Naruto: Wood-Wood Fruit

"Phew..."

A gentle breeze blew across the open field.

Two figures, long separated, sat there, catching up with each other.

As Neji listened to Kiyoshi recount his past two years of experiences, he couldn't help but feel a pang of envy. 

Compared to Kiyoshi, who had seen so much of the world beyond Konoha, Neji felt like a frog trapped at the bottom of a well, gazing up at a limited sky from within the confines of his village.

"Oh? Lee has been taken on as a student by Jonin Might Guy?" Hearing Neji say that Lee had become Might Guy's student, Kiyoshi was surprised.

He hadn't expected Lee, who was supposed to start his training with Guy after graduating, to have already gained the recognition of the Jonin and to be accepted as his student.

"That's partly your fault, Kiyoshi. The last time you were back, you mentioned that Might Guy, the Konoha Jonin, is a master of taijutsu who lacks skill in ninjutsu but excels purely in physical combat."

Neji sighed, his hands spread in resignation. He reminisced about Lee's arduous journey to becoming Guy's disciple. 

"Lee, seeing you become the student of one of the Sannin, was so fired up that he poured all his energy into finding Guy's residence, eventually kneeling outside his door for three days and nights. 

Then, he threw himself into Guy's intense training regime for three whole months without giving up."

"In the end, even Guy was moved by Lee's persistence and decided to accept him as his student."

Only someone as determined as Lee could see that through to the end. 

Neji, on the other hand, knew that his pride wouldn't allow him to beg so openly. 

He might not be willing to humble himself to that extent, even if it meant enduring mediocrity for the rest of his life.

Kiyoshi was at a loss for words.

He hadn't expected that his casual comment would drive Lee to such drastic lengths to become Guy's disciple—and to succeed.

From Neji's tone alone, Kiyoshi could sense how challenging the path had been. If he had been in Lee's place, he wasn't sure he'd have the tenacity to do the same. 

Perhaps it was precisely because Lee had been branded a failure since he was young, without any natural talent, that he lacked the arrogance that might hold him back and was willing to throw himself wholeheartedly into anything he set his mind to, even if it meant begging.

With a sweep of his hand, Kiyoshi activated his healing glow.

He treated the scars that had accumulated on Neji's hands from years of intense training and tended to the minor hidden injuries left by high-intensity training.

"Thank you." Neji smiled gratefully at Kiyoshi. After Kiyoshi's healing, he felt a noticeable lightness in his body.

"It's nothing, really," Kiyoshi waved it off, his gaze lingering curiously on Neji's forehead, partially hidden by a bandage. 

"But, can I see your 'Caged Bird' seal?"

Though the request was a bit forward, Kiyoshi was genuinely curious about the infamous "Caged Bird" curse mark of the Hyuga clan.

Thanks to the resources at his disposal through Root, he had learned a fair bit about sealing techniques and considered himself an expert. 

After all, the Caged Bird was, at its core, a form of seal.

Neji tensed for a moment, his fists clenching instinctively. 

He knew Kiyoshi's intentions weren't malicious, and with a sigh, he untied the bandage, exposing the greenish mark etched on his forehead.

"Isn't it ugly?" Neji said stoically.

"The Hyuga clan's Byakugan, with its exceptional insight, has always been coveted by outsiders. 

To prevent it from falling into enemy hands and to protect our clan's safety, our ancestors developed the Caged Bird Seal."

"Anyone attempting to steal the Byakugan will activate the seal, destroying it entirely, even posthumously," Neji explained with a mix of resentment and acceptance. 

Kiyoshi, who understood the intricacies of the seal, looked Neji in the eye and spoke bluntly, "I sense your hatred isn't solely because of the seal's appearance, right?"

"Exactly! Once branded with the Caged Bird Seal, one's life and death fall under the main family's control." Neji's clenched fists trembled as he struggled to keep his voice steady. 

"This seal isn't here to protect the Byakugan; it's a tool to ensure the branch families stay enslaved and always be afraid of the main family. The fact that the Uchiha clan never used such a seal for their Sharingan only proves my point."

"My father died because of it, forced to be a substitute for the clan head, Hiashi, so disgracefully sacrificing himself."

"The Cloud Village incident, right? I heard about it."

Kiyoshi nodded, unable to hide his disdain for the foolishness of Konoha's top brass. Konoha, once so powerful, had declined to a point where even Cloud dared to bully them.

The Cloud Village, eager to obtain the Byakugan, had sent an envoy under the guise of a peace treaty only to kidnap Hiashi's three-year-old daughter, Hinata. 

Hiashi had killed the intruder to save her, but the Cloud Village, refusing to acknowledge their misdeeds, instead accused Konoha of killing their emissary and demanded the "culprit" be handed over.

With tensions high and Konoha still recovering from the Third Shinobi World War and the recent Nine-Tails incident, they were forced to yield. 

The Third Hokage ultimately decided to send Neji's father, Hizashi, Hiashi's twin, to Cloud as a scapegoat, ending his life in exchange for peace.

"Pretty ironic, isn't it?" Neji's voice was tinged with bitterness as he looked at the sky, where birds soared freely. 

"They were twins, yet because he was born second, their fates diverged so vastly."

He might not have the talent of a prodigy like Kiyoshi, but he certainly was no less capable than Hinata, the main family's timid heir. 

He had no desire for power, all he wanted was to escape the brutal fate imposed by the branch family's seal. 

But the Caged Bird Seal, passed down through the Hyuga clan for generations, seemed an unbreakable barrier, keeping him trapped, a caged bird forever denied freedom.

"No matter how noble the intention behind a clan rule," Kiyoshi extended his hand, touching Neji's cursed seal as he channeled his chakra to probe the intricacies within. 

"If it remains unchanging, stubbornly clinging to tradition, it will inevitably become corrupted."

The Caged Bird Seal was no different.

Over time, it had gone from being a protection to a shackle that stifled those it was supposed to guard, turning them into caged birds. 

They were shielded to an extent but forever denied true freedom. No one wished to have their fate controlled by others.

Kiyoshi, with careful chakra manipulation, examined the complex structure of the seal without triggering it. 

Retracting his hand, he turned to Neji, who looked frustrated and defeated, and said with empathy.

"When absolute control is given to one group, like the Hyuga main family, arrogance naturally takes root, straying from the original intent of the clan's founders."

"And so, the main family inevitably begins to see the branch family as mere servants."

Through countless generations, the branch family had served the main family loyally, believing they were safeguarding the future of their clan.

And while the branch family protected the main family, the main family should have led the Hyuga to greatness, bringing security and pride to every clan member.

Yet, the power dynamic was skewed. 

The main family's hold over the branch family through the Caged Bird Seal created a one-sided relationship that neglected the mutual obligations inherent in a true clan structure. 

This imbalance led to Hizashi's sacrifice.

If Hiashi, the clan head, had possessed strength and determination rivaling that of a Kage, the village leadership would not have dared to impose such demands on the Hyuga clan.

"You're right." Neji re-tied the cloth around his forehead, hiding the loathsome seal. 

Gazing up at the vast, open sky, he watched the birds flying freely and muttered bitterly, "But this is my destiny…no matter how hard I try, I'm bound never to escape it."

"That may not be the case," Kiyoshi replied, his voice steady and resolute, "Your Caged Bird Seal… I think I might be able to break it for you."

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