A Hyūga's Gate Between Worlds

Two agile figures blended into the darkness, silently slipping out of the Hyūga clan compound, darting toward the Hokage Rock.

They were none other than Tanaka's shadow clone and Hizashi.

Both possessed the Byakugan, and since they weren't infiltrating another ninja clan or the Hokage's office, they easily avoided the patrolling shinobi and the watchful eyes of the ANBU in the shadows.

Without alarming anyone, they swiftly made their way to the forest behind the Hokage Rock.

"Hizashi-sensei, if you trust me, please deactivate your Byakugan from here onward."

The shadow clone paused, turning to look at Hizashi.

"Alright."

Hizashi took a deep look at his student's shadow clone. Without any hesitation, he chose to deactivate his Byakugan.

"Please follow me."

Seeing this, the shadow clone took the lead.

Hizashi remained silent, following closely behind.

As the night scenery blurred past on both sides, the two moved in tandem, soon reaching the depths of the forest.

Suddenly, the shadow clone came to a halt.

Hizashi stopped as well, his gaze shifting past the shadow clone to fix upon a figure leaning against a tree ahead.

Bathed in the moonlight, the figure seemed to be listening to the chorus of insects and frogs in the quiet night.

"We're here. From here on, my role as a shadow clone ends."

Having brought Hizashi to his original self, the shadow clone chose to disperse.

Poof!

With a soft puff of white smoke, the vast forest was left with only the master and student of the Hyūga branch house.

"Tanaka, you wished to see me, and now I'm here. Whatever you want to say, just speak freely."

"No matter how outrageous your words may be tonight, they won't reach a third person."

Hizashi looked at his student, suddenly finding him somewhat unfamiliar.

Though Tanaka's appearance had not changed in the slightest, he felt entirely different from the boy he had seen just that morning.

It was as if, overnight, he had shed all traces of childishness.

Yet, Hizashi harbored no suspicion toward him—after all, he had personally raised this student.

For him, who had only recently married and with no biological offsprings yet, Tanaka was like a son to him.

"..."

Hearing this, Tanaka did not immediately speak. Instead, he slowly reached up and brushed aside his bangs.

Even in the soft moonlight, and despite Hizashi not using his Byakugan, the glow of the moon was enough for him to see clearly.

"Impossible!"

His eyes widened in shock, fixated on Tanaka's forehead.

At that moment, his face was filled with utter astonishment, and he couldn't help but exclaim aloud.

Tanaka had said nothing—yet he had already conveyed everything.

"You! You! You—!"

Hizashi's gaze was locked onto his student's forehead—unmarked, without the slightest trace of the Caged Bird.

He shook his head repeatedly in disbelief.

His shock was beyond words.

It was as if his entire reality had collapsed around him.

"You're wondering why my Caged Bird is gone? Is that it, Hizashi-sensei?"

At this moment, Tanaka lifted his gaze, meeting Hizashi's deeply constricted pupils.

"This… Tanaka… Tanaka… What on earth… is going on?"

Hizashi called his student's name several times before finally managing to piece together a coherent sentence with a trembling voice.

"My shadow clone should have told you already. Even if I wasn't born into the main house, I can still surpass our ancestors. And it begins with breaking free from the Caged Bird."

Tanaka slowly stood up, his voice calm—not loud, yet carrying an imposing presence.

Unable to contain himself, Hizashi activated his Byakugan to examine Tanaka.

After confirming he wasn't under a genjutsu and that the Caged Bird had truly been removed, his expression became one of sheer amazement.

He had always known that his student possessed a talent that surpassed everyone in the Hyūga clan.

Whether it was the early awakening of the Byakugan, the visual prowess it granted, or his talent in taijutsu, he was far ahead of both the main and branch house members.

Because of this, he had even regarded Tanaka as someone with the potential to rival Madara and Hashirama.

However, when Hiashi engraved the Caged Bird on Tanaka, Hizashi had believed he would witness the "fall" of a genius. But to his surprise, even with the seal placed upon him, Tanaka still overshadowed the entire clan.

A curse mark that countless branch house members could never escape from—even in death—was broken by his student in less than 24 hours.

"You were right, Tanaka."

"Even though you were born into the branch house, you can still surpass our ancestors."

Hizashi's voice trembled with emotion.

"Let's set that aside for now, Hizashi-sensei."

"Don't you think there's something even more important waiting for us than surpassing our ancestors?"

A slight smirk appeared on Tanaka's lips—clearly satisfied with Hizashi's reaction.

"What do you mean?"

Still immersed in the shock of his student's unprecedented feat, Hizashi had yet to fully grasp the catastrophic consequences this revelation could bring if exposed—or the deeper meaning behind Tanaka's words.

"Naturally, it means inviting the Hyūga main house to their deaths." Tanaka smiled faintly, as if he were merely discussing something trivial.

"What?!" Hizashi's expression changed instantly. He stared at Tanaka in disbelief.

He had never imagined that his student would seek to destroy the Hyūga main house.

"What's wrong? Do you still think there's room for coexistence between me and the main house?"

"From the moment I broke free of the Caged Bird, it was already decided—either the Hyūga clan has me but not the main house, or it has the main house but not me," Tanaka spoke calmly.

"You underestimate the power of the main house, Tanaka."

By now, Hizashi had regained his composure.

As a veteran of the battlefield, he was far from naive enough to believe in something as foolish as "mutual understanding between people"—like Naruto did.

Even within the Hyūga clan itself, there was a clear division between the main and branch houses.

If coexistence were possible, there would have been no need for such a distinction in the first place.

But as the head of the branch house, he knew very well the sheer power the main house had accumulated over centuries by monopolizing the clan's resources.

Even without the Caged Bird, the secret techniques of the main house—techniques that branch house members could only dream of—were enough to make them despair.

"What do you think the main house is?"

"Do you really believe that the only difference between the main and branch families is the Caged Bird, Sixty-Four Palms, and Revolving Heaven?"

"No. These techniques are indeed secret arts of the main house, but they are merely the basics—entry-level techniques, at best."

Hizashi shook his head before revealing the true strength of the main house.

"And you? Even though you've broken free of the Caged Bird, in terms of power, you're just an average chunin compared to the main house."

"Any random jonin from the main house could render you powerless."

He was overjoyed—ecstatic, even—that his student had broken the Caged Bird.

But at the same time, he was deeply worried that Tanaka might become arrogant and lose sight of reality.

"Hizashi-sensei, at what point did you get the misconception that I am merely an ordinary chunin?"

Tanaka's expression remained unchanged as he slowly raised his palm.

"ROOM!"