Time had finally come for them to part. Neji's emotions finally erupted. Although he bit his lip hard, tears streamed down his face against his will.
"Father..." his voice was choked with sobs. "Can't you... please don't leave me..."
Hizashi gently wiped the tears from his son's face. "I'm not leaving you. We just... need to be apart for a while. Even if we're not in the same place, I'll always be watching you, looking out for you."
Watching this tear-jerking scene, Naruto, who was leaning against the wall, suddenly sighed.
"If you really don't want to be separated," he interjected casually, "then just stay."
Hizashi and Neji both froze, as if someone had hit a pause button.
"After Neji stays, I'll go have a word with the Hyuga clan head. Given my current 'fame' in the ninja world, he won't have any objections."
It was the most direct solution. Naruto hated pointless, sad dramas. With "Menma's" current deterrent power, even if he went directly to the Third Hokage and said he was taking a Hyuga child, the man probably wouldn't dare to say a single word of protest.
However, after a brief silence, Hizashi gave an unexpected answer. "Lord Menma, please take Neji back to Konoha."
Neji's head snapped up, his eyes wide with disbelief. A wave of grievance washed over him. Is Father... actively abandoning me?
Fortunately, there was no cliché "I'm doing this for your own good, but I won't tell you why" moment. Hizashi didn't let the misunderstanding last. He looked his son in the eye and spoke.
"Neji, I'm not abandoning you... Lord Menma gave me a second life, and I have sworn my loyalty to him. But you're still too young; a life on the run is not for you."
"Only in Konoha can you find new bonds. Your life shouldn't be chained to my side. In the future, you will make friends, meet teachers, and even... meet someone you love. These precious bonds can only be obtained by experiencing them yourself."
Neji's tears were still flowing, but he understood the deep meaning in his father's words. This wasn't abandonment; it was to give him a broader future.
Hizashi gave his son one last, tight hug and whispered in his ear, "Remember, no matter how far apart we are, you will always be the son I'm most proud of."
Dawn was breaking over the Hyuga branch family's residence.
A faint glow of the Flying Thunder God flashed, and Neji's figure quietly appeared in his room without disturbing anyone. After confirming his safe return, Naruto gave a casual wave.
"Alright, do your best from now on. Ja ne~"
He turned to leave, but— "...Please wait! Lord Menma!"
Neji suddenly called out to him.
Naruto paused and turned back. He saw little Neji clenching his fists, his Byakugan still streaked with tears, but his gaze was unusually firm.
"Thank you... thank you so much..." Neji's voice was a bit choked, but he spoke each word clearly. "I... I don't know what to say..."
Naruto waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine, it was nothing. Besides, saving your father has its benefits for me too."
Neji took a deep breath, his small chest heaving. "I... I'm too weak... I can't repay you now..." His voice grew clearer. "But one day! If you ever need strength! I will definitely—"
Before he could finish, Naruto suddenly reached out and flicked Neji's forehead.
"Honestly... you didn't listen to a single one of your father's most important instructions, did you?"
Neji covered his forehead, looking a bit dazed.
Naruto said in an annoyed tone, "I'm not so pathetic that I need a child's help."
"No! This isn't help! This is loyal—"
"Forget about loyalty too."
"Huh?"
Neji's eyes widened slightly, and he looked at Menma in confusion. Why? Why refuse my offer to repay him? Is it because I'm too weak? His small hands unconsciously clenched the hem of his clothes.
Are all the kids in the ninja world this mature?
Under the mask, Naruto sighed helplessly. Although his actual age was only three, a year younger than Neji, his mental age was well over twenty. Thinking back to when he was actually four, he had just been a goofy kid. Looking at this heartbreakingly mature child before him, he couldn't help but feel a bit emotional.
"Because of that near-death experience, your father's wish has changed. At first, he probably hoped you would become a genius of the Hyuga and the heir to the clan. But now—he just wants you to grow up safely."
He bent down slightly. "Don't waste his efforts."
Neji's pupils trembled slightly. After a moment of silence, he asked softly, "Father... really was on the verge of... Do branch family members... have no choice in how they are born, only in how they die?"
He looked up, his pure white eyes meeting the mask. "Lord Menma, do you think... the fate of the branch family can only be changed this way?"
Naruto straightened up, his black robe swaying gently in the morning breeze. "No," his answer was crisp and firm. "Changing fate with death is too tragic."
Neji held his breath, listening intently.
"I believe there is no misfortune in this world that cannot be reversed—as long as the person involved has enough power, they can change anything."
The morning wind rustled through the courtyard, making the leaves whisper.
"In the end, this is a world where the strong prey on the weak. Konoha feared the Cloud would start a war, the Hyuga couldn't defy Konoha's orders, and as a member of the branch family, Hizashi—had even less power to resist the main family's decision."
Neji's fists unconsciously tightened.
"But, your father's fate, I changed it." He reached out and gently placed a hand on Neji's head.
"The reason is simple—the Cloud that Konoha feared, fears me. And Konoha also fears me. Because I am stronger than all of them. That's all."
"Stronger than anyone..."
Neji murmured, "Can I... change my fate too?"
"Who knows?" Naruto shrugged casually, but then continued, "Whether you can break the shackles of the main and branch families with your own power? That's up to you."
"But... in the current Hyuga clan, you are indeed the genius who has inherited the best talent. No one can deny that."
Neji was slightly taken aback, a flicker of emotion in his eyes. "Father... said something similar..."
Seeing Neji lost in thought, Naruto turned to leave again. Just then—a small hand suddenly grabbed his sleeve.
Naruto turned back and saw Neji's face, filled with frustration. A stubborn fire burned in his Byakugan.
As I thought... Naruto sighed inwardly. "A debt of gratitude that can't be repaid is still hard for you to accept, isn't it?"
Neji nodded heavily, his voice as firm as a four-year-old's could be. "Mhm! I know... I'm too weak now... I can't possibly repay you..."
His small hand clenched tighter.
"But that doesn't mean I won't be in the future! I will definitely become a strong ninja! Lord Menma! Please give me a chance!" Neji almost shouted. "This isn't because of my father! This is the path I have chosen for myself!"
"...You're really something else."
Naruto said softly, slowly turning away. Neji felt the sleeve slip from his grasp, and a sense of emptiness filled his heart.
Just then—an object suddenly flew towards him. Neji instinctively caught it. He looked down, and his pupils contracted sharply. "This is...!"
In his hand was Menma's signature fox mask.
Neji's head snapped up, but he saw that Menma had already turned his back to him. The true face that the entire ninja world wanted to see was now displayed before him without any defense.
But Neji didn't look.
"In the future—if you have the confidence to stand before me."
"Then bring this and come find me."
"At that time..."
The morning sun bloomed behind him, casting a brilliant halo around him that pierced straight into Neji's heart.
"Let me see for myself the caliber of the so-called genius of the Hyuga clan."
Neji stared at the back before him.
The morning light fell, coating the entire world in white. The blinding light made Neji squint. When he rubbed his eyes and opened them again—there was no one there.
"...Lord Menma!"
Neji shouted in a panic, his voice echoing in the empty room. The events of the night had been so dreamlike that he almost thought it was all a dream.
The next moment, the cold touch in his hand told him that it was all real. The fox mask that had terrified the entire ninja world was now lying quietly in his palm.
Neji looked down at the mask, then up at the rising sun on the horizon.
The seeds of a dream took root at that moment. In the morning light, an unprecedented fire lit up in the child's eyes.
From this day on, Neji Hyuga—began a new life.
-------
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