Chapter 191: Choosing Between Two Wishes! The Konoha Crush is About to Begin!
Konoha Village, Medical Room.
Neji Hyuga lay on the hospital bed, staring blankly at the pale white ceiling. The physical pain was nothing compared to the torment in his heart.
He had lost to Naruto Uzumaki. Utterly, undeniably defeated.
Naruto's "As you wish," followed by the Wind Style: Rasenshuriken, had crushed his grief and indignation about "destiny," along with his pride as a genius, into dust.
Is destiny truly unchangeable?
The son of the Fourth Hokage. The moment his identity was revealed, he had everything.
The power of the Nine-Tails was his from birth.
And I, Neji Hyuga, no matter how hard I try, will always be a "caged bird." This is my fate.
"Luckily, there's no internal organ damage." The medical ninja's voice sounded in his ear, but it seemed distant. He let them examine and treat him, his soul drifting into an unknown abyss.
Inside the room, besides the two busy medical ninja, a small, pure white creature sat quietly in the shadowy corner. It had small ears and a long, fluffy tail. Its ruby-red eyes stared unblinkingly at Neji on the bed. The medical ninja were completely oblivious to its presence.
A voice, calm and emotionless, resonated directly in Neji's mind.
[Neji Hyuga.]
Neji's vacant eyes flickered slightly. This voice…
[It looks like… you need help?]
[Who are you?]
[Kyubey.]
So that's it.
He had heard Naruto mention this. Konoha had investigated, but found nothing. Everyone knew this mysterious entity was connected to the resurrection of Naruto's parents and the Uchiha clan. It was the being that changed destinies and gave hope. Like an island in a sea of despair, however small, it offered a lifeline to the drowning.
Neji struggled to turn his eyes toward Kyubey and responded in his mind.
[Naruto's parents… the Uchiha clan… was that really you?]
[Yes.]
[That was their wish. And I simply granted it.]
Granted… their wish? So easily. So… inconceivable. And so… full of hope.
[What is your wish, Neji Hyuga?] Kyubey's voice sounded again, like a devil's whisper, filled with fatal temptation. [Just make a wish, sign a contract with me, and become a Magical Girl.]
I don't know what a Magical Girl is… but a wish… I thought only special people like the Hokage's son were qualified for such a thing. I can do it too?
Neji's breath hitched. Two thoughts struck his chaotic mind like lightning.
Resurrect Father! Hizashi Hyuga! The father who calmly went to his death for the sake of the Main Family and for him! This was his deepest obsession, the origin of his rebellion against the Main Family's injustice and his hatred for the "Caged Bird" fate!
But… if Father comes back, will the "Caged Bird" seal on his forehead still be there? Will he still have to endure the miserable fate of the Branch Family? Will the Main Family treat him even more harshly because of this "defiance of fate"? And I… will forever live in the shadow of the Main Family… His emotional longing burned his reason.
The other wish was grander, and more… insane.
Remove the "Caged Bird" curse seal from the foreheads of all Branch Family members! Let them, let all the clansmen bound by this damned seal, have a chance to truly choose their own destiny! This would be truly breaking "destiny"!
But… if I make this wish, Father might… never come back. I will lose the only chance to resurrect him.
The noble pursuit of an ideal and the unbreakable emotional attachment tore at his heart.
[However, you can only make one wish.] Kyubey seemed to see through Neji's thoughts, its following words pushing him to the precipice of choice. Each wish corresponded to a loss he couldn't bear.
[I… I need time… to think…] He didn't dare make a decision lightly. It was too heavy.
[Of course.]
[You can come to me anytime after you've decided, Neji Hyuga.]
Invisible pressure drowned Neji.
Just as Neji's internal battle threatened to crush him, the door to the ward opened. Hiashi Hyuga walked in. He looked serious and dismissed the medical ninja treating Neji. Only the uncle and nephew remained.
Hiashi looked at the pale, dazed Neji on the bed, feeling a mix of emotions. He had seen the fight with Naruto. Neji's pride, his despair, his accusation against fate.
"Neji." Hiashi's voice was dry. He took a long-sealed scroll from his robe. It was left by Hizashi… Perhaps its contents could untie the knot in the boy's heart.
"About your father… there are some truths I think it's time you knew," Hiashi said gravely, trying to create an atmosphere for a revelation and reconciliation.
However, Neji was completely immersed in Kyubey's two earth-shattering "wishes."
Resurrect Father? Or liberate the Branch Family? Which should I choose? Which consequence can I bear?
Hiashi's words were like they were coming through a thick fog, ethereal and blurry, unable to reach his heart. His silence, his distraction… to Hiashi, it looked like post-defeat depression, or perhaps silent resistance against him.
Hiashi opened his mouth. But faced with Neji's empty eyes, his prepared words seemed pale and powerless. A conversation that should have been a crucial turning point became a one-sided silence due to unfortunate timing.
In the end, Hiashi just gave Neji a deep look, gently placed the scroll on the bedside table, turned, and silently left the room.
…
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the Chunin Exams arena ignited once again.
The first match of the semi-finals: Naruto Uzumaki vs. Gaara of the Sand. Two boys, both "sons of Kage," faced each other under the gaze of thousands.
One was Naruto, the newly hailed "New Generation Yellow Flash" of Konoha, with parents, loving teachers, and a bright future, fresh from defeating the Hyuga genius.
The other was Gaara, the weapon of the Sand, treated as a monster since childhood, betrayed by his closest kin, proving his existence through endless loneliness and slaughter.
The stark contrast in their identities filled this duel with a sense of fated tension.
"Naruto Uzumaki…" Gaara's voice was raspy. Under his blood-red hair, his eyes, rimmed with thick dark circles, stared deathly at Naruto. "Your existence is an eyesore."
"Expected by so many, protected, called the son of a hero… Can someone like you truly understand despair? Truly understand loneliness?"
"Do you really understand… the meaning of strength?"
Every word from Gaara was squeezed through his teeth, carrying a bone-chilling coldness and deep questioning.
Looking at Gaara, Naruto couldn't help but think of Neji, whom he had just fought. Neji's despairing eyes, his accusations against fate… they deepened Naruto's confusion about the word "understand."
He opened his mouth to say something. Maybe something bold like "destiny can be changed," as he said to Neji. Maybe a pale comfort like "even with different backgrounds, pain is universal."
But he swallowed the words. He just clenched his fist and met Gaara's gaze firmly.
"I don't know if I understand what you're saying."
"But I know that before my parents came back… I was lonely too."
"Believe it or not, I have to beat you here!"
"Because this is a battle I must win on my path to becoming Hokage!"
Simple, direct, even a bit… inappropriately "hot-blooded."
To Gaara, this probably sounded like another declaration of "let them eat cake." The curve of his lips grew colder.
"Then show me…"
"Just how unbreakable your so-called 'path to Hokage' is!"
Sand began to gather at Gaara's feet, making an unsettling shhh-shhh sound. The battle was imminent!
In the spectator stands.
Sakura Haruno watched the radiant Naruto in the arena. She thought of her own parents at home, bickering over trivial things all day, always nitpicking her life. An inexplicable envy and loss welled up in her heart.
"Must be nice… Naruto," she murmured subconsciously. "His parents are heroes, he's a genius, and so many people support him… If I had parents like that, would everything be different? I wouldn't have to listen to Mom nagging anymore, and maybe… I could become the center of attention like Naruto…"
"Sakura! What nonsense are you talking about?!" Ino heard her whisper and frowned. "Naruto had a really hard time before!"
"I know—" Sakura pouted, dismissive. "But at least he didn't have to listen to his parents nag him endlessly at home before…"
In the highest VIP box.
Orochimaru, disguised as the Fourth Kazekage, let his gaze drift over the Third Hokage. Everything was ready.
At the same time.
Outside Konoha Village, deep within the "Forest of Death." Countless flesh cocoons hidden underground were now emitting chilling tearing sounds.
The sky had turned gloomy unnoticed. The wind carried a bleak chill.
The Konoha Crush Plan was locked and loaded.