Neji Hyuga

In the Hyuga Clan compound, inside the home of Hizashi, the head of the branch family.

"Lan, you've finally returned. I was worried you might have met with some misfortune since I hadn't heard from you in so long."

Hizashi looked at Hyuga Lan, speaking with a touch of emotion.

Watching Lan, whose features remained youthful and refined but now carried an aura of subtle maturity, Hizashi felt increasingly satisfied. Having endured such setbacks, Lan had truly grown a great deal; it made all his years of cultivation feel worthwhile.

Perhaps it was just his imagination, but Hizashi felt that Lan was different upon his return, as if he had become an entirely new person. He radiated a sense of confidence and carefree ease.

Because of the Caged Bird Seal, the life and death of every branch family member were under the control of the main house. It could be said that in the eyes of the main house, the branch family were merely servants expected to sacrifice their lives at a moment's notice.

Since even their survival and movements were dictated by the main house, those with talent in the branch family usually harbored deep hatred for the Caged Bird Seal, yet they remained sullen and depressed every day, unable to break its constraints.

A carefree spirit was something that simply shouldn't exist in a branch family member. It seemed Lan must have experienced something during this time.

He likely spent this period hovering on the edge of life and death, which would explain this detached, carefree attitude toward everything.

Unfortunately, Hizashi guessed wrong this time. Having awakened the Tenseigan, Lan was no longer bound by the Caged Bird Seal; he possessed true freedom.

With no constraints on his heart and a massive increase in his strength, Hyuga Lan couldn't help but exude confidence and ease from the inside out.

In truth, his opportunity to pilot the Type-3 Bio-Armor and awaken the Tenseigan was entirely due to the branch family head before him, who had run everywhere to plead his case.

Otherwise, implicated by Orochimaru and destined to be dragged into Root, he would never have reached this favorable position today.

Hizashi, the head of the branch family, was one of the few people in Konoha that Lan truly cared about. Since his parents had passed away early in the war, it was thanks to Hizashi's help and upbringing over the years that he had grown up safely.

It could be said that without him, there would be no Lan today. Such a great debt of gratitude was akin to a second life, so with the Tenseigan in his possession, he secretly swore to himself that he would change the fate of the man before him. With him around, he would never allow the man to die in such a stifled, miserable way as he had in the original timeline.

Hyuga Lan gave a simple account of his experiences during this time, though most of it was fabricated. After all, everyone in the know mistakenly believed he had simply gotten lucky, stumbling into the internal conflicts of Kirigakure and the Sand Village, which allowed him to complete his mission and survive.

No one would believe that a minor branch family youth could be a major catalyst for those two conflicts, and Hyuga Lan, wishing to keep his situation hidden, naturally wouldn't go around advertising it. The current situation was for the best.

"Lan, sometimes my brother has his own considerations. Our Hyuga Clan is a large one, and many eyes are on our every move. So, while the decisions my brother makes may sometimes seem biased, he does them out of necessity. I hope you can understand this and not take it to heart."

Clearly, Hizashi was trying to persuade him not to hold a grudge against Hiashi for assigning him a mission that was nearly impossible to complete.

In Hizashi's view, setting aside Hiashi's own strength, the fact that he was the head of the main house and held the method to control the Caged Bird Seal meant that Lan would suffer if he clashed with him. Out of concern for Lan's safety, he had summoned him to offer guidance as soon as he returned to the village.

Lan was well aware of Hizashi's intentions. In fact, he knew perfectly well that the crisis had been primarily caused by Orochimaru, and he had been mentally prepared for such dangers when he first decided to defect to him.

Although the source of the matter lay with him, he still felt resentful.

If he lacked the strength, he might choose to endure, but he was completely different from his past self now. He would keep this grudge and settle the score with those people slowly.

Of course, he wouldn't show this in front of Hizashi. On the contrary, he went along with the advice, indicating that he had already let the matter go. Being able to keep his life was a blessing, so he wouldn't hope for anything else, let alone hold a grudge against anyone.

Hyuga Lan's receptiveness made Hizashi very happy. In his eyes, Lan was the cream of the crop among the young generation of the branch family, and he would likely be the one to uphold the family's reputation in the future. Caring for him as he did, he naturally didn't want anything to happen to him.

Often, the more talented one was, the more arrogant they became, but those who were too rigid were easily broken. Hizashi didn't want to see Lan's life cut short before he had fully matured.

Just as the two were chatting, a small, thin figure walked in. It was a little boy of about one year old, staring with wide eyes, curiously observing the young man who was talking so happily with his father.

Seeing the boy, Hizashi stepped forward quickly and picked him up.

"Come, Neji, greet your big brother Lan."

So, this little boy was Hizashi's son, Neji Hyuga, the future genius of the branch family. It was just a pity that this genius had such a poor ending in the original story.

Neji looked at Hyuga Lan, merely observing him with curiosity, his mouth moving softly as he uttered words that were completely unintelligible.

Neji was still too young; he couldn't even speak clearly yet.

However, judging by his bright eyes, the boy's Byakugan bloodline was quite extraordinary, no worse than any child of the main house.

"Congratulations, Senior Hizashi. Neji already possesses such impressive ocular power at such a young age; he will surely be a Byakugan genius in the future."

Hyuga Lan's praise was very well-received by Hizashi. What Lan could see, he could naturally see as well. His son's talent wasn't just comparable to the main house—it surpassed it.

At the very least, when he and his brother Hiashi were Neji's age, they were not as talented as he was. In other words, Neji's potential likely exceeded that of his own brother.

Such an excellent son should have been a source of great comfort, and he was indeed proud of his son's outstanding talent.

But at the thought of his own branch family status and Neji's future fate, his heart felt heavy. With an outsider like Hyuga Lan present, he didn't show it; only when he was alone would he reveal that sense of hatred.

Hatred for the Caged Bird Seal, hatred for the Hyuga Clan's system.

If Neji had been born into the main house, he might have been the glory that revitalized the Hyuga Clan. It was a pity that fate was so cruel.

Neji, meanwhile, understood nothing. He played with Hyuga Lan, and the sounds of their laughter filled the room...

After leaving the home of the branch family head, Hizashi, Hyuga Lan began to wander through Konoha.

As Hyuga Lan wove through the streets, two young women of similar age were also strolling along the same road not far behind him.

When one of them, a purple-haired figure, caught sight of Hyuga Lan, a flash of shock crossed her eyes.

She spoke a few brief words to her companion, then left her behind and chased after Hyuga Lan alone...