Naruto Birdcage

A person's beliefs are hard to change.

Makoto didn't argue with him about that, but instead calmly said,

"Lord Hizashi, we will win this war."

Hizashi looked at Makoto with disappointment in his eyes.

He felt that Makoto's understanding was too shallow, unable to see through such an obvious situation, still blindly believing in the village.

Even Iroha, Tokimasa, and Tetsu had gone to the front lines, and Konoha had no future.

Hizashi responded indifferently, "Is that so?"

"Lord Hizashi, don't you believe it?"

"Do you know how many times the military strength of Iwagakure exceeds that of Konoha?"

Makoto then asked in return, "What about Sunagakure?"

Hizashi's eyes shifted slightly. "Sunagakure won't help us, Lord Orochimaru couldn't convince them."

Many people in the village knew about Orochimaru's efforts to secure an alliance with the Sunagakure, but most of them were skeptical.

Since the disappearance of the Third Kazekage, Sunagakure had been in internal turmoil and had no time to care about the affairs of other villages.

Makoto continued, "Then what about Kumo, Ame, and Kusa?"

Hizashi was stunned for a moment. "What are you saying?"

Makoto replied, "Lord Orochimaru isn't just trying to secure an alliance with the Sand Village. He's also been negotiating with Kumo, Ame, and Kusa. If all of them join the war, can we turn the tide for Konoha?"

Hizashi furrowed his brows tightly, questioning, "Why would they help us?"

Makoto answered, "Given the current situation, perhaps one village wouldn't want to provoke Iwa, but if the others believe that the other three have already agreed to take action against Iwa, it could work in our favor. Lord Orochimaru is very skilled at making such things happen."

Hizashi doubted, "Do you think the other villages are fools?"

Makoto slowly shook his head.

"They might suspect it, but none of the four villages would want to see Iwa dominate. They'd rather let the others believe that their own village is willing to take action. Lord Orochimaru is the key link in all of this."

Hizashi furrowed his brows in silence, as if doubting the truth of what Makoto was saying.

Such a thing seemed too far-fetched; how could the leaders and Kage of those villages so easily dive into this mess?

Makoto, noticing his reaction, then provided more information.

"Lord Hizashi, don't you know? The Fourth Kazekage has already ascended to the throne. It's the well-known magnetic-release user, Rasa.

The Fourth Raikage has also taken the position, he's the son of the Third Raikage."

Hizashi indeed didn't know this; after these two villages withdrew from the war, they had closed off their borders.

In this information-starved ninja world, it was difficult for outsiders to know what was going on inside.

Makoto, as someone who was familiar with the original story, was aware of this.

Hizashi's gaze shifted, pondering for a long time, before he finally looked back at Makoto and asked, "What if they don't intervene, and we lose in the end?"

Makoto replied, "There is no 'what if'!"

In the dim light, he stared directly at Hizashi, his green forehead seal still standing out clearly.

"It's just a matter of whether you, Lord Hizashi, choose to leave or stay."

To leave, to take just a few people and chase after his own dream of rebuilding the clan.

If Konoha truly won this war, then they would be considered rogue ninjas.

Not only would they be traitors to Konoha, but they would also be seen as a disgrace by their own people.

His father would do that.

He would absolutely do that!

He would proclaim to the outside world that he had voluntarily defected!

This was the person who had always prioritized the clan over family, the one who, since childhood, had been heartless enough to separate himself from the main house, marking himself with that burden.

And now, he was begging him to take up the responsibility of continuing the family line, while casually discarding his older brother.

But if Konoha ultimately lost, they could still survive.

Find a place to hide, continue the family line in secret, and later figure out how to rebuild Konoha, relying on just a few of them... Just him and three women.

The vision was beautiful. When his father spoke of these things, he painted a very bright future.

Yet, when he touched the boundaries of freedom, he became muddled.

Just a stallion and three breeding tools.

They think they can rebuild Konoha with just that?

The hope of reviving the Hyuga clan was already very slim.

Their special eyes could easily become the target of some power in this chaotic ninja world.

He would be killed, and Ayari and the others would similarly be reduced to breeding tools, while the Byakugan would fall into the hands of outsiders.

Could Taikei not foresee such an outcome? But there was no other option left.

The fate of the Hyuga clan had always been tied to Konoha, and now trying to break away was not so simple.

Or, he could stay in this cage, continue to live as a bird in a cage.

If Konoha won, everything would return to the way it was before.

If Konoha lost, he would perish with the village.

The only way for the members of the Hyuga branch family to be freed was at the moment of death, to attain freedom.

To die for the village—this idea had been instilled in him since he was young, and Hizashi didn't resist it much.

Although it was the end, wouldn't it ultimately lead to freedom?

Hizashi didn't question or contradict Makoto, as he understood the importance of the information.

He thought for a long time, staring at Makoto, and suddenly, a thought flashed in his mind.

What about this child...?

His eyes, as dark as ink, made it impossible to read what was hidden inside.

Does he also have ambition? Does he have obsessions?

Suddenly, Hizashi asked Makoto, "As for the death of Hitsuo..."

The day they discovered the death of Hyuga Hitsuo, Hizashi had seen a trace of a snake slithering through the room.

Further investigation revealed that Makoto had been with Orochimaru's student, Mitarashi Anko, the day before.

Many things seemed to have been clarified. behind this child is Orochimaru.

At the time, Hizashi had only suspected it, but there was no solid evidence.

Moreover, he had deliberately not exposed the matter.

It was something the main family should worry about, and he was more interested in seeing his older brother's enraged reaction to it.

Makoto calmly responded, "The murderer of Senior Hitsuo's death has not been found yet, hasn't it? I feel sorrow and anger about this."

Hizashi already understood.

He knew that the way Makoto now acted, showing his connection to Orochimaru, made it impossible for Hizashi to believe that Hitsuo's death had nothing to do with him.

What Orochimaru wanted those Byakugan eyes for, Hizashi didn't know, and he wasn't interested in it.

What he cared about was that Makoto had given all of the Hyuga clan's Byakugan stock to Orochimaru to avoid having his eyes replaced.

Hizashi stared at the shaft of light seeping through the gap in the curtains, its brightness almost glaring in the dim room.

All that needed to be said had already been said, and Makoto directly made his way to leave.

Just as he was about to leave, Hizashi called out to him.

"Makoto."

"Do you also want freedom?"

Makoto calmly responded,

"What I want to be is a bird. A bird with food to eat, trees to rest on, a sky to roam freely, and companions who understand my heart."

He then asked in return, "What does Lord Hizashi want to be, a stray dog?"

The room fell into a deathly silence, with no sound.

End of chapter

Exclusive access : Get 120 advanced chapters ahead of everyone else

Join now : patreon*com/DeCakraWnloverz