After taking over the snake uncle's foundation, Sasuke came to surrender on his own initiative.

Chapter 268: Emptiness and Rebirth

The smoke from the Hyuga ancestral land hadn't yet cleared. Neji stood in the ruins of the ancestral hall, the golden light of his atavistic Byakugan long since dimmed. His palms still clung to the burning heat of chakra collision, and beneath his feet lay the shattered remains of the headband of the main family. But he felt no joy of revenge, only a sense of emptiness and bewilderment—like when, as a child, he lost the first kunai his father had given him. He had found the culprit, but he could never find the warmth he once felt again.

"Ningji." Haku's voice came from outside the ruins, cautious and tentative. He held a bowl of warm medicine, ice crystals condensing into tiny flowers around the edge. "Karin said you used too much chakra just now. This is a heat-clearing soup, chilled with ice release. It will relieve fatigue."

Neji didn't turn around, only staring down at the bloodstains on the ground. They glowed a dark red in the setting sun, a striking resemblance to the bloodstains that had stained his father's clothes when he fell. He had imagined revenge countless times: making the elders of the main family feel the burning pain of a caged bird, making the Hyuga clan leader understand the absurdity of "fate," making everyone know that the branch family wasn't meant to be manipulated. But at this moment, he felt only exhaustion—so exhausted he didn't even have the strength to clench his fists.

"I killed them." Neji's voice was soft, like sand blown by the wind. "All those who participated in deciding my father's fate are dead."

Bai walked over to him and handed him the medicine. He didn't say, "You did the right thing," nor did he say, "You were too impulsive." He simply stayed with him quietly. The coolness of the Ice Release spread through the air, slightly dispelling the bloody smell from the ruins. "When I was little, I also hated the ninja who killed my mother." A faint icy mist shone on Bai's fingertips. "Then I met Zabuza-sama, and he told me that hatred is like ice. The tighter you hold it, the more likely you are to get frostbite."

Neji took the medicine, the warm liquid sliding down his throat, but it couldn't warm the emptiness in his heart. His atavistic Byakugan unconsciously expanded, scanning every corner of the ruins—the hut where he'd been imprisoned as a child, the training ground where his father secretly taught him the Gentle Fist, the instruments of torture used by the elders of the main family as punishment. These images flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern, finally lingering on his father's smile as he touched his head before leaving: "Ningji, become a ninja stronger than anyone else, and protect those you want to protect."

"Father said that we should protect those we want to protect." Neji suddenly murmured softly, the medicine bowl in his hand trembling slightly, "But now, I have done nothing but revenge."

Just then, hurried footsteps could be heard in the distance. Kimimaro's bone blade glowed a pale green, followed by Karin and Ototake. Karin's sensory network instantly swept over Neji, and a look of relief crossed her face. "Great, Neji, you're okay! I sensed your chakra was quite disordered just now, and I thought you were injured."

Kimimaro walked over to Neji and glanced at the ruins. He didn't ask about revenge, but handed him a bone crystal. "This was made by Lord Ototake using mineral energy. It can stabilize chakra. Although your Susanoo just now was powerful, the chakra fluctuations were too chaotic. Doing this for a long time will damage your meridians."

Yin Zhu's gaze fell on Neji. The system panel flashed with the message: "Ningji's Mood State: Lost (Target Missing After Hatred Dissolved), Bond Requirement 90%." He offered no sermons, simply pointing toward the distant Sound Village. "There are people waiting for you there—Sasuke is practicing Amaterasu, Kabuto is organizing medical kits, Guren and Minotaur are polishing crystals, and they're still waiting for you to teach the young ninja Baguazhang, as you promised."

Neji followed Ototake's finger. Under the setting sun, the lights of Otogakure gradually brightened, like countless warm stars. His Byakugan suddenly caught a familiar chakra—it was the village children, gathered around the wooden stakes in the training ground, imitating the Baguazhang poses he had taught them. Though clumsy, they were incredibly serious.

"I promised them I'd teach them how to use chakra to protect themselves." Neji's voice finally warmed up, and the medicine bowl in his palm stopped trembling. He remembered the last time they were training, when the youngest child had timidly asked him, "Ningji-sama, can we become strong even without the Byakugan?" He had replied, "True strength doesn't come from blood, but from the desire to protect."

But he himself was almost trapped by hatred and forgot this "intention of protection".

"Ningji," Ototake's voice was gentle and guiding, "Revenge is not the end, it's just the beginning of your escape from the past. Your father wants you to be a strong man who protects others, not a weapon driven by hatred."

Neji's atavistic Byakugan suddenly lit up, no longer holding a cold, murderous intent, but a gentle glow. He looked at his companions: Haku's Ice Release shimmered in a gentle mist, Kimimaro's bone blades had shrunken their sharpness, and Karin's sensory network enveloped him like a warm veil. These people weren't his "fate," but the "family" he had chosen; this Otogakure Village wasn't his "cage," but his true "home."

"I understand." Neji took a deep breath, handed the medicine bowl to Shiro, and turned to walk towards the Sound Village. His steps were no longer heavy, and the emptiness in his heart was gradually filled with a new emotion - it was "responsibility", "protection", something more meaningful than revenge.

The wind still blew from the ruins, but it no longer carried the scent of blood, instead carrying laughter from the direction of Otogakure. Neji glanced back at the ruins of the Hyuga ancestral land, his eyes no longer filled with nostalgia, only relief. The pain of the past could not be erased, but he could choose another path for the future: to see through danger with his Byakugan, to protect his companions with his Baguazhang, and to use his own strength to spare others the pain he had endured.

"Next time we train, I'm going to teach them Bagua Zhang." Neji suddenly spoke, his voice filled with anticipation. "I'm also going to ask Kimimaro to show me how to use the bone blade and Bagua Zhang together. That way, we can be safer when guarding the mines."

Bai smiled and nodded: "I can use ice escape to help them as training targets, it won't hurt them."

Kimimaro also showed a rare smile: "My bones can be used as training stakes. They are more durable than ordinary stakes."

Karin skipped ahead and said, "I will sense the surrounding chakra in advance to ensure there is no danger during training!"

Yin Zhu followed at the end, watching the four figures fade into the sunset. The system panel flashed a golden light: "Ningji's Transformation Completed, Unlocking 'Byakugan Guardian Form', Bond Value 100%." ​​He knew that Neji had finally emerged from the shadow of hatred and found a purpose more important than revenge—and that this purpose would make his Byakugan the warmest "guardian light" in the ninja world.

In the distant Otogakure, the laughter of children grew closer. Looking at those expectant faces, Neji suddenly understood that his father's words, "protecting those you want to protect," weren't about protecting a specific person, but rather protecting the "bond of mutual willingness." His Byakugan were no longer a weapon of revenge, but rather "eyes" to protect this bond.

The setting sun stretched the five figures' shadows long, pressing them close together. Neji's atavistic Byakugan occasionally gleamed, illuminating the road ahead and the increasingly clear goal in his heart. He wanted to make Otogakure a place where all those who, like him, had "lost" could find their "home" again; he wanted his strength to become the most reassuring "backbone" for his companions.