The tearoom door closed, shutting out everything from outside.
Uzumaki Naruto's departing figure seemed to still be etched in Yui's eyes. She remained in a seiza posture, unmoving for a long time, until Hase, beside her, let out an almost imperceptible sigh.
"Princess, it's time for us to go back."
Yui finally came back to her senses. She looked down at the now-cold tea in front of her and suddenly spoke, "Grandpa Hase, I think I understand a little why the villagers of Konoha admire him so much."
Hase's eyelid twitched, and he asked calmly, "Are you referring to... his strength?"
"No." Yui shook her head, her face showing no hint of displeasure from being snubbed. Instead, a peculiar glow appeared, "It's because he bears the safety of everyone on his own shoulders. He doesn't have time to smile, nor the energy for pleasantries, because he has to use his entire being to maintain the order of this Village."
She looked up, her eyes remarkably bright, "This feeling... it's like sacrificing oneself to something grander. Don't you think that's incredible?"
Hase's heart sank. His greatest fear had come true. "Princess, please forgive this old retainer for speaking frankly." Hase's tone became serious, "Uzumaki Naruto is Konoha's sharp blade, the shadow guarding the Land of Fire. He... is ultimately not from our world. Your admiration for him should stop here."
"Why?" Yui retorted, puzzled, "Shouldn't a hero be admired?"
"Because a sharp blade has no emotions, and a shadow needs no companion." Hase's voice was very low, "He is a man who walks in the darkness. Too much attention will do no good for you, or for him."
Yui fell silent. She continuously rubbed a corner of her clothing. After a moment, she stubbornly muttered in a voice only she could hear, "I just think... he is the true hero."
...In the evening, at the Hyuga Clan's compound.
By the pond in the backyard, Neji sat alone. He wasn't practicing taijutsu; he was just sitting quietly, repeatedly wiping the barrel of the long-range laser rifle with a soft velvet cloth.
The cold metallic touch from his fingertips brought him an unprecedented sense of peace. He enjoyed this feeling. Every part of the firearm, every cold line, was filled with a pure, completely controllable logic. Unlike human hearts, unlike fate, which were full of unpredictable variables.
He closed his eyes, constantly replaying every detail of that morning's mission in his mind. The lead he needed to calculate when the target moved, the millimeter-scale deviation caused by his heartbeat when pulling the trigger... these quantifiable, correctable 'errors' fascinated him.
He opened his eyes and looked at the calm pond water. The water reflected his delicate face and the perfectly clear green cursed seal on his forehead—the Caged Bird.
The tranquility that had just been established in his heart shattered the moment he saw that mark. He instinctively reached out and touched the skin on his forehead. The cold reality brutally pulled him out of his sense of control over absolute power. No matter how far he could see, no matter how powerful the weapon in his hand, he was still a bird in a cage.
A long-buried memory uncontrollably flooded his mind. It was another afternoon, and a young he was sparring with an equally young Hinata. His talent far surpassed that of the Clan Head's young lady. With just basic Gentle Fist, he forced Hinata to retreat repeatedly.
When Hinata was easily knocked down by him once again, showing a pained expression, a long-suppressed resentment and anger surged to his head. Why? Why did he, a member of the Branch Family, have to accommodate a Main Family young lady who was far inferior to him? Why sacrifice his precious training time to be a boring sparring partner here?
His strike, at that moment, increased in force. Hinata let out a cry. The next second, a cold and authoritative figure appeared before him. It was Hyuga Hiashi.
He didn't even see Hiashi's movements before an indescribable sharp pain exploded from his forehead, instantly piercing through his entire brain. It was the pain of nerves being forcibly torn and the brain being ravaged by external force. He screamed and fell to the ground, writhing and rolling like an insect. The world spun in his vision, and all he could hear were his own uncontrollable sobs caused by the intense pain.
Through blurry, tear-filled eyes, he saw Hyuga Hiashi's emotionless face and his cold words. "Remember your place, Neji."
These words merged with the helpless and sorrowful face of his father, Hizashi, before he died. From that day on, he truly understood what fate meant.
"Neji."
A steady voice interrupted Neji's painful memories. He suddenly came to his senses, and the reflection in the pond water violently swayed, just like his heart at that moment. Hyuga Hiashi had appeared behind him at some point. He still maintained the authoritative posture of the Clan Head, looking down at Neji, who was sitting cross-legged, and the strangely shaped weapon by his leg.
"Come with me." Hiashi's tone was unquestionable.
Neji silently put away his rifle, stood up, and followed him. The Main Family's main courtyard was spacious and solemn. Hiashi stopped in the corridor, turned around, and stared at Neji with piercing eyes.
"Who gave you the authority to join 'Root' on your own accord?" he questioned directly.
Neji met his gaze calmly, his voice showing no ripple of emotion, "This is my own choice."
"Your choice?" Hiashi seemed to have heard a joke, "You are a member of the Hyuga Branch Family. Your duty is to protect the Main Family. Your destiny was set from the moment you were born. When did it become your turn to make choices?"
"It used to be," Neji replied succinctly, "But now, I want to walk my own path."
"Your so-called path, is it to follow that Uzumaki Naruto into another dark abyss?" Hiashi's tone carried a hint of admonition, "Don't be naive, Neji. You saw Danzo's fate. That Uzumaki Naruto will only be more extreme than him. What he wants to do is challenge the order of the entire Ninja World. Following him will not end well for you. I am doing this for your own good."
"For my own good?"
Neji suddenly laughed, his smile filled with undisguised sarcasm. He looked up, directly at his high-and-mighty uncle, and asked, word by word, "Can anyone from the Branch Family learn the Main Family's secret technique, Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven?"
Hiashi's face instantly stiffened.
Neji took a step forward, his aura aggressive, "The Hyuga Clan's strongest defense and the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, powerful enough to seal a Jonin—have you ever taught me a single move?"
"You keep the strongest shield and the sharpest spear firmly in your own hands, treating us as mere consumables that can be sacrificed at any time. Now, what right do you have to stand before me and say, 'for my own good'?"
"Presumptuous!"
Hiashi flared up in a rage, and a massive surge of Chakra erupted. Neji's words, like a sharp knife, precisely pierced through the facade of dignity he held as the Clan Head.
"It seems you still haven't learned what respect means!" Hiashi formed a hand seal.
"Ugh ah—!"
Intense pain descended once again. Neji grunted, clutching his head, and fell to one knee. Cold sweat instantly soaked his fringe, and his body trembled uncontrollably from the excruciating pain. But this time, he didn't fall, nor did he roll.
He endured the pain that almost tore his consciousness apart, gritted his teeth, and used all his strength to slowly, inch by inch, raise his head. His eyes were bloodshot, but his gaze was like tempered steel, fixed on Hiashi. There was no submission in his eyes, only silent, resolute defiance.
Hiashi's heart jolted at the sight of his gaze. The begging and collapse he had expected did not appear. Instead, there was a... resistance he had never seen in the eyes of any Branch Family member. A will that would rather be destroyed than bow down.
After a standoff of over ten seconds, the anger in Hiashi's eyes gradually gave way to a more complex emotion. He finally let out a cold snort and released the activation of the cursed seal.
The pain receded like a tide, leaving a drained Neji kneeling in place, gasping for breath.
"You're on your own." Hiashi left these cold words and walked away. His retreating figure, for the first time in Neji's eyes, showed a hint of discomfiture.
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