Chapter 8: Neji: Give Me Ten Years, and I Will Give You a Great Hidden Cloud
Creeak...
The office door was pulled open from the inside. Samui looked at Neji and gave him a small, encouraging nod.
The moment that would decide his fate had arrived.
Neji took a deep breath and strode into the Raikage's office.
The room was so spartan it was almost shocking. There was a single desk, a sofa, and some training equipment. Nothing else.
Perhaps they break things too often, and having valuables would be a waste of money? Neji mused.
A powerfully built young man with a massive frame sat behind the desk, watching Neji with a look of keen interest. He had short blond hair, a bare chest, and muscles that bulged like they were forged from solid steel.
This was the Fourth Raikage, A.
Standing respectfully by his side was a middle-aged man with a single eye, who regarded Neji with a curious gaze. Neji vaguely recalled this man from the original story, though his role had been minor. He was Dodai, a senior advisor to the Cloud, a man who had served two Raikage and was known as the "brains" behind their leadership.
"Hyūga Neji," Neji said, dropping to one knee in a sign of respect. "It is an honor to meet you, Lord Raikage, Dodai-senpai."
"Neji," the Raikage's deep voice rumbled. "It's not often a little brat like you catches my interest. You're one of the few." He gave Dodai a subtle, almost imperceptible glance.
Dodai crossed his arms, his face taking on an arrogant cast. "Hyūga Neji. You came to the Hidden Cloud of your own accord. To have such resolve, you must have a clear understanding of your own situation. I have already advised Lord Raikage to raise you as a breeding stud."
If they were truly going to make him a breeding stud, there would be no need to announce it so bluntly.
Neji knew instantly: the test was beginning.
He took a slow, silent breath. His young face remained a placid mask, as calm and unmoving as a stone.
"Perhaps you don't yet know what a 'breeding stud' is?" Dodai pressed, a hint of surprise in his voice at Neji's composure. He narrowed his eye and continued, his tone turning menacing.
"It means we lock you in a small room. You'll be well-fed and kept safe, but you will never be free again."
"Any female in the village, from a six-year-old girl to a sixty-year-old crone, can come and 'play' with you. And this will continue until the very end of your life."
Dodai described the miserable fate with a vicious tone. Any other child would have been terrified, their legs shaking.
But Neji remained perfectly serene, completely unfazed by Dodai's grim threats.
This reaction made Dodai begin to take Neji seriously. This boy was no simple child. He was unnervingly precocious, nothing like a normal four-year-old.
At that moment, Neji looked past the advisor and directly at the Raikage. He pressed his lips together and spoke, his voice clear and steady.
"Lord Raikage, give me ten years, and I will give you a great Hidden Cloud Village."
His words hung in the air.
A's face was a picture of shock. Even Dodai, a man who rarely showed his emotions, couldn't hide the astonishment in his eye.
It was an outrageous, arrogant boast. But coming from the dead-serious expression on Neji's childish face, it momentarily stunned both of the powerful men.
But only for a moment.
Dodai quickly recovered, putting on an expression of anger. "Hmph! An ignorant little brat. And what, exactly, are you going to use to back up a claim like that, huh?"
Neji turned to face him, his voice ringing with conviction. "Dodai-senpai, within me lies the ultimate power of the Hyūga clan. If you just give me enough time, I can help the Hidden Cloud dominate the entire shinobi world."
A leaned forward slightly, his massive frame shifting. He seemed intrigued by Neji's mention of an "ultimate power."
"Oh?"
A sharp light glinted in Dodai's eye as he continued his interrogation. "What ultimate power? Explain."
"The Byakugan and the Sharingan are known as the two great dōjutsu of the shinobi world," Neji began. "And a step beyond the three-tomoe Sharingan is the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan."
"We know all this. Get to the point," Dodai said, his single eye narrowing. While the Byakugan was on par with the Sharingan, its strength was primarily in its strategic value. In terms of individual combat power, it was inferior. Moreover, the Sharingan could evolve into the Mangekyō, a transformation that brought a qualitative leap in power, guaranteeing the user Kage-level strength at a minimum.
"The point," Neji said, his voice dropping slightly, "is that just like the Sharingan, the Byakugan can also evolve. These eyes of mine can evolve into the Tenseigan. And that is a power on a level far beyond the Mangekyō Sharingan."
Whether a pure-blooded Hyūga could actually awaken the Tenseigan was currently unknown to him. But he was painting a grand picture, and the absolute truth of it didn't matter right now.
"The Tenseigan?" Dodai's brow furrowed. The Byakugan could evolve? And into something even stronger than the Mangekyō? Did Hiashi know about this? The idea sounded like a wild fantasy.
Behind the desk, however, A leaned forward even further. It was clear that some part of this resonated with him.
"Decades ago, a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan appeared within the Uchiha clan," Dodai challenged, his face stern. "But in all the years since Konoha was founded, the Hyūga have never once produced this 'Tenseigan' you speak of. So what proof do you have?"
"Dodai-senpai, the Mangekyō Sharingan has been absent from the world for decades. As a power that surpasses it, the Tenseigan is naturally even rarer and more difficult to awaken."
"Heh. So what I'm hearing is, you have no way to prove the Tenseigan exists. Everything you've said is a lie."
This guy is hard to fool.
Neji took a sharp, inward breath. After a moment of thought, he said, "My father once told me that the history of the Hyūga clan contains a clear record of the Tenseigan's appearance."
Dodai crossed his arms. "If it has appeared before," he asked with a smirk, "then who was it that awakened it?"
"A legendary shinobi," Neji said without hesitation. "Hyūga Tenjin!"
The name Hyūga Tenjin had never appeared in the original story. But that didn't stop Neji from using it to bluff Dodai.
"Hyūga Tenjin?"
The highest level of a powerful figure is when you hear their name and you just know they're strong. Dodai mulled it over. He was now about fifty percent convinced. For a four-year-old child to calmly invent such incredible terms as "Tenseigan" and "Hyūga Tenjin" under his intense questioning was, in itself, extraordinary.
Of course, it was only fifty percent.
"I possess the potential to awaken the Tenseigan. That is the basis of my confidence," Neji said, looking straight at A. "But I cannot offer you concrete proof right now. Whether you choose to believe me is your right and your freedom, Lord Raikage. What I can guarantee is that, with time, I can bring an unprecedented opportunity to the Hidden Cloud. I understand that in your high position, you must consider many things. But allowing me to join your village is a decision where the benefits far outweigh the risks. The only question is whether you, Lord Raikage, have the courage to take such a gamble."
'My courage, is it?'
A looked at the unflappable boy before him, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the desk. Suddenly, a wide grin broke across his face.
"Neji, you are a very interesting brat," he boomed, a laugh in his voice. "I accept! From this day forward, you are a member of the Hidden Cloud Village! You will be granted the highest level of treatment and benefits. All of Kumogakure's training resources, and all of its secret jutsu, will be open to you without condition."