Both of the twin brothers asked for forgiveness from Neji, and Neji was thrown into a world of disarray for some time before finding his own bearings.
"I will protect Hinata from now until I feel I am worthy enough to redeem what I have done," Neji said. This made the twin brothers happy as they wanted Neji to go through his crucible, which would make him humble and also understand the intricacies of the clan.
"No... No... Neji niisan... I am sorry that you suffered a lot and I couldn't tell you about your father. It was Aoto-san who came and saved Uncle and helped the clan," Hinata said.
"Him again?" Neji mumbled but nodded his head and looked at Aoto, who was talking with Ned from the side of his eyes. The more he interacted with this person, the more he realized that this man was covered in a veil and mystery that very few people could even imagine.
Neji was already blown away to come to a new world/dimension where people lived, and knowing that Aoto had this ability all along from the beginning made him realize how little he knew of the world. He needed to be humble and sharpen himself so that one day he could become the spear for the clan that could tear through the enemies.
And as his guardians had said, he would like to be the leading spear, taking the clan into a new era.
"No... I had been rude to you for a long time even though you did nothing to warrant that kind of behavior. I will use my life as the debt to protect you," Neji replied.
"There... is no need for that..." Hinata was getting increasingly uncomfortable. It was there where Aoto intervened.
"Let Neji be your protector. He wouldn't be able to do it anyway as he isn't a jonin yet. Let him be a jonin first."
This made Neji hang his head in shame. At this moment, he was not as powerful as Hinata, and he didn't have the ability to even protect her. This made Neji angry at his own incompetence. He turned and bowed down on his knees towards Aoto and said,
"I am sorry for my rude behavior in the arena. I hope you will forgive me. I didn't know how to respect people."
Aoto slanted his head with a smile on his face. He could see the remorse in his eyes from the beginning. He came forward and hugged Neji. This made Neji beam with joy but didn't express it. He smiled brightly at Aoto for forgiving him.
Ned, too, came and gathered around and started getting mixed in with everyone. The tale of the Uchihas was still under wraps, so Ned and Hiashi were not to spill the beans of the clan, but they did speak of this world and how there were dragons here and how Ned was shadowing a possible future Queen.
This made Neji interested and asked about the world they were in. It went on for hours before Neji and Hinata were back with Hizashi to the shop. Neji was in awe of how easily they traveled between dimensions.
In the end, he could only thank Aoto one more time and leave. He was a totally different person now as he walked out of the door of the shop. His mentality and worldview had sublimated to a different level, and he understood the road that was laid in front of him.
-----
Aoto was again left alone with his thoughts. He checked the system. Now the system had the requirements for the upgrades laid out for him. And he had checkmarked every single one of them except for appointing a Sorcerer Supreme.
Being a Sorcerer Supreme wasn't a huge deal, and he could take over the job easily as there were no basic qualifications required. If Wong could do it, even though he was less powerful than Doctor Strange, then he could do it too. But being a Sorcerer Supreme meant that he would have responsibilities and would not be able to give time to the real world and just defend the planet.
And he wasn't up for that kind of responsibility. He wanted Loki to take this job over, but he refused as he didn't want any kind of responsibility on his shoulders. Naruto and others were too young, and the others weren't capable enough.
Hiashi was the only one who could take over the position, but he wasn't talented enough. Only one person was talented enough, and that was Onoki, and no way in hell was he going to give that much power to an old, senile man.
The 4th great ninja war hadn't happened, and he hadn't changed fundamentally. Interacting with him in recent times only made his conviction more permanent.
"Sigh. Do I have to wait so much to find a Sorcerer Supreme? Karin is a genius, maybe if she learns, she could become one," Aoto thought. While he was under these thoughts, Karin and Corazon had returned.
"We have found a home for her, and also she had been offered a job at the hospital by Unohana," Corazon said. Karin seemed to be happy with the new arrangements. Why would she not? She would have a house in her own name, and with her age, this was the best deal she could ever ask for.
"Where is that idiot?" Karin asked.
"The idiot has gone for training under one of the Legendary Sanins," Aoto replied. This shut Karin up pretty fast. She had heard about the Sanins, but she didn't expect that the yellow-haired idiot would have such high connections.
But then again, Aoto himself was still a mystery for Karin, and she wanted to know more about him and understand why she wasn't able to sense any chakra from this guy and even from Corazon.
But she could tell that these people were dangerous.
"How could this idiot be someone who got favors from one of the legendary Sanins?" Karin asked.
"Maybe because he is in the finals of the chunin exams in one try."
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