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"You…"
The words, laced with deep persuasion, reached Hizashi's ears like a whisper in the dark. He jolted awake from his trance, instinctively taking a stumbling step back.
"What exactly… are you?" Hizashi asked shakily, staring at the figure cloaked in shadow beside him, his scalp prickling. "Why would you say all this to me?"
"I'm just trimming away the weeds," Unkawa replied calmly, "while waiting to see what kind of flower might bloom."
As he spoke, though no face was visible beneath the hood, Hizashi felt as though a pair of eyes were staring at him — eyes brimming with quiet, smoldering malice.
Like fire burning without noise or grandeur — only silent flickering.
It didn't care what it ignited or destroyed. Hizashi, the head of the branch family, was merely fuel for its flame.
Hizashi fell silent.
"The main house is the root of the Hyūga clan. As long as the root remains, it matters little whether the branches flourish or wither."
This was how his father had raised him since childhood.
But now, memories of Hinata's weak, hesitant form during training surfaced again, stirring up dark thoughts he couldn't suppress.
"With Neji's talent, he could have become one of the strongest warriors of our clan — yet because he was born into the branch family, he must bear the Caged Bird Seal and lose his freedom forever, living forever in the shadow of the main house…"
"And yet, a timid girl of the main house can sit idly by, enjoying Neji's protection as if it were her right — demanding his life in sacrifice…"
As a father, wasn't it pathetic to be the one who stripped his own child of freedom?
He had chosen to die quietly for the sake of brief freedom.
But for Neji… he wanted something more.
He wanted Neji to live — truly live, full of vitality and will, not as anyone's pawn, not burdened by the so-called fate of the branch family.
"Believe me," Unkawa said softly, "selling your soul to the devil isn't shameful."
"Only failing to get a good price for it is."
"…What can you do?"
After a long silence, Hizashi finally spoke.
"What would I have to give?"
"I can grant you the strength to break free from the cage," Unkawa answered calmly.
"In return, you give me everything — your name, your future, your life, your soul…"
"You…" Hizashi hesitated, unable to hide his shock.
"This deal isn't fair at all."
"Isn't that what devils are for?" Unkawa's voice remained steady.
"So… what is your answer?"
Hizashi's breath grew heavier. Despite knowing the other man's malicious intent, he found himself unable to reject the offer outright.
This person had stripped him bare — like a demon peeling away human desire, inch by inch, weighing every ounce of longing and laying it bare on the table.
After a pause, he gritted his teeth and shook his head.
"I don't believe you can truly free us from the cage. And I don't believe such a thing is even possible."
As long as the Caged Bird Seal existed, Neji could never truly escape.
Even the head of the main house could only activate the seal — never remove it.
"Fine." Unkawa didn't seem surprised. He simply nodded.
"Then allow me to give you a taste."
At the same time, he silently recited within his mind:
"Manifest item — ten seconds of Caged Bird Seal removal."
[Spend 300 Reality Points. Confirm manifestation?]
"Of course — not full removal, just temporary. It won't cost too much."
Unkawa's eyes flickered slightly as he confirmed, "Manifest."
Hearing his words, Hizashi stiffened. He watched as two fingers extended toward his forehead — and for an instant, his blood seemed to freeze.
Instinctively, he wanted to step back.
But in the next moment, those fingers stopped before his brow — and a sudden surge rushed through his body.
It felt as if a seam had been torn open across his forehead, letting a stream of clear water pour inside, spreading into countless tiny tributaries that swept through every blockage in his mind.
Hizashi even heard the sound of invisible chains snapping — a veil over his senses slowly lifting.
Never before had the world felt so vividly clear.
His Byakugan trembled violently. The first thing he did upon regaining his senses was widen his eyes — veins bulging around them.
"Byakugan! Open!!"
Gone?
It was really gone!
The blind spot — truly gone!
How was this possible?!
Disbelief flooded his face, but joy quickly twisted into a wild grin — one that bordered on madness.
"Ha… ha… hahaha!"
Was this… what freedom felt like?
Light, pure, joyful…
A thousand sensations surged through his limbs and bones, as if some hidden chain had been severed. The entire world had suddenly brightened.
All decorum abandoned, Hizashi laughed wildly, tears forming at the corners of his eyes.
No one else could possibly understand — the ecstasy of having once lost everything, then suddenly getting it back, when your very life had been held in another's palm.
But soon, the faint mark of the Caged Bird Seal on his forehead returned.
And with it, the familiar blind spot reappeared behind the seventh thoracic vertebra — the world dimming once more.
"What happened?"
The joy vanished instantly from Hizashi's face, replaced by confusion and pain.
But he quickly remembered — this was only an experience.
"You!" Hizashi grabbed the arm of the man beside him, his voice trembling with urgency.
"What do you want me to do?"
Unkawa didn't react in surprise. He didn't rush to answer either.
Instead, he asked calmly:
"You and Hiashi are identical twins, aren't you?"
"...Yes."
Seeing Hizashi nod with a grim expression, Unkawa continued evenly:
"I need you to become Hiashi. And let Hizashi Hyūga die."
"What?!" Hizashi' pupils contracted sharply.
"Impossible!"
Did this man expect him to fake his death — and take his brother's place?
That was unthinkable!
"You said you believed me."
Unkawa looked at the hand still gripping his arm and gently pried it off.
"You only need to follow orders."
Moonlight cast their shadows onto the ground, swaying among the trees.
Silence stretched between them.
Then, thinking back to what he had just felt — that overwhelming yearning — Hizashi clenched his jaw tightly.
"Fine. I'll do it."
Looking at Hizashi's frenzied state, Unkawa allowed himself a small smile.
A bird that had once tasted freedom would never willingly return to the cage.
Even if it was only a fleeting experience.
Still, Hizashi was merely a supporting actor in this play.
The true piece — the real player —
Unkawa's gaze shifted slightly, landing on the silent estate in the distance.
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