The Branch Family's Fate and Choice

"Father... is it really... really you?"

A mist of tears clouded Neji's Byakugan. His mature nature made him afraid to readily believe the joyous sight before him, afraid it was merely an illusionary dream and that waking up would only bring even greater disappointment.

If it was genjutsu... if it was a trap...

His fingers trembled as he raised them, desperately trying to recall what he had been taught at home.

That... that hand sign... what was it again...

He barely managed to form the Ram sign. Neji took a deep breath and shouted in a choked voice, "...Release!"

The technique activated, yet the scene before him did not change in the slightest. His father was still kneeling there, those eyes that had always been stern now filled with gentleness—and even a trace of heartache.

Not genjutsu... not genjutsu...

At that moment, the tears Neji had been desperately holding back finally burst forth. The silent tears that had been sliding down his cheeks turned into a torrential downpour, and the four-year-old could no longer maintain his mature façade.

"...Father!"

The tearful cry burst from his lips as his small body lunged forward. Hizashi opened his arms and caught his son steadily. Neji buried his face deeply in his father's chest, his grievance and the joy of regaining what he had lost turning into loud sobs that echoed through the quiet room for a long time.

Fortunately, the high-end inn Naruto had chosen had excellent soundproofing.

Leaning against the wall, Naruto crossed his arms, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly beneath his mask. Before him was a father-son reunion that could never have happened in the original timeline, now unfolding in reality right before his eyes.

Rather than telling his son to "be strong" as usual, Hizashi gently stroked Neji's trembling back and allowed him to pour out his emotions in his embrace.

Having changed the tragedy of the original story, Naruto watched the embracing father and son with great satisfaction.

Neji's crying gradually subsided, leaving only the occasional sniffle. Hizashi's palm gently brushed over his son's damp cheek, his thumb wiping away the glistening tear tracks. The room was left with only the sound of Neji sniffling and the faint chirping of insects outside the window.

"Father... you're really alive..." Neji knelt before Hizashi, his small hands gripping his father's sleeve tightly. "I... I thought you had already..."

His voice grew quieter and quieter, the last few words nearly forced out through clenched teeth. Hizashi could feel the strength in his son's fingers.

"Neji, I'm sorry." He gently took his son's little hand. "I should have died, but someone gave me a second chance."

Hizashi slowly recounted what had happened that day. He had been about to be escorted to Hidden Cloud when the man wearing a Fox Mask suddenly appeared, attacked the Hidden Cloud convoy, and saved him.

After speaking, Hizashi turned toward the corner of the room and bowed deeply to the figure who had remained leaning against the wall. Only then did Neji remember that there was a third person in the room. Following his father's gaze, he saw that mysterious Masked Man still standing there with his arms crossed.

"You two keep talking. Don't mind me." A casual voice came from beneath the mask, accompanied by an indifferent wave of his hand.

Hizashi nodded respectfully and turned his attention back to his son.

"...Father," Neji's voice lowered, "was this incident really like everyone else said... because we are the Branch Family, you died in the Main Family's place?"

Although his father's return from the dead filled him with immense joy, the Main Family's plan to use a scapegoat in the Hidden Cloud Byakugan incident had still planted a seed of hatred in Neji's heart.

Hizashi fell silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"Yes, that was indeed what the Main Family intended. To prevent the Byakugan from being taken outside the clan, I, as a member of the Branch Family... because I looked almost exactly like my older brother, was chosen as a substitute to be handed over to Hidden Cloud."

"I see..."

Neji's voice suddenly turned cold. The only reason he had been able to see his father again was sheer luck—if that mysterious Masked Man had not appeared, his father would already have...

"Father!" Neji abruptly looked up. "Just because we're the Branch Family... we're supposed to be used like this?!"

Hizashi let out a deep sigh and gently placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Neji, if possible... I don't want you to hate them."

Those words were like a basin of cold water poured over Neji's head. He stared wide-eyed in disbelief, utterly unable to understand his father's thoughts.

Not hate them? Why? Even if they had pushed him toward death for no reason at all, he still could not resent the Main Family?

Seeing the confusion and anger on his son's face, deep guilt appeared in Hizashi's eyes.

"I... came very close to dying. But at that moment, I understood something. Hatred is easy, but it would only make us step into another prison of the Caged Bird."

Neji shook his head blankly. He could not understand the deeper meaning behind his father's words. But what Hizashi said next struck him like lightning.

"Neji... I'm truly sorry." Hizashi's voice carried unprecedented guilt. "Actually, that day... I chose death myself."

"...Huh?"

Neji's expression froze. He could not understand what his father meant. He clearly did not have to die, so why had he chosen death of his own accord?

Hizashi continued explaining. "That day, the Main Family did propose this plan, asking me, as a member of the Branch Family, to die in my brother's place."

"But in the end, it was my brother... Hyuga Hiashi, who personally rejected the proposal. As Clan Head, as long as he refused, that plan to use a substitute could not be carried out."

Neji's mind went blank. Then why...?

"My brother's plan was to destroy his own Byakugan, then hand himself over to Hidden Cloud." Hizashi's tone grew heavy. "I spent my entire life hating the Main Family, and even now, I still do. But at that moment... I offered to die in his place."

Neji's pupils contracted sharply.

"But I did not do that to protect the Main Family." Hizashi's gaze softened. "I did it to protect my older brother... to die protecting family. That was the first time I truly had the right to choose."

He gently pressed a hand to Neji's shoulder, his voice firm yet gentle. "Neji, my son, I do not want you to be bound by hatred. Now I finally understand—nothing is more important than you growing up safely."

"So..."

"Don't believe that your life exists only to serve the Main Family. Not until you find something you truly want to protect."

Hizashi paused, reluctance flashing through his eyes.

"But if you truly encounter danger... I hope you can survive until the end. Consider it... a father's selfish wish."

Over the following hours, Hizashi and Neji's conversation became simple and warm. There were no conflicts of the Ninja World, no clan grudges—only the ordinary chatter of a father and son.

For example, remember to eat on time. Don't be picky with food. No matter how busy training gets, make sure to rest. Remember to wear more clothes in winter.

If you encounter a problem you cannot solve, go find your uncle. He may be strict, but he will definitely help you.

Don't take this incident out on anyone else. And don't put too much pressure on yourself.

Once you enter the Ninja Academy, listen carefully to your teachers. But if someone bullies you, you don't have to endure it.

Neji lowered his head, but he etched every word his father said firmly into his heart.

These reminders were ordinary, trivial, even somewhat nagging. Yet every single one was steeped in a father's simplest concern. Neji listened quietly, storing this humble warmth away in his heart bit by bit.

Before he knew it, the sky outside the window had begun to turn pale. Early birds chirped from the distant woods, their clear calls breaking the silence of the night.

Dawn was almost here.