Riku believed that once the members of the Hyuga Branch Family experienced the sweet fragrance of freedom, they would never again tolerate the foul stench of being shackled by the Caged Bird Seal.
And once enough of them were freed, even if Riku himself was no longer there, the Hyuga Main Family would inevitably face its downfall.
The idea was bold, but it was also practical—and the first, most crucial step in realizing it was about to begin.
"Piao, do you trust me?" Riku asked, extending his hand. "If you do, then let's welcome a brand-new future together."
Hyuga Piao looked at him for only a heartbeat before grasping his hand firmly.
"I trust you, Riku. Please—help me!"
Riku smiled faintly. "Of course, Piao. You're my best friend."
He then formed a sequence of hand seals with deliberate care. He didn't actually need to do so—the jutsu could be performed mentally—but the ritual mattered. Some actions needed ceremony.
This was the Sealing Jutsu: Evil Breaking, rated B-rank by the system. Yet in terms of complexity, it was as intricate as any forbidden technique in the ninja world.
Its effect was equally profound. After more than ten seconds, a sphere of faint black light began to coalesce in Riku's palm. Under Piao's nervous but hopeful gaze, Riku pressed the glowing orb to his friend's forehead.
Piao's body trembled violently. A sharp, splitting pain pierced his mind—then came a cracking sensation, as though invisible chains were breaking deep within his soul.
From that fracture flowed a gentle warmth. It enveloped him, soft and liberating. Piao knew this feeling—freedom. It was the same lightness he'd once known before the Caged Bird Seal was branded onto him.
Riku didn't have to say a word. Piao understood immediately: the Caged Bird Seal had developed a flaw.
When he opened his eyes again, they shone with disbelief, then joy. Words failed him. Instead, his throat tightened, his vision blurred, and tears streamed down his face.
He began to laugh—quietly at first, then louder, until the laughter turned into an unrestrained roar that echoed through the small house.
Riku simply watched, unmoving. He knew that this laughter was not madness—it was release. It was years of suffocated emotion erupting all at once.
Thankfully, Riku's house was small and well soundproofed. Otherwise, anyone passing outside might have thought there was a lunatic inside.
Even so, the sight was startling. Piao's wild laughter, his tears, his trembling—it reminded Riku of the Uchiha Clan's notorious manic outbursts.
For such an expression to appear on a calm, stoic Hyuga face only revealed how deeply the Branch Family's suppression had scarred them.
And Piao had only borne the Caged Bird Seal for a few years. What about those who had carried it for ten… twenty… even fifty years? What darkness must have taken root in their hearts?
It took nearly two minutes before Piao's laughter subsided. When he finally looked up, Riku saw something new in his eyes—life. Determination. A spark of something long extinguished.
"Piao," Riku said quietly, "this jutsu can indeed break the Caged Bird Seal—but not all at once. It will take time before it fully takes effect. You should already be able to feel that."
Piao nodded slowly, still breathing heavily. "Yes… I can feel it. But I don't mind. As long as there's hope—then all of this is worth it."
His words were sincere. For a Branch Family member like him, even a chance to break the Caged Bird Seal was more than a dream—it was salvation.
And Riku hadn't merely given him hope; he had given him proof.
If the process took time—years, even decades—Piao would not complain.
Fortunately, Riku's Evil Breaking technique worked faster than that. Based on his calculations, with Piao's current strength and chakra flow, it would take only about five years for the seal to be completely dismantled.
And if Piao continued to grow stronger, that time could shorten dramatically.
When Riku explained this, Piao's eyes widened in excitement.
"Riku, this jutsu… it's incredible! With this, our Branch Family might finally be free from the Main Family's oppression!
If you could help all of us—every Branch member—you'd become our savior. You could even become the next clan head!"
Riku didn't smile. Instead, his brows furrowed. He looked at Piao seriously and said, "Piao, wait. I have to be honest with you. I have no intention of freeing every Branch Family member right now."
Piao froze, clearly shocked.
Riku continued, "I know you and Uncle Tie. I trust you both. That's why I'm helping you first. But the others… I don't know them. And helping them could be dangerous.
Some Branch Family members are completely loyal to the Main Family—loyal enough to die for them. If I freed such people, they might not thank me. They might even betray me."
Piao fell silent, absorbing his words.
Riku's logic was sound. The Hyuga Clan was, after all, a vast lineage. Not everyone despised the Caged Bird Seal. Some had been raised to believe in it—to revere it.
To those indoctrinated by the Main Family's generations of teaching, the seal was not oppression but a sacred protection, a necessary tool to safeguard the Byakugan, their precious Kekkei Genkai.
In their eyes, the seal was justified—righteous, even.
And because of that, Riku knew that freeing such people would bring him only trouble.
"I don't want to play the bleeding heart," he said quietly. "I'll help—but only selectively. Only those who truly crave freedom, only those I trust, will be worthy of it."
It sounded selfish. And perhaps it was. But it was also the truth.
Moreover, Riku couldn't afford to expose his technique too early. If word got out that someone could unravel the Caged Bird Seal, there would be no turning back.
The Hyuga Main Family would see him as a traitor. The entire clan would turn on him.
And it wouldn't stop there. The village itself—Konoha—would take notice.
Though Riku's strength had grown rapidly, he was still not ready to face the combined wrath of Konoha's old guard: men like Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura, who valued order above justice.
Those two, in particular, would never allow the Hyuga Clan to evolve. They preferred a clan divided and stagnant—obedient, predictable, and easy to control.
If Riku's secret were discovered, they would brand him as a threat—a criminal inciting chaos within the village—and send their forces to eliminate him.
Riku was not ready to fight all of Konoha. Not yet.
Therefore, he would proceed carefully. Slowly. Quietly.
He would break the chains—but only in the shadows.
After hearing this, Piao's initial disappointment softened. He nodded, his expression earnest. "I understand, Riku. I'll support whatever decision you make."
To him, Riku was more than a friend now. He was the light of hope—the one person capable of changing everything.
Even if he had to choose between his clan and Riku, Piao knew which side he would take.
Because when he looked at Riku, he didn't just see power—he saw the future.
Their bond deepened in the days that followed. Though Riku treated Piao as a friend and equal, Piao couldn't help but revere him with near-religious devotion. Every word Riku spoke seemed like divine truth, every action a revelation.
Riku found it a little uncomfortable—but he said nothing.
While Riku and Piao worked quietly toward liberation, another part of Konoha simmered with tension.
Compared to the Hyuga's timidity, the Uchiha Clan faced their challenges head-on.
When an unknown masked attacker struck down their most promising genius, the clan did not panic. They simply doubled their patrols and tightened security around their compound.
Their members continued their duties in the Konoha Military Police Force, maintaining order as if nothing had happened—outwardly calm, inwardly burning.
In a secluded chamber of Uchiha Fugaku's mansion, Uchiha Shisui lay wrapped in layers of bandages, his breathing shallow. After hours of medical treatment, he had finally stabilized.
For nearly six hours he had remained unconscious, but when he awoke, his mind was in chaos.
His eyes snapped open, the Sharingan activating instinctively—three tomoe spinning furiously like red whirlpools.
The image of his attacker flashed vividly before him: the man in the ghoul mask—Riku.
In his mind, Riku's mocking voice echoed relentlessly.
He could still hear those taunting words, the ones that had sliced at his pride and faith like blades: "Your will of fire? Your clan's arrogance? All meaningless illusions."
Each word dug deeper, twisting his heart with rage and humiliation.
In that storm of fury, Shisui's Sharingan surged with power. The tomoe spun faster, almost fusing into a new shape—almost. But the final push never came.
The threshold of evolution was near, yet not crossed.
Still, the strain had awakened something within him. He could feel it—his pupil power had grown immensely, nearly fifty percent stronger than before.
But that wasn't what mattered to Shisui now.
What mattered was vengeance.
"You damned bastard… I'll tear you apart!" he roared, the words rasping from his throat.
His rage burned brighter than pain. His eyes glowed like molten embers, filled with hatred and obsession.
And so, while Riku quietly sowed the seeds of revolution within the Hyuga, a storm brewed in the heart of the Uchiha.
Two clans, two destinies, and one man who stood between them—unaware that every step toward freedom brought him closer to war.
End of Chapter 50 – Worry
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