Chapter 95: Hyuga Neji's Hatred
"Neji, how has the clan treated you?" The main family elder put on an affectionate appearance, asking with a chuckle.
Neji kept his head lowered, obediently bowing in salute. "The clan has shown me profound kindness and thorough care."
"That's good." The elder nodded with satisfaction. "Neji, you know the village's current situation—things are very dire!"
"Right now, the clan urgently needs to quickly enhance the clan's strength to turn the tide and save the village from peril."
"Are you willing to contribute your strength to the village?"
What could Neji say? He could only express loyalty: "I am always willing to step onto the battlefield for the clan and village, with no regrets even unto a hundred deaths."
"Good child!" The elder patted Neji's shoulder with satisfaction, comforting him: "But don't worry. The clan hasn't fallen so low that even academy students like you need to go to the battlefield."
"Where the leaves dance, fire will continue to burn!"
"You are all Konoha's tender shoots! You need the clan's protection—how could we send you to battle at such a young age?"
"However, the clan does genuinely need you to contribute your strength."
"Come, Neji. Look—even Hinata, so young, must contribute her strength as acting clan head. Naturally, you cannot be an exception either."
Neji glanced at the bewildered Hinata sitting in the head seat, noticing her body connected to numerous medical devices. His heart immediately jumped with alarm. Not daring to look further, he quickly lowered his head and continued expressing loyalty:
"Whatever the elders need me to do, just command it. I won't dare refuse."
"Good, Neji. Step forward and transfer all the ocular power from your Byakugan into the acting clan head's Byakugan."
"What?!" Neji was shocked, suddenly raising his head to stare in horror at the smiling main family elder before him.
"What, is there a problem?" The main family elder still maintained that affectionate appearance, though his smile seemed to carry a few traces of coldness.
"Elder, I am willing to fight for the clan with no regrets even unto death. However, once the ocular power is transferred out, my eyes..."
Facing Neji's hesitation, the main family elder's hand on his shoulder pressed down harder.
"Neji, you should think of it this way."
"Once you've offered your ocular power, naturally you won't need to risk your life going to battle anymore. From now on, you'll just stay safely in the rear, and the clan will naturally take good care of you."
"You can live freely and happily as an ordinary person for the rest of your life!"
"Don't worry about the eye problem. Later the clan will transplant a pair of ordinary person's eyes for you. We won't let you become blind."
"This matter is very important to the clan and to the village!"
"Everything for Konoha!"
"But..." Neji wanted to struggle further, but the main family elder had lost interest in wasting more words with him.
He simply formed a hand seal. Neji immediately felt as though a thousand needles were forcefully piercing his brain. The pain made him scream out loud on the spot, rolling on the ground.
"I was wrong!"
"I'm willing!"
"I'm willing to offer my ocular power!"
"Hmph, wouldn't it have been better to do this earlier? Making me waste my time!" The main family elder snorted coldly and stopped the Caged Bird curse mark.
Neji lay on the ground drenched in cold sweat, his heart filled with desolation, unable to express how much he hated these detestable clan rules.
He was unwilling to lose his Byakugan like this, completely severing his future on the shinobi path. But he was utterly powerless, completely unable to know what to do to change his fate.
The fire of rage burned fiercely in his heart. He wished those enemies would simply charge into Konoha and completely burn the entire Hyuga clan and even all of Konoha to ashes!
But he wasn't an Uchiha. His rage couldn't transform into power—couldn't directly unlock cheats and explode with strength.
His rage could ultimately only be impotent fury!
After convulsing for quite a while, Neji finally recovered some strength. He obediently rose from the ground and walked toward Hinata sitting in the clan head position.
Looking at the timid little girl with somewhat disheveled appearance sitting in the clan head position, Neji's heart lamented.
Some people were just born lucky—born with everything, needing to do nothing, naturally able to easily obtain what others would trade their lives for.
While some people's fate was just poor—no matter how hard they worked, what they ultimately received was forever only pain and helplessness.
This was the branch family's destiny!
No matter how unwilling Neji felt in his heart, he could only compromise with fate.
He obediently walked before Hinata, removing the cloth band from his forehead, revealing the obvious Caged Bird curse mark traces.
"Brother Neji..." Hinata looked somewhat fearfully at Hyuga Neji approaching her, then looked uncertainly at the main family elder behind him. "Um... can I..."
"Alright, little Hinata, don't overthink it. Just close your eyes and quietly feel your own eyes."
The main family elder spoke to comfort Hinata while waving to command the medical ninja to step forward and collect data.
Feeling the burning gazes behind him like physical weight, Neji could only hide his heart full of rage.
He lowered his head, pressing both foreheads together. Then with great reluctance, he transferred all his ocular power into Hinata's eyes.
"Ah, it's a bit swollen!" Hinata cried out softly.
The main family elder immediately patted Neji's shoulder, warning: "Slower, slower!"
"The acting clan head is still young. You must control the transfer speed of ocular power. You absolutely must not cause any harm to the acting clan head!"
"Understand?"
"Yes, I understand." Neji answered sullenly.
As ocular power was lost, Neji's eyes gradually began stinging.
Whether from pain or sadness, tears rolled down from Neji's eyes like broken pearl strings, pattering down and covering Hinata completely.
"Ah, Brother Neji, you're crying." Hinata couldn't help crying out in shock, reaching out to push Neji, wanting to stop the ocular power transfer.
But a large hand reached over from the side, pressing down on Hinata's hand.
"Little Hinata, your Brother Neji is happy!"
"He's very happy to be able to enhance your ocular power!"
"He's very happy to be able to contribute strength for the clan!"
"He's very happy to be able to make sacrifices to protect the village!"
"Really?" Hinata was confused, somewhat unable to believe these words.
"It's... it's true!"
Blood tears already began flowing from Neji's eyes, entering his mouth both fishy and bitter. But his face still had to wear a full smile.
"I'm very happy to be able to enhance Miss Hinata's ocular power!"
"I'm very happy to be able to contribute strength for the clan!"
"I'm very happy to be able to make sacrifices to protect the village!"
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