Hokage: You Call This Guy the Savior?!

Neji was completely bewildered now.

"Yes, Naruto is indeed the undisputed candidate for the position of Hokage. As long as he grows up, he will sit in that seat sooner or later. But do you really intend to tie yourself to Naruto's chariot so easily?"

"Is there any better choice than betting on the future Hokage?"

"Have you ever thought that even if you escaped the cage of the Hyuga Branch House, would you truly become a free bird? Don't you see that outside this birdcage, there is an even larger one, binding you and binding everyone else?"

Neji thought it over carefully and understood what Keiichi meant.

They, the Hyuga Branch House, must obey the orders of the Main House. Even if one day they no longer had to listen to the Main House, wouldn't they still have to obey the orders of the Konoha high command?

Konoha is just a larger birdcage!

Although all Konoha ninja do not have the Caged Bird Seal on their foreheads, even without the seal, don't they still have to obey orders all the same?

Dare to disobey?

That would be desertion, and one would be hunted down until death.

If the Konoha high command were to have a sudden whim and assign Keiichi a mission that was impossible to complete, he would have no choice but to bite the bullet and execute it; he would be unable to resist.

It is nothing more than moving from one cage into another.

Everyone is a person in a cage, so what difference does it make?

It is just that Konoha's methods are more sophisticated and subtle, making people not feel like they are being enslaved.

"But I would rather walk into this larger cage of Konoha than stay in the birdcage of the Hyuga Clan!" Neji said with an agitated expression.

"Fine, then let me ask you, why do you believe that Naruto can change the fate of the Hyuga Branch House?"

"With the power and influence of the Hokage, surely he could resolve the issue of the Branch House?" Neji looked at Keiichi with a strange expression.

"Konoha has already had four Hokage, yet not one of them has attempted to resolve the issue of the Hyuga Branch House. Do you think it is because they didn't want to?"

"Isn't it? Don't forget, back then Hiruzen demanded that Hiashi die to apologize for his sins. He would rather use his own brother as a scapegoat than dare to show the slightest resistance. Isn't that enough to prove that the Hokage has the ability to resolve the Branch House issue!" Neji's expression became agitated.

"Is that really the case? Guess what would happen if Hiruzen truly demanded that the Hyuga Clan abolish the Branch and Main House system?"

"Such a thing has never happened, so how would I know the result?" Neji waved his hand with some irritation.

"I can tell you: the moment Hiruzen made such a demand would be the day he stepped down. Do you believe me?"

"...Why?"

"Hiruzen dared to make Hiashi die to apologize back then because he stood on the side of the entire Konoha, using the momentum of everyone wanting to end the war to pressure him; therefore, Hiashi dared not provoke public anger. But if Hiruzen intended to take a knife to the Hyuga Clan's rules, then other ninja clans would inevitably feel a sense of 'grieving for the death of a fellow traveler,' fearing that Hiruzen would further expand the scope of the Hokage's power. Consequently, everyone would stand on Hiashi's side to oppose him. Then, the policy would fail to be implemented, he would be disgraced, and his position as Hokage would not be secure!"

Upon hearing this, Neji suddenly felt enlightened. The fog before his eyes cleared away, and he recognized what the true reality was.

It was laughable that he had just performed a tragic act; thinking about it now, he felt so ashamed he could not show his face.

No wonder Hiashi was so confident and fearless; it turned out he was already sitting securely on his throne, and no one could do anything to him!

"If the successive Hokage could not resolve the Hyuga Clan's problem, can I really count on Naruto to solve it once he takes office?" Neji muttered to himself.

"Don't forget, Hinata is also a member of the Main House. After experiencing that battle with Hinata, you should have given up your fantasies about her, right?"

"Yes..."

Neji knew very well that although Hinata looked soft and weak, her heart was that of a thorough Main House member. She could even treat him, her own brother, like air.

"So, if one day Naruto and Hinata truly unite, do you think Naruto would be biased toward the Branch House members for your sake?"

"Then why did you even suggest this? It's as if you said nothing at all!" Neji said indignantly.

"I am merely proposing a possibility, giving you a preventative shot in advance so that you don't choose the wrong path when the time comes."

"I really don't understand what you're talking about."

"Alright, I have already made the reality clear to you. Naruto does indeed have a high probability of becoming Hokage, but once he becomes Hokage, he may not necessarily be able to solve your Branch House problem. Do you agree with this?"

Neji pondered for a long time before finally nodding reluctantly: "Perhaps."

Keiichi's words ruthlessly punctured his only hope.

If that is the case, I might as well be dead; there is no hope in living anyway.

He glared at Keiichi with some resentment. It was all this guy's fault; if he hadn't said these things, he could still have lived in his wishful thinking. At least that way, he could have lived on holding onto some kind of belief.

"Neji, if you choose to follow Naruto, I will think you are very pathetic, because you have placed all your hope in others. At the very least, Naruto was right about one thing: a person cannot submit to fate, otherwise, there is truly no hope."

"This is the Caged Bird Seal! Don't you know what this means?!" Neji pointed to his forehead and asked in a sorrowful tone.

"Of course I know. But what if I told you that I have a way to help you remove the Caged Bird Seal, and I could even teach you the method? What would you do?"

Hearing this, Neji was completely stunned, and then his whole body began to tremble.

"You... what did you say?"

"I can undo the Caged Bird Seal," Keiichi said with absolute certainty.

"How is this possible?!"

"Just tell me whether you believe me or Naruto. You choose."

"If you help me undo it, I will believe you!"

"Not yet. You must help me do one thing. Only after you do it can I help you. This is a transaction to build a foundation of trust."

"What is it?"

"I need you to help me find the classified documents buried in the Hyuga Clan's archives. Find the secret passage that leads to the moon."

"A secret passage to the moon?" Neji sounded as if he were listening to a fairy tale.

"That is correct."

"Are you joking with me?"

"I am speaking to you in all seriousness."

Neji stared at him for a long time, realizing that Keiichi truly did not seem to be joking. Could such a thing actually exist?

"...What exactly are you trying to do?" He suddenly felt he could no longer read the man before him.

"I cannot tell you too much for now. All I can say is this: if you want the method to undo the Caged Bird Seal, trade it for information on the moon's secret passage. This will be the beginning of our cooperation, not the end."

"With my status as a member of the Branch House, do you really think I can get my hands on such things?"

"You might not be able to, but Hinata can."

"You mean..."

"Don't forget, you are her older brother. I imagine you are capable of playing the part of a good brother, aren't you?"

Neji fell silent. If Hinata was truly the key to undoing the Cursed Seal, he would not mind putting on an act.

"It's a deal!"

"It's a deal."

Having said that, Keiichi stood up, preparing to leave.

As he reached the door, he left Neji with one final sentence: "Fate must be held in your own hands; relying on others will never grant you true freedom."

Had he not relied on others in his previous life?

But what did that matter? He had still been wiped out by the Otsutsuki Clan.

That was why, in this life, he would seize his destiny with his own hands, determined to live a life unlike the last.

Chapter 68: The Death of Shino Aburame

Keiichi's promise to Neji was no lie; he truly possessed the ability to resolve the Caged Bird Seal.

In fact, within the Exchange Shop, the Caged Bird Seal could be found under the Cursed Seal category. It contained not only the most detailed casting procedures but, naturally, the method to undo the seal as well.

It didn't matter if the Main House had it or not; he had it.

However, redeeming the Caged Bird Seal required 100 Magic Modification Points, which he could not yet afford, and his current level of plot modification had not yet reached the 25% threshold.

But once Neji found what he was looking for, he should be able to unlock the exchange.

The reason he valued Neji so highly was, of course, not out of shared misery; he valued Neji as an individual.

To be precise, he valued his Byakugan.

Because he knew very well that the advanced version of the Byakugan was the Tenseigan.

This was something on the same level as the Rinnegan!

To counter the impending Otsutsuki invasion, relying solely on the power of the Sage of Six Paths' lineage would not be enough. He had to integrate the power of his brother Hamura's lineage, and the Tenseigan was the ultimate achievement of that bloodline.

The resources of the entire ninja world were finite, and he wanted to utilize every scrap of power he could get his hands on!

That was why he had chosen Neji Hyuga to be the vessel for the Tenseigan.

He could, of course, redeem the Hyuga bloodline and absorb the power of the Tenseigan himself, but that would not be cost-effective.

With the Exchange Shop backing him, his resources were infinite; he could continue to grow stronger based on that alone.

But the resources belonging to the ninja world were limited. By consolidating them and gathering them into the hands of his own people, he could stand against the cosmic disaster that was the Otsutsuki.

In the future, he intended to build an organization similar to the Salvation Army, rather than fighting alone.

Therefore, he planned to open the Moon Dungeon ahead of schedule, before Otsutsuki Toneri could evolve the Tenseigan, and seize its power for himself.

One had to understand that the true Tenseigan was not the pair of eyes Toneri possessed, but the Super-Giant Tenseigan formed by gathering thousands of Byakugan from the Otsutsuki Clan on the moon.

Toneri's eyes were, at best, a terminal for receiving Tenseigan chakra. Otherwise, how could a Tenseigan be born from mere Otsutsuki chakra and a pair of Byakugan?

But those were matters for another time. For now, he was still a small fry, and his immediate goal was merely to be promoted to Chunin; these were not things he could consider yet.

When he returned to the arena, he found the atmosphere had become exceptionally heavy. Only the dignitaries in the VIP section were standing and howling with excitement, as if they had witnessed something they had long anticipated.

When he turned his gaze toward the battlefield, his pupils constricted, and his heart shook violently.

Shino Aburame was dead!

He had been decapitated, and the scene was gruesome beyond words.

And the one who had killed him was none other than Gaara.

Such a tragedy had never occurred in his previous life. Shino Aburame had not only lived until the era of Naruto's administration, but had even become an instructor at the Ninja Academy.

Yet now, he was dead, and his death was utterly meaningless.

"Ten Thousand Insect Burial: Shino Aburame has been removed from the plot early. 20 Magic Modification Points obtained."

Keiichi would rather not have these points if it meant Shino Aburame could stay alive; after all, he was one of the Konoha 12!

How could his death have been so sudden?

This served as a wake-up call for Keiichi: just because he had altered the original trajectory of the plot did not mean things would always develop for the better. A single moment of carelessness could lead to dire consequences.

The existence of Timeline Convergence was perhaps fate itself acting as a safety net, preventing the situation from spiraling into an irredeemable collapse.

The Aburame Clan was considered a prominent family in Konoha, so if someone had truly intended to kill, the jonin present would have certainly intervened. Yet, he saw several special jonin covered in wounds, standing in a defensive posture as if facing a formidable enemy, all while keeping a wary eye on Gaara.

This meant they had intervened, yet they still failed to save Shino Aburame.

Keiichi couldn't help but feel a lingering fear; if Gaara had forced a confrontation last night, would he have been finished as well?

He had been getting cocky—he had truly been too arrogant lately!

He never expected the boy to be this strong!

Gaara cast a glance at the Konoha jonin present, let out a cold snort, and left the battlefield, while everyone around him scrambled to stay out of his way.

The scene of him tearing his opponent apart just moments ago had been far too terrifying and shocking to the soul!

"Hey, hey, don't you think his mood is a bit off? Why go so hard? What if it messes up the plan?" Kankuro whispered to Temari.

"Then why don't you go tell him that?"

"Forget it, I wouldn't dare provoke him while he's like this." Kankuro shrank his neck back.

In the Chunin Exams, death was a common occurrence, and everyone was mentally prepared for it. Thus, after the battlefield was cleared, it was as if the tragedy that had just occurred never happened, and the third match began shortly thereafter.

"Keiichi vs. [Mummy] Dosu."

Hilarious, Keiichi didn't even have a title.

This detail caught the attention of many, and after asking around, they learned that Keiichi belonged to the N-Rank Card sequence—he was just a piece of filler trash without a title.

One had to realize that even R-Rank Cards had their own titles, for heaven's sake!