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Chapter 52- Free yourself from your fate, Neji

'Normal thought...'

"Kyuubi/Bijuu speech..."

'Kyuubi communicating with Naruko inside her head...'

"'Mother' whispering things inside Gaara's head..."

'Shukaku thinking without Gaara hearing him...'

"Normal speech..."

Jutsu name...

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Neji tsked angrily. "Hyuuga has a Hidden Ninjutsu that is passed on within the head family. And that is the Hyuuga Sooke no Juinjutsu. "

"Juinjutsu?" Naruko narrowed her eyes. 'A Fuuinjutsu?!'

Neji closed his eyes. "That cursed seal resembles a caged bird... and is also the symbol for those who are bound within inescapable destiny."

Naruko's eyes widened in surprise as Neji took off his hitai-ate. She stared with wide eyes at the seal on his forehead. 'As I can tell with my current knowledge in Fuuinjutsu, this seal is quite complex...' She ripped herself out of her thoughts and looked seriously at Neji, who seemed to be pained because of showing his seal to the world. "What's the purpose of this seal?"

"One day, when I was four... this detestable seal was carved in my forehead with that Juinjutsu." Neji told her seriously. "That day there was a big ceremony going on in Konohagakure no Sato. It was also the day when Kaminari no Kuni, which had been at war with Konoha for a long time, had their Kumogakure no Sato's head ninja come to conclude the alliance treaty. But in that event where everyone from Konoha including the Jounins to the Genins participated... There was one clan who didn't participate. The Hyuuga Clan. That day was the long-awaited day when the head family's successor turned three. It was Hinata-sama's third birthday..."

Naruko's thoughts raced as she tried to get behind what the Hyuuga clan was about and why they used such a dangerous Fuuinjutsu.

Neji stopped his story for a short moment, to glare up to Hiashi. "My father, Hyuuga Hizashi, and Hinata-sama's father up there, Hyuuga Hiashi-sama, were twin brothers." He frowned angrily. "But Hinata-sama's father, Hiashi-sama, was born first. A head family member. And my father, the second son, became a branch family member."

Naruko shook her head at that. 'That's so messed up... They were twins and still one of them had to become a head family member, while the other, who was just been born a few minutes later, had to become a branch family member! Even if the word 'family' is in these names, it has nothing to do with a family! Not even a clan should be divided in this way!'

'But that's how life is...' Kyuubi said wisely inside her head.

'Oh, shut it, Kyuu! It doesn't matter if they just follow a tradition, some fool in the past came up with and thought this was a good idea... They have to change it for the sake of their clan! Everyone would be happier if they were even a bit closer to equality!'

Kyuubi shook his head in fondness at her angry rant.

"When the head family successor reached the age of three... I was engraved with the cursed seal and became a caged bird... A Hyuuga branch member!"