[Returning to the topic of the Byakugan. Suppose you are a branch member of the Hyūga clan, yearning desperately for freedom. How can you break free from the shackles of the Caged Bird Seal?]
As soon as those words were spoken, the branch members of the Hyūga clan across all timelines instantly perked up.
It's here!
It's finally here!
The answer they had longed for!
Meanwhile, the faces of Hiashi and the main family elders instantly darkened. They desperately wanted to forbid the branch members present from watching or listening.
But the Sky Screen could be seen everywhere across the Shinobi World, and they couldn't stop people from talking. Moreover, only a few elite members were sitting here—most branch members were watching from their own locations.
In the end, everyone would know.
They exchanged glances, and after a silent communication, they ultimately said nothing.
But they had already made up their minds: once the Sky Screen said something, they had to restrict things in that direction.
However…
The Sky Screen had also mentioned that the Hyūga clan was still facing the threat of the Ōtsutsuki clan on the moon.
So they believed that most of the branch members wouldn't dare to remove it anyway, and as for themselves, they even wanted to come up with a protective measure that didn't have control functions.
[The essence of the Caged Bird Seal is restraint and control. The main family of the Hyūga clan can use the Caged Bird Seal to control the brain nerves of its branch members and can also seal away the abilities of the Byakugan.]
[Even after a branch member's eyes are removed or after their death, the seal can still completely destroy their ocular and brain tissue. This curse seal has extremely strong binding power; once applied, it cannot be removed for life.]
[Purely in terms of functionality, the Caged Bird Seal is undoubtedly a success. It's likely that the ancestors of the Hyūga clan never even considered the possibility of release when they designed it.]
The branch family members fell silent, some unconsciously touching their foreheads.
Although they had long known this, having it laid out so bluntly by the Sky Screen still stirred a wave of sorrow in their hearts.
Never to be undone for life. Unable to escape even in death. Was this mark truly going to accompany them for their entire lives?
[However, as a Jutsu, there is bound to be a way to break it.]
The branch family members' eyes lit up again.
There's a way!
[The first method is to commit suicide and then be revived using Edo Tensei. Note that it must be Edo Tensei; resurrection techniques like Rinne Tensei or Kisho Tensei will not work. After all, the Caged Bird Seal acts directly on the brain and even involves the soul level, so even after resurrection, the Caged Bird Seal mark will still exist. Therefore, simple suicide and resurrection will not work.]
The hearts of the branch family members sank again.
They felt like the Sky Screen was toying with them.
Kill themselves, then be revived? That didn't sound like something worth trying at all!
Still… Edo Tensei?
Would that really work?
Neji's eyes reddened. Even death and revival couldn't free him from the Caged Bird Seal? So, in the end, even his father had never become a free man?
[But Edo Tensei is different. It resurrects and controls the deceased, and its control priority is even higher than that of the Caged Bird Seal. In the Fourth Great Ninja War, after Hyūga Hizashi was revived by Edo Tensei, even Hyūga Hiashi had no way to use the Caged Bird Seal to send him directly back to the Pure Land.]
On the Sky Screen, a battle scene soon appeared.
Many people recognized the two figures, and Neji stood up directly, his body trembling slightly, tears silently streaming down his face.
"Father…"
Hiashi was also shaken. looking at the familiar figure on the Sky Screen, his lips quivered, and his voice was barely audible:
"Hizashi…"
Only young Hinata noticed something unusual about him and looked up.
On the screen, two men stood facing each other.
On the left stood Hyūga Hizashi, dressed in casual clothes. On the right was Hyūga Hiashi, wearing combat gear. Both had activated their Byakugan, veins bulging at their temples.
They were clearly confronting each other—or rather, fighting.
When the screen focused on Hizashi's face, everyone saw that the Caged Bird Seal was still clearly visible on his forehead.
Even after death, it remained!
The branch family members felt despair. This ugly mark couldn't be erased even after death.
Still, recalling what the Sky Screen had said earlier, a glimmer of hope remained in their hearts. Though no one would likely use that method to gain freedom, it was still a method, wasn't it?
At the very least, it proved that the Caged Bird Seal wasn't absolutely unbreakable.
The branch family members' emotions grew even more complicated.
Edo Tensei… What kind of Jutsu was that? And who in the world knew it? Was it the Jutsu Orochimaru had demonstrated earlier?
If they could find someone who knew it…
No. That wouldn't work.
Killing themselves, then being controlled by someone else—what did that have to do with freedom?
Meanwhile, the rest of the Shinobi World had shifted their focus entirely.
After all, the Caged Bird Seal had nothing to do with them. But the existence of so many resurrection techniques in the world—that was extremely important.
Resurrection techniques—who wouldn't want one?
Who in the world hadn't lost a friend or family member? And what if they died themselves?
Some even thought that if the Uchiha clan learned these Jutsus, they'd never have to worry about awakening their Sharingan again.
Edo Tensei!
Rinne Tensei!
Kisho Tensei!
The Sky Screen had directly named three resurrection techniques. Who knew how many others might exist in the Shinobi World?
---
[Konoha, Year 60 · Hokage Office]
Tsunade stared at the Sky Screen, a complex expression flashing in her eyes.
She already knew that Orochimaru possessed Edo Tensei. And after becoming the Hokage, she had also reviewed the requirements and effects of this forbidden Jutsu. She knew it had many flaws, which had already dispelled some of her own thoughts.
But the other two—she had never heard of them before.
She wondered if they also came with drawbacks… or if she could even find someone who knew these Jutsus to revive Nawaki and Dan.
Hiruzen sat to the side, his brows locked in a frown, focusing on something else entirely.
"The Fourth Great Ninja War!"
"Even Hiashi, the head of the Hyūga clan, has to go to the battlefield?"
He recalled the information the Sky Screen had mentioned earlier—the Akatsuki, the Tailed Beasts, and that mysterious "Mr. Simp."
Had the war really reached such a point?
Hiruzen looked at Jiraiya and Tsunade. "Edo Tensei… Was it Orochimaru who started the Fourth Great Ninja War?"
Tsunade's thoughts were interrupted by Hiruzen's question. The three exchanged glances, each seeing the same suspicion in the others' eyes.
---
[Land of Rain · Amegakure]
Nagato's expression darkened. "Rinne Tensei… has been exposed as well."
Konan stood beside him, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "Nagato…"
Nagato then shook his head. "It's fine. Let it be exposed. It doesn't matter much."
---
[Land of Wind · Sunagakure]
Chiyo smiled: "My Kisho Tensei has also made it onto the Sky Screen."
Ebizo asked cautiously from the side, "Sister… that Jutsu of yours…"
"It can indeed revive the dead, but the price… is the user's life."
Ebizō fell silent. While Chiyo sighed: "Unfortunately… Sasori, that child… no longer needs it."
*****
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