Chapter 56 – Taking Neji Away

Amid pain and turmoil, Uzumaki Naruto once again found himself standing inside the watery prison of the Nine-Tails' seal. Staring at the colossal figure trapped behind bars, Naruto's voice was low and cold.

"Hey, big guy. You're the Nine-Tails, right? You want out, don't you?"

"That's right. I can lend you my power—let's turn this world upside down."

The Nine-Tails grinned as it looked at the small figure before it.

"I can help you destroy Konoha and wipe out Hiruzen Sarutobi. Your father's gone—who's left that can stop me?"

Everything Naruto had just witnessed, the Nine-Tails had seen as well. Even it hadn't expected Konoha to be so dark beneath the surface.

It had questions, sure—but more importantly, this was an opportunity. A rare chance to break free of the seal and obliterate the village founded by Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju.

"Come on, let me out. Let's shake Konoha to its core," the Nine-Tails urged, eager for a breath of fresh air after all these years.

Naruto's gaze darkened. The red chakra flaring around him grew more intense.

"Not yet. If we stir things up tomorrow, on the most important day of all… now that would be interesting."

"Hahaha, didn't think you had it in you, brat. Not bad. Let's give Konoha a gift they'll never forget."

The Nine-Tails hadn't expected that, after being sealed away for so long by Kushina, her own son would be treated like this.

As its "tenant," it felt responsible for guiding Naruto the right way.

...

Outside the window, Hyuga Gakuya watched as traces of red chakra flickered around Naruto. He smiled.

Naruto, you didn't let me down.

The information Naruto had seen? Gakuya had put it together himself—a careful blend of truth and lies, presented so convincingly that with Kabuto's acting skills, fooling a kid was child's play.

Take Kushina's place of childbirth, for instance. It was something Kakashi had said at Obito's grave—something Obito overheard. But now, Gakuya had twisted it to place all the blame squarely on Hiruzen Sarutobi's shoulders.

All he had to do now was talk Naruto around tomorrow—and the boy would be his.

Kabuto stood behind Gakuya, bowing slightly.

"Gakuya-sama, how was my performance?"

He now placed complete faith in Gakuya, entrusting his future entirely to the man's schemes.

He believed that with Gakuya's cunning and ambition, the man would succeed—and when he did, Kabuto could revive his former director and build a new orphanage. A fresh start.

"Not bad. If you weren't a ninja, you'd make a damn good actor," Gakuya praised.

It was almost overkill giving this to Kabuto. As a former top-tier Root spy, deceiving a twelve-year-old was effortless.

As he spoke, Gakuya stood and dispelled the transformation technique, returning to his true form.

He rolled his shoulders.

"Let's go. Time to find Neji. Tonight's gonna be a busy one—still need to pay Danzo a little visit."

At the mention of Danzo, Kabuto's eyes flashed with pain and hatred. Danzo was the reason the director had died.

Gakuya gave him a sidelong glance.

"Relax. I'll leave Danzo to you."

"Thank you!"

Gakuya meant every word. Promises needed to be kept—only then would Kabuto give himself over completely.

...

In Neji's Room

Gakuya appeared silently beside Hyuga Neji's bed. As he gazed down at that familiar face, his expression softened.

He had made a promise to his aunt long ago—and he would keep it.

He sat at the bedside and gently tapped Neji's forehead.

Neji jolted awake. When he saw Gakuya beside his bed, his eyes lit up with surprise. But in an instant, he sat up and reached for the kunai under his pillow, ready to defend himself.

Gakuya laughed and teased, "Hey, hey, no need to be so tense. I'm your big brother, remember?"

"Is it really you… Gakuya?" Neji asked uncertainly.

"Of course. I even gave you that wristband as a present, didn't I? You used to cling to me all the time when you were little, always—"

"Okay, okay! I believe you!" Neji quickly nodded, cutting him off before he could spill any embarrassing childhood stories.

"You're finally here to get me… I thought you'd forgotten. Why now, though? Why take me away all of a sudden?"

Gakuya didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked, "You've guessed why I destroyed the Hyuga clan, haven't you?"

"You did it to avenge your parents, didn't you? You wanted revenge on the clan."

"That's part of it. But not the whole reason. If it were just for that, I wouldn't have wiped them all out."

Gakuya's tone grew serious.

"The truth is, your parents' deaths were forced by the Hyuga Main Branch."

"What!?" Neji's eyes widened. He had always suspected something was off about his father's death, but now... did that mean his mother had been killed by the Main Branch too?

Gakuya activated his Sharingan and pulled Neji into a genjutsu.

He made him relive the night of the Nine-Tails' attack.

The Main Branch had ordered Hyuga Sayaka—no longer even an active ninja—to the front lines to fight the beast.

And then came the image of Neji's mother, writhing in agony under the curse seal.

Neji clenched his fists.

The vision shifted again—to the day Gakuya had found the final letter from Neji's father in his room. Every word of that letter was still etched into Gakuya's memory.

When the genjutsu ended, they returned to the present.

Neji was shaking, breathing hard, struggling to hold back the fury boiling in his chest.

Gakuya rested a hand on his shoulder.

"The grudge is settled. I came tonight to take you away."

"Alright. I'll go with you."

Gakuya smiled. Neji was still Neji.

He'd been worried the boy might have been consumed by hatred. But even now, Neji could think clearly, make his own decisions.

...

"I'll come for you tomorrow. Just act normal until then—whatever you usually do, keep doing it."

"Okay."

"Want me to bring Tenten along, too? She seems pretty interested in you."

Neji shook his head. "We're just friends, that's all."

Gakuya smirked and ruffled his hair. Neji blushed and swatted his hand away.

"Come on, I'm not a kid anymore!"

"Alright, alright. Little Neji's all grown up now."

With that, Gakuya vanished into the night through the window.

Neji stared outside, feeling a peace he hadn't known in years.

His family had finally come back for him. The doubts and questions that had haunted him for so long were gone now.

He finally understood why Gakuya had done everything he did. If he were in Gakuya's shoes, he would have made the same choices.

Still… why tonight? Why was he being taken away now?

Could something be happening in Konoha tomorrow?

...

After saying goodbye to Neji, Kabuto was already waiting outside. He looked excited—soon, he'd get his revenge.

"I used Orochimaru's name to set up a meeting with Danzo. We're ready to strike whenever."

Kabuto could barely contain his excitement.

"Danzo… that old fox. When he heard about the Konoha Crush plan, he practically celebrated. He's hoping we'll take out Hiruzen for him so he can swoop in and claim the title of Fifth Hokage."

Gakuya scoffed.

A clown like Danzo would always be just that—a clown. His ambition far outweighed his capabilities.

He was even worse than Hiruzen. At least Hiruzen was a mediocre ruler. Danzo? He was just a scheming rat.

"Alright then. Let's go meet our future Fifth Hokage."

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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