A drizzling rain began to fall from the sky.
Dark clouds covered the sky, swallowing the last ray of sunlight.
In front of the Hyuga Compound, only Hyuga Neji remained kneeling on the ground, his clothes drenched by the fine raindrops.
People came and went around him, but he seemed oblivious, the darkness in his heart almost consuming his entire soul.
At this moment, he thought of his father's unwillingness back then, and the last words Lord Shinma had spoken to him.
There are always people resisting these rules that exist in reality but are fundamentally unreasonable.
However, they all died.
Hyuga Neji tightly gripped the gradually damp sand in his palm, his bandaged fist striking the ground in anger, splashing up a handful of water.
At the same time, there was an indescribable sense of powerlessness.
"Unwilling?"
Just then, a calm question suddenly came from the young man's ear.
Tears still welled in Hyuga Neji's eyes, and at the instant he heard the voice, his heart felt as if it was tightly squeezed, and he abruptly raised his head.
However, the moment he raised his head, the young man suddenly froze.
The rain falling around him seemed to have been paused, quietly freezing in mid-air, becoming elongated droplets of water.
Dust motes floating in the air swayed silently, yet not a single speck of dust could escape, heavily encased within the raindrops.
The figures leaving behind him, whether it was their raised footsteps, swaying sleeves, or flying hair, all seemed like a painting, quietly frozen in place.
The world beneath these dark clouds seemed anchored in this moment.
Only the figure that suddenly appeared before him stood there, seemingly unaffected by the sudden rain, his clothes completely dry, without a single stain.
Rather than saying he was insulated from the surrounding rain, it was more like his entire being was an ephemeral illusion, as if he didn't exist in this moment at all.
He looked down at himself, kneeling on the ground, a smile on his face.
— — Time, has it been paused?!
The moment he saw this scene, an incredible thought suddenly popped into Hyuga Neji's mind, and the look in his eyes towards the person in front of him also showed a hint of surprise.
However, the other party seemed to be able to see through all his thoughts at a glance, leaning down and speaking in a gentle tone:
"Time hasn't been paused."
"It's just that your mental world has been frozen in this moment."
"Who exactly are you?!"
Hyuga Neji instinctively spoke, but the moment the words left his mouth, a sudden pang of regret rose in his heart.
Whether time was paused or his mental world was frozen, did he have any power to resist when facing such a person?
He should have been more cautious.
"Nice to meet you."
"My name is Aizen Sōsuke."
However, the figure that appeared before him didn't seem to be angered by his slightly inappropriate words, but rather smiled calmly.
"Please rest assured, only the two of us can hear what is said here."
"So, Neji-kun."
"What are you crying for?"
That's great, so others can't hear.
However, Aizen Sōsuke... among the famous strong Ninja in the Ninja World, he had never heard of this name.
It wasn't until he clearly heard the last words that the young man seemed to suddenly remember something, quickly lowering his head and wiping his face with his sleeve, trying to dispel this pathetic and weak appearance.
But the wet and dirty sleeve only made his face dirtier with each wipe.
It was truly unsightly.
Hyuga Neji thought with despondency, and with Lord Shinma's recent death, the sorrow in his heart surged uncontrollably.
Suddenly, a warm hand touched his face, gently wiping away the scattered tear stains one by one.
Hyuga Neji raised his head, his gaze reflecting that refreshing smile, and he couldn't help but clench his fists.
Even though it was their first meeting, and he didn't even know who the other person was, upon witnessing the power the other party inadvertently displayed, even Hyuga Neji realized that this might be his first, and only, chance in life.
The moment he realized this, he seemed to completely disregard life and death, pursing his lips:
"Sir."
"I... I am sad for my own incompetence."
He could no longer bear it.
Both his father's death and Lord Shinma's death were due to the corrupt system of this clan; they both died as sacrifices for the old era.
But he could only watch it all happen with his own eyes.
Hyuga Neji deeply hated all of it.
Including himself.
Aizen Sōsuke looked at him, but what came out of his mouth was a heart-piercing question:
"Incompetent?"
"Or is it because, despite being from the same lineage as the current clan head, your status is vastly different?"
Suddenly, Hyuga Neji looked up at him as if he had suffered some incredible insult, raising his voice sharply:
"No!"
"The difference between the Main Family and the Branch Family should not exist at all!"
"Even in the Ninja Academy, there shouldn't be such a big difference between commoners and Shinobi Clans!"
"Whether it was my father's death or Lord Shinma's death, it was all for freedom!"
"No one is born to be a slave, a servant, or a sacrifice for others!"
"This unfair system..."
"I will never accept it!"
Listening to these heartfelt words, Aizen's smile grew even wider.
He suddenly raised his hand and drew the blade from his waist.
Hyuga Neji, however, did not dodge; instead, he trembled and clenched his fists tightly, standing still.
Whether the other party was a clan spy or an Anbu from Konoha here to eliminate him, he accepted it all.
Only his heart could not be betrayed.
However, in his gaze, which was ready to die, he saw the other party raise the hilt of the sword and gently tap his glabella with its end.
Buzz—
In an instant, a certain seal, bound within his brain and deeply rooted in the very core of his soul, was abruptly released.
Violently surging Chakra churned throughout his body, and the piercing roar made him dizzy, as if his entire head was about to be torn apart.
But along with it came a sudden expansion of ocular power in a short period of time.
And, the last degree of his 360-degree vision, which had been swallowed by the seal.
"Thump, thump..."
The young man's heart beat rapidly, as if he had suddenly understood something at this moment.
Hyuga Neji instinctively raised his hand, fumbling, slowly reaching towards his glabella.
The swastika-shaped mark, which had been branded on the center of his forehead like a scar, had simply vanished without a trace.
His skin was smooth and clean.
Just like all the Main Family members.
The Caged Bird Seal was simply... released?
How could this be?
Hyuga Neji looked bewildered.
Aizen, standing before him, re-sheathed his blade and asked him again:
"Now, you are also Main Family."
"Neji-kun."
"Now, you can also remove the headband from your head like all Main Family members, stand openly in this Hyuga Compound, and give orders to everyone."
"The goal your father and Hyuga Shinma pursued their entire lives has been achieved."
"Even so, do you still harbor that strong unwillingness?"
Hyuga Neji's hand, which had been touching his forehead, suddenly stopped.
Immediately after, a strong sense of shame suddenly surged in his heart, even suppressing the joy that was about to overflow onto his face.
That's right.
Father, Lord Shinma, the Branch Family members... those marks of the Caged Bird Seal.
How could he, and how dared he, bear the despised title of 'Main Family'?
"Yes!"
Hyuga Neji looked at the man in front of him, suddenly knelt on one knee, and gritted his teeth tightly:
"Lord Aizen!"
"Please grant me power."
"The power to completely destroy this clan, to break the boundary between the Branch Family and the Main Family..."
"Power!"
What he wanted was never just to erase this shameful mark on his forehead.
"Even if obtaining this power inevitably carries the risk of death, are you still willing?"
Aizen asked without reservation.
"Yes!"
Hyuga Neji's tone, at this moment, was more resolute than ever before.
He was already alone in this world.
What was there to fear about a mere life?
Hearing this answer, Aizen finally relented, smiling gently and extending his hand to him:
"Then, please come with me."
...Hyuga Neji did not know.
All his conversations with Aizen had, in fact, never actually occurred.
Even he himself was no longer in the Hyuga Compound.
Each word, each guidance, each release of the seal, all existed only in illusion.
In the real world.
His body lay quietly in the center of a cultivation vessel, completely enveloped by countless liquids, and faintly, fine white substances continuously invaded his body, only to be rapidly expelled by his quick metabolism.
His entire being was in a state of transformation.
The glabella, where the Caged Bird Seal had originally been branded, was indeed gone.
Aizen Sōsuke, while recording various indices on the data panel, spoke to Hyuga Hizashi beside him:
"Hizashi-kun."
"Your mission in Hyuga is largely complete."
"However, do you really intend to give this opportunity to Neji?"
"You should know, shouldn't you? The success rate of the experiment isn't very high."
Hyuga Hizashi, standing by, nodded slightly, his tone calm:
"Yes, Lord Aizen."
"Given Neji's current state of mind, it is no longer suitable for him to continue suppressing himself."
"I am very worried about his condition."
"Furthermore, I understand Hyuga Hiashi."
"While it might have been fine in the past, if the conflict continues to escalate, Neji would likely die at his hands."
"Since both paths lead to death, then why not... let Neji die for your research."
At this point, Hyuga Hizashi bowed his head deeply.
Aizen looked at him with a smile, his tone gentle: "Don't worry, I won't do anything I'm not confident about."
"Yes."
Just as he was speaking, Yakushi Kabuto emerged from behind the experimental bench and reported:
"Lord Aizen."
"The god tree factor embedding process has been successful. The Hyuga Clan's gene chain's acceptance of the god tree factor is indeed much higher than that of ordinary people."
"However, as it's a conservative approach, further modifications will likely be needed later on."
As he spoke, he also nodded to Hyuga Hizashi.
Listening to these words, the worry Hyuga Hizashi had been carrying subtly eased a bit.
"Thank you, Kabuto-kun."
Aizen Sōsuke spoke gently, stepping to the front of the experimental tank, watching Neji gradually change from the inside out.
"Hizashi-kun?"
"Yes."
"You said before, what was the name of the Ōtsutsuki Clan's treasured artifact recorded in the Hyuga Secret Records?"
Hyuga Hizashi bowed his head slightly, respectfully saying:
"Tenseigan."
Aizen Sōsuke looked at Hyuga Neji in the experimental tank, his gaze growing more and more expectant.
"I understand."