All morning, Neji had been absent-minded. When the lunch break finally came, he picked up the bento he had prepared for himself that morning, intending to find a quiet spot to fill his stomach.
But the moment he stepped out of the classroom, he saw a boy of about his age from the Hyūga clan walk past him, looking lost and dejected.
Neji recognized him. The boy was a fourth-year at the academy, only two years older than himself—a member of the Hyūga branch family.
His father had died during the Third Shinobi World War. His mother, it was said, had been killed three years ago during a mission by spies from another village.
Now, he lived only with his grandfather, an elder of the branch family.
Hm? Wait a second...
A sudden thought flashed through Neji's mind, and before he realized it, his hand shot out and grabbed the boy. Under the confused look that turned back toward him, Neji asked, "The branch elder who was brutally killed by the main family elder last night—was he your grandfather?"
The moment the words slipped out of his mouth, Neji regretted them. He'd asked too bluntly.
He watched as the boy's already dazed expression twisted, hatred and grief rising visibly across his features.
He saw the boy's Byakugan well with tears, his throat tightening as though he could barely speak.
Neji suddenly felt at a loss. He had never made anyone cry before. Even when he had spoken harshly to Hyūga Hinata, the main family's young heiress, she had not cried.
But now he had made someone break down, and Neji—who held justice close to his heart—did not know what to do.
Until he heard the boy finally speak.
"Grandfather…"
"He only wanted to help me remove the curse of the Caged Bird. He believed that with my talent… without the seal restricting me, I would one day become an elite jōnin of Konoha. Tell me, is that really such a crime? Enough for him to be killed? He was the only blood relative I had left..."
"I… Hyūga Neji… I don't know what to do. I hate the main family elder who murdered my grandfather, but the other branch elders told me this is the Hyūga clan's rule. Grandfather broke the rules, so he had to pay a heavy price."
"This morning, members of the main family came to me as well. They told me... what Grandfather did broke the Hyūga clan's traditions. They said he was punished because he had committed a mistake."
"They told me not to follow in his footsteps."
"I—I don't know what to do anymore…"
Watching the young clansman's sudden emotional collapse, Neji fell silent.
He realized his thoughtless question had snapped the taut string holding the boy together.
He saw the great teardrops streaming down his face. He saw the Caged Bird curse mark on his forehead, uncovered by any bandage.
And in a daze, he remembered his own father, Hyūga Hizashi—remembered how his father had died as the main family's sacrificial pawn, and the helplessness, despair, hatred, and grief that had consumed him then...
Caged Bird…
Main family…
Murderer…
Neji took a deep breath, his young face suddenly turning resolute. He barked directly at the boy before him: "Do you think crying alone will bring that elder of the branch family back to life? The Caged Bird seal triggered the illness in his body and caused his death—no different than killing him outright! The main family elder who activated it is the murderer!"
"You—if you had even a shred of courage and resolve, you wouldn't be standing here showing such weakness! Fate… Hah! The fate of the Hyūga branch family is indeed hard to break. We Caged Birds truly struggle to break free from the cage and soar into the sky."
"But!"
"There's always a way. There will always be a way!" Neji repeated it twice in emphasis. Staring into the other boy's eyes, he declared, "If you really can't accept it—if you truly hold hatred in your heart—then come with me."
With that, Neji strode off in a determined direction.
The younger Hyūga boy, tears still on his cheeks, was momentarily stunned.
Though Neji was actually two years younger than him, in this moment he felt that Hyūga Neji was far more mature.
He hesitated as he watched Neji's figure growing smaller in the distance.
He opened his mouth, trying to say something, but no words came.
Yet when Neji was about to vanish from sight, he hastily wiped away the tear streaks from his face and ran with all his strength to catch up.
The hatred in his heart gave rise to a faint glimmer of hope.
And then—
He realized Neji had led him all the way to the outside of the first-year classroom at the academy. Before he could catch his breath, Neji had already stepped inside and gone straight to find a blond-haired kid and a boy from the Uchiha clan.
"I want to see Uchiha Keizumi! I've found a murderer!"
That was what Neji said to Naruto and Sasuke.
Naruto, bored the entire morning, instantly perked up.
"A murderer?"
Sasuke, who had also been distracted, snapped back to attention.
…
Meanwhile—
Outside Konoha.
"Looks like Uchiha Obito was scared off. If he'd actually been lying in ambush for me, I'd have been caught by now."
Jūzō let out a slow sigh of relief. He glanced at the Wood Clone of Uchiha Keizumi beside him.
After a moment's hesitation, he couldn't help asking, "The Land of Rain is a long way from Konoha. Can your Wood Clone really last this long?"
"Even if the original body and the clone are at opposite ends of the shinobi world, the Wood Clone can be maintained. Unless the original dispels it voluntarily, or the clone suffers severe damage and is dispelled passively."
The Wood Clone's cold tone was indistinguishable from Keizumi's own.
"…What a monster."
Jūzō clicked his tongue in disbelief. Was Uchiha Keizumi just too formidable? Or was Wood Release as a kekkei genkai simply too incredible?
Come to think of it—
This guy had Wood Release, the Sharingan, and Lava Release. That was three kekkei genkai fused into one body, wasn't it?
Unreal!
"Ahem."
Jūzō masked the unease on his face, restoring his usual cold demeanor. With the Kubikiribōchō slung across his back, he sped forward and asked, "There's something I need to know. If I pass Obito's intel to that woman, and instead of going after him, she chooses to cooperate with him and kill me to silence me—what then?"
"She won't."
The Wood Clone answered firmly, "She's more suspicious of—and more guarded against—Uchiha Obito than anyone else in Akatsuki."
Jūzō muttered in puzzlement, "But you've never even met that woman, have you? How can you be so sure you know her?"
"In the shinobi world, anyone with even a bit of reputation holds no secrets before the real me," the Wood Clone said.
Including me? — The thought flashed across Jūzō's mind, but before he could voice it, the Wood Clone continued.
"Including you."
Jūzō: "…"
…
Hokage Building.
Sarutobi Hiruzen pulled open a drawer and reached into a tin tobacco box, pinching inside with his fingers. They came up empty. Only then did he remember—the tobacco had already run out yesterday. But because of what had happened last night, he hadn't thought of it this morning.
"Itachi, help this old man buy—"
He stopped mid-sentence, suddenly frozen. The rest of the words refused to come out no matter what.
"Hah… still not used to it."
Hiruzen shook his head helplessly. Uchiha Itachi had been one of the Uchiha he held in the highest regard, much like Shisui back in the day.
What a pity.
Just then, an ANBU leapt in through the window, dropped to one knee before Hiruzen, and reported: "Hokage-sama, there's been a death in the Hyūga clan."
Hiruzen's brow furrowed.
Why was someone dying in the village every single day? At this rate, he could reasonably suspect that one day everyone in Konoha would end up dead.
"Again… related to Keizumi?" Hiruzen asked, frowning even deeper. Each time someone died in the village, his thoughts instinctively went toward Keizumi. By now it had become a reflex.
The ANBU shook his head and gave a brief explanation. As Hiruzen listened, his brows only knitted tighter.
"A conflict between the Hyūga main family and the branch family? Over the years, especially since Hizashi's death, both sides have exercised restraint. Who would have thought—after just a few years, another member of the branch family would fall at the hands of the main family?"
Hiruzen rubbed at his temples, his craving for tobacco making his irritation worse.
"Have Homura speak with the Hyūga. The main family must provide a solution to stabilize the branch family. This old man doesn't want to see an internal war within the Hyūga clan."
He waved his hand as he spoke.
Whether it was the Uchiha clan or the Hyūga clan, internal conflict would bring nothing but harm to Konoha.
Civil war only drained the village's high-level fighting strength, and the only one weakened in the end would be Konoha itself.
Sitting in the Hokage's seat—
Hiruzen naturally had no desire to see such things happen.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
"Wait!" Just as the ANBU was about to leave, Hiruzen suddenly thought of something. He immediately called out to stop him and gave further instructions: "Tell Homura to go at once. And press the Hyūga main family to handle this matter quickly. Urge the branch family as well—tell them to let go of their hatred as soon as possible. Before Keizumi gets involved, this must be resolved perfectly."
"Otherwise, once he interferes, the matter won't be so easily put to rest. At that point, even this old man won't have much recourse."
Hiruzen was certain: Uchiha Keizumi would interfere. The only question was how soon his information network would uncover it.
And judging by past experience…
Keizumi's ability to obtain intel on 'criminal acts' was terrifyingly strong.
Sending Mitokado Homura to warn the Hyūga main family and soothe the branch family was already, in Hiruzen's eyes, the furthest extent of his duty as the Third Hokage.
"Yes!"
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