After learning the truth behind the Hyuga Clan’s Caged Bird Curse Seal, many viewers began to sympathize with the branch family.
Their entire existence seemed to revolve around protecting the main family.
They had no real freedom of their own.
Even twin brothers like Hiashi and Hizashi had eventually been driven apart by the system.
Before long, the screen continued.
This time, it revealed the truth behind Hizashi’s death.
[That night—
Hinata Hyuga was kidnapped.
The moment Hiashi realized what had happened, he immediately gave chase.
He caught up to the kidnapper and killed him with a single Gentle Fist strike.
But when Hiashi pulled away the man’s black mask—
his expression changed.
The kidnapper was none other than Kumogakure’s Head Ninja, the very man who had come to Konoha to sign the newly established peace treaty.
His objective was obvious.
The treaty had never been his true purpose.
He had come for the secrets of the Byakugan.
However, after the kidnapping failed, Kumogakure turned the situation against Konoha.
They used the death of their Head Ninja as an excuse to accuse Konoha of violating the peace agreement and began making increasingly unreasonable demands.
Neither side was willing to back down.
Before long, the dispute had reached the point where another war seemed imminent.
One day, Hiruzen Sarutobi visited the Hyuga main family’s residence.
He brought with him Kumogakure’s final demand.
If Konoha wanted to avoid war—
they were to surrender Hiashi Hyuga’s corpse.
Hiashi remained surprisingly calm.
“If my life alone can save the entire village, then there is nothing more to discuss.”
But before he could make his decision, one of the main-family elders stopped him.
“Wait, Hiashi.”
“Don’t decide so quickly.”
“The Hyuga Clan’s kekkei genkai is one of Konoha’s greatest assets.
Protecting it has always been the duty of the main family.”
Several beads of sweat appeared on Hiashi’s forehead.
“But we’re supposed to protect the village.”
“If our refusal drags Konoha into another devastating war, then we’ll have failed in that duty.”
“I know.”
The elder’s expression remained calm.
“Which is precisely why the branch family exists.”
Hiashi froze.
“We will surrender Hizashi’s body in your place.”
“He has already agreed.”
Hiashi’s eyes widened.
“But Kumogakure wants the Byakugan and its secrets!”
“Once Hizashi dies, the Caged Bird Curse Seal will seal his Byakugan.
They won’t accept that!”
The elder shook his head.
“Their official demand is Hiashi Hyuga’s body.”
“Nothing more.”
“Hizashi is your identical twin.
We accept their terms, then send them his body instead.”
“Once that is done, Kumogakure will have no grounds to complain.”
Hiashi lowered his head.
“But…”
The elder’s voice hardened.
“Hiashi, this is precisely why the branch family exists.”
“For generations, the Hyuga have protected their bloodline this way.”
“Even when the price is the life of your own brother.”
“That is the burden carried by the main family.”
Hiashi continued to hesitate.
Then Hizashi stepped forward.
“What happened to the decisive Hiashi I know?”
Hiashi turned toward him.
“This situation is different.”
“We can’t make a decision like this so easily!”
The next instant—
Hizashi struck him hard in the abdomen.
His fingers hit the chakra points cleanly.
Hiashi’s strength vanished, and he collapsed to the floor.
“Hizashi…
you…”
Hizashi showed no fear.
“Please.”
“Let me go.”
Struggling to raise himself, Hiashi stared at his younger brother.
“You still have Neji.”
“Why should you die for the main family?”
“That’s not what this is!”
Hizashi immediately cut him off.
“I hate the main family.”
“I still hate it, even now.”
His expression softened.
“But that’s exactly why I’m not choosing to die for the head of the main family.”
“I’m choosing to protect my older brother.”
His voice was calm.
“For once, this decision is mine.”
Hiashi stared at him in shock.
Hizashi continued.
“Neji has only ever seen me resentful and powerless beneath the main family.”
“That’s why I want him to know the truth.”
“Tell him I wasn’t killed because I was born into the branch family.”
“Tell him I chose this myself.”
“I chose to die protecting my brother, my family, and my village.”
Hiruzen lowered the brim of his Hokage hat.
He couldn’t bring himself to meet Hizashi’s eyes.
Hiashi’s hands trembled against the floor.
“You’re choosing death…
just to obtain freedom?”
Hizashi turned toward the door.
“Brother.”
“Even if it’s only once in my life…”
“I want to defy the fate the Hyuga Clan gave me.”
He stepped outside without looking back.
“I want to choose my own fate.”
“That’s all.”
In the end—
Hizashi Hyuga’s body was surrendered to the Land of Lightning in place of Hiashi’s.
The crisis between Konoha and Kumogakure came to an end.
And the war that had nearly begun was avoided.]
…
When the video ended, the entire shinobi world was stunned.
Now they understood.
Hizashi hadn’t simply died in another man’s place.
He had been caught in a conflict he had never started, then forced into a position where his death became the easiest solution.
Yet even then—
he had chosen to make that final decision his own.
The revelations immediately triggered another storm of messages.
[Naruto Uzumaki: Kumogakure has no shame!
They were the ones who kidnapped Hinata first, but somehow Konoha was the one who had to pay for it?!
If that happened to me, there’s no way I’d accept it!]
[Sasuke Uchiha: It was disgraceful from the beginning.
Their Head Ninja came to Konoha under the pretense of peace while secretly planning to steal the Byakugan.]
[Sasuke Uchiha: And after getting killed during the kidnapping, Kumogakure still used his death to pressure Konoha.
It almost looks like the entire incident was designed to provoke us from the start.]
[Sakura Haruno: Why should Konoha have to pay for something Kumogakure caused?
We were the victims!]
[Iruka Umino: This is part of the reality you’ll eventually have to understand once you become shinobi.
The world outside the Academy isn’t nearly as simple as it looks.]
[Maki: Using the fact that Hiashi and Hizashi were identical twins to substitute one body for the other…
that elder certainly knew how to protect the clan’s interests.]
[Kankuro: Maybe, but it’s horribly unfair to Hizashi.]
[Temari: In the end, Konoha was still too weak.
They were clearly the victims, yet they were the ones forced to surrender a corpse.]
Rasa immediately rebuked her.
[Rasa: Temari, don’t speak so lightly.
You’re still young.
You have no idea how many people would’ve died if Konoha and Kumogakure had gone to war again.]
[Kurotsuchi: But how much are you supposed to endure?
They infiltrate your village, kidnap one of your children, get themselves killed doing it, and then threaten war until you give them what they want?]
[Kurotsuchi: At some point, backing down stops being restraint and starts looking like weakness.]
Ōnoki joined in.
[Ōnoki: Third Hokage, I genuinely don’t understand how you led Konoha this way.]
[Ōnoki: A leader needs to know when to compromise and when to stand firm.
In a situation like this, you should’ve confronted Kumogakure directly instead of surrendering one of your own people!]
Hiruzen’s expression darkened.
[Hiruzen Sarutobi: Spare me the lecture.
Do you think I’ve forgotten how deep the hostility between Iwagakure and Kumogakure runs?]
[Hiruzen Sarutobi: If Konoha and Kumogakure had gone to war, Iwagakure would’ve been the one benefiting while both of us bled.]
Ōnoki sneered.
[Ōnoki: Don’t use us as an excuse for your own hesitation.]
[Ōnoki: Ever since you became Hokage, I can’t remember the last time I saw you personally standing on the battlefield.]
[Ōnoki: If Iwagakure were humiliated this badly, I’d rather fight than let another village dictate terms to us.]
Messages immediately poured in from Iwagakure.
[Iwagakure Shinobi: Lord Tsuchikage is right!]
[Iwagakure Shinobi: That’s our Tsuchikage!]
Mei Terumi added her own opinion.
[Mei Terumi: Ōnoki may be harsh, but he’s not entirely wrong.
Konoha has always been unusually tolerant when dealing with its enemies.]
[Mei Terumi: Even its missing-nin aren’t pursued with enough determination.
That’s part of why someone like Orochimaru has been able to remain outside the village causing trouble for so long.]
[Ao: If you constantly sacrifice a few people and make concessions just to preserve peace, eventually everyone else starts believing you’ll always back down.]
[…]