Konoha Notes.

Chapter 547 The Bird in the Mirror Is No Longer a Caged Bird

Chapter 547 The Bird in the Mirror Is No Longer a Caged Bird

When Neji opened his eyes again, the ceiling was an unfamiliar stone gray.

He got up and first checked his current situation.

His physical condition is good, and his chakra can be refined normally.

He was still wearing the same clothes as before.

The ninja tools were not taken away either; the kunai, shuriken, and scrolls were still there.

Neji formed hand seals.

Bai Yan's vision expanded outwards. Layer upon layer of stone walls became transparent, and the corridors, staircases, ventilation ducts, and the entire internal structure of the building unfolded before his eyes.

The facility is buried deep underground and is much larger than it can be perceived from a single room.

Then he saw a person waiting in a room at the end of the corridor.

Neji withdrew his gaze, pushed open the door, and walked down the corridor.

At the end of the restaurant, dimly lit by candlelight, a man in white was cutting pieces of meat with a knife and fork.

Neji stopped at the doorway: "Who are you?"

"Ci-xian." The man put down his knife, picked up his wine glass, and swirled it. "You are also the future you."

Neji was not swayed by the malice lurking in those words.

"I am a member of the Hyuga clan. No matter what your purpose is, kidnapping me is useless."

Jigen said calmly, "Are you referring to the Caged Bird Seal of the Hyuga branch family?"

That's in the past.

The man in white pointed to the side, where a full-length mirror appeared out of nowhere in the corner. The mirror was smooth and reflected the candlelight and the boy's profile.

"This is the liberation I bestow upon you."

Neji looked at the mirror. Reason told him to ignore it; it was just their rhetoric, a psychological maneuver.

But he still took the step.

Looking at himself in the mirror, he hesitated, his heart pounding wildly at the possibilities outlined in Cixian's words.

In the mirror, the boy raised his hand and unfastened the Konoha headband on his forehead.

His forehead was as smooth as ever, and the bluish mark had completely disappeared!

Illusion?!

Neji's pupils suddenly contracted.

"How is that possible—"

The village's experiment has been going on for two years, and even though he has made progress that surpasses the imagination of everyone in the Hyuga clan, the Caged Bird has never left.

It's gone today!

Neji's fingers trembled involuntarily.

"You have outstanding talent; with just a little help, nothing is impossible."

Jigen didn't fully explain, but the many things within Hyuga Neji's body had already made him increasingly powerful.

With the thawing process of Karma already underway, combined with this, he obtained the body data belonging to the Otsutsuki clan, completely covering the cursed seal on Neji's body.

Neji stared at himself in the mirror and re-tied his headband.

As the sash tightened behind his head, his fingers stopped trembling, and he calmly said, "I am a ninja of Konoha."

Cixian finished his glass of red wine and casually placed it on the table: "Then think about your village and your people."

"So that I don't have to make the decision to kill them so quickly."

Neji's gaze narrowed slightly, and the veins around his eyes bulged and then subsided.

Cixian stood up: "I watched your match. You played well, but you can do even better."

"From now on, you will need to undergo training according to the schedule."

A new plate was placed opposite the head of the table, filled with fresh steak.

"It's time to eat now."

Neji sat down in silence, picked up his utensils, and began to eat.

"Great, this will save me from unnecessary procedures."

Jigen was quite satisfied with how quickly Neji accepted reality.

"Come out after you finish eating."

Cixian walked out of the restaurant.

Neji stopped eating and looked at his palm, the place Shuji had once asked him to show, now bearing a black diamond-shaped mark.

Sixth Boss, is this what you were talking about?

It took Konoha some time to confirm that Neji's disappearance was not an ordinary one.

The conclusion that it was Cixian who made the move, rather than some other sudden event, was based on intelligence sent back from the west.

In the area where Grell Ore was located, the aftershocks of the battle were so intense that the ninjas couldn't ignore them.

They deployed eyes in the sky to conduct reconnaissance.

It is said that upon seeing the scene, Deidara, who had returned to Iwagakure as reinforcements, was very excited and wanted to compete in the art of explosion. If he hadn't been forced to stop, he probably would have thrown a bomb on the spot to add to the excitement.

Inside the Hokage's office, Shuji closed the report in his hand and said to Hiashi Hyuga, "Until the very last moment, Neji will be safer than anyone else."

Hijikata nodded silently: "Yes."

Neji's tragic fate led Hiashi to wonder if destiny, perhaps, was so stubborn as to be unyielding.

Everyone who tries to break free from it will face a heavy backlash.

Shuji did not try to fathom Hinata Munenaga's thoughts.

But this outcome was within his expectations.

He had already reassessed the situation when he confirmed the mark on Neji's body.

Passing information about the Grell mine to the current Akatsuki could have the following consequences.

One reason is that Madara has become cowardly and has chosen to continue attacking Konoha to seize the Tailed Beasts.

One was Ban, who didn't back down. He failed, but in order to win, he continued to attack the United Affairs Bureau.

After his battle with Madara, Isshiki, whose body was occupied by Jigen and had been greatly weakened, may decide to attack Konoha and take Neji away.

The latter is the worst-case scenario.

The current situation is not bad.

Shuji gathered his thoughts and turned to Hiashi: "Is it uncomfortable using Toneri's eyes?"

Hiashi Hyuga replied, "There are no other problems. Although it is somewhat different from the original Byakugan, it is fine for daily use."

Riji did not hesitate for long before volunteering to be an eye transplant recipient.

Toneri commented that his eyes lacked purity. However, Hiashi had previously received an infusion of the Great Tenseigan's chakra and had briefly entered the Tenseigan state. Judging from the progress of the transformation, he was actually the most suitable candidate at the moment.

After the eye transplant, one can imagine what kind of progress will occur on Sheren's side.

However, it remains to be seen how much change can occur on the Japanese side.

Perhaps nothing will happen, after all, the two are too different in terms of physical attributes.

After informing the Hyuga family elders about the clan's juniors, explaining that it was a dangerous yet safe mission, and expressing their concern.

Shuji has about enough time left for Hiashi today.

As Hiashi said, the new eyes did not affect his daily eyesight.

"Please excuse me, I have work to do and need to leave, Hokage-sama."

After he left, Shuji looked out the window at the village.

After the roads leading out of the village were cleared one by one, the travelers and merchants who had been forced to stay began to leave.

Supplies from the Land of Fire are also being continuously transported in.

Aside from its decline from prosperity, the village looks much the same as it did six years ago.

A state of complete silence is maintained, waiting for the wedge to thaw completely. This process can take anywhere from several months to over a year.

In any case, he was temporarily removed from the chessboard, leaving only them and Madara on the field, and the turning point was yet to come—

According to the latest information from Kirigakure, thick fog has begun to rise over the large lake where the Three-Tails once lived.

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

"This month—or next month?"

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