Other than Naruto and Sasuke, another notable character that receives its fair share of grief is none other than Neji Hyuga. That is especially true during the first part of the series, particularly in the Chunin Exam arc. After all, this is when we found out about all sorts of terrible things about the Hyuga clan, such as the Cursed Seal that is embedded into Neji and the other members of the Branch House, and also about the tragic death of Neji’s father.
Interestingly enough, Neji’s father, Hizashi Hyuga, is the twin brother of Hinata’s father, Hiashi Hyuga. However, just because Hizashi was born mere seconds after his twin brother, he is deemed to be a member of the Branch House, while Hiashi becomes the next heir of the Hyuga clan. And as a member of the Branch House, Hizashi also received the Cursed Seal and has to serve the Main House all his life. But fate says otherwise, and Hizashi ended up losing his life during the treacherous conflict known as The Hyuga Affair. So let’s use this chance to talk about the cause of this conflict, why Hizashi has to die, and what happened afterward.
Kumogakure’s Desire For a Byakugan
As you might’ve already known, Byakugan is one of the strongest and rarest eye jutsu and Kekkei Genkai in the world. Not only that, its unique abilities make it one of the most useful and versatile jutsu as well. Be it a recon mission or a full-blown war, Byakugan is always a huge asset on any kind of ninja mission. As it happens, the only people who can awaken the Byakugan are the Hyuga Clan, and they’ve been a part of Konoha for a long time, and even helped it to become one of the five great ninja villages.
However, that doesn’t mean other nations/villages don't have any interest in the Byakugan. On the contrary, there have been numerous attempts of ninjas from other villages trying to get their hands on Byakugan. One of the biggest incidents of this sort happened during Hinata’s third birthday. At the time, Kumogakure had been trying to get their hands on the Byakugan for quite some time, which led to the death of numerous ninja on both sides. So the leaders of the two villages decided to stop the conflict and sign a peace treaty at Konoha.
However, that treaty is actually just a ruse. The head ninja of the Kumogakure convoy has been ordered to use that chance to infiltrate the Hyuga estate and kidnap a member of the Hyuga clan. That person happens to be the little Hinata Hyuga. Since Hinata is the daughter of the head of the main family, it doesn’t take a long time for them to find out about Kumo ninja’s betrayals. And since this is a clan that has a telescopic and near 360 degree vision, it also doesn’t take a long time for them to locate Hinata, along with the kidnaper. Hiashi immediately rushed in to save Hinata, killing the head of ninja from the Kumogakure in the process.
Hizashi’s Sacrifice
The news of the killing of the head of Kumogakure ninja by the head of the Hyuga clan spread like a wildfire. Kumogakure immediately denied any kidnap attempt from their side. They even accused the Hyuga clan, and also Konoha by extension, of wanting to sabotage the peace treaty and continue the conflict. In order to avoid a deadly war that would consume countless lives on both sides, Kumogakure demands the lives of the one who killed their ninja.
Needless to say, all of this is also another plot by Kumogakure in order to get their hands on the Byakugan, while also weakening the Hyuga clan and Konoha at the same time. The upper echelon of Konoha knows full well what Kumogakure tries to do. But the fact of the matter is Hiashi Hyuga did kill the head ninja of Kumogakure. It is an unfortunate and irrefutable fact. So they have no choice but to bow down to Kumogakure’s demands. And that is when the upper echelon of Konoha, along with some influential members of the Hyuga Clan, came up with the idea to sacrifice Hiashi’s twin brother, Hizashi Hyuga, instead.
To them, it is the perfect plan. Kumogakure won’t be able to differentiate between Hiashi and Hizashi, so in that regard, Konoha has fulfilled their end of the bargain faithfully. And for Konoha, since Hizashi has a cursed seal on his forehead, his byakugan will be automatically sealed the moment he loses his life. Thus preventing Kumogakure from obtaining the byakugan. But Hiashi and lots of other people in the Hyuga Clan refuse to follow this plan. Much to their surprise, Hizashi agrees to be the sacrificial lamb. Because in his mind, this is the only way to save his brother and also to avoid spending the rest of his life in servitude to the Main House. And that is how Neji’s father, Hizashi Hyuga, lost his life.
Hiashi’s Frustration, Neji’s Hatred
Even though they are raised in a two vastly different roles, Hiashi still loves his twin brother very much. That is why he is so devastated by his brother’s death. But he doesn’t have the courage to tell his nephew, Neji, the truth about Hizashi’s death. At least not until Neji grows up to become a wiser adult and understand the meaning behind his father’s sacrifice. What Hiashi didn't realize at the time, that decision led to two unfortunate developments.
Firstly, without realizing it, Hiashi turned into somebody who is obsessed with strength. In his mind, if he is stronger, he would’ve been able to help his brother. So he forces himself, and other people around him, including his daughter, to undergo extreme training every day. Due to his regrets over his brother’s death and his endless pursuit of power, he has distanced himself from everybody in his clan. Even Hinata rarely gets to feel the love and attention from her father.
Secondly, even though Hiashi never tells Neji about the circumstances regarding Hizashi’s death, there are still a lot of rumors going around that inevitably fall into Neji’s ears. Based on the fragmented information that he knows, Neji concluded that his father was sacrificed by his own brother and the higher ups of the Konoha. So Neji developed an unquenchable anger and hatred towards his own clan and the leaders of Konoha. A hatred that will only be cleansed after he fights against Naruto during the Chunin Exam. Once Neji accepted his bitter loss to Naruto, Hiashi finally decided to tell him the truth regarding his father’s death, and also apologize to Neji. And that is how Neji is able to heal the wound in his heart and grows into a fine adult and a proud Hyuga ninja.