Inaho Uchiha had already guessed what awaited him before he arrived. Still, when he finally confirmed the truth, his expression darkened like thunderclouds. His voice was low and cold as steel.
"Captain, Tekka cannot die in vain."
Uchiha Fugaku's expression stiffened. Those words pierced into his chest like a blade.
No one valued the bonds of comrades more than the Uchiha.
Though Inaho and Tekka were not blood brothers, their bond was deeper than blood. They had grown together, trained together, survived battlefields side by side. Tekka's sudden death had torn a hole in Inaho's heart that could never be mended.
The moderate, rational Uchiha Inaho, who had once leaned toward supporting the Hokage faction, was suddenly transformed into a radical by grief.
Coup d'état?
The thought flickered in Fugaku's mind. If there were even a fifty percent chance of success, perhaps he would have secretly gathered forces long ago, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. But reality was cruel—there wasn't even thirty percent chance.
Even setting aside the other clans in Konoha, the Uchiha alone could not withstand the combined might of the Sarutobi, Shimura, Utatane, and Mitokado clans.
And the worst part? The Uchiha themselves were divided. Half of the clan pushed for rebellion, while the other half still hoped for peaceful coexistence with the village. With such disunity, how could a coup d'état succeed?
Fugaku sighed deeply, his eyes dim. "Inaho… don't act recklessly. I will try to find another way, a chance to speak with the higher-ups in Konoha. Perhaps—"
But his words felt powerless, even to himself.
---
Meanwhile, within the depths of another sealed world—
Hyuga Neji raised his hand in greeting, his sharp eyes scrutinizing the massive beast before him.
The Nine-Tailed Fox.
Even though Neji had seen it before in memories, facing the real thing was another matter entirely. The colossal fox loomed inside the cage, its fiery red fur bristling, and its nine enormous tails swayed lazily yet dangerously in the air.
Just one paw was large enough to crush several men at once. The air around it was thick with violent chakra, raw and untamed, pressing down on Neji like an ocean wave that threatened to drown him.
The Nine-Tails opened its crimson eye, its slit pupils glimmering with ancient malice as it noticed the intruder.
After sensing the meager chakra flowing from Neji's body, it let out a disdainful snort. "Tch. Another brat? How irritating."
Yet beneath its gruff tone, there was a subtle shift—something almost like… relief.
The truth was, Kurama had been imprisoned within this cage for five long years. Endless silence, no freedom, no conversation—only the weight of time crushing down. Even for a beast of hatred, loneliness was a crueler punishment.
Neji, however, only smiled calmly. "My name is Hyuga Neji, a genin of Kumogakure. One of my missions here in Konoha is to bring Uzumaki Naruto—and you—back with me to the Hidden Cloud."
Kurama bared his enormous fangs in a mocking grin. "Hmph. This old man doesn't care where you drag me. Konoha, Kumo—it's all the same. A cage is a cage."
But Neji's words had already struck a nerve.
"The Two-Tails and the Eight-Tails are both in the Hidden Cloud. They're living freely, far more comfortably than you are. Don't you want to see them again?"
Kurama snorted, pretending indifference. Its great nostrils flared as it exhaled sharply. Yet its perked ears betrayed the truth.
The seal could not completely block its perception. It could faintly sense the presence of Matatabi, the Two-Tails, living an oddly peaceful life—frequenting a ramen shop, of all places. Gyūki, the Eight-Tails, was harder to sense, but the memory of its old companion still lingered in its mind.
It had been over fifty years since they last met.
The idea of reuniting with them stirred something deep within Kurama, though it quickly smothered the feeling with a growl.
"More than ten years ago, your Hidden Cloud tried to steal me," Kurama sneered. "They failed miserably. And you? With that pathetic chakra, what do you expect to accomplish?"
But Neji only smiled wider. He knew the beast well—Kurama's sharp tongue was a mask.
"Yes, I am weak. Which is why I need your strength."
Kurama tilted its massive head, amused yet unconvinced. "And what makes you think I'd ever help you?"
Neji clasped his fists together, his tone unwavering. "On the day of the operation, lend me your chakra. Just a small portion. For you, it's nothing. But for me, it will be everything."
At present, Neji's strength had already surpassed many. With his Byakugan and the power of the Tenseigan awakening within him, he had the foundation of greatness. But his chakra reserves were limited. His true combat strength was around elite jonin level, and against what awaited him… that wasn't enough.
With the Nine-Tails' chakra, he could leap to a whole new level—perhaps even touching the realm of the Kage.
Kurama folded its massive forelegs across its chest, its tails swaying arrogantly. "Even if I gave you chakra, you're still just a child. Weakness cannot be disguised by borrowed strength."
"No," Neji countered firmly. "With your chakra, I will succeed."
Kurama narrowed its eye. "Hmph. What gives you such confidence?"
Neji slowly removed his goggles, revealing eyes that glowed like twin sapphire stars. Countless specks of light shimmered within them, as though the night sky itself had been captured in his gaze.
"These eyes."
Kurama's crimson eye widened in shock. The immense beast instinctively felt the ancient power flowing from them. It had seen countless ocular powers throughout history—the Sharingan, the Mangekyō, the Rinnegan. And now… these.
"Your eyes…" Kurama rumbled, unsettled.
"They are called the Tenseigan," Neji explained calmly. "Feel them. Their power is no less than the legendary Rinnegan."
Kurama's pupils trembled. This aura… it carried traces of the old man—the Sage of Six Paths. Strange. How could a child of the Hyuga, a clan that had always remained in the background of history, awaken such a power?
"Who are you, really?"
"I told you already," Neji said softly. "I am Hyuga Neji."
Kurama growled lowly. The Hyuga? Impossible. That weak clan had no right to wield such strength.
But the truth was before its eyes.
"…Hmph. You're just an immature brat, still wet behind the ears. In the end, you'll need this old man's help."
Neji smiled faintly, unfazed by the insult. He knew Kurama's mouth was sharper than its claws.
"Then let's seal our deal with a handshake."
He stepped forward to the cage and extended his hand.
Kurama hesitated for a long moment. Then, with a low snort, it extended its massive forepaw.
Clap.
The human's hand and the beast's paw met. A strange bond was forged in that moment.
Neji had succeeded.
---
In the quiet of the sealed world, Neji glanced around. No other chakra signatures appeared.
Good.
The Fourth Hokage and his wife had each left fragments of their chakra inside Naruto, meant to awaken in times of dire crisis. Since they had not appeared, Neji could act freely.
"They too," Neji thought, "must hope that Naruto can find peace in the Hidden Cloud…"
With that silent prayer, he withdrew from Naruto's mindscape.
---
Back in the real world.
Neji staggered slightly, pressing a hand to his temple. Invading another's mental world for the first time had left his spirit body aching faintly.
"Big Brother, what's wrong?" Naruto blinked curiously, a noodle dangling from his mouth.
Neji forced a smile. "Nothing. Just didn't sleep well."
His eyes drifted to Naruto's empty ramen bowl—scraped clean down to the broth. Neji sighed helplessly.
"Teuchi-san! Another bowl of char siu ramen!"
---
Far away, as the golden sun dipped and the pale moon rose—
Urgent knocks shattered the stillness of night.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, aged and weary, had been drifting in shallow sleep. The knocks startled him awake. He quickly dressed, his wrinkled hands adjusting the robe of the Hokage, and opened the door.
A white-haired Anbu in an animal mask stood before him.
"Kakashi?" Hiruzen frowned. "What has happened?"
Kakashi's voice was urgent. "Hokage-sama, Hyuga Hiashi has been murdered."
"What!?"
Hiruzen's face drained of color.
The Hyuga clan was the second pillar of Konoha. Hiashi, as clan head, was not just a leader but a symbol. His sudden death was a catastrophe.
"Do we know who is responsible?"
"ANBU are investigating. I came to report first."
"Then let's go. Immediately."
---
The izakaya was surrounded by masked ANBU when Hiruzen and Kakashi arrived.
"Lord Hokage," Hyuga Gensuke greeted, his face pale with grief.
"Gensuke," Hiruzen said heavily, "you have my condolences."
Gensuke's voice trembled with suppressed fury. "Hokage-sama, the culprit must not be allowed to escape."
"Rest assured." Hiruzen's tone was cold steel. To kill the head of the Hyuga within Konoha itself… this was a direct insult to the authority of the Hokage.
An ANBU stepped forward, hesitating before glancing at Gensuke.
"No outsiders here," Hiruzen said firmly. "Speak freely."
The ANBU bowed. "Lord Hokage, Hiashi-sama entered the izakaya around six in the evening, accompanied by two branch family guards. They were both found dead. Not long after, Gensuke-sama was also seen by the proprietress, asking about Hiashi's room…"
Hiruzen's brows knitted. He turned to Gensuke.
"The culprit is cunning," he said gravely.
Gensuke's jaw tightened. "Yes. He disguised himself as me. If not for that, my son would never have fallen into such a trap."
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed. "Let us see the scene."
---
Inside, the stench of blood was overwhelming.
The two branch family guards lay in pools of crimson, their heads severed. On the floor, Hyuga Hiashi's lifeless head rolled, his eyes gouged out, his expression forever frozen in horror.
"Hiashi…" Gensuke's voice cracked, grief twisting his aged face.
Hiruzen's heart sank, but his gaze was sharp. There were no signs of struggle. To learn the truth, they needed to probe Hiashi's final memories.
"Kakashi," Hiruzen ordered.
"Understood."
Kakashi knelt beside the body, pressing his hand to Hiashi's head. His Sharingan glowed faintly as he pushed his chakra into the corpse.
The room fell into suffocating silence. Minutes passed, heavy with grief and dread.
At last, Kakashi opened his eye, beads of sweat running down his neck.
"The culprit took the form of Hyuga Hizashi," he reported quietly. "Hiashi recognized him. Before his death, he kept calling out one name…"
Hiruzen's brow furrowed. "Neji?"
Kakashi nodded grimly.
Gensuke's grief twisted into rage. "Hokage-sama! You must apprehend the culprit—Hyuga Neji!"
Hiruzen remained silent, puffing on his pipe. His eyes were shadowed.
"Investigate Neji's movements from this afternoon to tonight," he ordered at last.
"Yes," Kakashi replied, vanishing.
---
Late that night, in the Hokage's office—
On the desk lay a simple green frog-shaped wallet.
"The sealing team has confirmed it," Kakashi reported. "It's an ordinary wallet. Nothing unusual."
Hiruzen exhaled smoke, his gaze shifting to the three advisors sitting across from him—Homura, Koharu, and Danzo.
Every step Neji had taken in the past twelve hours had been investigated. At the time of Hiashi's death, Neji and Yugito were walking the streets of Konoha, indistinguishable from other foreign shinobi.
The only anomaly was his contact with Naruto.
Danzo's eye glinted sharply. "Hiruzen, I will say it again: Kumogakure shinobi must never be underestimated. They are ruthless and cunning. We must assume the worst."
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