The secrets of the Hidden Cloud Village ran deep. The theft of the Byakugan was a scandal that only a few high-ranking officials in Konoha truly remembered. Even within the Hokage Faction and the Hyuga Clan, the details were intentionally obscured. Smaller villages, like Hidden Grass Village, knew nothing of Neji's circumstances.
So when the Hidden Grass Village Jonin first laid eyes on the Byakugan, his heart skipped a beat. He had never imagined that the infiltrator was a Hidden Leaf ninja. The realization hit him like a thunderclap: the enemy had been hiding in plain sight all along.
The situation was delicate, to say the least. Allowing Neji to roam unchecked was unacceptable, yet the Hyuga clan's actions had to be understood before any decisive move could be made. The Jonin's eyes narrowed, the faint glint of suspicion reflecting his inner turmoil.
"Hidden Grass Village and Konoha are allies," he said, voice trembling slightly. "Is this how the Fourth Hokage treats his allies?"
Neji's lips curved into a cold, almost imperceptible smile. "Allies? It seems your village has yet to understand its place. You are not Konoha's ally. You are merely a pawn, useful only until Iwagakure is hindered. After that, you can be discarded."
The Jonin's jaw tightened. "When should a chess player consider a pawn's feelings?" Neji continued, voice low and deliberate, like a shadow whispering across a battlefield.
Anger flared in the Jonin's eyes, but Neji ignored the display, focusing instead on the mission. "I am here to find something on Hokage-sama's orders," he said.
The words landed like a hammer on the Grass Village Jonin's pride. If there was anything Konoha coveted in Hidden Grass Village, it was likely the legendary Box of Paradise, an artifact inherited from their ancestors. His mind burned with suppressed fury, yet his face remained calm. Through the lens of Neji's Byakugan, he could see the man's chakra boiling, ready to explode at any moment.
"You are surrounded, yet you speak boldly," the Jonin spat. "Do you think we wouldn't dare kill you?"
"I think that is your answer," Neji replied, adjusting his stance into the Gentle Fist position.
The ambush was meticulously prepared. Dozens of Hidden Grass Village ninjas had gathered, each anticipating an infiltrator's approach. Yet Neji assessed them with practiced precision. He was confident he could win this confrontation.
The surrounding ninjas' expressions shifted as they saw his determination. Even in a sea of enemies, Neji's calm defiance radiated power. The Grass Village Jonin let out a sharp laugh, tinged with fury. A sensory ninja himself, Neji had already measured the total chakra of each target. Most were ordinary Jonin, perhaps some Special Jonin, but none matched his skill.
One Elite Jonin, three Special Jonin, and a dozen Chunin—this was the force they had mustered. Enough to deal with an ordinary Hyuga ninja, but Neji was far from ordinary.
The Jonin realized that only by killing him could they resolve this matter. Without a word, he signaled to the surrounding ninjas.
"It is arrogant of you to belittle Hidden Grass Village so much," he said. "Then let the proud Hidden Leaf ninja witness our strength. We will gladly accept the Byakugan delivered to our doorstep."
At once, the Grass ninjas charged. Neji took a deep breath and unleashed the Gentle Fist Art, the signature technique of the Hyuga Clan. In his vision, a Bagua diagram slowly unfolded, expanding outward with ethereal clarity.
The Bagua diagram was not a physical object; it existed only in the mind of a skilled Hyuga. Its size represented the range of attack: for an ordinary Hyuga, it extended about twice the width of an outstretched arm. For a master like Neji, it matched the radius of the Divine Empty Fist, nearly ten meters.
The Hidden Grass ninjas, many regarded as elite, attacked fearlessly. Yet before they could approach within three meters, Neji's Divine Empty Fist struck, shattering their internal organs with precision. Wave after wave of attacks was repelled, each ninja falling, incapacitated or dead. A Special Jonin was gravely wounded, and over a dozen Chunin lay lifeless in the field.
Even after the first wave, Neji retained eighty percent of his chakra. The Grass Village ninjas realized that taijutsu alone would not defeat him. They switched tactics, deploying long-range ninjutsu.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!" one shouted.
"Wind Release: Great Break!" another responded simultaneously.
The two elemental attacks combined, producing a deadly storm of fire and wind that surged toward Neji. With a deep breath, he unleashed Rotation, a secret defensive technique of the Hyuga main family. Chakra whirled around him in a spinning shield, deflecting the barrage like a tornado of energy.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The fire and wind collided against the spinning shield, sending shockwaves across the battlefield. When the dust settled after ten seconds, Neji's figure had already vanished.
The Grass Village Elite Jonin scowled, shouting to the Special Jonin, "Be careful! He's below us!"
Before the Special Jonin could react, the ground beneath him erupted. A sudden Chidori struck his chin, exploding his skull in a horrific spectacle of blood and brain matter. The battlefield was soaked in crimson.
Another Special Jonin's eyes widened in horror. His chakra surged to its limits, and with a roar, he charged Neji.
Neji moved with unparalleled agility, dodging attacks while unleashing counterstrikes. His Divine Empty Fist and Byakugan allowed him to anticipate every motion. He observed the Hidden Grass ninja's unique taijutsu—the "Broken Palm," a signature style combining rapid strikes and fluid movement—and recorded the chakra pathways in his mind.
The Elite Jonin screamed, "Kobayashi-kun, retreat! You cannot face him!"
But Neji's hands crackled with black lightning. He unleashed a bolt into the Special Jonin's shoulder, halting the advance.
A piercing wail sounded behind him—the distinct sound of a high-speed wind jutsu. "Wind Release: Wind Cutter!"
Neji's body tensed, instinctively shifting into Lightning Release Chakra Mode. A crescent-shaped blade of wind sliced just half a meter past where he had been standing. He barely avoided it, moving with the precision of a predator who had honed his senses to their peak.
The battlefield raged on. Neji's mind remained calm, calculating every attack, every possible escape route. He knew pride could be fatal, yet he embraced it, letting it sharpen his instincts. The Hidden Grass Village, though small, had produced formidable warriors. And tonight, they would witness firsthand the lethal precision of a Hyuga main family prodigy.
Each movement, each strike, was measured, deliberate. Neji's Byakugan flickered, mapping chakra flows, predicting attacks, and manipulating pressure points with deadly efficiency. The field became a chessboard, and each ninja a piece under his control. Only now did he begin to truly understand the lesson hidden in battle: sometimes, a chess player must consider the emotions and potential of every piece—not to respect them, but to anticipate how they might move when provoked.
This was the sin of pride, the same flaw he had encountered in previous battles. Yet tonight, he would wield it as a weapon, turning arrogance into opportunity, and fear into control.
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