"What's so impossible about that? If I weren't afraid of starting a war, the Fourth Raikage would already be dead." Ishikawa declared flatly, stunning Neji—who had just broken through his emotional defense—into speechlessness once again.
Would it kill you not to brag for once? Claiming to have blackmailed the Raikage was already absurd, but now you're saying you spared him to avoid a war? Who do you think you are, the Hokage?
No, not even the Hokage could do that. Otherwise, his father, Hizashi, wouldn't have died like that.
Naive. He was still too naive. He'd actually believed this guy's nonsense… In an instant, Neji lost all interest in Ishikawa. He no longer cared to ask anything about the so-called Raikage.
"Excuse me. I'll keep your medical ninjutsu secret," Neji said coldly, turning to leave. This guy's all talk—he's not worth trusting as a comrade!
"Genius Neji? Hah, that's all you are? But think about it—what kind of vision or ambition can a caged bird have?"
"What did you say?" At the doorway, Neji's body froze. His eyes hardened. "I don't know how you found out about that, but it's no reason to insult me!"
"A guy like you, who only knows how to talk big, has no idea what despair is—what true destiny is!" Neji shouted, finally dropping the cold, prideful façade he always wore.
"Heh. If you mean the seal on your forehead, then that kind of despair is nothing compared to real despair." Ishikawa's dismissive tone made Neji's pupils narrow in shock—and for the first time, hope sparked in his eyes.
"You... you know how to free the caged bird curse seal?" Neji yanked off his forehead protector, revealing the green cross-shaped curse mark. His voice trembled with a hope he didn't dare believe.
Even though he found it unlikely, Ishikawa's confident tone made him believe—just maybe—there was a chance...
"Not yet. You're thinking too far ahead." Just as Neji's heart surged with hope, Ishikawa's cold response sent him plummeting into a mental abyss.
Silence. The air went dead still—so quiet that a pin dropping would've echoed.
"Bastard!" Neji's brain short-circuited. His veins bulged. The Byakugan flared. Is this guy even afraid of being beaten up? Damn bastard...!
"Why so worked up?" Ishikawa said lazily. "I said I don't have a solution yet. But there is a way to solve it."
"What?" Neji, still seething, took a deep breath. His face, flush with anger, turned pale, then red. He stared at Ishikawa with wide, desperate eyes.
"Why are you looking at me? In the end, it's because your branch house types are too damn obedient. If you can't remove the seal, why not just kill the ones who cast it? Don't say the branch can't resist the main house. If you can't do it yourselves, hire outside ninjas! If the branch house united and fought back, even the main house wouldn't survive."
"Sure, you can't undo the curse just by killing the main house. But at least the next generation won't have to live as caged birds!"
Ishikawa sighed, glancing at the stunned Neji. They're both from branch houses, but look at the Ōtsutsuki on the moon—he had the guts to slaughter his entire main family to awaken the Tenseigan...
That's why Ishikawa placed so much hope in Neji. With proper guidance, this Neji could become a formidable ally—one no less powerful than Naruto or Sasuke.
"Ahem, that method's just a violent one, and the risk is a bit too high. Don't let your imagination run wild…" Seeing the light in Neji's eyes grow brighter and brighter, Ishikawa quickly cut him off.
That had only been idle talk; he had no real intention of destroying the main family.
"Hmph, of course I know that." Neji snorted coldly, though it was hard to tell whether he truly accepted it or not.
He was fully aware of the dangers of hiring someone to assassinate the main house. But the thought of gaining freedom stirred a malicious eagerness in his heart that was hard to suppress.
Seeing Neji's brooding, shadowed face and the flicker in his eyes, Ishikawa immediately knew what was on his mind. But that wasn't the outcome he wanted.
"Neji, if I could help you remove the curse seal on your forehead… could I trust you to guard my back?"
"What?" The moment Ishikawa said that, Neji's expression changed again. His voice trembled as he blurted out, "Didn't you just say there was no way?"
"What I said was that there's no way right now, but give it a year or two—it might be possible." Ishikawa couldn't help but chuckle, recalling what he had glimpsed of the cursed seal through the Spiritualization Jutsu.
Indeed, the caged bird curse seal didn't just connect to the brain's nervous system—it was anchored deep within the soul. Even if Ishikawa perfected the Spiritualization Jutsu and fully understood the curse's mechanics, breaking it would still be difficult.
However, with the added cheat of the door handle's instant healing, he was confident he could one day free Neji from it.
"Really? You think you could help me get rid of the caged bird in one or two years?" Neji swallowed hard, his voice strained with cautious hope. If Ishikawa could help, it would be far safer and more reliable than attempting to destroy the main family.
If an assassination failed, he'd be helpless before the clan. The reward of freedom was tempting—but the cost was steep.
After a moment's silence, Neji looked directly at Ishikawa. His tone turned solemn. "If you're serious… I'll guard your back with my life."
"Of course! Me too." Ishikawa replied with equal gravity. "If we can rely on each other, I'll pull us both back from the brink—even if it kills me."
"Can someone even be pulled back from death?" Neji muttered, eyeing Ishikawa's cryptic smile with suspicion. His mouth twitched. Was he crazy for trusting this bragging maniac so easily?
"Alright, back to business." Sensing Neji's doubt, Ishikawa dropped the theatrics and got to the point.
Setting aside Tsunade's hemophobia, Ishikawa laid out every detail of his grudge with the Raikage and all the intelligence he had on him.
Naturally, he also included some personal commentary. For example, how Tsunade and the Raikage had discussed Hiashi's death—and from there, how Ishikawa had learned about the Hyuga clan feud and the caged bird curse.
"No wonder you think we're natural allies. But you've got guts, blackmailing the Raikage for his ninjutsu." Neji couldn't help but smirk, pleased to hear the Raikage had been humiliated.
Still, a quiet hope settled in his heart. If Ishikawa wasn't lying about the Raikage, maybe he was telling the truth about breaking the curse too…
"Neji—oh, Neji—don't disappoint me." A few minutes later, as Ishikawa watched Neji walk away from the doorway, he let out a long sigh. "To me, you're more than just someone I can trust… you're my final card in this era. And this… is your only chance to change your fate."
To survive until the end… wasn't easy for someone born a supporting role!