Obito gave a quiet laugh. The more traditional a ninja was, the more they feared reform. Especially something like the abolition of the entire ninja system.
Under the threat of that kind of change, even a clan's customs passed down through generations could suddenly become flexible.
However, the reason Hiashi felt fear was precisely because he knew that Obito's words were not said in jest. And indeed, the things Obito spoke of were never jokes.
He said calmly, "Clan head Hiashi, there's no need to worry. I'm merely informing you, and you happen to be the first to know."
After saying that, Obito turned to Neji and smiled, "Neji, do you know when a bird in a cage can break free and fly?"
Neji froze for a moment and instinctively answered, "When the cage breaks."
Obito replied, "Wrong. If the cage breaks, you can just replace it with another cage."
"For a caged bird to truly fly free, there's only one way. All the people in the world who make and build cages must disappear."
As he finished speaking, Obito turned his head toward Hiashi, who was still processing his words, and said, "Clan head Hiashi, I'd like to visit your daughter and give her a gift."
Hiashi, still in shock from the grand thing Obito intended to do, replied in a daze, "Lord Obito, this way, please, I'll show you the way."
Then, almost absentmindedly, he led the way forward.
———
Obito followed him, and soon they arrived at the clan head's residence, where he saw little Hyuga Hinata practicing in the back garden.
Obito lightly shook his head, "Don't practice those palm techniques. They're meaningless."
Hinata froze, tilting her head in confusion as she looked at Obito.
In truth, she didn't want to practice those techniques either. But her father had said that unless she mastered Gentle Fist, she wasn't worthy to be the Hyuga main family's daughter.
So she had to practice hard, yet no matter how much she trained, it never felt right.
At that moment, Hiashi fully came back to his senses. Somewhat displeased, he said, "Lord Obito, you wish to abolish the profession of ninja, but must you also wipe out our hereditary ninjutsu? There's no logic in that."
Obito shook his head in denial, "What I want to abolish is only the ninja system, I'm not forbidding people from improving their strength. As for these little playfighting palm forms, I actually encourage them. They're good for fitness."
Now Hiashi truly became angry, "So Lord Obito means that our Hyuga clan's secret art is, in your eyes, mere child's play?"
Seeing this, Obito smiled, "Clan head Hiashi, to put it bluntly, yes, that's indeed what I think. But I mean no insult to the Hyuga. On the contrary, I believe the Byakugan is an exceptional kekkei genkai, no weaker than our Uchiha's Sharingan."
Hiashi's expression immediately brightened. Since Uchiha Madara's crushing of the Four Kage, the rise of the Black Fang to legend, and the later appearance of geniuses like Shisui, not to mention the terrifying potential of the clan head's son, Uchiha Itachi, the Uchiha clan had become renowned across the entire ninja world.
Even as the Hyuga clan head, Hiashi didn't dare to place the Byakugan on equal footing with the Sharingan. Yet now, this very acknowledgment had come from Obito himself.
And he could hear genuine sincerity in Obito's tone, it was clearly heartfelt. How could he not be pleased? Instantly, he let go of all earlier irritation about Obito's remarks.
He said modestly, "Lord Obito jests. How could the Byakugan compare to the Sharingan?"
However, Obito continued, "But because the Hyuga have been using the Byakugan incorrectly, right now it truly can't compare."
Hiashi's temper flared again, "Then what does Lord Obito think is the correct way to use the Byakugan?"
Obito said slowly, "Clan head Hiashi, may I ask, what's the maximum distance your Byakugan can see?"
Hiashi answered with pride, "Ten kilometers."
Obito said, "Ten kilometers, that's quite far. So tell me, clan head Hiashi, if you can see an enemy ten kilometers away, why would you still rush in for hand-to-hand combat? Don't you think that's stupid?"
"What's even dumber is that your clan measures a member's excellence by how well they can throw punches. Even if your punches are good, so what?"
Hiashi was taken aback. Practicing Gentle Fist was so instinctive to him that he had never even questioned it.
He pondered for a moment, then asked, "Then Lord Obito, how do you think a Hyuga's excellence should be judged?"
Obito looked toward Hinata and spoke slowly, "If we must set a standard, someone who can, at ten kilometers, coordinate with the Yamanaka clan's Mind Body Switch Technique to pinpoint and control an enemy. If the Hyuga can produce one such person, that person could ensure the Hyuga will always remain one of Konoha's core clans."
He paused, then continued, "Clan head Hiashi, do you know what it means to be able to control an enemy ten kilometers away, even for a single instant?"
"Gentle Fist… can't save Konoha. But the Byakugan and the Mind Body Switch can."
Hiashi's mind began to race. Indeed, in battles between ninja, victory often hinged on just one instant.
If a future war were to occur, and Konoha had such a pair operating from ten kilometers away, every enemy on the battlefield would be helpless.
Even those on the level of Kage, in an even fight, if they were caught off guard for even a split second from ten kilometers away, they might be killed outright.
Hiashi's breathing grew rapid. He'd never imagined the Byakugan could be used that way. But then he thought of something and gave a wry smile.
"Lord Obito, I'm actually on good terms with Yamanaka Inoichi. I know the Mind Body Switch Technique fairly well."
"It's an extremely delicate jutsu. The farther the distance, the harder it is to pinpoint, even if you can see, you can't precisely locate. To achieve the effect you're describing, the Byakugan's precision would need to be so high that every minute detail of the enemy could be mapped perfectly into the Yamanaka's mind."
"That level of precision… even I couldn't achieve it. I don't think anyone in the Hyuga could."
Obito snorted, 'If no one could achieve it, would I even bother to bring it up?'
In the future, not only would someone in the Hyuga achieve it, Obito himself would later experience firsthand what it felt like to be controlled by it.
Even with his power at that time already surpassing the Kage tier, he had still been restrained by it. For ordinary Kage-level opponents, even just pairing with someone like Kakashi would make them easy to eliminate.
Obito said, "Is it that no one can do it, or that you've been so obsessed with punching that you've never noticed your clan's other talents? Clan head Hiashi, don't you already know the answer?"
"Besides, even if ten kilometers is impossible, one kilometer still has immense value. Isn't that exactly how Konoha uses your clan?"
"Surely you don't think Konoha keeps stuffing Hyuga into the reconnaissance teams because they expect your people to go punch the enemy, do you?"
"The Byakugan shouldn't be about who sees farther, but about who punches better? That, in itself, is utterly ridiculous."
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