"Neji…? Heh. What a worthless clan."
As Genya walked back with his classmates after their group dinner, his eyes suddenly locked onto the direction of the Hyuga compound.
His expression turned heavy, and a faint killing intent seeped from his gaze.
The air around him felt as if it were about to freeze.
Murderous intent spread.
Even his voice, when he spoke, carried a sharp, biting chill. His teeth were clenched tightly.
"Genya-sama, what's wrong?" Hikari looked at Genya, feeling the icy pressure radiating off him. It sent an involuntary shiver down her spine.
What's going on?
Genya hadn't been this angry in a long time. What could have made him this furious today?
In fact—
It felt like he was just moments away from taking action. But in the end, he held himself back.
Hikari followed Genya's gaze.
That direction… it pointed toward the Hyuga clan. Could something have happened with Neji?
"Heh… Looks like the fools from the Hyuga Main Branch are causing trouble for Neji," Genya said coldly, eyes still locked on Neji's direction.
He had originally planned to step in and help Neji—but ultimately, he held back.
After all…
There were things Neji needed to face on his own.
Genya couldn't always be there to protect him. What he could do now was urge Toshi and the others to speed up the removal of the Caged Bird Seal.
It should be soon.
"Neji is being attacked? Should we go help him?" Hikari sounded worried. Neji had been training taijutsu with them every day — of course there was some bond between them.
Besides, with the Caged Bird Seal suppressing him, Neji was basically helpless. He couldn't fight back at all — completely at someone else's mercy.
Over the years, Hikari had grown more mature. She had even taken part in research on the Cursed Seal, so she knew exactly how painful and weakening it was when activated.
"No... he can handle this himself right now." Genya shook his head. But even as he spoke, he moved to a quiet corner, his eyes never once leaving Neji's direction.
If Neji faced a fatal strike, he would use the Flying Thunder God Technique to appear at his side instantly.
Over the past few years, he had engraved Flying Thunder God marks all over the hidden corners of Konoha.
If Neji could deal with this himself, he wouldn't interfere.
Hikari didn't press further. She just stood silently beside him.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Light footsteps echoed through the dark night — like a demon from hell coming to claim a soul.
"No—! You can't kill me! I'm from the Hyuga Main Family — you can't kill me!" Hyuga Sōsuke screamed, dragging his broken arm as he tried to crawl backward. His face was twisted in terror.
At that moment, there was no trace of the pride of the Hyuga elite. He was just pathetic — like a dog begging for its life.
He kept struggling.
But—
It was as if Hyuga Neji hadn't heard his pleading at all. His steady footsteps echoed with each advance, tormenting Hyuga Sōsuke's already fragile spirit.
In the end,
Sōsuke, broken both in body and mind, collapsed onto the ground. His body went limp, but his eyes remained locked on Neji as he drew closer, step by step.
"No—you can't touch me! I'm a member of the Hyuga Main House! If you dare kill me, the Main House won't let you get away with it!"
"They won't spare you!"
"Even if you're the son of the clan leader's own brother, there's no way they'll forgive you!"
"When that happens… it won't just be you—they'll make sure your mother suffers endless torment as well!"
"You can't touch me!"
"Let me go! I swear, I won't come after you again! I'll avoid you whenever I see you! I'll make sure no one else targets you either!"
Perhaps it was the fear of death that drove Hyuga Sōsuke to spill everything in his heart all at once.
There were threats, there were pleas, and there were words of pitiful submission.
But—
None of it stopped Neji's footsteps. He kept walking forward, one step at a time.
Hyuga Sōsuke had fallen into utter despair.
His limbs broken, he already knew—escape was impossible.
All he could do was stare at the figure frozen before him, trembling.
"I was wrong... I was wrong... I won't do it again... please..."
Despair. Pure, unending despair.
Fear swallowed everything. Even a single threat couldn't make it past his lips—only pathetic, groveling pleas.
"If you do wrong... you must face punishment." Neji Hyuga's voice was icy, merciless.
He slowly lifted his foot... and brought it down right on Hyuga Sosuke's navel.
Pffft—
A sudden burst of chakra scattered.
At the same time, Neji forced his own chakra into Sosuke's body, driving it into his chakra pathways with violent force—crushing and destroying everything in its path.
The agony was indescribable.
Sosuke's eyes widened in shock and pain. He wanted to scream—to howl in anguish—but the pain was so overwhelming, not even a sound came out.
When he looked up again at Neji...there was nothing left but raw fear. Dread. Even reverence.
Why?
Why had he provoked this demon?
If he had just stayed away... if he hadn't poked this vengeful star... he could've still been living peacefully, as a proud member of the Hyuga clan's main house. Free. Untouched.
But now—
Now he might really die.
The pain surged again. Coupled with the knot of panic in his chest, his blood rushed chaotically.
A sharp metallic taste rose in his throat.
Pffft—
With a final spurt of blood, he collapsed into unconsciousness.
This time... it was deep. Real.
The damage to his body was far too great. He wouldn't be waking anytime soon.
"Hmph. What a useless piece of trash." Neji sneered, his voice cold as his eyes.
Then, with a twisted smirk on his lips, he guided his chakra through Sosuke's chakra pathways once more—slow, deliberate.
And utterly ruthless.
Confirming his Chakra Pathway was damaged beyond repair, even with the best medical ninjas it would take at least a year to recover, Neji finally released his grip, satisfied.
He clapped his hands, then kicked the man's broken body aside into a corner. Slowly, he walked forward, murmuring, "Now is not the time to attack you yet… but your good days are coming to an end."
Neji was careful in his actions. Being under the control of the Hyuga clan, even for his mother's sake, he couldn't be too ruthless now.
Dragging his battered body forward, he stopped just before opening the door to his home.
His eyes were still bloodshot from the cursed seal inflicted on him like a caged bird.
He needed time to calm down.
After a long moment—
When Neji felt he had mostly recovered, he pushed open the door and entered, speaking softly, "Mother, I'm home."
"Welcome back! I've prepared something for you," a graceful woman stepped out happily from inside the house. But when she saw Neji's torn clothes, her smile faded. "Neji, what happened to you?"
"Ha ha… I was training taijutsu with my teacher. Got scraped during a sparring session!" Neji forced a smile, hiding the truth of what had just happened.
"You stubborn kid, always so reckless in battle. Go change your clothes; I'll bring the food!" His mother urged him to go freshen up, then turned to serve rice.
But just as she turned away, tears suddenly welled up and poured down from her eyes.
She knew Neji had been bullied, but the child didn't say anything because he didn't want to worry her.
As his mother, she couldn't show her concern either—otherwise, it might make Neji feel even worse.
Is this the fate of a branch family? Her husband was like this, and even her own child couldn't escape it.
Thinking this over, she made up her mind to go talk to Hyuga Hiashi.
"Mother, I'm hungry," Neji's voice suddenly came from the kitchen, breaking through her mixed emotions.
Immediately, Neji's mother smiled again.
"I'm coming. Today, I made all your favorite dishes!"
In a narrow alley of the Hyuga clan's territory—
"Who's there? Who's that?" A passing Hyuga clan member spotted several people lying on the ground. At first, he was stunned, then cautiously stepped forward.
"Help! Someone attack the Hyuga clan members! We need help!"
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