Chapter 102

Chapter 102 - 102 Natsuki chuckled, "Neji, the Hyuga clan is an ancient clan. But over all these years, has there ever been a case where the Byakugan evolved? No, right? Maybe the legendary Hyuga Tennin did evolve his Byakugan, but the current Hyuga clan? There's no chance anymore. Everyone says the branch house is bound by the Caged Bird Seal, but what about the main house? They're bound too! They've locked themselves in a cage called Konoha. They're cowardly, decaying, arrogant, and complacent. They lack ambition. They're too scared to even step outside the village. They're no different from the branch family who can't fly freely." "At least the branch family resists. The main family clings to outdated rules and flaunts their status, lost in past glories and unwilling to wake up. Can such a main family lead the Byakugan to evolve?" "They can't!" Neji's answer was firm and unwavering. Even if he was once confused, deep down he knew—the current main family could never bring about an evolution of the Byakugan. The Uchiha's Sharingan evolves only through constant battle and emotional stimulus. And the Uchiha... they were always fighting. They never stopped growing stronger. Maybe they were arrogant, but their eyes could evolve. And the Hyuga? The rebellious branch is sealed in a cage. The decaying main family hides in fear. No one is flying. No one is evolving. How laughable! The Hyuga clan! Neji let out a chuckle, almost vindicated in his frustration. But Natsuki raised a hand to stop him. "Don't laugh just yet. What I said about creating your own miracle wasn't just to make you feel better. You need a smart brain—so you can think and find a way to break your chains. Pure Byakugan may be more likely to evolve, but no one ever said that Byakugan under the Caged Bird Seal can't evolve. Maybe... the day your Byakugan evolves is the day your cage breaks open." Neji fell into deep thought, pondering the possibility. "You have the advantage," Natsuki continued. "Your talent is truly high. The main family, because they don't have the seal, has grown lazy. But you, because of the seal, crave the sky. So tell me, who has the better chance of escaping the cage in the end? Find a way to evolve. That's your clear direction. And you'll also need power—real power. Only the truly strong can control their fate and break their shackles. What do you think?" "You're right!" Neji's eyes were bright and determined. "I need a smart mind. I need great strength. I need clear direction! That's how I'll evolve the Byakugan! That's how I'll break free from this cage and soar free!" Seeing that, Natsuki let out a breath of relief. Looks like he had his own version of Talk-no-Jutsu. But unlike Naruto's, his wasn't based on promises. Naruto made promises—promises to fix everything when he became Hokage. Natsuki, on the other hand, used logical analysis and offered a path forward, allowing Neji to truly understand. That made all the difference. In the original story, Neji believed in Naruto's words like a god. But now? Neji understood Natsuki's reasoning, saw the truth for himself, and chose to walk his own path. To fight for his own destiny. That, perhaps, was the best outcome. Placing your hope in others or forging your own hope—Natsuki preferred the latter. And Neji clearly needed that. Natsuki stood up and smiled. "As for what to do? You can think about it yourself. If you ever need help, you can come to me. Or if you run into any problems, we'll figure it out together. For now... I need to start cooking, or my girlfriend's gonna nag me." With that, he turned toward the kitchen. "Thank you, Natsuki." Neji said sincerely, then stood up and joined him to prep vegetables. The haze in Neji's heart had been cleared, and a new light filled his soul. That's what hope does—it brings people back to life. Not long after, Tenten returned with Gai and Lee. The two "kappa boys" wanted to help, but Natsuki refused. Instead, he created a shadow clone to play cards with them. Tenten followed suit and also made a clone to join. The real bodies went to help in the kitchen. After all, you can't let shadow clones cook—because they explode. If one were to vanish while carrying food fresh from the oven, all that effort would go to waste. Just like in Boruto, when Naruto used a clone to be with his daughter on her birthday. When the clone popped, the cake fell and splattered, making Boruto so mad he nearly wanted to disown his dad. Naruto was a bit dumb for that—he could've just sent clones to work and stayed home himself. Anyway, back to the story. Natsuki and Tenten's clones were playing Ninja Kill with Lee, Neji, and Gai—it was actually pretty lively. But Gai kept glancing curiously at Neji. He felt something had changed. Neji didn't seem so cold anymore. While playing cards, he even smiled. Sometimes he even laughed. Gai didn't know what happened, but it was clearly a good change. He had always been aware of the Hyuga clan's... internal problems. That's why he had always worried about Neji. But because he wasn't sure what to say, he never pushed too hard. Instead, he taught Neji through his passion alone. Now, seeing Neji smile and interact like this, Gai felt gratified—so much so that he nearly teared up. Then Gai sneakily glanced toward the kitchen. He had a feeling this change in Neji... had something to do with Natsuki. If that were true, then he was really, really grateful to him. Just then, Lee suddenly blurted, "Neji, something's different about you. You're smiling during a card game! Did something good happen?" Gai quickly gave Lee a thumbs up. Nice job, Lee! I wanted to ask too, but didn't dare! Neji's smile froze slightly. Then he shook his head. "Maybe something good did happen. Natsuki just said a few things that made a lot of sense... helped me figure things out." So it really was Natsuki! Gai glanced over at Natsuki's shadow clone, his eyes filled with gratitude. Neji's emotional troubles had always left him helpless. Now, finally, he could breathe a little easier. "Well, it's good that you figured it out," Gai said warmly. "That in itself is a good thing. Try not to overthink so much anymore." "Thank you, Gai-sensei. And... thank you for always worrying about me." Neji bowed deeply in gratitude. He'd always known how much Gai cared for him. And perhaps because he didn't want to burden him, he never let Gai in too much. But Gai had always taught him earnestly, and he remembered it all. Lee was a little confused. "What are you guys talking about?" Natsuki's clone quickly changed the subject. "Don't ask about people's personal matters! Come on, let's keep playing! Also—my cooking's always been praised. You guys are in for a treat tonight!" Lee was immediately distracted. "Really? That tasty? I'm excited!" (End of Chapter) [Check Out My Patreon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][/zaelum] [+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter] [Thank You For Your Support!]