Chapter 3: The Ghost Who Did Not Die
"My dango! You owe me for my dango!"
Neji glanced at the three-colored dango lying ruined on the ground, then immediately threw himself forward, wrapping his arms around Samui's long leg and bursting into a theatrical wail.
The Konoha shinobi's face darkened. "Get away from her, you little brat!" he snapped.
The purple-haired man, however, stared at Neji's pure white eyes, and a hint of warmth softened his stern features. "Samui," he said. "You knocked him over. You should apologize. Take the boy to get some more dango."
"Understood!" Samui replied with a slight nod, a glint of understanding flashing in her eyes.
Seeing that the Kumo ninja weren't the least bit upset, the Konoha escort breathed a sigh of relief, chiding himself for being overly cautious. Kumogakure was clearly sincere about the peace treaty if they weren't bothered by such a trivial matter.
"Toroi-senpai, please follow me."
"Lead the way."
The Konoha shinobi led Toroi away, leaving Neji and Samui standing alone.
Neji looked up, but his view was completely obstructed by the snowy peaks of Samui's chest, preventing him from seeing her face.
Samui crouched down, her voice a low, casual murmur. "Hey, little one. How about I treat you to some dango, okay?"
A single snowflake drifted down, landing on one of the white peaks and trembling slightly with Samui's gentle breaths.
"Thank you, Onee-san."
Neji's gaze followed the snowflake as it disappeared into that magnificent valley, and he nodded vigorously.
As the old saying goes, a true hero loves to scale the highest mountains; no fine steed ever made its name on the flat plains.
Samui thought she faintly heard the sound of Neji swallowing. But his youthful appearance was deceiving. She simply assumed he was just a boy who was incredibly hungry.
How cute!
Unable to resist, Samui reached out and ruffled Neji's hair. "Alright then, let's go."
At the dango shop, a sweet aroma filled the air. Samui lifted Neji and set him down on an inner seat before taking the outer one for herself, effectively blocking the exit.
As she placed their order, she asked in a conversational tone, "What's your name?"
"Hyūga Neji."
"Oh, from the Hyūga clan," Samui said, patting his head again. "No wonder your eyes are different from everyone else's. I'm Samui."
The waiter quickly brought over ten skewers of three-colored dango and two drinks.
"Itadakimasu, Onee-san!" Neji's eyes lit up, and he immediately grabbed a skewer and began to devour it.
"Slow down, no one's going to steal it from you," Samui said, sipping her drink.
"You have some too, Onee-san!" Neji said thoughtfully, grabbing a skewer and offering it to her.
"I don't eat sweets. These are all for you."
Samui stared into Neji's pale eyes, her curiosity piqued. "Neji-kun, is there anything special about those eyes of yours?"
Neji paused his eating, looking at Samui with a clear, innocent expression that was completely disarming. "Of course! I can see things from a kilometer away, I can see through walls, and I can see the flow of chakra and a person's tenketsu points. Normal eyes can't do that."
"That's amazing," Samui said, her eyes briefly flicking to Neji's smooth forehead. She smiled faintly. "You must be from the Main Family, then?"
Neji shook his head. "Not yet. But Lord Hiashi is going to grant me Main Family status soon."
"Oh?" Samui looked surprised.
Neji placed his hands on his hips, puffing out his chest with pride. "My father is the head of the Branch Family, so by the rules, I'm from the Branch Family too. But I awakened my Byakugan when I was three, which makes me the greatest genius in the history of the Hyūga clan! Lord Hiashi will definitely make an exception and give me Main Family status."
"Awakened it at three?" Samui's eyes narrowed slightly, and she couldn't help but run her tongue over her vibrant red lips.
The Byakugan and the Sharingan were known as the two great dōjutsu of Konoha. The Uchiha had a prodigy named Itachi who had awakened his Sharingan at eight, making a name for himself. For this little Hyūga from the Branch Family to awaken the Byakugan at three was truly remarkable.
"Impressive, right? I'm going to be the man who becomes Hokage one day, Onee-san!"
"That's wonderful," Samui cooed, reaching out to pat his head again. Then she asked, "Neji-kun, is there a difference between the Byakugan of the Main and Branch families?"
Neji looked at her and slowly shook his head.
As long as the Caged Bird Curse Seal hadn't been applied, there was no difference. But once it was, the Byakugan's field of vision would be restricted, creating a one-degree blind spot at the back of the neck.
Of course, the four-year-old Neji couldn't reveal such information.
"Good boy." Samui pinched his cheek, a smile playing in her eyes.
In that short time, Neji had already devoured all the dango. He licked his lips and said, "Onee-san, I want more."
With a wave of her hand, Samui called out, "Proprietor, ten more skewers!"
That evening, in the residence assigned to the Kumogakure delegation.
Toroi stood alone in the courtyard. "You're here," he said, his face an emotionless mask. "Did you bring what I asked for?"
"Do you have any idea the risk I'm taking by meeting you here?" a voice replied, materializing out of nowhere. It was raspy and grating, like two pieces of sheet metal scraping together. It was impossible to tell if it was male or female, or if it was even human.
Toroi glanced at the snow in the courtyard, unconcerned. "You don't need to worry about that. Konoha completely trusts Kumo's sincerity. They wouldn't dare place ANBU to spy on us at a time like this."
The voice paused for a moment before continuing. "Have you made your decision?"
"Do not doubt my resolve," Toroi stated flatly.
"If you take this step," the raspy voice said, "then regardless of success or failure, your life is forfeit."
Toroi didn't answer. Instead, his eyes narrowed. "Is what I asked for ready?"
There was a moment of silence. Then, a scroll dropped soundlessly onto the ground in front of him.
Toroi opened it and scanned its contents. It was a map of the Hyūga clan compound. The layout of the buildings, the intersecting pathways... it was exquisitely detailed. Even the positions of the sentries, both seen and unseen, were clearly marked.
The Hyūga clan compound was heavily guarded, and as a clan of dōjutsu users, it was nearly impregnable. Not even Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi, could have infiltrated it without being detected. The importance of this map was self-evident.
Toroi expressionlessly rolled up the scroll. "To be able to acquire a map this detailed... you must be a member of the Hyūga clan yourself, aren't you?"
The voice went silent for a moment, then spoke with a chilling coldness. "I am a ghost who did not die completely. My only purpose for existing is to bring this rotten clan to ruin. To achieve this ideal, I will risk everything." (Note: This ghost is not Neji.)
Such a pure and intense hatred. The speaker had to be from the Branch Family.
A flicker of understanding passed through Toroi's eyes. "If you ever find yourself with nowhere left to go, you can live out the rest of your days in Kumogakure."
"I will not leave Konoha until my clan is buried."
"Rest assured," Toroi said. "My actions here, whether they succeed or fail, will be of great benefit to you."
"I wish you success."
"One last question. What is the difference between the Byakugan of the Main and Branch families?"
"Fundamentally, there is no difference. What separates them into noble and servant is the Caged Bird Curse Seal."
Late that night, Neji lay in bed, his mind heavy with worry. He tossed and turned, unable to sleep. It had been a week since his encounter with Samui, but the Kumo delegation had yet to make a move.
Having set his plan in motion, Neji was beginning to have second thoughts. He couldn't be certain that the Kumo ninja would actually come for him. If they didn't come soon, he would have to take a desperate risk and defect to them directly.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, he heard the faint sound of soft footsteps.
Neji activated his Byakugan and detected two dark figures who had appeared in his courtyard at some unknown point.
They're here. They're here. They finally came.
Overjoyed, Neji quickly deactivated his Byakugan and lay perfectly still in his bed.
The next moment, his vision was filled with a cascade of illusory white feathers.
Temple of Nirvana Technique!
Neji's eyelids felt incredibly heavy. A wave of exhaustion washed over him, and his consciousness rapidly faded into darkness.