Chapter 54: The Caged Bird
BOOM!
A flash of light split the sky.
Dark, leaden clouds rumbled with thunder.
In the damp expanse of the Forest of Death, a drenched young man stood firm, his body poised in the Gentle Fist's opening stance. His Byakugan—pale and unblinking—locked onto the man before him, who stood unwavering in the rain like a god.
"I don't converse with those who hide their faces."
"Then what do you want to know?"
"Your identity. Your purpose. And—your true face."
Neji's milky-white pupils constricted, his Byakugan fully fixated on the man.
Through the Hyūga's all-seeing eyes, the stranger's body radiated a deep blue chakra glow, obscuring his internal chakra pathways and muscle structure.
Clearly, a transformation jutsu.
This was one of the Byakugan's greatest weaknesses.
Despite its unparalleled penetrative vision, dense chakra could still block its sight. The village had even installed small-scale barrier seals in certain areas specifically to counter the Byakugan's Perspective.
The principle was similar here—the transformation jutsu wrapped the user in a thick layer of chakra, appearing as a blinding luminescent shell to the Byakugan.
Neji could tell the man was disguised, but not what lay beneath.
He came prepared.
Neji's caution deepened.
Many knew sealing techniques could thwart the Byakugan, but few were aware that even a basic transformation jutsu could achieve the same effect.
Someone this knowledgeable about the Hyūga's weaknesses was either an ANBU elite… or one of their own.
A heavy weight settled in Neji's chest.
As a branch family member, he was only permitted to learn up to the Thirty-Two Palms of the Eight Trigrams. Mastering the rest required the main family's approval.
If the Hyūga elders discovered him training in secret…
The memory of another branch family prodigy—once reduced to sobbing in the training grounds—flashed in his mind. His fingers tensed.
"Who are you?"
"Only two kinds of people learn my identity."
The man's voice was deep, almost muffled by the rain.
"And those are?"
Neji pressed.
"Friends… or corpses."
The man's gray eyes met Neji's, their hollow gaze carrying an unspeakable stillness.
"So, Hyūga Neji—which will you choose?"
CRACK!
Thunder roared overhead.
The downpour intensified.
Neji swallowed hard.
The threat was clear: if he learned this man's identity and refused allegiance, he wouldn't leave this forest alive.
"Perhaps you should state your business first."
His Byakugan flickered to the man's sinister chakra, then to his own exhausted body—muscles aching, chakra nearly depleted.
A quick assessment of their power difference made him reconsider his earlier declaration about "not speaking to those who hide."
A faint smile curled on the man's lips.
Talent. Nerve. Pragmatism.
Neji had everything needed to succeed—everything except luck.
Compared to Hinata, who struggled to even memorize clan techniques, Neji was a diamond in the rough.
"I need you to gather intelligence on the Hyūga clan."
"You want me to spy?"
"Yes."
Neji's eyes widened.
This was not what he expected.
"Why me?"
"You resent the main family. Don't bother denying it—I can tell."
The man cut off Neji's protest with a wave, then raised a finger.
"I have an irreconcilable conflict with the Hyūga elders. Help me dismantle them, and I'll grant you one wish in return."
"A… wish?"
"Anything."
Silence.
Only the patter of rain filled the forest.
"Can you… remove the Caged Bird Seal?"
Despite knowing the odds, Neji's gaze burned with hope.
"Not yet."
The man shook his head.
Only the clan head and elders knew how to undo the seal—something even Hinata couldn't access.
The light in Neji's eyes dimmed.
"But… I will be able to."
The man's voice brimmed with certainty as he studied Neji's delicate features.
His ambitions stretched far beyond the Hyūga—beyond Konoha, even.
The Shikotsumyaku. The Byakugan. The Eight Gates. Tailed Beast chakra.
He had already transcended the ordinary.
The Hyūga were merely a stepping stone.
Recruiting Neji wasn't about intelligence—it was about ensuring his own growth went unnoticed until he was ready.
Neji's breath hitched.
The man's confidence was undeniable.
For the first time, the nightmare of the Caged Bird Seal seemed… breakable.
"Can…"
Neji hesitated, struggling to voice his request.
What if this was just another cruel illusion? Another false hope?
"Can you… show me this future you speak of?"
His voice trembled—less a demand, more a plea.
The Caged Bird had broken him.
And now, like a drowning man clutching at straws, his heart was already leaning toward this stranger.
"Gladly."
With a single raised hand—
Three glowing green points ignited within the man's body.
His chakra core devoured life energy, and an ocean of indigo chakra erupted from him.
BOOM!
Lightning split the heavens, twisting like silver serpents.
Neji's Byakugan widened in disbelief.
Above him—
Every raindrop hung frozen in midair.
The world itself seemed to pause.
Through his Byakugan, the man's chakra had fractured into countless strands, painting the sky like a constellation of deep blue stars.
"This…"
Neji stood paralyzed.
To command the rain itself—this was power befitting a god of the storms.
If he can do this… then surely…
Surely he can free me.
Logic fought against soaring hope, leaving only one final question.
"Will you truly release me from the Caged Bird?"
The man almost laughed.
Neji's yearning was palpable—a fire so fierce it could scorch the heavens.
No more words were needed.
With a burst of chakra smoke, the disguise shattered.
Before Neji stood a silver-haired girl, one hand outstretched toward the suspended rain, the other unwinding the black cloth covering her eyes.
Her deathly gray irises met his Byakugan.
The bulging veins around their eyes connected them—bound by blood, by fate.
She stepped forward.
Two fingers pressed gently against Neji's trembling forehead.
Black and white cloth fluttered between them.
In Neji's awestruck gaze, she stood—a girl holding up the sky.
"Neji, don't be afraid."
Her voice, soft yet resolute, echoed through the trees—through his very soul.
"We share the same desire. The same dream."
"Freedom."
Tears welled in Neji's eyes.
For the first time since the seal had burned into his skin—
He believed.
And the light of hope had never shone so bright.
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