Miki Yūya watched the three of them swallow their anger, too cowed to speak, and finally felt much better.
Sure enough, nothing beat being a troublemaker.
He could not be bothered to waste any more words on these immature brats and their ridiculous obsessions. He casually stuffed the evaluation report back into his pocket, turned, and swaggered out of the ward.
At last, the ward fell completely silent.
Tenten looked at Rock Lee, still pale and covered in bandages, and sighed softly before gently reassuring him:
"Lee, don't take it to heart. You don't have to take anything that guy said seriously."
"Lady Tsunade's Medical Ninjutsu is renowned throughout the shinobi world. If she's willing to operate on you, there must be hope. You'll definitely recover from your injuries."
Neji suppressed the malice churning inside him, reined in the chill in his eyes, and quietly agreed.
"Yeah!
Everyone has seen how hard you've worked."
After that scene, the dejection and self-doubt in Rock Lee's heart had already vanished.
If even Miki Yūya, mentally impaired and dealt an unfair hand by fate, could live so freely and openly, what right did he have to give up over a serious injury?
He nodded firmly, a fresh fire rekindling in his eyes, his voice utterly resolute.
"I know! I'll never give up!
No matter how hard it gets, I'll recover. I won't let any of you down!"
After offering him some reassurance, Tenten and Neji said goodbye to Rock Lee and left Konoha Hospital side by side.
As they walked, Tenten's expression gradually relaxed, but the atmosphere around Neji Hyuga beside her was frighteningly oppressive.
Not one of Miki Yūya's cruel, cutting remarks had been made up. Every word had pierced the deepest scars in his heart, the ones he least wanted to touch.
In the Main Family's eyes, the Hyuga Branch Family was worth less than dogs.
His father had been nothing more than a pawn they could sacrifice at any moment.
For his entire life, he would never escape the fate imposed by the Caged Bird Seal.
The resentment, frustration, anger, and despair he had forcibly buried deep inside all erupted because of Miki Yūya's words, completely tearing apart the facade he had maintained for years.
All his endurance, compromises, and attempts to comfort himself came crashing down.
The tragedy that had changed everything years ago surfaced in his mind.
A Kumogakure ninja had infiltrated Konoha without permission, aiming to abduct Hinata Hyuga, the Main Family's young lady, and steal the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan bloodline ability.
The intruder had deliberately provoked trouble, trespassed on their grounds, and plotted wrongdoing, only to be killed by the Hyuga Clan's head, Hyuga Hiashi.
From beginning to end, Kumogakure had been in the wrong. Konoha had done nothing wrong, neither had the Hyuga Clan, and his father had certainly done nothing wrong!
But what had happened?
All Kumogakure had to do was issue a bullying threat of war, and the cowardly, incompetent Third Hokage immediately gave in.
The Konoha High Command did not dare stand up to powerful enemies outside the village. All they could do was squeeze their own people.
For the sake of so-called peace in the village and so-called diplomatic dignity, the Hyuga Clan had been forced to make amends to Kumogakure.
And the Hyuga Clan had been utterly heartless!
They shared the same Hyuga blood, yet Hyuga Hiashi of the Main Family had emerged unscathed.
Meanwhile, his father, Hizashi Hyuga of the Branch Family, had been shoved forward as a scapegoat and forced to take his own life, using that life to
appease Kumogakure!
No, he should not call his father a scapegoat.
Even a scapegoat had to bear the blame for something.
But his father had been innocent!
From beginning to end, his father had done nothing.
It had only been because he was born into the Branch Family, because he was born beneath others, because the Main Family needed a sacrifice they could discard at will!
For years, he had hypnotized and numbed himself, telling himself that fate could not be changed, that these were the clan's rules. Though he hated them, he had accepted reality and never dared openly resist.
But Miki Yūya's words had shattered every last one of his self-deceptions.
From beginning to end, it had been nothing but injustice!
"It was the Third Hokage's cowardice and incompetence! It was the Main Family's cold-blooded selfishness! The Third Hokage already killed himself out of fear of punishment, so why? Why is someone like Hyuga Hiashi still alive?!"
Why?!
Why was the Branch Family born to be the Main Family's servants, tools, and sacrifices?
Why was his father's life so cheap that they could throw it away just to soothe an enemy's anger?!
Hatred and despair coiled tightly around Neji's heart, chilling his entire body as his blood surged.
He hated the Third Hokage's weakness and cowardice, hated how he bowed and scraped to outsiders while exploiting his own people!
He hated the Main Family's cold indifference, hated how Hyuga Hiashi had watched his father go to his death without lifting a finger!
Just as malice filled his heart, a small figure cautiously passed by the intersection.
It was Konohamaru Sarutobi.
At the sight of that face, the disgust and coldness in Neji's eyes instantly intensified.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's cowardice and incompetence had destroyed his family and ruined his life!
Yet the man responsible had already killed himself out of fear of punishment, while his grandson still lived comfortably and without a care in the village, enjoying himself freely. Only the villagers remembered that he was a criminal's grandson. The village's ninja acted as though none of those past events had ever happened.
Why?!
Why could a criminal's descendant stay safely in the village while the Hyuga Branch Family had to endure endless suffering?!
Nothing remained in Neji's eyes but a bone-deep chill.
He abruptly drove his foot forward, kicking a loose stone from the roadside with pinpoint accuracy!
Whoosh-!
The stone shot through the air and slammed into Konohamaru's knee!
"Ow!"
Caught completely off guard, Konohamaru was struck by a sudden burst of pain. His legs buckled, and he dropped straight to his knees.
The burning pain in his knee instantly sent him into a panic. He instinctively covered his head with both hands and curled up.
At that moment, only one terrifying figure filled his mind.
Miki Yūya!
That bastard who would beat him at the slightest provocation and never show any mercy!
He clutched his head tightly, his whole body tense and trembling as he waited for the punches and kicks to rain down.
But the pain he expected never came.
An icy voice, utterly devoid of warmth, sounded above his head.
"Does a criminal's grandson deserve to stay in Konoha? Someone like you should just die along with your grandfather!"
That sinister tone carried boundless malice and contempt.
Konohamaru froze, then slowly lowered his hands from his head and looked up in confusion.
The person before him was not Miki Yūya, but Neji Hyuga, his face dark and his gaze piercingly cold.
Those pure white Byakugan eyes held not a trace of warmth, only naked disgust, hatred, and disdain.
Konohamaru was utterly bewildered. He could not understand why Neji had suddenly become so hostile toward him.
Frightened and flustered, all he could do was hastily lower his head and apologize in a small voice:
"S-sorry! Neji, I... I don't know what I did to upset you..."
Just then, a gentle but anxious female voice rang out.
"Neji! What are you doing?!"
Hinata Hyuga hurried over and pulled the frightened, helpless Konohamaru behind her, her fair face filled with confusion and anger.
Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame followed right behind her.
The three had happened to be passing by and caught Neji picking on Konohamaru for no reason.
Hinata frowned at Neji's dark, twisted expression and gathered her courage to challenge him.
"Neji, why... why are you bullying Konohamaru? He hasn't done anything wrong!"
Looking at the Main Family's young lady standing in his way, the resentment and hatred Neji had bottled up for years finally broke through every restraint of reason.
Savage malice churned in his pure white eyes. He stared fixedly at Hinata and roared coldly.
"What business is it of yours?!"
"What? Is the Main Family's young lady going to use her noble status to order around a lowly Branch Family member like me?!"
Hinata stiffened, her face instantly turning deathly pale. She hurriedly waved her hands and tried to explain.
"N-no! Neji, that's not what I meant..."
"Not what you meant?"
Neji burst into wild laughter, shrill and crazed, filled with bone-deep despair and mockery!
"How could it not be!"
"In your Main Family's eyes, we of the Branch Family are born to be lowly slaves!"
"Objects you can discard and sacrifice whenever you please!"
"The Main Family's dogs! Aren't we? Haven't we always been?"
Years of suppressed hurt and resentment erupted from Neji at that moment!
Hinata had never seen Neji so crazed and consumed by obsession. His twisted expression frightened her into trembling. Her eyes reddened, and hot tears instantly spilled down her cheeks.
Kiba Inuzuka could no longer stand watching. He immediately stepped forward, firmly shielding the crying Hinata behind him, and glared at Neji in outrage!
"Neji! You've gone too far! Hinata hasn't done anything wrong."
"Hinata didn't mean that at all! What gives you the right to talk to her like that?!"
He looked at the furious, unhinged Neji and spoke with ringing conviction, every word sincere.
"And what's all this about dogs?! So what if someone's a dog!"
"Akamaru may be a ninja dog, but he's my closest, most trusted partner!"
"He's family! We can entrust our lives to each other, and we'll never abandon each other!"
"I've never treated him as some tool I can sacrifice whenever I please!"
Woof! Woof!
Akamaru, perched on Kiba's head, understood his owner's words. He shook his head vigorously and barked twice in fervent, loyal agreement.
Even more confident now, Kiba looked Neji straight in the eye.
"See! Even Akamaru says I'm his family and partner!"
"He'd never abandon me or treat me like some tool he could sacrifice whenever he wanted, either! So what if he's a dog!"
"Right, Akamaru!"
Kiba lifted Akamaru off his head, and Akamaru happily wagged his tail at him.
"Woof, woof, woof!"
The boy and his dog began openly showing their affection right in front of Neji.
Boom-!
Those words struck Neji's mind like a thunderbolt!
He froze on the spot, the blood in his body all but congealing as his mind went completely blank!
Yes.
That was right!
The Inuzuka Clan's ninja dogs were only summoned beasts, only animals.
Yet their owners treated them sincerely, cherished them for life, stayed by their side, and never abandoned them, just like real family.
But what about his father?
The lives of the Hyuga Branch Family, his father's life, were worth less than even a ninja dog's!
Utter absurdity, utter sorrow, utter irony tore Neji's reason to shreds in an instant!
"Hahaha..."
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Neji suddenly threw his head back and let out a crazed, shrill, despairing laugh.
His laughter was hoarse and broken, laden with endless sorrow.
Everyone stared blankly at him as he lost control and broke down.
"Neji... Neji!"
"..."
Hinata wanted to comfort Neji, but he simply left.
Without looking at any of them again, he disappeared down the street.
Only the four of them remained, watching Neji walk away. Shino Aburame looked at Neji, then back at Kiba, then turned toward Neji again, then back toward Kiba and Akamaru.
He felt... that the "comfort" just now had not really helped.
Before you continue