! The main house will never forgive you!"

His gaze was as sharp as a blade, piercing into Natsu.

"The main house? From now on, I am the main house."

Natsu's response was firm, without the slightest hesitation, as if it came from the depths of her heart. Seeing this, Tanaka said nothing more. Instead, he raised his index finger and beckoned with a slight curl.

Whoosh—

The small dog that Natsu had been holding vanished in an instant.

At the same time, the missing dog reappeared out of nowhere in front of Tanaka, now positioned next to the kneeling Hiashi.

Both were now lying low before him.

"As for you, I want you to be my dog."

Tanaka raised his kunai and struck twice.

The first strike was aimed at Hiashi from a distance.

The second strike targeted the small dog in front of him.

However, neither Hiashi nor the dog was physically touched by the kunai.

Yet, the moment Tanaka executed his stabbing motion, a red, heart-shaped substance emerged from both Hiashi and the dog, connected by a thin thread linking their bodies.

Tanaka waved his kunai.

Personality Transplant Surgery!

Snap!

The thread connecting Hiashi's body to the red heart was severed, and at the same time, the thread linking the small dog to its heart was also cut.

Then, he turned his left palm upward and clenched his five fingers into a fist.

Whoosh—

The two severed hearts spun rapidly like windmills before flying back into the bodies of the man and the dog.

As soon as Tanaka finished and lowered his kunai, a sudden bark echoed through the room.

"Woof! Woof!"

Natsu and Hizashi's eyes widened in utter shock and disbelief.

Because the barking didn't come from the small dog. It came from Hiashi.

Yes.

The head of the main house—who had been utterly dismantled and reduced to a mutilated wreck—was now crawling on all fours, craning his neck upward, and barking at Natsu.

Meanwhile, the small dog beside him displayed an expression that was unmistakably human.

Shock, terror, disbelief, and overwhelming despair and regret.

"No way..." Seeing this, a terrifying thought surfaced in Natsu's mind.

The real "Hiashi" was actually the small dog he had brought into the room.

And the "small dog" in front of him—who now bore human-like expressions—was actually Hiashi.

"Could it be—?" Hizashi turned his gaze toward the small dog.

"Hiashi?"

At the moment when the two locked eyes, he noticed that the small dog's gaze lacked the innocence and purity of a typical household pet. Instead, it was filled with complex human emotions.

And given that his brother had just barked like a dog, Hizashi couldn't help but arrive at the same terrifying conclusion as Natsu.

"Woof! Woof!"

The small dog opened its mouth, seemingly trying to say something. But what came out was nothing but barking.

It really is him! He—he actually turned into a dog.

How did Tanaka do this?

This isn't something that space-time ninjutsu can achieve.

Although it was utterly incomprehensible, Hizashi was still certain—the small dog in front of him was, without a doubt, his elder brother.

The head of the main house.

Hiashi.

Realizing this, a storm of emotions surged within him. And when he turned to look at Tanaka, for the first time, he felt that his former student was a complete stranger.

For the first time, he felt genuine awe.

Yes.

He was the teacher, and Tanaka was the student. But at this moment, as a teacher, he found himself feeling a level of reverence toward his student that he had never even felt when standing before the Third Hokage.

Turning a human into a dog.

Turning a dog into a human.

Was this something the Third Hokage could do?

Absolutely not.

"Woof! Woof!"

Seeing that Hizashi had recognized him, the small dog barked again, then straightened up and raised its front legs in a kneeling posture.

No one could understand dog language, but through eye contact, the emotions carried in the barking, and the dog's actions, Hizashi could tell what the small dog Hiashi was trying to express.

A plea.

The once-proud and deeply calculating head of the main house was now begging his younger brother.

"Tanaka." Hizashi's heart softened at the sight.

Before stepping into the Hyūga estate, he had already prepared himself for a battle to the death with his elder brother. But now, after witnessing Hiashi being turned into a dog, he hesitated.

He suddenly wanted to plead for mercy.

Yet, just as the words left his lips, he forcibly swallowed them back down.

Sorry, you should just be Tanaka's dog for now. Let him vent his anger first.

Hizashi believed he understood his student to some extent.

He couldn't say for certain whether Tanaka would kill Hiashi. But if he wasn't allowed to vent the years of resentment caused by the Caged Bird, then Hiashi would undoubtedly be dead.

This was simply punishment for the years of oppression the main house had inflicted upon the branch houses.

With that thought, Hizashi suppressed his urge to speak and avoided meeting Hiashi's desperate gaze.

"Woof! Woof!"

Seeing his younger brother deliberately avoiding his eyes, Hiashi completely broke down.

That very morning, he had still been the high and mighty leader of the Hyūga clan, his words deciding the fate of the entire branch house.

But by nightfall, he had become a mere dog.

This was far worse than being hacked apart by Tanaka or being reduced to a limbless, mutilated husk.

"Natsu. This dog is yours to take care of. If he tries to escape or makes any suspicious moves, do as you see fit."

With a casual wave of his hand, Tanaka made Hiashi disappear, instantly teleporting him in front of Natsu.

"Tanaka-sama, I will use only the finest materials to craft a cage, and give this little dog a proper home."

Natsu suppressed the shock in her heart and looked at Tanaka.

"Woof! Woof!" Hiashi trembled violently, as if struck by lightning.

Clearly, he had never expected the once-submissive servant who had always been respectful and obedient to suddenly become so ruthless.

Beneath that sweet and docile exterior hid a terrifyingly cold heart.

The moment the Caged Bird was removed, the backlash was this extreme.

No.

Rather, the sweetness and obedience Natsu had always shown toward the main house had been nothing more than a result of the Caged Bird's restraint.

Now that the Caged Bird was gone, she was still sweet, still obedient, but all of that sweetness and obedience was now directed solely toward Tanaka.