The Bird Breaking Free from the Cage

Naruto dodged — whether attacking or retreating, most of the time he was evading. Meanwhile, Hinata's stamina was rapidly depleting.

Neji had already unleashed a series of palm strikes. Seizing the right moment, Naruto released the remaining chakra outward. Using his experience of covering his body with tailed beast chakra, he mimicked the technique by releasing Hinata's remaining chakra outward.

"This is...?" Neji's pupils widened in shock, as though he had witnessed something unbelievable.

"That move! Could it be...?"

In the stands, Rock Lee grabbed the railing and leaned forward, staring intently at Hinata's movements.

"Could it be Rotation?" Tenten, also watching from the stands, looked surprised. "How could it be Rotation?"

Sakura, unable to understand their conversation, was confused yet impressed.

"What is Rotation?"

Rotation was a secret technique of the Hyuga clan. By spinning at high speed and releasing chakra to form a vortex, it neutralized all incoming attacks. In essence, it functioned like a high-speed rotating shield that deflected impact.

Of course, what Naruto used wasn't true Rotation. How could he possibly know such a move? He struggled even with the basics of chakra control to execute the Gentle Fist technique, let alone a high-level skill like Rotation.

But Neji didn't know this. Almost simultaneously, Neji's body erupted with a large amount of blue chakra as he began spinning at high speed.

This was a Rotation clash!

The real Rotation: spinning the body to generate chakra rotation.

Naruto's fake Rotation: letting chakra spin on its own.

With a loud explosion, Naruto leaped away, letting the chakra vortex collide with Neji's Rotation. From the stands, it appeared as though Hinata had suddenly retreated, and the two Rotations collided and exploded. Neji was sent flying backward several meters, barely managing to stay on his feet without collapsing.

"What just happened?" Sakura's eyes widened in bewilderment.

Meanwhile, Rock Lee and Tenten looked tense, their eyes fixed on Neji with worry.

Their team's genius had been beaten?

They knew Rotation was Neji's trump card. If he suffered a setback here, it would likely be a severe blow to his confidence. In the arena, Neji himself didn't fully understand what had just happened, and the spectators like Lee and Tenten were even more clueless.

"That Hinata girl is pretty strong," Kakashi commented from the sidelines. "But something feels...off. What do you think, Guy?"

Might Guy's expression wasn't entirely relaxed. Neji was his student and the most talented of his team. He had considered the possibility of Neji facing tough opponents in the Chunin Exams, perhaps Sasuke or Naruto, but never Hinata.

After all, Neji was known as the Hyuga clan's branch house prodigy, a talent surpassing even the main family.

"I feel the same," Guy admitted. "That girl is Kurenai's student, right? I heard she's very introverted, but her fighting style...it feels oddly masculine."

"Well, that backhanded hammer strike reminded me of someone..." Kakashi muttered, his ever-lazy eyes narrowing. "I just hope I'm overthinking things."

As Naruto unleashed his knockoff Rotation, the atmosphere in the arena grew tense. Neji's expression became more serious.

At that moment, Naruto, controlling Hinata's body, suddenly raised her hand and spoke.

"My strength and chakra are exhausted. I can't fight anymore. I forfeit."

"Forfeit?" Neji gritted his teeth. "What's this supposed to be? Charity?"

Naruto didn't say much. His tactics in this match weren't exactly honorable. Since he had achieved his goal, lecturing from a moral high ground would only come off as hypocritical.

The hatred between the main and branch families of the Hyuga clan couldn't be resolved with a few words. The key to freeing the caged bird wasn't rhetoric but action — breaking the cage with a hammer, not love. But these were words that wouldn't be appropriate coming from Naruto, whether directly or through Hinata's body.

If you haven't experienced someone's pain, don't lightly tell them to let it go. Morality is meant to guide oneself, not to shackle others.

In the end, the match concluded.

[Explosive tag deployment successful.]

Hinata didn't return to the stands. Instead, she walked out of the central tower, taking a familiar path to a shaded stone staircase. There, lying on the steps, was a blond-haired boy — Naruto's true body.

Seconds later, the boy lying on the steps abruptly opened his eyes.

The forest buzzed with the sound of cicadas. The sunlight above couldn't pierce the dense canopy of towering trees. In the cool shade, Naruto and Hinata exchanged glances, one standing and one sitting.

"Are you...angry?" Naruto cautiously asked.

Hinata shook her head, her fair cheeks glowing like jade, making one tempted to pinch them.

"Then why are you upset?"

"When the match ended, I saw the look of disappointment on Brother Neji's face. I've never seen him like that," Hinata said. "Even though Brother Neji won, I still feel awful."

"Well, it's probably because of his sense of defeat. The Hyuga branch house's genius, stronger than the main family," Naruto explained. "His pride was shattered, so he feels lost and might even question his life."

"Then...what should I do?" Hinata panicked. "I...I'm actually very weak and afraid of fighting. If it weren't for you, Naruto-kun, I might have..."

"Might have gotten beaten up?" Naruto asked. "Do you want to endure a beating to earn Neji's favor for the main family?"

"I..." Hinata hesitated.

"Relax." Naruto reached out to pat her head, comforting her. "This isn't something you alone can solve. The conflict between the main and branch families isn't your fault."

"Naruto-kun, is there really no solution?" Hinata asked, her voice tinged with grievance.

"There is," Naruto replied. "When you become the clan leader, abolish the Caged Bird Seal completely."

"But I..."

"You're not seriously considering fighting for the clan leader position just for Neji, are you?" Naruto asked with a teasing smile.

"Um..."

"I'm kidding. Solving the problem doesn't necessarily require you to become the clan leader," Naruto said. "Your father is the leader of the Hyuga clan. All you need to do is convince him to abolish the Caged Bird Seal."

"The seal was originally intended to protect the weaker members of the Hyuga clan. If the Byakugan couldn't be stolen, there'd be no reason to target the branch house. However, the perfect Byakugan of the main family would then bear the risk of being coveted, which is why the branch house traditionally protects the main family."

"But at its core, it's because the Byakugan is too easy to transplant and too powerful for reconnaissance, making it a target. If the focus shifts to protecting the eyes, maybe the Caged Bird Seal can eventually be removed."

Hinata stared at Naruto, wide-eyed.

"Naruto-kun, how do you know so much about the Hyuga clan?"

Naruto dismissed the question casually.

"I heard it from someone."

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