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Rain drizzled over the Hyuga compound, casting quiet ripples across the stone pathways. Inside the training hall, it was silent too silent.
Neji stood motionless, eyes downcast, his gaze fixed on the two items before him: a sealed scroll… and a container holding a familiar set of pale, featureless eyes.
He hesitated.
Hiashi exhaled softly.
"What I'm about to say… I say as your uncle, not as your clan head. Remember that."
He stepped forward, voice steady but laced with remorse.
"You earned all of this, Neji. Not through favor or pity but through strength. Your ability has silenced every doubt in this clan."
"Your medical jutsu is sufficient. You can reattach your old Byakugan… if you choose to."
"There will be no more curse marks. I promise you that."
Neji blinked, surprised.
Hiashi's voice grew quieter as he looked back through time.
"Your father… Hizashi… was my twin. We were closer than anyone. But tradition demanded sacrifices. War made those sacrifices inevitable."
He paused, knuckles whitening.
"Hizashi pleaded with me for a year… for you. And when he couldn't win… he offered himself instead."
"Not for the village. Not even for me. He died—for you."
Neji's chest tightened.
Even with two lifetimes of memories, that truth hit hard.
Hiashi continued, eyes dim with old regrets.
"During the so-called peace talks with the Cloud Village, their envoy tried to kidnap Hinata. I killed him. The enemy twisted the narrative to force us into submission."
"Hizashi offered himself… to keep you safe."
"Do you understand what that means, Neji?"
A long pause.
"…He died so you could grow up in peace."
Neji remembered the night he had dug out his own eyes desperate to escape the curse of the branch family. Back then, he thought no one would protect him.
He was wrong.
Hiashi clenched his fists.
"The Caged Bird Seal was meant to protect the clan's bloodline secrets. But it also shackled us. I won't defend it anymore."
He stepped back.
"I can't fix what I've done. But you still can."
"These are yours now. The Byakugan… and the truth."
And then—
Hiashi knelt. Not just bowed—he knelt.
A full dogeza, forehead pressed to the floor, pride discarded.
"Please, Neji. Accept this burden. Rewrite our future."
Outside, Hinata and Hanabi huddled under the rain-soaked eaves, struggling to hear through the pattern of rain.
Hinata looked torn ashamed to be eavesdropping, but unable to move away.
Hanabi? Ears glued to the wall.
---
Inside, Neji finally stood.
He gently helped Hiashi to his feet.
"I understand. I accept."
Hiashi smiled a rare, genuine smile.
He handed over the scroll and eyes.
"Don't reveal anything yet. And don't show the scroll to anyone."
"It's sealed. Only your Byakugan can read it. And once you do it will burn itself to ash."
Neji nodded, solemn.
He could already guess what was inside. Clan secrets. Forbidden techniques. The knowledge that might change everything.
No pressure.
---
As Hiashi returned to his seat, composed once more, Neji pocketed the items and turned toward the door.
He already knew who was behind it.
Sliding it open—thud!
Hanabi tumbled in, wide-eyed.
"…Neji-nii…"
Flick!
He flicked her on the forehead. Gently but firmly.
"Ow! Okay, okay—I'm sorry!"
Neji didn't respond. Just crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.
Hanabi pouted.
"You're so mean…"
Neji chuckled—just barely.
Behind her, Hinata stepped in. She looked uncertain and soft-spoken.
"…Neji-niisan…"
He reached out and gently ruffled their hair—both of them.
No words.
Just warmth.
Then he turned and walked away, disappearing down the corridor without another glance.
Hanabi tugged Hinata's sleeve.
"Big sis… what's wrong with Neji-nii?"
Hinata smiled softly.
"…He's just… changing. That's all."
---
Back inside the hall, Hiashi stared out into the rain.
"…Hizashi…"
He whispered to no one.
"Your son… he's extraordinary. The old ways nearly broke him, but they didn't win. He'll lead the clan somewhere new."
Hiashi closed his eyes.
"May this era of peace you died for… finally mean something."
---
Later that day…
Neji stood alone in the cemetery, an umbrella shielding him from the endless drizzle.
He faced his father's grave in silence.
Part of him, one shaped by his past life, had always been distant, disconnected.
But the weight of the present… was beginning to press down.
"…You fool," he whispered.
"You didn't have to do it."
But he knew—nothing he said would change what had been done.
His expression softened.
"…But thank you."
He knelt, placing his blindfold gently on the grave.
"I'll carry it now."
Sliding his Konoha headband back across his brow, he stood and vanished into the rain.
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