213 Naruto: Snatching the Mangekyō

"Not bad, your Byakugan purity is excellent," Akira remarked with satisfaction.

Hyuga Kaori's Byakugan purity was indeed remarkable—surpassing even Hyuga Hinata's eyes in quality.

As it stood, her Byakugan was the purest among the entire Hyuga clan.

If not for the Caged Bird Seal, the Ōtsutsuki clan on the moon would undoubtedly covet her Byakugan.

Of course, while her Byakugan purity was high, that didn't necessarily mean she was the most compatible with Ōtsutsuki Toneri.

Compatibility was a two-way street, it couldn't be one-sided.

Nonetheless, with such high-purity Byakugan, the potential to awaken the Tenseigan was very real. Even if compatibility wasn't perfect, a little extra effort could make it happen.

Kaori blushed and sat up, her face glowing with joy—whether from excitement or something else was unclear.

"However," Uchiha Akira continued, "due to the presence of the Caged Bird Seal, your Byakugan still has some limitations. We'll need to remove the seal before we can truly begin."

"The Caged Bird Seal!" Kaori's face contorted with resentment at the mention of it.

"Don't worry," Akira reassured her. "As long as we have the seal formula, we can break it quickly."

Kaori lowered her head, speaking softly. "I understand, Hokage-sama. It's just... the thought of finally gaining my freedom—I can't control my emotions."

"Go back and prepare," Akira instructed. "Once the Caged Bird Seal is removed, we'll start in earnest."

...

The next morning,

Hyuga Hiashi came to the Hokage's office with the seal formula for the Caged Bird Seal in hand.

It was said that the previous night, a severe conflict erupted within the Hyuga clan.

Several elder members of the clan were sent to Konoha Hospital that very night, many suffering significant injuries—some even critically wounded.

It was clear that Hiashi had employed decisive and ruthless methods to achieve internal unity.

"This isn't too complex," Akira thought to himself, examining the seal formula. "If the Fourth Hokage and Uzumaki Kushina were still around, they could probably crack this within a day."

While the formula wasn't overly challenging, Akira's proficiency in sealing techniques couldn't compare to the Fourth Hokage or Kushina.

"Never mind," he muttered, shaking his head. "I'll provide a general outline for breaking the seal and leave the rest to the sealing team."

After all, he had plenty of other pressing matters to attend to—such as the remnants of the Ten-Tails.

While its spiritual form had been destroyed, its enormous physical form made its spiritual regeneration alarmingly fast.

Akira couldn't afford to let any mistakes occur regarding the Ten-Tails, especially not allowing Black Zetsu to exploit any openings.

By that afternoon, the sealing team had taken the Caged Bird formula and Akira's proposed solution to begin their work.

The team's leader was Uzumaki Rika from Kusagakure.

Although her expertise couldn't rival that of Kushina, she had inherited much of the Uzumaki clan's sealing knowledge.

After Akira became Hokage, he granted her access to many of the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques.

Now, Rika's proficiency in sealing techniques was among the best in Konoha, second only to Akira and Tsunade.

Yes, even Tsunade was highly skilled in sealing arts—though hers were a unique fusion of medical ninjutsu and sealing techniques. Her masterpiece was the S-rank Yin Seal, a combination of immense complexity and precision.

With Rika on the case, Akira didn't need to personally handle the Caged Bird Seal.

Three days later, she placed the completed solution for breaking the seal on Akira's desk.

Soon after, Hyuga Hiashi arrived at the Hokage's office.

"Hiashi," Akira said gravely, "this is the formula for breaking the Caged Bird Seal. Take it back to the branch family immediately—there can be no delays!"

Hiashi took a deep breath, his hands trembling as he picked up the scroll.

"Understood, Hokage-sama!"

"Go," Akira instructed with a wave of his hand.

With that, the Hyuga clan's barbaric thousand-year tradition was finally brought to an end. For the first time, the branch family and main family would stand on equal footing.

The removal of the Caged Bird Seal didn't cause much of a stir in Konoha.

After all, few villagers knew about the Hyuga clan's so-called "noble tradition."

To the average villager, the Hyuga clan had always been a reputable and respectable group.

In a vast underground chamber filled with remnants of the Ten-Tails—a severed tail, a dismembered claw, and chunks of flesh—Tsunade sat at a wooden table, her face pale.

On the table before her was a thick slab of Ten-Tails flesh. She glanced at Akira with a mix of curiosity and surprise.

"Fifth Hokage," she said, "I didn't expect you to abolish the Hyuga clan's so-called 'noble' tradition."

Akira shrugged. "That 'noble tradition' should've been abolished ages ago. What kind of clan enslaves their own kin? I've had enough of their hypocrisy."

Tsunade nodded in agreement. "You made the right call. The Hyuga clan has been stagnant for far too long, and the Caged Bird Seal is one of the main reasons why."

Her expression turned mischievous as she teased, "I heard you brought a certain Hyuga girl here alone. Don't tell me the Hokage is finally looking for a Hokage's wife?"

Akira sighed.

"She does have excellent potential," he said flatly. "That's why I brought her here—for testing, nothing more."

"Even better!" Tsunade's eyes gleamed with excitement. "A strong union! She's a descendant of the Sage of Six Paths' brother, and you're a descendant of the Sage himself. Who knows? Your child might surprise us all!"

Akira rolled his eyes. "Enough, Tsunade-sama. You're the one who should be worrying about marriage and children. Don't let the First Hokage's bloodline end with you."

"I... uh..." Tsunade stammered, caught off guard.

Akira smirked. "I think Jiraiya would be a good match for you. After all, you've been friends for years, and you know each other well."

Tsunade's face turned red.

Akira continued with a chuckle. "But he does spend too much time in less-than-reputable places. I wouldn't count on him being entirely 'untainted.'"

He shook his head, amused at the thought.