A heavy snowfall had blanketed the world in white the night before. An old tree laden with snow swayed helplessly in the cold wind, its desolate branches painting a bleak picture.
Konoha training ground.
"Byakugan, activate!"
With a soft cry, veins bulged at Neji's temples, and a hazy gleam surfaced in his pure-white eyes.
His three-hundred-and-sixty-degree field of vision turned black and white.
Every last thing in the world was laid bare: the falling snowflakes, the sparrow perched on a dead branch, even the villagers hurrying along the street a hundred meters away...
"Eight Trigrams: Twelve Slashes!"
Holding a short blade, Neji suddenly sprang into motion like a hare. Thin streams of chakra coursed through his meridians and gathered in his arms. His blade whistled through the air, shattering every snowflake within three feet of him.
"Whew!"
He let out a long breath of white mist. A wave of exhaustion washed over his young body.
Gentle Fist was the Hyuga clan's signature Taijutsu, and it gave its users a clear advantage as Genin, Chunin, and even Jonin.
But once they stepped beyond that and reached Kage Level, it was nowhere near enough. Gentle Fist was even less effective against enemies who wielded Susanoo, Tailed Beast power, or Sage Mode.
So, ever since he'd crossed over, Neji had been exploring other paths.
Combining the Byakugan with swordsmanship was the result of a year's training.
After all, slashing someone with a blade was bound to be more effective than poking their pressure points.
Neji turned his attention to the data panel in his mind, the cheat that had come with him when he crossed over.
[Name: Hyuga Neji]
[Talent: Heavenly Dao rewards diligence (Effort always pays off. Suitable for ordinary people and geniuses alike.)]
[Age: 4]
[Kekkei Genkai: Byakugan Lv1 (241/500)]
[Chakra: Genin]
[Chakra Natures: Yin, Fire, Earth, Water]
[Taijutsu: Eight Trigrams: Twelve Slashes Lv1 (154/500)]
When Neji was three, he had been on the verge of death after the Caged Bird Seal was placed on him. That was when he'd taken over his body.
The moment their souls merged, Neji had awakened the Byakugan, breaking the Hyuga clan's record as the youngest person ever to do so.
Hyuga Hiashi had ordered that the Caged Bird Seal be placed on him the following year.
So, for now, Neji was still free.
Neji touched his smooth forehead and couldn't help feeling despondent.
In the original story, Neji had figured out Rotation on his own and become a Jonin at fifteen. In terms of talent, he was no worse than Kakashi, Minato, or the Sannin.
And he would only be stronger.
The Byakugan could evolve into the Tenseigan, the Jōgan, or even the Black Eye.
Given enough time, Neji was confident he could reach Six Paths level, or even become a Kekkei Mōra-level powerhouse.
But Hinata would turn three in half a month. That was when they would place the Caged Bird Seal on him.
Once he was branded with the Caged Bird, no matter how talented he was, he would be nothing but a servant and a sacrificial pawn. Even if he were brought back with Impure World Reincarnation after death, he still wouldn't escape the seal's control.
A worry unsuited to a four-year-old flickered in Neji's bright eyes.
"If I stay with the clan, I can't escape being caged. If I defect from Konoha... I don't even know if I'd succeed. And even if I got out, how would I survive in the brutal Shinobi World?"
The Byakugan was a precious Kekkei Genkai, and in terms of strategic value, it surpassed the Sharingan.
A four-year-old wandering the Shinobi World with a Byakugan so easy to recognize would have a fate ten times more miserable than Nagato's.
After thinking for a long time without finding a way out, he reluctantly left the training ground.
The villagers on the street saw Neji and chattered among themselves, praising him without end.
Neji hid his worries and put on a shy smile for them.
To stand against the Uchiha, another prestigious clan, the Main Family had widely publicized Neji's genius. Half the village had heard that the Hyuga Clan had produced a prodigy who rivaled Uchiha Itachi.
For Neji, that was a good thing.
As he grew up in Konoha, his reputation as a genius would earn him more privileges.
"So I'm bound to become a Caged Bird?"
"If I prove myself talented enough, I'll get more privileges from the Hyuga clan... probably?"
Neji gave a self-mocking smile.
Before he knew it, he was nearing the Hyuga clan compound.
"Father, Tokuma, where are you? And where am I?"
Hyuga Hinata looked around in confusion.
This was Hinata's first time leaving the clan compound, and it all felt very exciting.
It would have been even better if she hadn't gotten lost.
"Huh?"
Hinata suddenly spotted three older boys playing in the snow not far away.
She ran toward them instinctively.
"Look, there's a little kid!"
"Why are her eyes white?"
"She's a monster!"
The three boys quickly surrounded Hinata, staring at her curiously.
Hinata trembled with fright, clutching her scarf tightly as tears welled in her eyes.
"Is she going to cry?"
"Ha! What a scaredy-cat."
"What do you think? If we stuff some dirt into her eyes, will they turn white?"
The children's minds were full of ignorant and frightening ideas.
At the same time, their noisy voices reached Neji, who was lost in thought.
He stopped and turned to look.
Three boys around five or six, and a soft, adorable little girl surrounded by them.
Hyuga Hinata.
The Main Family's young lady, whom Neji would later protect at the cost of his life in the original story.
Looking at the helpless, pitiful Hinata, Neji furrowed his brow.
According to his memories of his previous life, Hinata had secretly snuck out and gotten lost on the night of her third birthday, then been bullied by three brats.
This wasn't supposed to happen now.
Had he remembered wrong?
Neji stood where he was, lost in thought.
A cold wind blew against his face, and the slightly irritated Neji suddenly shivered.
Hinata was the Main Family's young lady. How could she have no guards secretly protecting her?
A child not yet three years old had sneaked all the way out of the heavily guarded clan compound. That was as difficult as Neji defecting from Konoha.
And then she'd happened to appear on the road Neji was taking back to the clan compound?
It couldn't be a coincidence.
A member of the Branch Family was supposed to rush to the Main Family's young lady's aid without hesitation, even at the cost of his life.
The slightest hesitation could have disastrous consequences.
With that in mind, Neji rubbed his eyes, pretending he'd only just recognized Hinata.
Then his expression changed, and he shouted at the three brats, "Let that girl go!"
"Look, another white-eyed monster!"
The ringleader shouted and waved his two friends over to surround Neji.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Against brats who hadn't even entered the Ninja Academy, Neji needed only one punch apiece.
The three boys rubbed their eyes and ran off as fast as their legs could carry them.
Neji hurried forward to help the sobbing Hinata to her feet.
As Hinata wiped away her little tears, she said in a soft voice,
"Brother Neji, don't look there. It's ugly."
Neji gazed at the reflection in Hinata's pure-white eyes. "Young Lady Hinata, the Byakugan is the Kekkei Genkai of our clan. You should be proud of those eyes."
Hearing that, Hinata blinked her watery eyes, confused and at a loss.
Not yet three, Hinata couldn't understand words like "clan" or "proud," but she was very sensitive to other people's feelings.
Neji's answer was exactly what one would expect from a member of the Branch Family, yet it made him feel like a stranger to her.
She could sense it keenly: the two of them were separated by a sad, solid barrier!
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