"Father... is it... is it really you?"
A film of water clouded Neji's Byakugan. His precocious nature made him afraid to readily believe this surprise, fearing it was just an illusion, and that waking up would only bring greater disappointment.
If it's a genjutsu... if it's a trap...
He shakily raised his fingers, trying to remember the lessons taught at home.
That... that seal... what was it again...
Barely forming a "Ram" seal, Neji took a deep breath and, in a tearful voice, shouted, "...Release!"
The jutsu activated, but the scene before him didn't change at all. His father was still kneeling there, those usually stern eyes now filled with gentleness, and even a hint of heartache.
It's not a genjutsu... it's not a genjutsu...
At that moment, the tears Neji had been holding back finally broke through. The silent teardrops turned into a downpour, and the four-year-old child could no longer maintain his precocious facade.
"...Father!"
The tearful cry escaped his lips, and his small body lunged forward. Hizashi opened his arms and caught his son securely. Neji buried his face deep in his father's chest, his grievances and the joy of reunion turning into loud sobs that echoed in the quiet room for a long time.
Fortunately, the high-end inn Naruto had chosen had excellent soundproofing.
Leaning against the wall, Naruto crossed his arms, a slight smile on his lips under the mask. The scene before him—a father-son reunion that could never have happened in the original timeline—was now playing out right before his eyes.
Hizashi didn't lecture his son to "be strong" as he usually would. Instead, he gently stroked Neji's trembling back, letting him vent his emotions in his arms.
Having changed a tragedy from the original story, watching the embracing father and son filled Naruto's heart with great pleasure.
Neji's crying gradually subsided, leaving only occasional sobs. Hizashi's palm gently brushed across his son's wet cheeks, wiping away the crystal tears with his thumb. The only sounds in the room were Neji's sniffling and the faint chirping of insects from outside.
"Father... you're really alive..." Neji knelt before Hizashi, his small hands clutching his father's sleeve. "I... I thought you were already..."
His voice grew quieter, the last few words almost squeezed from between his teeth. Hizashi could feel the strength in his son's fingers.
"Neji, I'm sorry," he said, gently taking his son's small hand. "I should have been dead, but someone gave me a second chance."
Hizashi slowly recounted the events of that day: how he was being escorted to the Hidden Cloud Village, and how the man in the fox mask suddenly appeared, attacked the Cloud convoy, and rescued him.
After finishing, Hizashi turned to the corner of the room and bowed deeply to the figure who had been leaning against the wall the whole time. Only then did Neji remember the third person in the room. He followed his father's gaze and saw the mysterious masked man still standing there with his arms crossed.
"You two continue. Don't mind me," an indifferent voice came from under the mask, accompanied by a casual wave of his hand.
Hizashi bowed respectfully and turned his attention back to his son.
"...Father," Neji's voice grew low. "This incident, is it really as others say... that because you are from the branch family, you had to die in place of the main family?"
Although he was overjoyed that his father was alive, the main family's scapegoat plan in the Byakugan incident had still planted the seeds of resentment in Neji's heart.
Hizashi was silent for a moment before slowly nodding.
"Mhm, that was indeed the main family's plan. To prevent the Byakugan from falling into enemy hands, as a member of the branch family... because I look almost identical to my older brother, I was chosen as the substitute to be handed over to the Cloud."
"I see..."
Neji's voice suddenly turned cold. So the fact that he could see his father again was pure luck—if that mysterious masked man hadn't appeared, his father would now be...
"Father!" Neji suddenly looked up. "Is it really just because we're from the branch family... that we should be used like this?!"
Hizashi sighed deeply and gently placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Neji, if I could... I wouldn't want you to hate them."
The words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Neji's head. He stared in disbelief, completely unable to understand his father's thoughts.
Not hate them? Why? Even if you were pushed to your death for no reason, you can't resent the main family?
Looking at his son's confused and angry expression, a deep sense of guilt appeared in Hizashi's eyes.
"I... was on the verge of death. But in that moment, I understood something. Hating is easy, but it will only lead us into another caged bird's prison."
Neji shook his head in confusion; he didn't understand the deep meaning in his father's words. But what Hizashi said next struck him like a bolt of lightning.
"Neji... I'm so sorry," Hizashi's voice was filled with an unprecedented guilt. "Actually, on that day... I chose to die myself."
"...Huh?"
Neji's expression froze. He couldn't understand the meaning of his father's words. He didn't have to die, so why did he choose to?
Hizashi continued to explain. "That day, the main family did propose that plan, for me, a member of the branch family, to die in my brother's place."
"But, in the end, it was my brother... Hiashi Hyuga himself who rejected the proposal. As the clan head, as long as he disagreed, the substitute plan could not be carried out."
Neji's mind went blank. Then why...?
"My brother's plan was—to destroy his own Byakugan, and then hand himself over to the Cloud," Hizashi's tone grew somber. "I have hated the main family all my life, and I still do. But in that moment... I volunteered to die in his place."
Neji's pupils contracted violently.
"But I didn't do it to protect the main family," Hizashi's gaze softened. "I did it to protect my older brother... to die to protect my family. That was the first time I truly had the right to choose."
He gently pressed Neji's shoulder, his voice firm and gentle. "Neji, my son, I don't want you to be bound by hatred. I finally understand now—as long as you grow up safely, that's more important than anything."
"So..."
"Don't believe that your life is meant to be lived for the main family. Not until you find something you truly want to protect."
Hizashi paused, a look of reluctance in his eyes.
"But if you're ever in real danger... I hope you live to the end. I guess that's... a father's selfish wish."
For the rest of the time, the conversation between Hizashi and Neji became ordinary and warm. There was no talk of the ninja world's conflicts, no family grudges, only the most common father-son chatter.
Things like, remember to eat on time, don't be a picky eater, and rest even when you're busy with training. Remember to wear more clothes in the winter.
If you run into any problems you can't solve, go to your uncle. He's strict, but he will definitely help you.
Don't blame others for what happened. And don't put too much pressure on yourself.
When you go to the Ninja Academy, be sure to listen to your teachers. But if someone bullies you, you don't have to put up with it.
Neji kept his head down, but he committed every word his father said to memory.
These instructions were ordinary, trivial, even a bit naggy. But every sentence was steeped in his father's most simple concern. Neji listened quietly, collecting these ordinary moments of warmth one by one into his heart.
Before he knew it, the sky outside began to lighten. The chirping of early birds came from the distant forest, their clear calls breaking the silence of the night.
Dawn was about to break.
-------
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