Neji's brows immediately drew together.
He could keenly sense that something was off with Naruto.
This was not the normal exhaustion after a brutal battle. It felt deeper—like a knot in the heart that refused to loosen.
"Naruto, what's wrong?" Neji asked directly, his tone firm and impossible to brush aside.
Naruto shook his head. "Nothing. I've just… been thinking a lot lately."
Neji frowned. "Did something happen? Does this have to do with Sasuke?"
Naruto's body trembled slightly.
He lowered his head, fingers interlocked so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
He was silent for a long time—so long that Neji thought he would not answer.
Finally, Naruto lifted his head.
In those azure eyes was something Neji had never seen before—confusion, pain… and a glint of resolve, as if he had made some kind of decision.
"Neji…"
Naruto looked straight into Neji's pale Byakugan and forced out the words with a hoarse voice.
"The persecution your father suffered… the oppression the Branch House endured at the hands of the Main House…"
He held Neji's gaze and asked a question that struck at the deepest scar of the Hyūga Clan.
"Can you really… just let that go?"
The question hit like lightning.
Neji froze.
Across the shinobi world, viewers held their breath.
Naruto's soul-piercing challenge exploded like ice thrown into boiling oil.
"It's happening! Naruto's starting to go dark!"
"I told you! That world-ending Naruto from the first projection wasn't random foreshadowing—this is the setup!"
"People shouldn't think too much!"
"Especially Naruto! He grew up isolated and despised. Back when he was dumb and cheerful, fine—but now he's stronger, more experienced. Without that constant 'sunshine' influence keeping him grounded, all those years of loneliness and resentment are bound to surface!"
"Exactly! The longer time passes, the clearer he sees!"
"He used to think 'being acknowledged' would fix everything. Now he's probably realizing that recognition doesn't erase the past."
"And now he has power. Real power. Enough to destroy everything."
"When darkness inside someone gets armed with overwhelming strength… that's terrifying."
"Wait, the focus of this projection is Neji, right? If Naruto's spiraling… will Neji follow?"
"That's possible! Neji was once suffocated by the Branch House system. He barely moved past it!"
"And now Naruto's poking that wound again. Combine that with what Neji's seen of Konoha's political darkness…"
"Don't forget—the first projection showed a world-ending Naruto standing alone. No Neji in sight!"
"Maybe Neji followed him at first but later split paths?"
"Or maybe Naruto eliminated him."
"Either way… this isn't looking good."
Speculation ran wild.
But while many indulged in dramatic theories, one group felt only dread.
The Hyūga Clan.
Every member stared at the projection, hearts clenched.
"He… he can't ask that!"
"Naruto is provoking him!"
"Neji already had resentment. It took years to calm it down!"
"And that Naruto… he's supposed to become a world destroyer! If he drags Neji down with him…"
An elder's voice trembled as he gave shape to their greatest fear.
"What if Neji becomes… our clan's own…"
He inhaled sharply before uttering the name.
"…Hyūga Itachi?"
The words struck like thunder.
Uchiha Itachi—the man who slaughtered his entire clan for what he called a greater good.
If Neji came to believe that only by purging the Main House—or dismantling the clan entirely—could justice be achieved…
A prodigy with the Byakugan at its peak, master of the Gentle Fist, backed by a future world-destroyer—
That would be a catastrophe far beyond any external invasion.
The elders' faces turned pale.
The idea alone was enough to chill them to the bone.
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