Chapter 54: A Branch Grows Between the Wood and the Leaves, a Wind of Freedom Stirs on Mount Kumokumo
Neji thought for a moment. "What's the rendezvous signal?"
Dodai sighed. "That's the difficult part. There is no signal. He has always been the one to contact us. But ever since Toroi's death, it's as if he's vanished. Our spies in Konoha have sent out the signal multiple times, but there's been no response."
"Could his identity have been exposed after the delegation incident?" Yugito asked. "Maybe Konoha secretly executed him."
"He's buried very deep," Dodai said, shaking his head. "It wouldn't be so easy to dig him out."
"Neji, take a look at this."
The Fourth Raikage emerged from the secret room, a yellowed, ancient book in his hand. It was the history of the Yotsuki clan, a record of events from the Warring States Period, over three hundred years ago. The head of the clan at the time had been Yotsuki Unkan, the man who had developed the Lightning Release Chakra Mode and laid the foundation for the Yotsuki's dominance of the Land of Lightning.
Neji read it carefully. His eyes settled on two lines of faded, barely legible text, and his pupils contracted.
"Hyūga Tenjin, holding a giant 'eye' in his hands, entered a mysterious spatial portal and vanished from the shinobi world. Several days later, a meteorite fell from the sky. The Hyūga clan announced that Hyūga Tenjin had died of a severe illness."
Neji took a deep breath, lost in thought. He had never imagined that the Yotsuki and Hyūga clans had crossed paths so long ago. Based on his knowledge of the original story, if the clan history was true, then the "giant eye" was most likely the Giant Tenseigan. The "mysterious spatial portal" was the passage between the shinobi world and the moon.
The Ōtsutsuki clan on the moon had misinterpreted the last words of Hagoromo. The moderate main family and the radical branch family had erupted into a civil war. In the end, the branch family had used the Giant Tenseigan to wipe out the main family. From that point on, they had planned to destroy the shinobi world.
Neji had always found it strange. During the Warring States Period, if the Ōtsutsuki had made the moon fall, no one could have stopped them. But they had never acted. Perhaps they lacked a Tenseigan to control the giant one, or perhaps there was another reason.
Combined with the mention of a falling meteorite in the Yotsuki's history, Neji made a bold deduction. Over three hundred years ago, the Ōtsutsuki on the moon had attempted to enact their plan of world destruction, but they had been stopped by Hyūga Tenjin.
As for why Hyūga Tenjin had a Giant Tenseigan of his own, that was a mystery. But...
Neji touched his smooth forehead. He suspected that the Hyūga's Caged Bird seal was related to that Giant Tenseigan from three hundred years ago.
The Caged Bird was a powerful sealing jutsu, capable of binding even a person's soul. Even after death, if one were brought back by the Reanimation Jutsu, they would not be free from its control. The Hyūga, who were not known for their sealing jutsu, could not possibly have developed such a powerful technique on their own. The only explanation was the Giant Tenseigan.
Why did the Hyūga have a Giant Tenseigan? And why did Hyūga Tenjin hide it before he died? Where did he hide it?
There were no answers. Three hundred years had passed. The truth had long been lost to the river of time.
"Each generation has its heroes," the Raikage said, a note of awe in his voice. "Hyūga Tenjin was a man who dominated an entire era. That giant eye he possessed... it reminds me of the Tenseigan you spoke of. My Yotsuki clan doesn't have enough information, but the Hyūga's own clan history in Konoha must have a more detailed record."
"I understand," Neji said, his mind returning to the present. "Lord Raikage, you want me to find the Giant Tenseigan through this mole?"
"The Giant Tenseigan? That's a fitting name you've given it, Neji," the Raikage said, stroking his chin with a laugh. "That's one part of it. The other is, if possible, to recruit the mole. The village needs a man of his talents."
Neji closed the book. "I think I have an idea of who he might be. Making contact shouldn't be too difficult."
"Don't be so confident, Neji," Dodai warned, though he was secretly relieved by the boy's self-assurance. Of the three missions, this was the easiest, but it was still incredibly difficult.
"Now, for the second mission: stealing the Scroll of Seals. Are you confident you can do it?"
Neji's face stiffened. "That's asking a bit much, isn't it, Dodai-ojisan?"
The second mission sounded simple, but it was, in effect, an S-rank task. The Scroll of Seals was kept in Konoha, the strongest of the hidden villages, in the Hokage's office, personally guarded by Hiruzen Sarutobi, who, while perhaps not the strongest Hokage in history, was certainly one of the most powerful shinobi in the Five Great Nations. To steal it from right under his nose was impossible.
In the original story, the only reason Naruto had been able to steal it was because Hiruzen had let him. If it were truly so easy, the Hidden Cloud would have crushed Konoha long ago.
Seeing Neji's discomfort, both the Raikage and Dodai laughed.
"Neji," the Raikage said, clapping him on the shoulder, "if you can complete even one of these three missions, it will be enough. And if you can't complete any of them, it's alright. Don't push yourself too hard."
A smile played on Neji's lips. "And the third mission, Lord Raikage?"
"Ah, the third mission," the Raikage said, taking a drink of cold water. "That one is even more difficult. After the Nine-Tails' attack, the Fourth Hokage and his wife were killed. Our spies have confirmed that the Nine-Tails was sealed into a child named Uzumaki Naruto. Your mission is to bring him safely to the Hidden Cloud."
Neji blinked. Each mission was more difficult than the last. He had thought the third one would have something to do with the Uchiha. He had never expected it to be kidnapping Naruto.
"Uzumaki Naruto?" Yugito said, her arms crossed. "The Uzumaki clan is nearly extinct. Where did Konoha find him? And... you said he's a child?"
"That's right," the Raikage confirmed. "A child who hasn't even entered the academy yet. It's incredible. But... what's strange is that, although his surname is Uzumaki, he doesn't have their trademark red hair."
"That is intriguing," Dodai said, his single eye narrowing. "But for a child to be able to contain the Nine-Tails, he must have Uzumaki blood."
"I was thinking the same thing," the Raikage said, nodding at Neji. "Years ago, we tried to kidnap the previous Jinchūriki, but she was rescued by Namikaze Minato. Now, the Jinchūriki has yet to come into his power. This may be our only chance."
Neji was silent, lost in thought. The three missions were all incredibly difficult. The Raikage probably didn't actually expect him to succeed.
Seeing his expression, the Raikage and Dodai exchanged a look, thinking he was intimidated. Just as the Raikage was about to offer some words of encouragement, Neji spoke.
"I'll accept all three missions. And..." He paused, then his voice rang with conviction. "I'll add a fourth: turning the Uchiha clan."
"..."
Not only the Raikage, but even the normally unflappable Dodai stared at him with a look of utter bewilderment. Turn the Uchiha clan? They all knew the words, but put together, they made no sense.
"Neji, what are you talking about?" Yugito said, stepping forward and ruffling his hair.
"I'm not joking, Yugito," Neji said, a serious expression on his face. "I'm completely serious."
"Neji," Dodai said, his brow furrowed, "the Uchiha were one of the two founding clans of Konoha. It's said that the 'Fire' in the Land of Fire's name comes from their fire jutsu. How could they possibly betray their village?"
"Do you really not know the Uchiha's situation, Dodai-ojisan?" Neji replied. "Ever since the Second Hokage took office, they've been pushed out of the political center. And in recent years, their situation has only gotten worse."
Dodai fell silent. Kumo's spies had indeed gathered a lot of intelligence on the Uchiha. After the Nine-Tails' attack, Danzō had used the pretext of reorganizing the village to move the Uchiha to the outskirts and had placed them under secret surveillance. But from that alone... while it was an extreme measure, it wasn't entirely unjustified. After all, even Kumo's spies had seen the reflection of a Sharingan in the Nine-Tails' eyes that night. The Uchiha's power was too great; they had to be handled with caution.
But could it be that the Konoha leadership is planning to go even further? The thought crossed Dodai's mind, but he quickly dismissed it. The Uchiha were a founding clan, and the strongest in the world. To destroy them would be like cutting off one's own arm. No matter how senile Hiruzen had become, he wouldn't do something so foolish. In four generations of Hokage, the Uchiha had never once vied for the position. Besides their power and their difficult personalities, they didn't have any major flaws. What was Hiruzen so worried about?
"Neji," the Raikage said, a grin on his face, "that mission is more difficult than the other three combined." He would have been satisfied if Neji could have completed even the first one. The other three, especially the fourth, were just fantasies.
Neji glanced at the two of them. He could see the skepticism in their eyes. He understood. If the Uchiha were in the Hidden Cloud, the Raikage would have forged them into his strongest weapon, not suppressed them and then driven them to extinction.
No one knew what the reaction in Konoha had been when the Uchiha were wiped out overnight. But the other villages had surely been stunned.
Neji didn't explain any further. He just held up his hands and smiled. "Heh, I was just kidding."
"Go and prepare, Neji," the Raikage said, waving him away. "I'll be waiting for your good news." He then turned to the largest dumbbell in the room.
"We'll take our leave, Lord Raikage," Yugito said, taking Neji's hand.
As they reached the door, Neji suddenly turned back. "Just kidding, of course, Lord Raikage, but... if the Uchiha were to seek refuge here, would you accept them?"
The Raikage looked at him, a grin on his face. The dumbbell in his hand suddenly felt as heavy as a mountain.
Thud.
It fell to the floor, shattering the tiles.
The Raikage placed a fist on his chest and grinned back. "Just kidding, of course, Neji, but... did you only just meet me today?"
"I understand," Neji said, a wave of relief washing over him. The Raikage's attitude was the key to his plan. He had been confident in the man's magnanimity, but he had needed to hear it for himself. The Raikage was still the Raikage.
In the current shinobi world, only the Hidden Cloud and the Hidden Stone had the power to stand against Konoha and take in the Uchiha. Ōnoki was a notorious troublemaker, and he had been humiliated by Madara in his youth. He had no love for the Uchiha. He would probably prefer to see them and Konoha destroy each other.
The Hidden Cloud was the Uchiha's only true home.
Neji had no prejudice against the Uchiha. It was said that they were a clan of madmen, but in the shinobi world, it was hard to find anyone who was truly sane. The First Hokage had captured the Tailed Beasts and then given them away. The Second Hokage had sacrificed himself to save his subordinates. The Mizukage were always messing with their own Kekkei Genkai clans. And Rasa of the Hidden Sand... he had been such a good father that Gaara had been too happy to sleep at night.
Everyone was a little crazy. Why did people only remember the Uchiha? Probably because of Obito and Itachi.
As he stepped out of the Raikage's tower, Neji looked out at the hazy outline of the village. The thought of bringing down Konoha made his heart pound with excitement.
A sudden autumn wind blew down from the peak of Mount Kumokumo.
Yugito clutched her skirt. "Damn weather! Why's it so windy?"
Neji glanced at the sliver of pale leg revealed beneath her skirt and recited, his voice low and resonant:
"A branch grows between the Wood and the Leaves, a wind of freedom stirs on Mount Kumokumo. This journey... will surely turn the world upside down!"
Crack!
It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck in Yugito's heart. She stood frozen, staring at his profile, speechless. For the rest of her life, whenever she would lean on his shoulder, she would remember this moment.
That afternoon, the white-haired Darui sat on a stone pillar in the village, a lollipop in his mouth. "Hey, Karui," he muttered, "we were supposed to meet a while ago. What do you think Lady Yugito and that kid are up to?"
"Tch," Karui said, leaning against a tree, a lazy expression on her face. "You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?"