At this moment, hearing Hyūga Sōsuke's sudden turnabout on the arena stage—a complete face-flip compared to two days ago—everyone was left utterly dumbfounded. People exchanged bewildered glances. In the VIP seating area reserved for the Daimyō's representatives and nobility, the expressions of several high-ranking figures from the Land of Fire darkened drastically.
"What?!"
"The Hyūga Main House really submitted to Tennin?"
"Then didn't our previous actions genuinely anger Tennin?"
"And the one spreading rumors behind the scenes, manipulating our judgment, and inciting conflict between us and Tennin was actually Hyūga Hizashi?!"
"That man deserves to die! He deserves death!"
On the other side of the arena, the representatives of Konoha's various factions and the gathered members of the Hyūga Branch House were equally shaken. "Stealing from the ancestral shrine, framing others, coercing clan members, spreading rumors..."
"Every single one of these is a major crime! If this is true, then Hyūga Hizashi really is a sinner of the Hyūga Clan! To think we trusted him so much before!"
On stage, Hyūga Sōsuke looked with satisfaction at the commotion in the spectator stands. He snapped his head around, his gaze locking onto Hyūga Hizashi like ice as he barked coldly, "Hyūga Hizashi, do you have anything left to say?"
Meanwhile, hearing his crimes callously exposed by the Main House while the surrounding crowd buzzed like flies about the title of "Tennin"—a name that rightfully belonged to him, yet was attributed to Hyūga Yū—Hizashi felt countless eyes locked on him, filled with contempt and pity...
In that instant, Hyūga Hizashi couldn't stop his body from trembling violently. Two cold glints burst from his eyes as a sinister, purple eight-pointed star pattern materialized in the center of his pure white pupils.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Hizashi suddenly erupted into wild laughter. His long black hair whipped up into the air without any wind, making him look like a demon reborn!
Seeing this, Hyūga Sōsuke frowned and secretly gestured to the area below the stage. At the same time, his fingers formed the Ram hand seal for the Caged Bird Seal, staring cautiously at Hizashi.
In the next breath, Hizashi abruptly stopped laughing. The rage and gloom on his face vanished in an instant, replaced by a mocking sneer.
"Tennin?"
"Tennin?"
"You... you fools actually still think Hyūga Yū is Tennin? Then today, allow me to tell you..."
"There is only ONE Tennin in the Hyūga Clan!"
The moment the words left his mouth—
—BOOM!!
A terrifying surge of chakra exploded outward with Hyūga Hizashi at its epicenter, sweeping across the arena without discrimination!
Gales whipped up as the entire venue trembled!
Eerie purple chakra burst through Hizashi's body, transforming into a pillar of purple light that pierced straight into the heavens!
"Hiss... Is this the trump card the Clan Head spoke of?"
Seeing this, Sōsuke's weathered face instantly turned grave. He immediately activated his Byakugan and scanned the arena. Finding no sign of Hyūga Yū anywhere in the stadium, his expression tightened. That brat Hyūga Yū hasn't arrived yet. Now isn't the time to unleash Hizashi's power. It seems we need to suppress Hizashi for a moment.
Last night, the plan agreed upon between Sōsuke, the other elders, and Hyūga Hiashi wasn't just for the Main House to target Hizashi. Their true objective was to incite a conflict between Hizashi and Hyūga Yū, forcing the two into a fight to the death where Hizashi would eliminate Yū—who had somehow broken the Caged Bird Seal—ensuring the Main House emerged as the ultimate victor!
Right now, Hizashi's rage had been thoroughly stoked, but...
Where was Hyūga Yū? Why hadn't he arrived yet?
Sōsuke couldn't help but recall that forcing Hyūga Yū to come to the venue was Clan Head Hyūga Hiashi's responsibility, and the method was simple—
Hiashi would personally kill Yū's fiancée, Hyūga Natsu—who was merely an Chūnin—frame Hizashi for the scene, and deliberately leak the news to Yū.
Looking at the situation now, something must have gone wrong on the Clan Head's end.
However, Sōsuke didn't believe Hiashi would fail. Aside from Hizashi, who was utilizing forbidden power, Hiashi was the strongest within the Hyūga Clan. Dealing with a mere Chūnin like Hyūga Natsu was child's play; he was likely on his way back right now...
With that thought, a cold sneer curled up Sōsuke's lips as he looked down at Hizashi, who was engulfed in the pillar of purple light. He shouted sharply, "Elders of the Main House, take the stage!"
As his voice fell, three other elders of the Main House leaped onto the arena stage from below. Following close behind them were ten more Main House members. A total of fourteen Main House ninjas sprang forward in unison under Sōsuke's lead, forming a broad circle that surrounded Hizashi in the center. All fourteen raised their hands simultaneously, weaving the Ram seal for the Caged Bird Seal!
In the next instant—
"Caged Bird Seal—Execute!"
With Sōsuke's sharp bark, violent chakra surges erupted from the bodies of all fourteen Main House members!
At the center of the arena:
"Ghh... ROAR!!!"
Having just tapped into the power of the purple Byakugan, Hizashi immediately let out a beast-like howl of agonizing fury! Right after, everyone witnessed—
The Caged Bird curse mark on Hizashi's forehead glowed blindingly bright, violently draining his life force and chakra to generate a surge of green Caged Bird chakra!
The moment this chakra manifested, it coursed through Hizashi's entire body before blasting out from the manji mark on his forehead!
The giant purple light pillar was instantly pierced through by a blade-like stream of green chakra, snapped clean in two!
Within seconds, the howling winds abated, and the pillar of light dispersed.
In the stands, the audience had just been terrified by Hizashi going wild, yet before they could even calm their racing hearts, the Main House members had already moved. When they looked back at the arena, they saw Hizashi—who had been insufferably arrogant moments ago—now sprawling on the ground like a dead dog!
Across his body, fourteen bright chains of green Caged Bird chakra pierced through his hands, feet, and spine, pinning him to the ground. No matter how violently he thrashed, he couldn't break free.
The sight was somewhat absurd, leaving the representatives of Konoha's various clans in the spectator seats utterly bewildered.
Seated near the front, Akimichi Chōza—who was taking up three seats by himself—tsked softly as he watched the scene, unable to hold back his astonishment to the nearby clan heads. "Is the Caged Bird Seal... truly this terrifying?"
"Hyūga Hizashi's strength is no less than my own. In fact, I could feel that under the enhancement of that purple chakra just now, he had grown even stronger."
"Yet even so... against the Caged Bird Seal, he was defeated in a single strike?"
To the side, Yamanaka Inoichi shook his head, a deeper shade of gravity entering his eyes. "Two days ago, Hyūga Sōdō's Caged Bird Seal had no effect whatsoever against Tennin."
"Looking at it this way... Tennin truly is unfathomably powerful."
Turning his head, Inoichi looked at Nara Shikaku, who sat beside him in silence with a deeply furrowed brow. "Shikaku, did you notice anything?"
Shikaku kept his eyes locked on Hizashi, who was pinned at the center of the arena, and murmured in confusion, "Strange..."
"What's strange?"
"If the Hyūga Main House possesses the power to take Hizashi's life at any given moment, why haven't they done it?"
"Things have already reached this point. If the Main House wants to mend its relationship with Hyūga Yū, discarding Hizashi is their only option. But looking at their posture, it doesn't seem like..."
"You're right, Shikaku!" At that moment, Namikaze Minato—sitting in the front row—suddenly spoke up with a grim expression. "Clan heads, stay alert. Something... might go wrong soon!"
"Go wrong?"
The leaders of the Ino-Shika-Chō trio glanced at each other. But soon, as if realizing something, Shikaku gasped, "Minato, are you saying last night's unusual troop movements in the village were related to the Hyūga Clan?"
Just as Minato was about to reply, Uchiha Fugaku—who had sat beside him in stoic silence—suddenly flared a pair of crimson, three-tomoe Sharingan. Staring intently at the field, he said grimly, "Two days ago, only Hyūga Sōdō cast the Caged Bird Seal on Tennin. But now, there are fourteen people targeting Hizashi."
"Furthermore, look closely—"
"Under the suppression of this curse technique, Hyūga Hizashi... hasn't completely lost his ability to resist. In fact, it seems he is... doing something?"
Hearing Fugaku's words, the group's expressions tightened as they turned back to look.
Pinned to the arena floor, Hizashi's expression grew increasingly terrifying as he struggled. The muscles on his face contorted monstrously; the skin around the corners of his eyes stretched as if on the verge of tearing, and his round eyeballs looked ready to pop out of their sockets!
His eyes, suppressed by the Caged Bird Seal to only emit a faint purple glow, had their whites completely bloodshot in this moment!
Face-down on the stage, he bit brutally into the arena floor—gnawing until his mouth was drenched in blood, his teeth shattered, and deep grooves were carved directly into the hard concrete surface!
"Ghh... ghkh..." Hizashi uttered a suppressed low growl, his entire body trembling. Once again, he was tasting this exact humiliation—the feeling of being treated like livestock, no different from the past!
However, while the intensity of the Caged Bird Seal this time was far greater than ever before, it was also weaker than ever before.
At the very least...
Under the suppression of the Caged Bird Seal right now, Hyūga Hizashi was no longer entirely helpless!
With immense difficulty, he extended a hand pierced through by the Caged Bird chains, fumbling at the storage pouch on his waist. A scroll with a purple cover dropped out, rolling right up to his lips. With blood-red eyes, Hizashi marshaled his final reserve of strength and bit down on the scroll!
With a violent jerk of his head, he flung it open!
Blood stained the plain white body of the scroll red as it unrolled in a flash, revealing a massive character written inside: "Eye" (眼)!
POOF!
A massive cloud of white smoke erupted!
Seeing this, Sōsuke's heart skipped a beat. He barked sharply, "Hyūga Hizashi, what are you trying to do?!"
"Surrender immediately!"
Yet, the only answer he received was Hizashi's utterly unhinged laughter and roaring rage!
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!"
Sōsuke immediately activated his Byakugan to pierce through the smoke, looking toward Hizashi at the center. To his sheer horror, he saw a pile of round, rolling white eyeballs resting atop the blood-soaked scroll.
And Hizashi—in a posture physically impossible for a human—widened his jaws so forcefully that he severed his own mandible. Deprived of support, his tongue hung down like a necktie, swaying back and forth in front of his neck. From deep within his throat came a continuous, instinctual swallowing sound, like that of a wild beast.
One Byakugan after another was devoured, sucked into Hizashi's mouth and swallowed whole into his stomach!
Watching this spine-chilling horror, Sōsuke felt a cold dread seize his heart. The hand holding the Caged Bird seal began to tremble, and waves of terror crashed over his mind!
Caring no longer about Hiashi's instructions, and terrified by the monster Hizashi had become, Sōsuke widened his eyes and screamed at the surrounding Main House members in a trembling voice, "Quick! Change the seal!"
"Everyone, drop the binding—kill him directly!"
"Caged Bird Seal—KILL!"
Sōsuke shifted his seal instantly, releasing his index and middle fingers to cross his hands into the Snake hand seal to execute the Caged Bird execution!
However, the very second the second Caged Bird seal was formed—
In front of Sōsuke, centered on Hizashi—who was crawling on the ground frantically devouring Byakugan—a massive pillar of purple light ten meters wide blasted into the sky!
—BOOM!!!
Violent gales rocked the stadium once more!
Terrifying purple chakra materialized into eight solid chakra arms that burst forth from beneath the arena stage!
Immediately after, Sōsuke felt his hands—still mid-seal—fall limply before his eyes. Stunned, he lowered his head, only to see a giant arm of purple chakra piercing straight through his chest!
Next, the chakra arm spun like a carousel, twisting his body in a brutal circle!
—SPLUTTER!
Blood sprayed into the air as heads were severed from bodies, rainlike droplets raining down!
Under this single strike, all fourteen Main House members who had been maintaining the Caged Bird Seal were severed in half!
At the center of the arena, a surge of chakra comparable to a Tailed Beast exploded into the heavens!
Wild purple chakra surged outward. Accompanied by the bloody rain and the screams that instantly erupted across the venue, a low, thoroughly insane laughter echoed out!
"Heh... heh heh... ha ha... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
The laughter rose and fell with chaotic cadence—from low chuckles to belly laughs, escalating into uninhibited, frantic hysteria!
Enveloped in a mantle of purple chakra akin to a Tailed Beast mantle, Hyūga Hizashi dragged himself up from the center of the arena. The flesh on his body churned alongside the purple chakra flowing over him as his outer layer tore open completely. As the flesh writhed, eyes began to open one after another across Hizashi's back, arms, elbows, shoulders, chest, abdomen, waist, thighs, and feet...
Countless Byakugan opened all over Hyūga Hizashi's body!
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"I see it now!"
"I FINALLY SEE IT NOW!"
Having transformed into a horrifying, walking frame of human eyes, Hizashi abruptly cut off his laughter. In a tone chilling enough to freeze one's bones, he faced the terrified members of the Branch House in the audience and spoke:
"THIS—is the power of Tennin!"
————
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