Dazed and desolate.
When Hyuga Neji woke up from his bed again, his mind was still a little muddled.
The last memory in his mind was the moment he walked out of the clan territory, following Lord Aizen.
After that, he remembered nothing.
Hyuga Neji subconsciously recalled, instinctively touching his forehead.
It was layers of bandages.
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"Whoosh!"
Suddenly, as if he remembered something, he abruptly sprang from the bed, overturning the tucked-in corner of the blanket, and ran towards the bathroom.
Not only the memories after that, but even Lord Aizen's words seemed a bit blurry, as if in a dream.
But, but... Hyuga Neji's heart pounded as he quickly came to the mirror, unwrapping the layers of bandages that had been perpetually wound around his forehead.
What met his eyes was a smooth forehead.
The young man froze.
He stood stiffly in place as if frozen, his lips subconsciously wanting to curl upwards, but tears streamed down from the corners of his eyes uncontrollably.
"It's real."
"It's all real."
From today onwards, he was no longer anyone's servant or slave.
His father's unfulfilled wish until his death, Lord Shinma's willingness to sacrifice his life to accomplish, the cyclical fate of the Branch Family members generation after generation... At this moment, Hyuga Neji thought of many things.
But then, he began to grope himself, searching for any other strange places.
Because he still remembered.
Lord Aizen had also promised him the power to completely destroy the fate of this clan.
"Simply relying on my own talent is definitely not enough."
Hyuga Neji murmured softly.
But no matter how he searched, he didn't seem to find anything out of the ordinary.
If he had to say, it was only that his palms and elbows, which were covered with calluses from years of training, had become much smoother, and his skin was quite tough.
But what kind of power was this?
"No, that's not right."
Hyuga Neji seemed to suddenly realize something.
If he couldn't find changes externally, then it could only be... internally.
"Byakugan, activate!"
In an instant, the extensive network of veins bulged outwards from the corners of his eyes, and abundant Chakra poured into his eyes, causing a sudden drastic change in his vision.
"Boom—!"
A violent gust of wind suddenly surged within the room, an unprecedented amount of Chakra vibrated vigorously, creating a large impact.
No hand signs were needed, nor was there a need to gather Chakra.
With just a single thought, the method of using the Byakugan appeared in his mind as if by instinct.
Not only that, but his eyes, which were originally only used for insight, now allowed him to discover a usage in the spiritual domain.
If he wished, the pressure emanating from the Byakugan could almost rival a Genjutsu.
At the same time, the total amount of Chakra, far exceeding his usual, and the almost inexhaustible stamina, also thrilled him.
"This..."
"Could it be that, that Lord directly changed my body from the fundamental level of talent?"
"How is this possible?"
Hyuga Neji lowered his head, looking at his hands, and subconsciously thought this.
Even a Jonin-level strong person probably wouldn't have this level of Chakra, right?
However, this didn't seem like a big deal.
After all, how could an ordinary person easily undo the Caged Bird Seal that had plagued the Hyuga Branch Family for a thousand years?
Hyuga Neji carefully felt all of this, feeling the elevation of the Byakugan's observational ability, and the unprecedented sense of completeness.
It was like someone who had been imprisoned in a dungeon since birth seeing the sun for the first time in his life.
"This is freedom."
It should have been something to make him cry with joy, yet it inexplicably made him feel so sad.
Hyuga Neji looked at his fair and delicate palms, and then, under an unprecedented sense of mission and motivation, slowly clenched them into fists.
This level alone was not enough.
He wanted all the Branch Family members to be able to stand in the sunlight.
Also, what should he do?
Even an antisocial personality who constantly shouts slogans about destroying the world would probably feel lost about how to begin destroying the world at the age of eight.
For the current Hyuga Neji, destroying the family's system was no different from destroying the world.
However, he understood that he couldn't immediately expose the fact that he had been freed from the Caged Bird Seal.
Hyuga Neji re-bandaged his forehead while sitting back on the bed.
However, after sitting on the bed, his meticulous mind immediately realized the problem.
"Did Lord Aizen send me back?"
Hyuga Neji's gaze swept around him.
Soon, his gaze locked onto a brand new envelope.
The young man's eyes lit up, and he immediately reached out to open the envelope, wanting to see Lord Aizen's orders.
But as soon as he unfolded it, his gaze gradually dimmed.
[Awaiting Assessment]
Flipping it over and over, there were only these four words.
Hyuga Neji pursed his lips, rubbed his fingertips, conjuring a faint spark, and burned the letter paper in his hand to ashes.
It seems he still hasn't gained Lord Aizen's complete trust?
But after thinking about it, Neji felt it seemed only natural.
Although he was still young, under the pressure of hatred and stress, his mind had long since matured far beyond most of his peers.
Hyuga Neji knew that Lord Aizen's appearance before him must have been for some purpose regarding the Hyuga Clan.
And he, most likely, was just a suitable chess piece.
But what did that matter?
If he could destroy this family, even if he was used, even if he was treated as a chess piece, he would be willing.
Thinking this, Hyuga Neji's fluctuating emotions gradually settled.
His gaze towards the window became increasingly firm.
"No matter what, I must become someone useful to Lord Aizen."
The young man thought this, then quickly walked out the door to resume his usual training.
Even more diligently... Outside the Hokage Office.
Uchiha Itachi waited quietly at the door, his expression calm.
Although he had already been promoted to Jonin and served as the Vice Captain of the Uchiha Konoha Military Police Force, his main task was still to be responsible for communication and liaison with the Hokage.
His primary role remained Anbu.
At the same time, probably due to the events between Shisui and Danzo, the burden on his shoulders was growing heavier.
Evidently, this was likely because the Third Hokage dared not easily trust anyone.
Except for himself, this fool who personally killed his father.
Uchiha Itachi's lips curled into a sarcastic smile, then quickly subsided.
A short while later, an Anbu Ninja called him in.
"Itachi-kun, is there something?"
At the Hokage's desk, Hiruzen Sarutobi put down his paper and pen, turning towards him with his usual kind smile, though the fatigue in his brows was undeniable.
"Yes."
Uchiha Itachi handed the document onto the desk, reporting: "This is Shisui-kun's reform plan for the Konoha Military Police Force. Its main content is to guide Shinobi Clans to join together, preventing the Uchiha Clan's renewed monopoly."
"Shinobi Clans, huh?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's brows furrowed at first, then he took the plan and began to read it.
In his mind, however, he had already crossed out this plan.
For him, the Hokage, whether the Konoha Military Police Force was controlled by the Uchiha or jointly by the Shinobi Clans made little difference.
The latter might even, to some extent, promote further unity among Shinobi Clans.
This was not what he wanted to see.
What happened recently with the Hyuga Clan was already enough to alert him.
Even now, he was still racking his brain on how to deal with the Shinobi Clans issue.
Uchiha Itachi was naturally aware of this.
However, some issues could only be brought up by the superior.
Managing upwards was a crucial part of a subordinate's job skills.
Indeed.
After only a short while of reading, Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned and said:
"In this plan, the Hyuga Clan's proportion of Konoha Military Police Force Ninja is still too high."
"It would be better to allocate more to civilian Ninja."
"Itachi-kun, what do you think?"
Uchiha Itachi seemed to have anticipated this, pulling out another plan and continuing:
"Regarding the recent issues of the Hyuga Clan, this subordinate has another plan."
"According to the follow-up to the Shinma incident, we discovered that many members of the Hyuga Branch Family have shown some unusual movements as a result."
"Some have even secretly united to transmit sensitive information. The Hyuga Main Family captured two individuals, but their confessions were not complete."
"The remaining one who escaped transmitted intelligence to the Anbu."
"Therefore, we believe we can develop informants through Anbu or Root."
Hiruzen Sarutobi did not immediately agree; instead, his brows furrowed as he cautioned: "Itachi-kun, you should know, shouldn't you?"
"For those Hyuga Branch Family members who have the Caged Bird Seal, the Anbu cannot fully control them."
"Furthermore, this method of secretly developing informants within various families goes against the fundamental principles of Konoha's establishment. We still need to..."
Uchiha Itachi ignored the rest of his words, not showing a hint of emotion on his face, and calmly stated:
"Among these selected individuals, we discovered a candidate whose values are not yet fully formed."
"At the same time, his talent is exceptional."
"Third Hokage, why not test him first?"
As he spoke, he handed a file onto Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk.
The file was about Hyuga Neji.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the file, then at the calm-faced Uchiha Itachi before him.
The most successful example was right in front of him.
He had to admit.
At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi was indeed tempted.