Dark clouds cover the sky, thunder shines in the clouds, and a faint roaring sound comes down.

The raindrops seemed to fall faster.

It was still only noon, but the sky seemed to be darkening early.

The dull atmosphere squeezed into the room made it difficult to breathe.

Most of Hizashi's figure was shrouded in the shadows of the walls of the room. He looked at Neji with a pair of white pupils, which were very bright in color.

Although he had already expected that this day would come sooner or later regarding Neji's problem.

But he didn't expect that this day would come so quickly, catching him off guard and not even preparing his words of defense in advance.

No, any sophistry explanation is meaningless in front of his smart and clear-thinking son.

What's more, Neji personally verified this matter.

Because once something is noticed, it is difficult to avoid suspicion and suspicion.

Facing his silent father, Neji clenched his fists tighter and tighter. Although his chest was filled with boundless anger, surprisingly, his tone was exceptionally calm.

"When did this happen..."

when?

It's really a very ambiguous question.

Hizashi sighed in his heart.

There is really no need to hide this kind of thing.

"It has been a rule since ancient times, but after the split seventeen years ago, the clan's restrictions on family division have become even more stringent."

Hizashi replied calmly.

"Seventeen years ago..."

Neji suddenly understood and didn't feel too surprised.

Seventeen years ago, that was the time when Hinata Ayane defected to Konoha.

If that year is used as the dividing line, then a lot of things do make sense.

"That's right. Coincidentally, the Third Ninja War broke out that year, and Konoha was forced to get involved in the battlefield. The Hyuga clan, which should have gone all out to fight on the front line, ended up being betrayed by Hyuga Ayane.

We had to huddle in the village in the early stages of the war, unable to send manpower to the front line for support."

"Is it because the other party has the ability to crack the caged bird?"

Neji asked.

Hizashi recalled the scenes from that year, as if he could remember them vividly and freshly.

"Yes, this technology was obtained by a person who was hostile to the Hyuga clan, and the consequences were more terrifying than imagined. However, the village was in a tight situation on the frontline battlefield, and the Hyuga clan's retreat strategy made many people dissatisfied. As a last resort, in order to

The clan members were dispatched to the battlefield as soon as possible to support them, and at the same time to appease the higher-ups, the clan at that time could only use extreme means to control the branch families."

That is to monitor the family members of all the ninjas who are out on missions and monitor them 24 hours a day.

Once the out-of-town ninjas defecting from the clan or doing something unfavorable to the clan, their family members will be executed.

Using family members as a deterrent, even if the divided family is dissatisfied, they can only obey all the orders of the clan.

Neji could deduce such a result by using his brain a little.

"At that time, the clan's operations were assisted by the ANBU directly under the Hokage. Every move of the clan was monitored to prevent defectors from inciting rebellion. And the effect was obvious. During the Third Ninja War, the branch affiliated with Konoha

No one in the family has defected. Although there may be some small thoughts behind the scenes, under the coercive policy of the Zong family, they dare not act rashly in the open. At this point, the Zong family and the branch family have reunited on the surface, and their 'trust' has been restored.

relation."

But this kind of 'trust' is based on the safety of the family members, threatening to separate the family, and forcing the establishment of a 'trust' relationship with the clan family.

Such trust can be said to be fragile.

Once such a relationship is broken, there will be no room for buffering between the branch family and the clan family, and fierce conflicts will inevitably break out.

But the good thing is that as long as no accidents happen, the clan family and the branch family will still be as close as one family on the surface, trusting each other and maintaining the original contract.

As Hizashi, who was given a high degree of trust by the clan, he was also not exempt from the customs.

He and Neji could not leave the village at the same time. When one went out, the other had to stay in the family and be monitored by the family 24 hours a day like a prisoner.

"That's true..."

Neji closed his eyes with a sad expression and breathed heavily.

Although he had expected it, when his father Hizashi came to such a conclusion personally, humiliation and anger inevitably emerged in his heart, so that a dark emotion that wanted to destroy everything was born in his heart.

What do the guys from the Zong family think of dividing the family?

Is such a clan really worthy of his continued loyalty?

After Neji became angry, he opened his eyes with unprecedented confusion.

He no longer knows why he fought in the past.

I don’t know who I will fight for next.

No matter how you feel in life, it doesn’t matter.

Whether it was his family or his village, he had no reason to fight for them.

What’s the point of continuing to practice and become stronger?

Anyway, this is the only thing in this life.

Neji's will quickly sank, his eyes lost their light, he lowered his head, and his mind was filled with negative and indifferent thoughts.

Although he could force himself to continue fighting, whether it was fighting for his family or fighting for his village, he felt extremely repulsed just by imagining it.

Thinking of the indifferent attitude of the elders of the branch family, Neji suddenly understood why they faced life in such a turbulent and calm manner. Even in the face of all kinds of difficulties from the clan, they had a resigned attitude without any dissatisfaction.

Calm and calm.

Only the younger generation of separated families were deceived.

But young people will always grow up until they discover this cruel fact, and then they become like those elders who live apart from their parents, living in the family with an attitude that everything does not matter.

Even the thoughts of hatred are probably too lazy to be expressed because they are meaningless.

Neji smiled bitterly.

Before knowing this answer, all he thought about was how to fight for his family and village.

But now, such thoughts have completely disappeared from my mind.

"Sorry, I seem a little tired. I'm going back to rest first, father."

Seeing Ningji walking out of the room in despair, Hizashi wanted to keep him, but he just opened his mouth and didn't know what words to use to comfort him. In the end, he could only watch his back silently and disappear from sight.

I hope he can come out of the shadows and get back on his feet.

"Zong family, alas..."

Hizashi's sigh came from the room.

It's completely meaningless for days like this to continue.

Tossing and turning on the bed, what Neji was thinking about was the words Hizashi said at noon, which he couldn't let go of for a long time.

He was only thirteen years old this year. When he thought about the possibility that the next few decades would be meaningless and live like a zombie, Neji couldn't help but feel sad and depressed.

But committing suicide would be too extreme. At least Neji didn't have any thoughts of committing suicide, although he no longer had high expectations for the future.

And the root of everything is not caused by that woman - Hyuga Ayane. The root of all unreasonableness lies in the caged bird. Hyuga Ayane is, at best, just the last straw that overwhelms the trust relationship between the clan and the branch family. The hidden dangers within the Hyuga clan,

In fact, it had already appeared, and it was not brought by Hinata Ayane.

Therefore, Neji did not have any hatred towards the Hyuga clan in the Kingdom of Demons.

Some are just envy, and some have unexplained desires.

In this family and in this village, I can no longer find a reason to fight for them, and my dreams in life have become worthless and vanished.

As long as this mark on his forehead is not removed, no matter how optimistic he faces life, Neji will still feel grudge and rejection.

Human beings are such creatures.

Even if you are looking at the same things, admiring the same scenery, and thinking about the same things, the resulting feelings are completely different.

I cannot experience the joy of those people, nor can I empathize with it.

It's like they don't understand what the inner world of people who have lost their freedom is like.

Therefore, rather than being depressed and helpless, Neji felt more at a loss about the future.

It's like coming to a fork in the road where many roads intersect. It seems that you can take any road, but it seems that no matter which road you go down, it is unsatisfactory, there is no value in going on, and your life is empty.

If your freedom is restricted, your personality is humiliated, and even your closest family members are subjected to extreme injustice, then it is inevitable to have such thoughts.

Reality is extremely empty.

Then the only freedom I have now is probably to dream.
To be continued...