Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 253 Hyuga Neji: Father?
Earth Release: Twin Lion Fists!
A thick layer of chakra enveloped Hyuga Neji's fists, coalescing into two blurry and ferocious lion heads.

It even produced a sharp, piercing whistle, carrying the terrifying force of a meteorite impact, and slammed into Hyuga Hiashi!

With this attack, Hyuga Neji left himself no way out.

He was gambling with his life. If Hiashi Hyuga insisted on using the Caged Bird Seal, then while he was killed by the seal, this attack would definitely kill Hiashi Hyuga as well!
Faced with this desperate attack that would result in mutual destruction, Hiashi Hyuga had no choice but to interrupt his hand seals and instantly switch to waving his hands and spinning his body, unleashing a torrent of chakra from within!

"Return to Heaven!" With a roar from Hiashi Hyuga, a rapidly spinning chakra hemisphere instantly enveloped him!

Neji Hyuga's palm strike, seemingly capable of shaking mountains, slammed heavily onto the defensive barrier of the Rejuvenation Technique, accompanied by a terrifying whistling sound.

boom! !

A terrifying sound erupted instantly, and the entire secret chamber emitted a mournful wail and violent tremors!
Centered on the point where Neji landed his palm, the ground beneath Hiashi Hyuga's feet was violently lifted by this unimaginable force, sending rubble flying and dust billowing everywhere!
With a tooth-grinding, bone-crackling sound, Neji's face contorted in pain as his left arm snapped, unable to withstand the immense force of the recoil!
But at the same time, Hiashi Hyuga's Rejuvenation was also blasted apart by this attack, and his chakra exploded and scattered instantly!

In the center of the collapsed ground, Hiashi Hyuga staggered and knelt down, spitting out a mouthful of blood, clearly suffering from serious internal injuries.

"die!!"

Despite the excruciating pain from his broken arm, Neji gathered his remaining chakra and, with a fierce and relentless expression, slammed a palm into Hiashi Hyuga's unsuspecting chest!

As if using his last bit of strength, Hiashi Hyuga suddenly raised his head and met Neji's attack with a palm strike!
boom!
Neji Hyuga's strike, imbued with all his power and fury, landed squarely on Hiashi Hyuga's chest.

Meanwhile, Hiashi Hyuga's palm strike landed on Neji's chest at the same time.

However, the fierce attack that Neji had anticipated did not come.

What he felt was not the penetrating power of the Soft Fist that damaged his meridians, but only a slight stinging pain as if he had been gently pierced by something sharp.

Almost simultaneously, accompanied by a muffled thud and a burst of blood mist, Hiashi Hyuga was blasted away by the immense force contained in Neji's palm strike, crashing heavily into a distant wall.

Neji slowly lowered his head and looked at his heart.

There, an extremely thin, almost transparent syringe was inserted.

The liquid in the syringe had been completely injected into his body, and the empty syringe reflected a faint light in the dim light.

"What is this?" Hyuga Neji's expression changed, and he pulled out the syringe without hesitation.

But, the next moment.

dong dong!

Two heavy, muffled sounds, like the beating of drums, suddenly exploded from inside his chest!

"Ugh!!"

An indescribable, terrifying pain swept over Neji's entire body like a tsunami!

The excruciating pain, seemingly originating from his very soul and even his genes, far surpassed any injury he had ever endured in the past, causing him to let out a heart-wrenching scream almost instantly!

He knelt on the ground, unable to control himself, his body convulsing violently.

dong dong!dong dong!
My heart began to pound and contract violently with a completely out-of-control speed and force; the heavy and violent heartbeat could even be heard outside my body, clearly audible in the silent, enclosed room.

"Ho! Ho!"

Hyuga Neji clenched his teeth so tightly that his gums bled from the force, and his pale face was so distorted that he was no longer human, with his veins bulging out menacingly.

what exactly is it?
Is it poison?!

He felt as if his body had been thrown into a furnace, an intensely hot sensation spreading through his limbs and bones as the blood was pumped wildly.

It felt as if what was surging through my veins was no longer blood, but hot, viscous magma!
Under the influence of the scalding blood, a large amount of skeletal muscle begins to dissolve and disintegrate, and is then forcibly torn apart and reshaped by an extremely tyrannical force, wrapping around and solidifying under the skin!
It wasn't just his muscles; every tissue and cell in his body seemed to be undergoing a similar cruel and drastic transformation!
pain!

The pain of tearing every inch of flesh apart!

The pain of crushing every bone!

The pain of reassembling every nerve!

"what!!"

He screamed in agony, his fingertips digging deep into the ground, leaving ten bloody marks. Veins bulged on his forehead, and sweat poured out like a stream, instantly soaking his robes.

The terrifying pain, originating from his genes, felt like millions of ants gnawing and crawling inside his blood vessels, making him feel as if he needed to tear his own body apart to release it.

Just as his consciousness was about to be completely consumed by this torture-like torment.

The pure eye power sealed within the container in the ninja tool pouch at his waist, which was used to hold several pairs of Byakugan, suddenly burst forth like a flood!

Instead of dissipating, they seemed to be drawn by some strong force, transforming into thin, barely perceptible strands that surged toward the whites of the eyes that were trembling violently from the pain!

Moreover, even the dust and mist in the distance seemed to be drawn in, with wisps of pupil power converging and merging into his eyes.

This sudden surge of immense pupil power acted like a potent tranquilizer, or a key, gradually balancing the raging power within him!

The extreme pain originating from the genetic level quickly subsided, replaced by an indescribable and strange feeling.

laugh!
White mist rose from his body, and the sweat that had been pouring out due to the excruciating pain was instantly evaporated by the sudden increase in temperature, leaving behind a layer of fine white salt frost.

The blood in the blood vessels no longer flows like scorching magma, but transforms into joyful, surging spring water, circulating throughout the body at an unprecedented speed, bringing an indescribable sense of exhilaration.

Every cell seemed to be freed from heavy constraints, like tender buds in early spring pushing through the frozen soil, breathing in the air freely and unrestrainedly!

It was as if a crack had opened in my mind, and a cool, clear feeling poured in like a spring, splitting into countless tiny tributaries, washing away the fatigue, gloom, and stagnation in my brain.

Finally, Hyuga Neji suddenly opened his eyes.

A subtle yet dazzling azure light flashed briefly in the depths of his pure white eyes before disappearing.

But the world before him had become completely different.

Everything became clear, clearer than ever before!
Every detail within sight is clearly visible!

"what happened?"

Hyuga Neji stared blankly at everything before him, every tiny crack in the wall, every speck of dust floating in the air, even the slightest tremor of the burning lamp wick…

Everything was presented in his field of vision with almost absolute clarity.

It's as if someone who has been sleepwalking since childhood, with their eyes open, has finally truly woken up. The thin veil that has always covered their eyes has been suddenly lifted, and the whole world has become bright and clear.

His mind became incredibly sharp and clear, and many of his previous vague understandings about Gentle Fist and chakra became clear and distinct.

Hyuga Neji subconsciously raised his hands, clearly feeling the rush of blood to his head, as if some hidden and heavy shackles had been removed, and he felt a power almost overflowing. Light, clear, joyful…

He was absolutely certain that his physical strength had increased by more than one level, and that his eyes were no longer undergoing a quantitative change due to the absorption of pupil power, but rather a qualitative change of some unknown nature!
"Pfft! Ahem!"

Just then, a weak and painful cough came from not far away.

The sound was extremely faint, but to Neji at that moment, it was so clear that it seemed to be ringing in his ear, interrupting his astonishment at the sudden change in himself.

He suddenly raised his head, his eyes, tinged with a deep blue, pierced through the still-lingering dust and instantly locked onto the source of the sound.

Hiashi Hyuga was slumped against the wall, his head hanging limply to one side, blood gushing from his mouth, staining a large dark patch on his tattered clothes. He was extremely weak.

With a single movement, Hyuga Neji appeared in front of Hyuga Hiashi, his speed so fast that it created a slight shockwave that dispersed the lingering dust.

He suddenly bent down, lifted the other person's pale face from blood loss, and looked into the pupils that were dilated from severe injuries.

The two were very close, and Neji could clearly see his own somewhat unfamiliar eyes reflected in the other's pupils.

Moreover, Neji Hyuga clearly saw the relief in Hiashi Hyuga's eyes, something he hadn't noticed before.

"Hyuuga Hinashi!"

A strong and inexplicable fear and unease coiled around his heart like a venomous snake. Neji's voice was extremely urgent, even trembling without him realizing it.

"Tell me, what exactly did you inject me with?" he asked in a trembling voice.

Hiashi Hyuga's heavy eyelids opened a crack, and his unfocused gaze focused on Neji Hyuga's face.

He raised his hand with trembling hands and tore off Neji's headband.

Seeing the almost completely dissipated Caged Bird Seal, the pain-twisted expression on his face slowly relaxed.

But when he saw a glimmer of azure light in those pure white eyes, an indescribable look of regret and bitterness appeared on his face.

"As expected..." His voice was weak and feeble, each word seemingly uttered with the last of his strength, accompanied by the sound of blood frothing at the edges, "Still, not enough..."

Is it due to insufficient pupil strength, or insufficient emotional stimulation?

"Not enough? What's not enough?!" Neji's voice trembled slightly with fear, and his grip on Hiashi Hyuga tightened involuntarily.

“You…” He shook his head, “Take my eyes away…”

"What are you talking about?!" Hyuga Neji's body trembled violently. He abruptly released Hyuga Hiashi's collar, letting the other slump back against the wall.

He raised his head, his white eyes scanning the secret room with unprecedented insight, his gaze instantly locking onto another wall.

There, too, was an even thicker and more complex sealing barrier!

Previously, because all his attention was focused on the battle in front of him, he completely overlooked this other hidden space!
Without a moment's hesitation, Neji practically charged forward.

Without even searching for the barrier's nodes, the surging new power within him, accompanied by a tremendous sense of panic, erupted and slammed heavily onto the barrier!

Boom! Bang!

The barrier's light flickered violently, unable to withstand the pressure, and shattered and dissipated!
A much heavier iron door was revealed, and Hyuga Neji kicked it open with a powerful kick. The iron door slammed into the inner wall with a loud bang.

The scene behind the door caught Neji's eye, freezing him in place.

In the even smaller, almost completely dark cell, a thin figure sat quietly on a stone chair.

Seemingly hearing the loud crash of the door being broken down, the figure slowly raised its head.

As he looked up, that face gradually came into Neji's violently trembling pupils.

That face...

Despite being pale and haggard, and despite the fact that where his eyes should have been were now only two shocking bloody holes!
But those facial features, those contours...

What Hyuga Neji saw was another face, exactly the same as the one of Hyuga Hiashi who was on the verge of death outside!
"Is it over yet?"

The man stared at Hyuga Neji with empty eye sockets, a stiff and self-deprecating smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"It's crazy."

His voice was soft, yet it struck Neji's heart like a heavy hammer.

"You, the family split up, your father..." With each word he uttered, his breath grew weaker, yet his tone carried an eerie and utterly relieved air, "They were all madmen..."

After saying that, he slowly raised one hand, and a faint but concentrated chakra appeared.

Then, under Hyuga Neji's horrified and dazed gaze, he slapped the hand that was gathering chakra against his own heart!
"puff!"

A large mouthful of dark red blood spurted from his mouth, splashing onto the cold ground.

"Finally, I can be free..." His broken voice carried a twisted sense of relief, as if he had finally shed the shackles he had carried for too long.

“I couldn’t resist before I died.” He said in a hoarse voice, “I will definitely become a ‘Hollow’, and all the main family members who died at your hands will become ‘Hollows’.”

"You will all pay the price for this..."

Before he could finish speaking, his head slumped down, and he slid off the stone chair, crashing heavily to the ground.

thump!
The dull sound echoed in the cramped cell, striking deep into Hyuga Neji's soul!
Neji's body trembled violently, and he staggered back several steps, his heel hitting the threshold, almost falling over.

With almost stiff, almost mechanical movements, he turned his head extremely slowly to look behind him, to look at the "Hyuga Hiashi" leaning against the wall, who was also on the verge of death.

At that moment, "Hyuga Hiashi" was also looking at him.

Eyes facing each other.

Those once lifeless eyes were now filled with the same complex emotions: a bottomless weariness, a sense of relief at the success of a plan, and a touch of familiar gentleness.

Hyuga Neji's mind went blank; all his thoughts and perceptions were shattered, disrupted, and overturned by the scene before him.

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out; his body trembled violently uncontrollably.

"Father?"

Finally, he uttered those two words in a trembling voice, hoarse and dry: "How, is that possible?"

(8,000 words, please vote with monthly tickets orz)

(End of this chapter)