T/N: +1 Extra Chapter per 100 power stones.
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On a viewing platform, somewhat detached from the tumultuous future unfolding before them, the assembled shinobi from Konoha watched the screen, their hearts heavy with foreboding. The air was thick with tension as the images of the Fourth Shinobi World War flickered, depicting a battlefield ravaged by an unimaginable power.
[The screen focused on the monstrous form of the Ten-Tails, its roar shaking the very fabric of the vision.
Naruto Uzumaki, visibly exhausted but resolute, stood on the front lines, the Allied Shinobi Forces battling desperately around him. Suddenly, the Ten-Tails unleashed a devastating volley—countless massive, sharpened wood splinters, like a storm of giant spears, rained down upon the battlefield, aimed directly at the weary Naruto.
Time seemed to slow. Naruto, depleted of chakra after extensive fighting and sharing his power, found himself momentarily unable to evade the sheer scale of the incoming onslaught.
Just as the deadly projectiles were about to impale him, a figure darted in front. It was Hinata Hyuga, her Byakugan active, her arms outstretched as if to form a shield with her own body. Her expression was one of fierce determination, ready to sacrifice herself for the man she loved. "I will not let you die, Naruto-kun!" her voice, though faint in the vision, resonated with unwavering resolve.
Naruto's eyes widened in horror. "Hinata! No!"
But before Hinata could meet the deadly impact, another shadow moved with blinding speed. Neji Hyuga, his own Byakugan blazing, positioned himself in front of both Naruto and Hinata. With a powerful cry, he extended his arms, not to perform his Rotation, but to become a definitive, final barrier.
The wood splinters, too numerous and too fast for any other defense in that split second of commitment, struck him with brutal force. Several pierced through his torso, a sickening thud echoing even through the vision. His hitai-ate was violently knocked from his forehead, spinning away as he began to fall.]
A collective gasp escaped the watchers on the platform.
Only after this horrifying sequence played out did Neji Hyuga, standing amongst his peers, fully absorb the image of his own imminent end. So, this was how he would meet his death. A grim acceptance settled upon him. But for Neji, such an end… it was acceptable. After all, he would fulfill his vow to protect Naruto and Hinata, and in doing so, safeguard the future of the shinobi world.
Rock Lee, his face paling as the scene concluded, moved to Neji's side. His voice, usually booming with confidence, was now strained as he clapped a hand on his teammate's shoulder. "Neji, don't lose hope! You're a genius of Konoha! Your Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven is an absolute defense! You can definitely block those wood splinters!"
Tenten, however, frowned, her gaze fixed on the spot where the vision of Neji had fallen, then flickering to the stoic Neji beside her. From the brutal reality of the attack they had just witnessed, and the quiet contemplation on the face of her teammate now, she sensed things weren't as straightforward as Lee believed.
"Neji… you'll make it through, won't you?" she asked, her voice laced with a tremor she couldn't hide.
Faced with Tenten's desperate hope, a rare flicker of fear touched Neji's heart.
He was afraid. Afraid of dying, yes, but more so afraid of betraying the unspoken kindness she had always shown him, of leaving her hopes for their shared future unfulfilled.
But he couldn't bring himself to offer false reassurances after what they had all just seen.
Perhaps… the moment those splinters found their mark, his fate was sealed.
"Neji, answer me! You'll be alright, won't you?!" Tenten pressed, her voice rising slightly, seeking any confirmation that would dispel the dread coiling in her stomach.
Hinata murmured, her hand flying to her mouth, tears already welling, "Neji-niisan..."
Naruto stared, his own face a mask of horror mirroring his on-screen counterpart. "Neji… why would you…?"
Standing a little apart, Hiashi Hyuga, head of the clan, had watched the sequence with a tightening in his chest. His expression remained stoic, but his fists were clenched. As a master of the Gentle Fist and the Byakugan, he recognized the brutal calculus of that moment on screen.
Against such a massive, overwhelming barrage from the Ten-Tails, aimed with such killing intent, Neji's choice to become a physical shield was absolute. No single Rotation could have perfectly negated that volume of attack while ensuring the complete safety of two others behind him. It was a conscious, ultimate sacrifice.
While the younger shinobi still reeled from the graphic depiction of the attack, the images on the screen shifted to the immediate aftermath, delivering the stark truth of Neji's condition.
[The scene replayed Neji's fall, Naruto catching him.
"Medic! Get a medical-nin over here! Someone's critically injured, now!" Naruto roared on screen.
Neji, cradled in Naruto's arms, gave a weak, knowing smile. "No, Naruto… It's…too late for me…" His breathing hitched. "My vital points…"
"Neji!" Naruto yelled, his voice cracking.
"Neji-niisan!" Hinata cried, tears streaming down her face as she looked at the cousin who had just saved her life, and Naruto's.
With his last reserves of strength, Neji spoke, his voice faint. "Naruto… Hinata-sama… was willing… to die for you… So your life… is not just your own… It seems… my life… was also one of them…"
Naruto, grief-stricken and uncomprehending, shook his head. "Why, Neji?! Why would you throw your life away like this?! For me?! You… you still had to change the Hyuga clan… Why go this far?!"
A faint, almost peaceful expression settled on Neji's face. "Because… you once told me… I was a genius." He paused, a ghost of a smile. "And because… those words of yours… freed me from the curse of my fate…"
As he spoke, the Caged Bird Curse Seal on Neji's forehead, the Manji-shaped symbol of the Hyuga Branch Family's subjugation, slowly faded into nothingness. In that final moment, Neji truly understood the freedom his father, Hizashi, had felt when he chose his own death to protect his family and village.
He had finally experienced it himself: the liberating choice to die for his comrades. His duty fulfilled.]
The light from the screen dimmed, leaving the Konoha shinobi in stunned silence. The younger generation, who had looked up to Neji as one of the brightest talents of their time, stared in disbelief.
The genius Neji Hyuga would fall in the coming war.
Neji himself, after witnessing his own demise in such detail, showed no outward grief. Instead, a profound sense of release washed over him. He felt the elation of a bird finally breaking free from its cage, soaring into an endless sky.
Perhaps this was the moment he, and his father before him, had striven for their entire lives.
Yet, he couldn't bring himself to meet Tenten's tear-filled eyes.
A pang of guilt struck him.
Was he being selfish? To achieve this freedom, only to leave her to face a future in Konoha alone?
Rock Lee finally broke the silence, his voice thick with emotion. "Neji! I don't accept this! I haven't even truly surpassed you yet! You haven't definitively proven to me that hard work can't overcome genius!" He slammed a fist into his palm, tears welling. "You can't die!"
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T/N: +1 Extra Chapter per 100 power stones.
Visit my p@treon for advance chapters.
https://patreon.com/Supreme_1_Raushan