Bad Person

"Do you want to come with me?"

"No!" Neji shook his head firmly. "Taking a few days off is already too much. If I miss school for much longer, the Ninja Academy teachers will get angry."

"Besides, Brother, your mission must be very difficult, right? I haven't even graduated from the Ninja Academy yet. If I went with you, not only would I be unable to help, I might even hold you back."

Ning Qi nodded thoughtfully. "That's true. So you need to become stronger as soon as possible."

Become stronger not to help me, but to help yourself. Otherwise, you might not be able to withstand the malice coming from so many people around you... Ning Qi thought. Of course, as for why the malice of those around him would descend upon Neji, he, the chief culprit, had no intention of looking into it too closely.

Seeing that Ning Qi had actually responded, Neji could not help asking,

"Brother, you're joking, right?"

"Even if I could help you, what kind of mission would involve unrelated family members? Aren't you afraid Lord Hokage will scold you for wasting ninja resources like this?"

Ning Qi smiled. "You already refused, so why are you asking so much? Eat."

"Brother, you're really suspicious."

Everyone had their own path in life to walk.

Until several days later, when cruel reality crashed down upon him like a meteor—when every understanding and fantasy he had about his brother was overturned—Neji never realized that, at that ordinary table on that ordinary day, Ning Qi had casually tossed out a choice capable of determining the course of his entire life, only for it to vanish in the tone of a joke after being refused.

It had been cold and utterly without hesitation, leaving no trace like a stone cast into a lake. Only the brief ripples spreading outward proved that, for one moment, Neji had felt that he had finally drawn close to the real Ning Qi.

What answer had his brother truly hoped for?... Or perhaps this, too, had merely been a boring joke left for his future self?

Ning Qi had done that countless times before. So much so that, when Neji looked back after everything happened, he realized that every interaction between the brothers had actually been filled with traces deliberately left behind by Ning Qi.

"That wasn't meant for you right now."

"You'll understand naturally in the future."

There had been countless gaps like that. Ning Qi always said them casually, and naturally Neji had never taken them seriously. Since he would "understand naturally in the future," he could just wait until "the future" arrived.

Yet when that day truly came, Neji finally discovered that he had never seen Ning Qi clearly. Though they had lived together day and night, it was as if a layer of mist had always separated them. The moment Ning Qi had ever been closest to him in his life had actually been that one sentence from several days before everything happened:

"Do you want to come with me?"

The choice to follow him... had it truly existed?

Would he have discovered, after nodding, that it was merely another illusion Ning Qi had built with a joking tone?

Would Neji have eagerly accepted his brother's invitation and stepped onto a new stage in life, only to discover that the magnificent stage was merely a trap disguised as a pond, while Ning Qi stood on the shore and pointed at Neji, trapped in the mud and covered in filth, laughing uproariously?—Perhaps that was the likeliest thing that would have happened if Neji had nodded.

Ning Qi had always possessed such a vile nature.

He liked to toy with everyone in the palm of his hand. He liked watching hope shatter in other people's eyes. After the incident, that was the only impression Neji, as Ning Qi's younger brother, could still regard as true about this man filled with lies and falsehoods.

"Do you want to come with me?"

Since everything was hypothetical, he might as well be bolder.

On this night that the future Neji would wish countless times to return to, imagining countless times what might have happened if he had agreed—was there truly such a possibility, such a path in life, that could have definitely happened as long as he nodded when Ning Qi carelessly asked him that question?

As long as he nodded, could he have stripped away every disguise on the other man and seen the truest Ning Qi?

What would that sight have been like?

He did not know.

And he never could know.

But to Neji himself at this moment, the only person who might possibly learn the answer, this was merely an ordinary night among countless ordinary nights, merely a dull day among the countless days yet to come.

The moon was round, there were many mosquitoes, the food was delicious, and Hanabi was silly.

That was all.

Like a joke and like a test, this brief exchange, which the future Neji would recall countless times, passed by just that easily.

All opinions had been exchanged without anyone noticing.

It was not fair.

But that was life.

Ning Qi did not care that his younger brother had embarrassed him. He continued picking up food for himself, while Hanabi, who had dragged over a little stool and sat beside him, watched him with bright eyes.

"What, you want to come with me?" Ning Qi patted her head.

The girl was a little shy, but she still gathered her courage and said, "I... I'll work hard to become stronger. I definitely won't hold you back!"

Both brothers looked at Hanabi in surprise.

"You want to go?" Neji asked again.

"Mm!" Hanabi nodded forcefully.

The air fell silent for a moment.

A young girl's affection had come out of nowhere. Anyone unaware of the situation might have thought she had known Ning Qi for months. Under Neji's suspicious gaze, Ning Qi took a bite of chicken and pondered.

"Hey, Brother, you aren't seriously considering it, are you?" Seeing that he was genuinely thinking, Neji hurriedly reminded him, "Don't forget who she is."

Could the young lady of the prestigious main family go out with you on missions?

Don't be ridiculous.

"What kind of mission did you even take? Do you have to abduct a child?"

"Huh?" Ning Qi came back to himself, frowned, and stopped chewing. "No, I was wondering whether they put too much salt in this chicken."

"..."

Neji shook his head.

His brother was always like this. He could never guess what he was thinking.

Hanabi did not know that this answer actually meant rejection, and she continued looking expectantly at Ning Qi.

"Oh, right, little Hanabi, come back to the main family with me tonight," Ning Qi said casually.

Hanabi hesitated. She was afraid of returning to that so-called "home," but this was clearly not a question. Under Ning Qi's calm gaze, she still nodded softly.

After dinner, Ning Qi brought Hanabi back to the clan head's residence.

A gigantic phantom of the Byakugan floated above the residence. It was as secluded and tightly guarded as ever.

Several newly planted trees of unknown species stood along the sides of the courtyard. A few attendants guarded the entrance. Even as Ning Qi led Hanabi through the gates, their expressions remained blank; only their necks kept twisting with the pair's footsteps.

"Good evening, Sister Yunpu, Sister Lian..." Hanabi greeted everyone softly, though her body unconsciously leaned closer to Ning Qi.

"Yes... I haven't been home these past few days..."

Hanabi seemed to be explaining herself to the attendants at the entrance. Though they showed no reaction whatsoever in Ning Qi's eyes, this was already a sign that their consciousness had faded to its final stage. If the clan assembly had not been approaching, Ning Qi would have needed to find some unlucky people to replace these guards. Otherwise, before long, even the superficial grandeur of this clan head's residence would no longer be maintainable, and outsiders would easily see through it.

Hanabi lowered her head.

"Mother has been looking for me? I'm sorry... I... I..."

Because the This-Realm Naraku Technique caused its victims to see things transform into what they believed "things ought to be like," the sole variable determining the illusion was the victim herself.

Therefore, unless Ning Qi personally participated in shaping the illusion, even he, the caster, did not know exactly what Hanabi was encountering in the illusion generated by the technique's automatic operation at this moment.

→

The motionless attendants seemed to have transformed in Hanabi's world into vicious servants who fawned on the powerful and bullied the weak. Ning Qi watched the scene with great interest.

Interesting. In her eyes, was it only natural that everyone hated her?

"Brother, Mother is still looking for me. She's very angry. Can you come with me?" Hanabi pleaded, clutching Ning Qi's sleeve.

Hanabi had never known why she had appeared in Neji's room, nor had she ever asked. But Neji had confirmed that Ning Qi had "rescued" her from the clan head's residence, and because of that, she trusted Ning Qi deeply.

Ning Qi naturally had no objection and nodded. The two came to a ruined side chamber—or at least, it was indeed ruined and filthy in Ning Qi's eyes. Yet in Hanabi's eyes, it was a spotless place where she needed to carefully remove her shoes lest she dirty the floor.

Ning Qi watched her white socks step through the grime, leaving a trail of tiny footprints. Then she knelt before a half-rotted corpse.

"Mother, I'm sorry for making you worry."

—This illusionary world was operating according to an absurd logic, and Ning Qi, who had created it with his own hands, suddenly felt a strange emotion rise within him.

The corpse before them was indeed Hanabi's birth mother. The fatal sword wound through her chest had been Ning Qi's doing. But... she had clearly already been buried in the ground, so why had someone dug her back up now?

He turned around thoughtfully and saw seven-year-old Hinata standing blankly in the courtyard some distance away. She wore somewhat tattered clothes. Her left eye seemed to be injured and was wrapped in a bundle of cloth. The wooden bucket in her hand was still slowly leaking water, and it seemed that Hinata had just returned from fetching it.

She set the bucket down, hesitantly stretched out her hand, and asked in a soft, uncertain voice,

"Um... are you Brother Ning Qi?"

The problem had been solved.

Ning Qi had already determined that this little one was about to break free from the illusion of the This-Realm Naraku Technique. Her arrival was perfectly timed.

"Yes, I've finally met you, Miss Hinata."

He slowly walked over, crouched down, and gently stroked the girl's injured eye. The bandages were completely incapable of blocking his Byakugan. With a single glance, Ning Qi could see the abnormality in Hinata's left eye.

That old bastard Hiashi. Even with both his hands broken, he had still managed to transplant his own Byakugan into his daughter's eye... Since his daughter's own eye could not see through the illusion, had he made her use his eyes instead?

It had to be said, it was quite creative.

Under the natural laws unique to the Naruto world, where eyeballs could be plugged in and used immediately, this method was also highly practical.

What a pity... his luck had just been a little too bad.

Ning Qi could not help feeling regret over Hiashi's scheme.

Once she completely saw through This-Realm Naraku, she would no longer be misled by the illusion and could walk straight out of this false clan head's residence.

Hinata had clearly been only a step away from exposing the schemes of Ning Qi, the great villain, and saving every member of the Hyuga clan... What a pity.

Hearing Ning Qi's gentle words, Hinata hesitated. She felt that the man before her was not a bad person, but... she took two steps back. Perhaps afraid that her movements might hurt Ning Qi's sensitive heart, she explained softly,

"Father said you're a bad person..."

Speaking ill of someone behind his back—how awful!

Ning Qi thought for a moment, then used the Transformation Technique to turn into his younger brother Neji. This time, Hinata was finally no longer afraid.

Perhaps her left eye, which had recently gained the ability to see through illusions, was already working. Truth and falsehood, reality and illusion, overlapped between her two eyes. She had seen too many times how everything changed unpredictably under the This-Realm Naraku Technique, so even when Ning Qi transformed before her eyes, she did not find it strange.

Both eyes clearly reflected Neji's appearance, and truth and falsehood merged into one here.

Hinata pursed her lips. As though she had finally encountered someone she could trust, all the grievances she had suffered these past days erupted in an instant. She threw herself into Ning Qi's arms and sobbed softly.

"Brother Neji... I... I..." Her words came out brokenly, and she could not speak clearly.

"Don't worry. I, Brother Neji, will definitely protect you." Ning Qi stroked her back and said with a smile.

Hanabi was still whispering to her mother. Ning Qi picked Hinata up and headed toward the main hall where Hiashi was imprisoned. He was now very much looking forward to seeing their clan head's expression.

Before entering, Ning Qi first told Hinata to hide by the doorway.

"Ahem." He deliberately made a sound before pushing the door open and walking in.

A rotten stench assaulted him. This place had truly become more and more dilapidated. There were already few servants controlled by This-Realm Naraku who could still move. Maintaining the flowers and trees in the courtyard and preserving the outward grandeur of the Hyuga clan head's residence had exhausted the remaining manpower, so naturally no one could spare attention for how the inside of this mansion was rotting and molding.

"You... why have you come again?"

Though Ning Qi had transformed into Neji, Hiashi recognized the true face of the villain before him at once.

"No one comes to find me anymore... You killed them all... Why have you come again?" Hiashi's voice carried a trace of sorrow.

The tragic part was that whenever Hyuga clan members returned from missions to report, or came specifically to visit him, no matter what he said, did, or how much commotion he made after they saw him, they could only understand one meaning in their eyes:

Go find Ning Qi, then return with Ning Qi.

Clan Head Hiashi possessed immense prestige among the clan. Whether high or low in status, though the clan members were puzzled after hearing this request, they would all choose to obey unconditionally—like ignorant lambs heading into a wolf's den to find a vicious wolf under the command of the lead sheep. This was the reality that caused Hiashi particular agony.

He had indirectly caused the deaths of so many clan members.

"With something big coming up, I've been feeling unsettled lately, so I came to chat with you," Ning Qi said casually. "I already sent out the notice for the clan assembly. I was afraid some people would not take it seriously, so I plan to send it again tonight."

"Oh, I also contacted the three clan elders outside the village that you told me about. Two replied that they would definitely come. One was delayed by something outside, but also said he would hurry back as soon as possible."

"Your intelligence was all correct." Ning Qi nodded, watching Hiashi.

It was not only Hyuga clan members who often came to see this Hyuga clan head. Some visits from outsiders were truly impossible to refuse. Ning Qi had no intention of making things difficult for them, so he let them leave however they had arrived. Although it might have been somewhat discourteous for certain distinguished guests that the clan head could not personally see them off, that was not a major problem in the end.

It was also to deal with these people who could not be handled otherwise that Ning Qi had not dug out Hiashi's eyes. He had only sealed his chakra points, seeking to conceal the truth as effectively as possible. There had never been any mishaps.

He simply had not expected that the Byakugan Hiashi himself could not use would be transplanted into his daughter Hinata, and that this move would genuinely help her see through the illusions of This-Realm Naraku.

"Then you'd better keep your promise." Perhaps out of guilt, Hiashi lowered his head and closed his eyes.

"Of course, I'll keep my promise." Ning Qi nodded perfunctorily and beckoned Hinata inside. His smile was cold.

"But that's assuming you truly kept yours."

"Clan Head, unfortunately for you, I saw through your little trick."

"Give up something else. Though it seems you have nothing left... you are, after all, one of Konoha's foremost noble clans. Perhaps my imagination simply isn't rich enough?"

"Squeeze a little harder. See whether you can produce something else and try buying your daughter's life one more time..."