Got two reviews, since one bad , I'm only dropping 1, no two since we've reached 250+ power stones
Chapter 36: The Fate and Choice of the Branch Family
"Father... is it... is it really you?"
Neji's Byakugan clouded with a layer of mist. His precocious nature made him afraid to easily believe in the surprise before his eyes, terrified this was just an illusory dream that would only bring greater disappointment upon waking.
If this was a genjutsu... if this was a trap...
His hands trembling, he raised his finger, struggling to recall the knowledge taught at home. That... that seal... what was it again...
Barely managing to form the "Mi" seal, Neji took a deep breath and whispered in a voice thick with tears, "...Kai!"
The technique activated, yet the scene before his eyes didn't change in the slightest. His father still knelt there, those usually stern eyes now brimming with tenderness, even tinged with heartache.
Not a genjutsu... not a genjutsu...
In that moment, the tears Neji had been desperately holding back finally burst forth like a broken dam. What had been silent droplets became a torrential downpour as the four-year-old child could no longer maintain his mature facade.
"...Father!"
The tearful cry escaped his lips as his small body lunged forward. Hizashi opened his arms wide, steadily catching his son. Neji buried his face deep into his father's chest, his grievances and joy at this miraculous reunion transforming into wailing sobs that echoed through the quiet room for a long time.
Fortunately, the high-end inn Naruto had chosen had excellent soundproofing.
Leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, Naruto's mouth curved slightly upward beneath his mask. This scene before him—a father-son reunion that could never have happened in the original timeline—was now playing out in reality before his very eyes.
Hizashi didn't lecture his son about "being strong" as he usually would, instead gently stroking Neji's trembling back, allowing him to release his emotions in his embrace.
Having changed the original tragedy, seeing the embracing father and son filled Naruto with deep satisfaction.
Neji's crying gradually subsided, leaving only occasional sniffles. Hizashi's palm gently brushed over his son's damp cheeks, using his thumb to wipe away the crystalline tear tracks. Only the sound of Neji's sniffling and the faint chirping of insects from outside the window remained in the room.
"Father... you're really still alive..." Neji knelt before Hizashi, his small hands clutching tightly at his father's sleeves. "I... I thought you had already..."
His voice grew smaller and smaller, the last few words barely squeezed out through gritted teeth. Hizashi could feel the strength in his son's grip.
"Neji, I'm sorry." He gently held his son's small hands. "I should have died, but someone gave me a second chance."
Hizashi slowly recounted that day's events—how he was supposed to be escorted to Kumogakure, when that fox-masked man suddenly appeared and attacked the Cloud convoy to save him.
After finishing, Hizashi turned toward the corner of the room, bowing deeply to the figure who had remained leaning against the wall. Only then did Neji remember there was a third person in the room. Following his father's gaze, he saw the mysterious masked man still maintaining his arms-crossed posture.
"Continue your conversation, don't mind me," came the casual voice from behind the mask, accompanied by a dismissive wave of the hand.
Hizashi nodded respectfully before turning his attention back to his son.
"...Father," Neji's voice grew heavy, "this incident... was it really like everyone else said... because you're from the branch family, you had to die in place of the main family?"
Though his father's resurrection filled him with immense joy, the Cloud incident's use of the branch family as sacrificial pawns for the main family had still planted seeds of hatred in Neji's heart.
Hizashi remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.
"Yes, that was indeed the main family's plan. To prevent the Byakugan from falling into foreign hands, as a member of the branch family... because I look nearly identical to my elder brother, I was chosen as a substitute to be handed over to Kumogakure."
"I see..."
Neji's voice suddenly turned ice-cold. So his ability to see his father again was pure luck—if that mysterious masked man hadn't appeared, his father would now be...
"Father!" Neji suddenly raised his head. "Is it really just because we're branch family... that we should be used like this?!"
Hizashi sighed deeply, reaching out to gently press his son's shoulder. "Neji, if possible... I don't want you to hate them."
Those words hit Neji like a bucket of cold water. He stared wide-eyed in disbelief, completely unable to understand his father's thinking.
Not hate? Why? Even after being pushed toward death for no reason, he still couldn't resent the main family?
Seeing his son's confused and angry expression, deep guilt flowed through Hizashi's eyes.
"I... almost died. But in that moment, I understood something—hatred is easy, but it would only trap us in another caged bird's prison."
Neji shook his head in bewilderment, unable to grasp the deeper meaning in his father's words. But what Hizashi said next struck him like lightning.
"Neji... I'm truly sorry." Hizashi's voice carried unprecedented guilt. "The truth is, on that day... I chose death myself."
"...Eh?"
Neji's expression froze. He couldn't understand what his father meant—if death wasn't necessary, why actively choose it?
Hizashi continued explaining. "That day, the main family did propose that plan—for me, as a branch family member, to die in my brother's place."
"But in the end, it was my brother... Hyuga Hiashi who personally rejected that proposal. As clan head, as long as he disagreed, the substitution plan couldn't be executed."
Neji's mind went blank. Then why...?
"My brother's plan was to destroy his own Byakugan and surrender himself to Kumogakure." Hizashi's tone grew somber. "I've spent my entire life hating the main family, and even now I still do. But in that moment... I voluntarily offered to die in his place."
Neji's pupils contracted violently.
"But I didn't do it to protect the main family." Hizashi's gaze grew gentle. "I did it to protect my brother... to die protecting family. That was the first time I truly had the right to choose."
He gently pressed Neji's shoulder, his voice firm yet tender. "Neji, my son, I don't want you bound by hatred. I finally understand now—as long as you grow up healthy, that's more important than anything."
"So..."
"Don't believe your life exists only to serve the main family. Not until you find something you truly want to protect."
Hizashi paused, reluctance flashing in his eyes.
"But if you really encounter danger... I hope you'll survive to the end. Consider it... a father's selfishness."
---
The conversation between Hizashi and Neji afterward became gentle and warm. No conflicts of the ninja world, no family grudges—just the most ordinary father-son talk.
Things like remembering to eat on time, not being picky with food, resting even when training gets busy. Remember to dress warmly in winter.
If you encounter problems you can't solve, go find your uncle. He may be strict, but he'll definitely help you.
Don't take this incident out on others. Don't put too much pressure on yourself either.
When you start at the ninja academy, listen to your teachers. But if anyone bullies you, don't endure it.
Neji kept his head down but firmly memorized every word his father spoke.
These instructions were ordinary, trivial, even somewhat nagging. But each sentence was soaked with his father's most sincere care. Neji quietly listened, treasuring each bit of simple warmth deep in his heart.
Without realizing it, the sky outside gradually lightened. Distant birdsong from the forest broke the night's silence with clear, crisp calls.
Dawn was approaching.
****
Advance chapters at patreon.com/Eatinpieces