375. The Times Have Changed

"How is this possible? The Caged Bird Seal... it's gone?"

After clearly seeing Hizashi's forehead, everyone present was stunned.

Especially Hiashi, the clan leader, and the other elders.

As members of the main family, they were all too familiar with the complexity of the Caged Bird Seal.

It was an incredibly intricate seal, refined and modified over centuries by the Hyuga clan's sages.

How could Hizashi have removed it by himself?

As for the branch family members watching from the sidelines, they were filled with excitement.

If Hizashi had removed the Caged Bird Seal, did that mean they, too, could regain their freedom?

At this thought, their eyes burned with hope.

Though they had once resigned themselves to their fate, now that a chance to break free was right before them, how could they not seize it?

Sensing the growing unrest around him, Hiashi clenched his fists, his face pale with anger, and demanded, "What exactly are you trying to do, Hizashi?"

In response, Hizashi stomped on the second elder, rendering him unconscious, and then declared:

"I want the Hyuga clan to no longer be divided into main and branch families. I want everyone to share the clan's power equally!"

"I want the branch family to stop serving the main family like slaves. I want our children to be free from the control of the Caged Bird Seal!"

"I want to overthrow this foolish and useless tradition!"

"I want equality and freedom!"

Hizashi's words were powerful and resounding, like a thunderclap that shook everyone to their core.

For the branch family members, it felt as if a fire had been lit in their hearts.

This was the first time someone had stood up to the main family's tyranny and spoken out for them with such passion.

The chains that the main family had placed on their minds began to loosen.

They were like birds trapped in a cage, finally opening their eyes to the boundless blue sky outside.

In stark contrast to their reactions was Hiashi, the clan leader.

Upon hearing Hizashi's desire to overthrow the Caged Bird system, he abandoned his last shred of hope and made a firm decision.

"If that's the case, then I have no choice but to suppress you myself."

As he spoke, the veins around his eyes bulged, and his chakra surged like a raging river.

Though he didn't want his own brother to suffer the main family's cruel punishments, he couldn't allow Hizashi to lead the clan down a path that betrayed their ancestors' teachings.

Therefore, personally dealing with this problem was Hiashi's best option.

Hizashi wasn't surprised by Hiashi's decision—it was exactly what he had expected.

After all, as the clan leader, Hiashi was the ultimate beneficiary of the current system and a natural defender of this tradition.

From the very beginning, he and Hizashi, who sought to liberate the branch family, had been on opposite sides.

Or perhaps, their fates had been sealed the moment they were born, separated by mere seconds.

"In that case, let me see the strength of the Hyuga clan leader!"

Hizashi slowly raised his hand, ready to face Hiashi head-on.

In the next moment, Hiashi, eager to end this, launched his attack.

With a twist of his foot, he shot forward like an arrow.

Hizashi, however, remained calm. He pushed his palm forward in the air.

"Eight Trigrams: Needle Flow!"

The chakra around his palm quickly condensed into sharp needles, flying out like a torrent.

These needles, invisible to the average eye, were crystal clear to Hiashi, who also possessed the Byakugan.

As a master of the Gentle Fist, Hiashi quickly noticed the difference between Hizashi's technique and the standard Gentle Fist.

"Using shape transformation to compress chakra into needles, then combining it with the Gentle Fist's striking method?"

While analyzing, Hiashi released a large amount of chakra from his pressure points.

"If that's the case..."

"Rotation!"

Under Hiashi's control, the released chakra began to spin rapidly around his body, forming a hemispherical vortex that deflected the incoming chakra needles.

Seeing this, Hizashi immediately closed the distance.

In his pale vision, the chakra vortex surrounding Hiashi seemed to slow down frame by frame.

What was once considered the Hyuga clan's "absolute defense" now revealed flaw after flaw in his eyes...

Seizing the opportunity, Hizashi condensed nearly solid chakra at his fingertips, and a green Yin-Yang symbol appeared beneath his feet.

Then, he unleashed his self-created Sharp Fist technique—

"Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms!"

With a low shout, Hizashi's fingers struck the vortex like lightning.

As he rapidly injected chakra into it, the once-orderly Rotation began to destabilize.

This instability worsened with each of Hizashi's strikes.

After repeated attacks, the Rotation finally shattered, sending a powerful shockwave in all directions.

Hiashi, standing amidst the chaos, was utterly stunned.

He had never imagined that the Hyuga clan's most prideful defensive technique could be broken by a branch family member...

Not just Hiashi, but everyone else was equally shocked that Hizashi had achieved such a feat.

Now, having successfully broken the Rotation, Hizashi stepped forward to face Hiashi, his expression terrifyingly fierce.

"Don't underestimate our determination for freedom, you bastard Hiashi!"

With a roar, he thrust his palm toward the Hyuga clan leader.

Hiashi, snapping out of his shock, roared back:

"And don't underestimate my resolve to protect the clan, you damn Hizashi!"

With that, he met Hizashi's strike with all his strength.

These two brothers, who had always been reserved, finally poured out their deepest, most sincere emotions in this moment!

As their palms collided, a powerful shockwave swept through the entire shrine!

But the stalemate didn't last long.

Because, to Hiashi's astonishment, arcs of electricity began to emerge from Hizashi's palm, rapidly spreading toward him.

By the time Hiashi realized something was wrong and tried to pull away, it was too late.

The electricity paralyzed his body, and Hizashi seized the moment to unleash his full power.

The chakra in his palm erupted, accompanied by a dazzling flash of lightning, sending Hiashi flying!

Until the very moment he was struck, Hiashi couldn't understand.

How could the Gentle Fist incorporate not only shape transformation but also nature transformation?

And Hizashi only wanted to say one thing to these traditionalists clinging to the old ways—

The times have changed, old man.