Rasa looked up.
A Sand ninja stood in front of him, cradling a small figure in his arms.
A boy.
His clothes were ragged and filthy, and two unmistakable marks stood out on his forehead.
"The Caged Bird Seal?"
Rasa recognized it instantly.
The ninja spoke. "Lord Kazekage, our patrol found a big wooden crate sitting out in the desert. When we opened it, this kid was inside."
"There was also a letter."
"We didn't open it."
"Some gold was left beside the crate. Quite a lot."
Rasa took the letter the ninja handed him and tore it open.
"Lord Kazekage, we have never met, but I have heard many stories about you. You are a true hero—the man who pulled Sunagakure out of the mud. You are remarkable."
"Even though we stand on opposite sides, my respect for you is real."
"Please forgive me for not revealing my name."
"I want to entrust this child to you."
"As a Hyuga branch family member, he was born into misfortune. Especially him—he is Hizashi's son, even more cursed than most branch family children."
"I heard you accept anyone who truly wants to join Sunagakure. I believe that if you trust this boy, he will repay that trust."
"I hope his Byakugan can finally shine the way it should here in your village."
"Thank you."
Rasa looked back at the child in the ninja's arms, his expression turning strange.
"Hyuga Neji?"
This was the last thing Rasa had expected.
The Hyuga clan had sent Neji to him?
For Sunagakure, this was no bad thing.
Neji was nothing like Uchiha Itachi. He wasn't some brainwashed Konoha loyalist.
He hated the main family. And right now, he had every reason to hate Konoha too.
Someone like that could be trusted—within reason.
The only real problem was the Caged Bird Seal. If a main family member ever got close, they could kill him with a single command.
But the main family was tiny. As long as Sunagakure kept Neji hidden, the chances of that happening were almost zero.
"How many people know about this?"
"Only our four-man squad, Lord Kazekage."
"This stays completely secret. Not a word to your families, friends, teammates, or superiors. You've done excellent work. I'll reward you properly later."
The ninja's face lit up.
"Thank you, Lord Kazekage."
He thumped his chest hard.
"Lord Kazekage, we swear we'll keep this quiet. No one will ever hear a word."
Rasa nodded.
"Leave the boy here."
"Yes, Lord Kazekage."
Rasa studied Neji, pulling up every piece of information he knew about the child.
"Within the Hyuga clan he's considered a genius. He mastered the Rotation technique on his own and reached jonin-level strength while still young—one of the strongest among the Konoha Twelve."
"But the story never gave him the ending he deserved, so he became the only one of them to die."
"Without the Caged Bird Seal, he would have been even stronger."
"For Sunagakure, he has real value."
"First, against any enemy who isn't from Konoha, he can use the Byakugan freely to feed intel to his teammates. With the right disguise, no one will ever suspect we have a Byakugan user."
"Second, once he grows up he can marry and have children here. Branch family members don't pass the seal on to their kids. Sunagakure could build its own Hyuga bloodline—our own version of the main family."
"Still, it's best to keep his identity hidden while he's inside the village."
"Both the Byakugan and the seal need to stay covered."
"I was going to have Chiyo make him a head covering…"
"No…"
Rasa thought of a better person for the job.
Chiyo was currently fighting on the front lines. Even if Iwagakure was only half-committed to the war, there would still be real combat.
Sasori of the Red Sand, however, had nothing to do right now.
This job was perfect for him.
"Make an adjustable head covering. One that will still fit him as he grows."
Not long after, Hyuga Neji woke up.
The people who brought him had slipped him a sleeping drug and told him nothing, so the first thing he felt was pure confusion.
The second was raw caution.
"Where am I?"
"Who are you?"
Neji stared hard at Rasa and backed away until he hit the corner with nowhere left to go.
"This is Sunagakure. I am the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa. You clearly don't know what happened, so I'll tell you. Someone sent you here to me."
"I don't know who it was, but they must have pitied you."
"Your father's death made it impossible for you to stay in Konoha."
"That person begged us to take you in and left some gold as payment."
"But it's not enough."
"I need to see your value."
"Give me value and I'll keep you. Give me enough and I might even help you get revenge."
"You want revenge, don't you?"
The word "revenge" made Neji's eyes flash crimson with sudden fury.
Everything had happened too fast. He couldn't fully process it yet.
But he forced himself to calm down, took a deep breath, and walked straight up to Rasa.
Thud!
He dropped to both knees, bowed his head, and pressed it to the floor.
"Lord Kazekage, I will train hard and awaken the Byakugan. Once I can use it, I'll be useful to Sunagakure. Please give me a chance."
"I swear I will carry out every order you give me to the best of my ability."
"For the rest of my life, I will be loyal only to you, Lord Kazekage. If I ever break this oath, may I die a miserable death!"
As Neji spoke, he finally understood his situation.
It had all been sudden, but this was his chance.
In Konoha he would only be oppressed and targeted. Either he would die or spend the rest of his life as a slave with no hope of ever rising—let alone getting revenge.
But here in Sunagakure, things were different.
He would still have to follow orders, but there was no main family lording over him anymore.
And he finally had a real path to revenge.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi!"
"Hiashi Hyuga!"
"I will never forgive you!"
"One day I will kill you both with my own hands!"
"For my father!"
Neji's small fists clenched until his knuckles turned white.