New Beginnings: Oath

At last, it was time to part. Neji's emotions finally burst forth. Though he bit his lip as hard as he could, tears still streamed down his face.

"Father..." His voice choked with sobs. "Can't you... not leave me...?"

Hizashi gently wiped the tears from his son's face. "I'm not leaving you. It's only... a temporary separation. Even if we aren't in the same place, I'll always be watching over you, looking out for you."

Watching the tearful scene, Naruto, leaning against the wall, suddenly sighed.

"If you really don't want to be separated," he casually cut in, "then just stay."

Hizashi and Neji both froze, as if someone had pressed pause.

"Once Neji stays behind, I'll go speak to the Hyūga Clan head. Given my current reputation in the Ninja World, he won't have any objections."

It was the most straightforward solution. Naruto hated pointless melodrama the most. With "Menma's" current power of intimidation, even if he went straight to the Third Hokage and said he was taking a child from the Hyūga Clan, the man probably would not dare say a single word of refusal.

However, after a brief silence, Hizashi gave an unexpected answer. "Lord Menma, please take Neji back to Konoha."

Neji abruptly raised his head, his eyes widening in disbelief. A tide of grievance surged through him. Was his father... choosing to abandon him?

Fortunately, there was no ridiculous scene of I'm doing this for your own good, but I just won't tell you. Hizashi did not allow the misunderstanding to continue. Looking directly into his son's eyes, he spoke.

"Neji, it isn't that I want to abandon you... Lord Menma gave me a second life, and I have already sworn loyalty to him. But you are still too young. You should not follow me into a life of hiding and wandering."

"Only in Konoha can you form new bonds. Your life should not be chained to my side. In the future, you will make friends, meet teachers, and perhaps... meet someone you like. You can only gain those precious bonds by experiencing them yourself."

Neji's tears continued to fall, but he understood the deeper meaning in his father's words. This was not abandonment. It was so that he could have a broader future.

Hizashi gave his son one last tight embrace and whispered into his ear. "Remember, no matter how far apart we are, you will always be the son I am most proud of."

As dawn broke, within the Hyūga Branch Family residence,

A faint glow of the Flying Thunder God flashed, and Neji quietly appeared in his own room without alerting anyone. Once Naruto confirmed that he had returned safely, he casually waved his hand.

"All right, work hard from now on, Gana~"

He turned to leave, but then—"...Please wait! Lord Menma!"

Neji suddenly called out to him.

Naruto paused and turned around. The small Neji stood there with his fists tightly clenched. His Byakugan still bore traces of undried tears, yet his gaze was extraordinarily resolute.

"Really... really... thank you so much..." Neji's voice was choked, but he spoke every word clearly. "I... I don't know what I should say..."

Naruto waved it off. "It's fine. It was just a small favor, and saving your father benefits me too."

Neji took a deep breath, his little chest rising and falling sharply. "I... am too weak... I cannot repay you now..." His voice grew clearer and clearer. "But if one day! You need strength! I will definitely—"

Before he could finish, Naruto suddenly reached out and lightly flicked Neji's forehead.

"Honestly... you did not listen to a single word of your father's most important advice."

Neji covered his forehead, looking confused.

Naruto said irritably, "I haven't fallen so low that I need help from a child."

"No! This isn't help! This is loyal—"

"Loyalty is unnecessary too."

"Huh?"

Neji's eyes widened slightly as he looked at Menma in confusion. Why? Why would he refuse his gratitude? Was it really because he was too weak? His little hand unconsciously gripped the corner of his clothes.

Are children in the Ninja World all this mature?

Behind the mask, Naruto sighed helplessly. Though he was only three years old physically, one year younger than Neji, his mental age had long surpassed twenty. Thinking back to when he was truly four years old, foolishly running around all day, then looking at the painfully mature child before him, he could not help feeling emotional.

"Because of that near-death experience, your father's wishes changed. At first, perhaps he hoped that you would become the Hyūga Clan's genius and inherit the clan. But now—he only wants you to grow up safely."

He leaned down slightly. "Do not waste the pain he went through for you."

Neji's pupils trembled slightly. After a moment of silence, he softly asked, "Father... really almost... The Branch Family... cannot choose what they live for, only what they die for?"

He raised his head, his pure Byakugan staring directly at the mask. "Lord Menma, do you think... the fate of the Branch Family can only be changed in that way?"

Naruto straightened, his black robe swaying gently in the morning breeze. "No." His answer was crisp and resolute. "Using death to change one's fate is too tragic."

Neji held his breath and listened quietly.

"I believe that all misfortune in this world is caused by the people involved lacking sufficient strength."

The morning breeze swept through the courtyard, rustling the leaves.

"At the end of the day, this is a world where the strong prey upon the weak. Konoha fears Hidden Cloud starting a war, the Hyūga Clan cannot defy Konoha's orders, and Hizashi, as a member of the Branch Family—was even less able to resist the Main Family's decision."

Neji's fists unconsciously clenched.

"But I changed your father's fate." He reached out and gently placed a hand on Neji's head.

"The reason is simple—Hidden Cloud, which Konoha fears, fears me. And Konoha fears me as well. Because I am stronger than all of them. That is all."

"Stronger than anyone..."

Neji murmured, "Can I... change fate too?"

"Who knows?" Naruto shrugged casually, then continued. "Whether you can break the shackles of the Main Family and Branch Family with your own strength depends on you."

"However... in the current Hyūga Clan, you truly are a genius who inherited the finest talent. No one can deny that."

Neji froze slightly, a flicker passing through his eyes. "Father... said something similar too..."

Watching Neji fall into thought, Naruto turned once more to leave. Just then—a small hand suddenly grabbed his sleeve.

Naruto looked back and saw Neji's face filled with unwillingness. Stubborn flames burned in his Byakugan.

As expected... Naruto sighed inwardly. "Is it still hard for you to accept a kindness that asks for nothing in return?"

Neji nodded heavily, his voice firm beyond that of a four-year-old child. "Yes! I know... I am too weak right now... I have no way to repay you at all..."

His little hand clenched tighter.

"But that does not mean the future! I will definitely become a powerful ninja! Lord Menma! Please give me a chance!" Neji practically shouted. "This is not because of my father! This is the path I chose myself!"

"...I really can't do anything with you."

Naruto spoke softly and slowly turned around. Neji felt the sleeve in his hand gently slip away, and his heart suddenly went empty.

Then—something suddenly flew toward him. Neji caught it instinctively, lowered his head, and his pupils shrank sharply. "This is...!"

In his hands was Menma's iconic Fox Mask.

Neji abruptly looked up, only to see that Menma had already turned his back to him. The true face that the entire Ninja World longed to uncover was now completely unguarded before him.

But Neji did not look.

"If, in the future—you have the confidence to stand before me."

"Then bring this and come find me."

"When that time comes..."

The rising sun bloomed behind him, coating him in a dazzling halo of light that pierced straight into Neji's heart.

"Let me see with my own eyes the caliber of the so-called Hyūga Clan genius."

Neji stared blankly at the figure before him.

Morning light spilled down, coating the entire world in white. The blinding brightness made Neji narrow his eyes. When he rubbed them and opened them again—the space before him was empty.

"...Lord Menma!"

Neji called out in panic, his voice echoing through the empty room. The events of the night had been too dreamlike, making him almost believe they had been nothing but a dream.

The next moment, the cool sensation in his hand told him that it had all been real. The Fox Mask that made the entire Ninja World tremble in fear now lay quietly in his palm.

Neji lowered his head to gaze at the mask, then looked up at the rising sun on the horizon.

At this moment, the seed of a dream took root and sprouted. In the morning light, an unprecedented radiance ignited in the child's eyes.

From this day onward, Hyuga Neji—began a brand-new life.