"Hyūga Neji?"
The moment those words were spoken, before Ren could even respond, Hiashi frowned instinctively.
A trace of confusion flashed across his face.
Clearly, he did not understand why Neji would suddenly request an audience with the Fifth Hokage.
Still—
when Hiashi remembered that Neji was the son of his younger brother, Hyūga Hizashi—
his expression eased slightly.
Forget it.
He might as well see what Neji wanted from Ren.
"Let him enter."
Ren waved casually, not thinking much of it.
After all, because of his appearance, countless events from the original timeline had already changed completely.
Especially after the Uchiha Clan massacre never happened, the world itself had shifted onto a totally different path.
In the original course of events—
Hyūga Neji was a member of the Hyūga branch family, the son of Hyūga Hizashi, and Hinata's cousin.
He later became a jōnin of Konoha and a member of Team Guy alongside Rock Lee and Tenten.
He was hailed as the genius of the Hyūga Clan.
Despite the branch family being restricted by the Caged Bird Seal, Neji still mastered techniques such as the Eight Trigrams Palm through talent alone.
After losing to Naruto during the Chūnin Exams, his view of fate gradually changed.
He stopped believing destiny was absolute.
Later, during the Fourth Great Ninja War, Neji sacrificed himself to protect Naruto and Hinata, using his body to block the Ten-Tails' wooden spikes.
But now—
his destiny had clearly already changed.
At the very least, he would no longer die protecting Naruto and Hinata.
The reason was simple.
Ren had already chosen Hinata for himself.
As for Naruto and Sasuke?
Those two could take their own path.
Thinking of this, Ren revealed a faint smile.
Back then, he had either been checking in through the system or on his way to another check-in.
Now, however—
it was finally time to properly reshape the storyline.
"Yes…"
After receiving Ren's approval, the Hyūga guard secretly let out a breath of relief.
Lowering his head respectfully, he turned and left the room.
Meanwhile—
outside in the Hyūga compound courtyard—
Neji stood there nervously.
Expectation flickered across his face.
Yes.
Ever since learning that Ren had personally come to awaken the Tenseigan for Hinata and Hanabi, Neji's emotions had become extremely complicated.
There was envy.
There was jealousy.
And there was resentment.
But as a member of the branch family—
especially one bound by the Caged Bird Seal—
Neji had always believed fate could never be changed.
Yet now, with opportunity standing directly before him…
he truly did not want to give up.
Ren was the strongest Hokage in history.
The man destined to unify the shinobi world.
If someone like him spoke—
perhaps…
perhaps the fate of the branch family could truly be changed.
That was why Neji had gathered every ounce of courage to request this audience.
It was a gamble.
A final stand.
If he succeeded, the destiny of the branch family—and his own future—would change forever.
If he failed…
then he would finally accept reality.
The branch family's fate was unchangeable.
They existed only to serve the main family forever.
"Hyūga Neji, Lord Fifth Hokage has summoned you."
At that moment, the Hyūga guard walked over.
After hesitating briefly, he lowered his voice and said,
"I know what you're trying to do… but this may not be easy."
As he spoke, he subconsciously touched the Caged Bird Seal on his forehead.
Some things…
felt predetermined from birth.
Still, since Neji—the greatest genius of the branch family—had decided to gamble everything, he also wanted to see whether Ren would interfere in the Hyūga Clan's internal affairs.
"I understand."
Neji took a deep breath and answered firmly,
"No matter what happens, at least I tried."
"And if the branch family's fate truly cannot be changed… then I'll accept it."
"Mm."
The guard silently nodded.
A few minutes later—
the moment Neji entered the room—
his gaze instantly locked onto Hinata and Hanabi's deep azure eyes.
Boom!
His entire mind exploded.
A violent shockwave seemed to erupt inside his head.
What… were those eyes?
Just looking at them filled him with overwhelming weakness and insignificance.
It felt as though he could be erased instantly.
Impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
As the acknowledged genius of the branch family, Neji had always been confident in his own strength.
Especially when compared to the main family's eldest daughter.
That confidence had once been unshakable.
After all, although Hinata's personality had improved somewhat over the years, her strength had never been especially remarkable.
But now—
after only a single day—
both Hinata and Hanabi's Byakugan had undergone a complete transformation.
The impact crushed Neji's confidence instantly.
He had devoted himself to endless training because he wanted to prove himself.
To change the branch family's destiny.
To force the clan elders to acknowledge him.
Yet now?
Hinata and Hanabi had evolved beyond imagination.
Their strength had clearly risen to an entirely different level.
Comparisons truly were poisonous.
For a moment, Neji felt as if the entire shinobi world were mocking him.
"Wait…"
"Could those be… the legendary Tenseigan?"
Suddenly realizing something, Neji stared at Hinata and Hanabi with eyes full of envy, jealousy, and shock.
At first, he had not understood.
But now it finally clicked.
Wasn't Ren's visit to the Hyūga Clan specifically to awaken the Tenseigan?
Which meant—
Hinata and Hanabi had already obtained the Tenseigan.
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