Ling's intervention in the Hyuga Hinata incident was like a stone tossed into a tranquil lake. The ripples spread quickly.
The next day, when he carried Naruto into the Ninja Academy, he could clearly feel the Hyuga students' gazes growing more complicated. Some were curious, some were scrutinizing him, and there was even a hint of... gratitude? The Branch Family students in particular looked at him with hesitant, flickering eyes, as if they wanted to approach but didn't dare.
Hyuga Hinata grew even more reserved. Whenever she saw Ling, she would instantly blush to the tips of her ears and dart away like a startled little rabbit, yet she would secretly watch him with her Byakugan. Ling didn't mind. His actions had been more about intervening in what he saw as predetermined misfortune and lending a hand to someone weaker; he hadn't expected anything in return.
However, someone saw his actions as a provocation.
During lunch, Ling was meditating in a secluded spot on the rooftop, practicing chakra control, when a cold voice sounded behind him.
"Uchiha Ling."
Ling slowly opened his eyes. He didn't need to turn around. The sensory abilities granted by his Sage Body had already told him who had arrived: Hyuga Neji. A gifted young ninja, shackled by the Caged Bird.
He turned to face the white-eyed boy, who was about his age but already had the air of a powerful shinobi. Neji's face showed no expression, but his pure white eyes held anger and resentment, suppressed like undercurrents in the deep sea.
"Is something the matter, Hyuga Neji?" Ling asked calmly.
"Were you the one who interfered in Lady Hinata's business yesterday?" Neji's tone was accusatory.
"If you mean stopping a few Branch Family kids from bullying the Main Family heiress, then yes." Ling readily admitted it.
"Bullying?" Neji scoffed, his smile full of bitterness and scorn. "You're an outsider. What do you know? The affairs of the Hyuga Clan are none of your business, Uchiha! The fate of the Main Family and the Branch Family isn't something your laughable compassion can understand!"
His voice trembled with restrained agitation. In Neji's eyes, Ling's actions were no different from charity—a provocative display of ignorance toward the Hyuga Clan's brutal rules. Worse, they had struck at the wound left in his heart by the Caged Bird, a wound that could never heal.
Watching Neji lose control, Ling didn't get angry. Instead, he said coolly, "Fate? You've accepted yours just because of that curse mark on your forehead? You're content to be a puppet on the Main Family's strings, even hesitating to protect someone you care about?"
The words pierced Neji's defenses like a sword. He clenched his fists, veins standing out on his forehead. The Caged Bird curse mark seemed to throb with pain.
"Shut up!" Neji growled. He pushed off the ground in an instant and assumed the opening stance of the Gentle Fist. "The Hyuga Clan's dignity will not be insulted! I'll use these eyes to show you just how laughable your so-called 'compassion' is!"
"Eight Trigrams Palms: Thirty-Two Palms!"
Neji became a blur as he closed in on Ling, both palms sweeping forward with fierce force. Like a sudden storm, he struck at the chakra points all over Ling's body! He was at least twice as fast as Hyuga Ko, and his techniques were exceptionally sharp and precise. He already showed the makings of an elite jonin!
Faced with an attack that could instantly incapacitate an ordinary Chunin, Ling still didn't activate his Sharingan. He didn't even move his feet. He merely shifted to the side, raised a hand, and blocked. His movements were so economical that he avoided Neji's palms by a hair's breadth or deflected them with minimal force.
"Smack! Smack! Smack!"
The rapid blows sounded like rain striking banana leaves, but every one missed or was blocked.
The longer Neji fought, the more alarmed he became! His Byakugan could see chakra flow and chakra points, letting him anticipate his opponent's moves, but against Ling, all of it seemed useless! Ling's movements were never wasted. Every dodge and block came precisely as Neji shifted his attack, leaving him with the frustrating sensation of throwing a punch at cotton.
"Sixty-Four Palms!" Neji gritted his teeth and changed his attack. His palms blurred through the air, becoming even more rapid and relentless!
Ling swayed through the flurry like a phantom, still perfectly at ease. He even had time to speak. "Anger and hatred have blinded you. Your Gentle Fist is full of openings."
Before he'd finished speaking, Ling spotted the instant Neji's old strength had been spent and his new strength had yet to rise. He brought the index and middle fingers of his right hand together and jabbed them out like lightning—not at a chakra point, but precisely at the joint of Neji's wrist!
A sharp, tingling pain shot through Neji's wrist, and his attack abruptly faltered.
Ling took the opportunity to step back, putting some distance between them.
"See? This is the price of letting your emotions control you." Ling looked at Neji's livid face and spoke evenly. "You're incredibly talented, but your heart is too weak. The curse mark shackles more than your life. It shackles your soul."
Clutching his wrist, Neji stared at Ling, his chest heaving. He couldn't argue! He had been thoroughly defeated, and he hadn't even managed to touch Ling's clothes!
"The Hyuga Clan's fate shouldn't be decided by a curse mark." Ling gave him one last look, then turned toward the rooftop door. "The key to breaking out of that cage may not be in the Main Family's hands. It may be in your own. Think about it."
Leaving Neji reeling in shock and confusion, he walked off the rooftop alone.
Their brief clash had no clear winner, but it planted a seed of doubt and defiance in Hyuga Neji's heart.
That night, Ling used the Flying Thunder God to reach the hidden base in Tanzaku Town.
He told Izumi and Zabuza about the Hyuga Clan's situation.
"The conflict between the Hyuga Branch Family and the Main Family runs deep," Izumi analyzed. "Especially that Caged Bird curse mark. It's practically an impossible knot to untie. If we interfere rashly, we could be walking to our deaths."
"Not necessarily." Zabuza licked his lips, a vicious glint in his eyes. "The more impregnable the fortress, the easier it is to breach from within. That kid, Neji, is a crucial opening. Hatred and talent are the best tools to exploit."
Ling nodded. "For now, let's keep watching and gather more information about the Hyuga Clan and the Caged Bird. This may become a lever we can use to shift Konoha's ancient clans in the future."
He looked toward Haku, quietly practicing Ice Release, and Kimimaro, standing guard like a statue.
Dawn Wind needed more real combat to sharpen its fangs.
"Zabuza, choose some suitable C- or B-rank underground missions soon, and take Haku and Kimimaro with you," Ling ordered. "The goals are to build combat experience, improve the team's coordination, and earn a lot of money. Keep your identities hidden and avoid clashing with Konoha or the other major shinobi villages."
"Now that's a proper job!" Zabuza grinned viciously. "Don't worry, kid. I'll take good 'care' of these two."
Haku and Kimimaro lifted their heads too, eyes shining with eagerness.
Looking at the force taking shape before him, Ling considered his plans. He would have to handle the undercurrents within Konoha himself, while Dawn Wind could expand and hone its strength beyond the village. Only by advancing on both fronts could they gain the initiative on the Shinobi World's chessboard.
He looked toward Konoha through the window, his gaze seeming to pierce through space.
The Ninja Academy stage and the ripples in the Hyuga Clan were only the prelude. The real storm was quietly brewing in the shadows.
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