Uchiha En initially didn't know why his childhood friend had undergone such a change.
It wasn't until he attended the Ninja Academy that Uchiha En realized what Hyuga Asana had suffered, seeing her trailing half a step behind a girl who looked even younger than her, maintaining a respectful and submissive attitude.
The Uchiha Clan valued sentiment more than any other clan. The fact that his only friend had become a member of the Hyuga Branch Family, branded with the Caged Bird Seal, and even turned into a maid and bodyguard for another girl, made Uchiha En extremely unhappy.
What was more crucial was that this Main Family Young Miss was far less talented than Hyuga Asana; her grades in all subjects were worse than Uchiha En's, let alone Hyuga Asana's.
So, to vent Hyuga Asana's frustration, Uchiha En deliberately picked fights with that Main Family Young Miss several times during practical combat classes. However, Hyuga Asana showed no joy on her face when she watched Uchiha En beat up the Main Family girl.
Uchiha En thought she was restraining herself due to her Branch Family status, afraid to show her emotions, but was secretly very happy.
But Uchiha En soon realized he was wrong.
That day, just like always, he thoroughly beat up the Main Family Young Miss during practical combat class.
When Hyuga Asana went to help the Main Family Young Miss, she glanced at Uchiha En intentionally or unintentionally.
Uchiha En felt this was Hyuga Asana encouraging him, and he walked on air the entire way home after school.
However, halfway there, Uchiha En suddenly remembered he had left something in the classroom. When he ran back to retrieve it, he witnessed a scene he would never forget.
Hyuga Asana was kneeling on the ground, her face deathly pale, and the sweat on her forehead had almost soaked the entire gauze bandage.
The Main Family Young Miss stood with her arms crossed, watching Hyuga Asana with an indifferent expression.
It was then that Uchiha En understood: the look Hyuga Asana had given him was not encouragement.
Probably every time he beat up the Main Family Young Miss, Hyuga Asana would be tortured like this.
Yet Hyuga Asana had never told him, enduring all of this in silence just to make him feel better.
Uchiha En was filled with immense regret at that moment. His actions, which he believed were standing up for his friend, had only brought her greater pain.
Since that day, Uchiha En never troubled the Main Family Young Miss again.
"Hey! Uchiha En, why are you spacing out? Did you hear what I said?" Hyuga Asana's voice interrupted Uchiha En's thoughts.
He scratched his head and replied, "Sorry, I was just thinking about some things from the past."
Hearing this, a trace of worry flashed in Hyuga Asana's usually placid eyes. She had learned from her father that Uchiha En had just lost his most important relative.
However, due to the relationship between the Hyuga and Uchiha Clans, Hyuga Asana couldn't go visit Uchiha En.
Only upon seeing Uchiha En attend school today did Hyuga Asana finally feel relieved.
However, Uchiha En's distracted appearance still worried Hyuga Asana. She glanced at the Main Family Young Miss sitting in front of them and said, "I'll wait for you at our usual spot after school today."
"I'm fine, you don't need to beg on my account—"
"It's settled." After saying this, Hyuga Asana turned her head and ignored Uchiha En.
After school, Uchiha En went alone to a small riverbank not far from the Forest of Death.
This was a place where Uchiha En and Hyuga Asana often met. Since it was close to the Forest of Death, few people came here. Hyuga Asana had found the spot last year, and since then, they had made it their meeting place.
Uchiha En waited by the river for about half an hour before Hyuga Asana finally rushed over.
"Why did it take you so long to get here? Did she give you trouble?" Uchiha En asked, scrutinizing Hyuga Asana.
"It's impossible not to be troubled, but I finally managed to deal with it," Hyuga Asana replied.
"I'm actually okay, you don't have to worry about me—"
"Did you misunderstand something? Do you think I'd waste time comforting you?
I wanted to tell you that you need to work hard. We'll be moving up to the fifth grade in a little over two months, and if nothing unexpected happens, we'll graduate early then and all be sent to the battlefield.
As far as I know, the survival rate for the Genin who graduated last year was less than 10%. If you remain immersed in sadness, you might die on the battlefield," Hyuga Asana said expressionlessly.
Hearing this, Uchiha En secretly glanced at Hyuga Asana. Her slightly baby-fat cheeks were tightly drawn as she tried hard to maintain a serious expression, but she couldn't look serious at all; she looked rather cute instead.
The only thing spoiling the view was the white gauze bandage on her forehead.
Hyuga Asana noticed Uchiha En's gaze and subconsciously touched the gauze on her head.
She could never forget the day of her fourth birthday. That was the day she was branded with the Caged Bird Seal, and the day her life changed.
From that day on, some of her former friends stopped playing with her, and one of them even became her "master."
It clearly hadn't been like this before.
They had all been friends before.
Why did it turn out this way?
This question had plagued Hyuga Asana for many years, ever since the day she was first rejected by her friends, sat silently on her bed hugging her knees, and cried all night.
Did everything from the past change simply because of the Caged Bird Seal curse mark?
Even today, Hyuga Asana had not figured out the answer to this question.
In fact, for a member of the Hyuga Clan who grew up in the Hyuga family and was long accustomed to the Main Family and Branch Family system, it was impossible to find the answer.
The saying, "The spectator sees clearly, but the player is confused," was perfectly applicable.
Uchiha En felt uncomfortable seeing the confusion in Hyuga Asana's eyes. He hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Hey! Asana, have you ever thought about why a single curse mark changed your life?"
Hyuga Asana was stunned by his words; Uchiha En had asked the very question she had been pondering.
"Being a member of the Hyuga Clan, you might not understand this principle. In fact, it's very simple: it's because the classes are different.
Think about it: the Hyuga Clan's Caged Bird Seal, in a sense, places the life and death of one group of people entirely into the hands of another group.
When one group holds the power of life and death over another, they naturally feel superior, and thus, two distinct classes are born.
The oppression brought by class is omnipresent. Although your Hyuga Clan constantly preaches that the Caged Bird Seal is for the protection of the Branch Family, the reality is that the Main Family uses the Caged Bird Seal to treat the Branch Family members entirely as slaves."
After hearing Uchiha En's words, Hyuga Asana felt a sense of sudden enlightenment, but immediately a trace of doubt arose in her heart: "When did Uchiha En start thinking about these things? Wasn't he, like most Uchiha Clan members, simple-minded, easily provoked, impulsive, and not fond of thinking?"