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

Chapter 250 The So-called Bond

The fluorescent stones of the chakra veins were still trembling slightly. Hidan's screams had barely faded from the depths of the veins when Neji stumbled and grasped the nearby rock wall. The burn on his shoulder from the curse still burned, but his first reaction was to turn and look at Sasuke. The boy's Mangekyō Sharingan was bloodshot from overuse, and black sparks still clung to the scabbard of the Kusanagi sword.

"Your eyes." Neji reached out, his fingertips hovering just before Sasuke's eyelids, then gently retracted them. His Byakugan clearly saw the chaotic chakra fluctuations in Sasuke's eyes, a sign of the backlash of Amaterasu's flames. "Don't force your Mangekyō anymore. Leave the rest to me."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, about to retort, but met Neji's serious gaze. His eyes, tinged with gold, lost their usual aloofness, now filled with worry. This was the first time someone, in a fight, had prioritized his well-being over the outcome. His Adam's apple moved, swallowing the nagging words that were about to hit his lips. He silently sheathed his Kusanagi sword, "Don't hold us back."

"No." Neji's lips curled up ever so slightly, and he turned and walked towards the core of the mineral vein. He began to gather chakra in his palm, but this time he deliberately slowed down his pace. When he had just performed the Eight Trigrams Binding Palm, he had sensed the fatigue hidden within Sasuke's Amaterasu Fire, and the subtle trembling of Kimimaro's bone blade chakra. He didn't want to risk his companions for him again.

"Lord Neji! Wait for me!" Kimimaro pulled his bone blade from the ground, a hint of anxiety on his pale face. He quickly caught up with Neji and pressed a warm bone crystal into his hand. "This is the 'Life Crystal' of the Hyuga Clan. It can quickly restore chakra. You used up too much energy with the Binding Palm just now."

Neji held the crystal, the warmth from his fingertips spreading through his palm and into his heart. He remembered Kimimaro once saying that the Hyuga clan's bone crystals were extremely precious, each requiring three months of nurturing with one's own chakra. They were a life-saving trump card. But now, Kimimaro gave it to him without hesitation.

"Keep it for yourself." Neji pushed the crystal back, his eyes sweeping over Kimimaro's ribs—the bone blades there had just experienced the impact of Kakuzu's lightning attack, and tiny cracks still remained. "Your bones haven't fully healed yet. This is more important to you."

Kimimaro was stunned. Ever since joining the Otogakure, everyone had only valued his bone blade combat prowess, never paying attention to the healing of his bones. He met Neji's determined gaze, then suddenly clenched the crystal, breaking it in half and stuffing one half back into Neji's hand. "Let's share. Lord Otogaku said that companions share everything, including their trump cards."

Neji looked at the half crystal in his palm and suddenly felt his eyes warm. He no longer refused and pressed the crystal against the wound. Gentle chakra instantly flowed into his body, and the pain in his shoulder was greatly relieved. At this time, Karin's tearful voice came from the communicator: "Ningji-sama! Kimimaro-sama! Sasuke-sama! A clone of Zetsu was found at the entrance of the mine, and he is carrying poison paper! I can't hold on any longer!"

"Karin!" Neji's voice suddenly tensed, his Byakugan instantly locking onto the mine's entrance. He could see a hole in Karin's sensory network, the lavender poisonous paper creeping down her arm. Yet, the girl gritted her teeth, maintaining the barrier to prevent the poisonous paper from contaminating the mine's core. "We'll be there soon! Don't give up!"

He turned to look at Sasuke and Kimimaro, and the chakra in his palms gathered again: "This time, the binding palm requires the full cooperation of the three of us. Sasuke, your Amaterasu fire will be responsible for burning the poison paper; Kimimaro, your bone blade will open a passage; I will lock on to Zetsu's clone and prevent him from harming Karin."

"Okay." Sasuke's Mangekyo lit up again, but he deliberately reduced the intensity of the flame - he remembered Neci's previous instructions and didn't want the sparks to hurt Karin; Kimimaro's bone blade glowed coldly, but he adjusted the angle of the bone spur in advance to avoid scratching the rock wall of the vein and affecting subsequent mining.

The chakra of the three intertwined within the mineral veins. Golden Bagua chakra, black Amaterasu fire, and white bone blade chill formed a tricolor stream of light that rushed towards the entrance. Neji's Byakugan remained locked on Karin's position. He could see the girl's body trembling, but he gritted his teeth and expanded the range of his sensory network to the maximum to guide them.

"Karin! We're coming!" Neji's voice pierced through his meridians, and three-colored streams of light instantly slammed into Zetsu's clone. Amaterasu's fire burned the poison paper, the bone blade pierced the clone's body, and Baguazhang precisely severed the chakra connection between Zetsu and the clone.

Karin looked at the three people rushing towards her and collapsed to the ground, unable to hold on any longer. Neji immediately rushed over and helped her up. The chakra in his palm gently wrapped around her arm, purifying the poison in the poison paper. "It's okay, we're here."

"Ningji-sama..." Karin finally couldn't hold back her tears, not because of pain, but because of relief. She leaned into Neji's arms, feeling the warmth of his palm, and choked out, "I thought... I couldn't protect the mine, couldn't protect you..."

"Fool." Neji's voice was soft, yet filled with an unprecedented tenderness. He wiped Karin's tears with his sleeve, his eyes sweeping over Sasuke and Kimimaro beside him. Sasuke, with his back to them, quietly used Amaterasu's fire to completely incinerate the surrounding poison paper; Kimimaro squatted on the ground, using his bone blade to reassemble the scattered ore to prevent waste. "We're never alone in this battle. You used your sensory network to warn us, Sasuke used Amaterasu to block the enemy, Kimimaro used his bone blade to clear the way, and I simply did what I was supposed to do."

He paused, looked at the three people in front of him, and said word by word: "Without you, I can't defeat Feidan, nor can I defend the mine. Thank you for being willing to give me your backs and be my companions."

The tips of Sasuke's ears turned slightly red, but he didn't turn around. He just whispered, "Don't be pretentious. Next time we fight, I'll still need your Byakugan to predict." Kimimaro raised a faint smile and gently turned the bone blade in his palm: "It is my honor to fight side by side with Lord Neji." Karin burst into laughter and grabbed Neji's sleeve tightly: "No matter what dangers you encounter in the future, I will always pass on information to you and protect you!"

The luminescent stone in the mine glowed softly, illuminating the four figures cuddling together. Looking at the smiling faces of his companions, Neji suddenly felt that the "caged bird" curse mark on his forehead was no longer a mark of shame, but a medal of his growth. It was these companions who transformed him from a lonely boy bound by fate into a powerful Sound Ninja with a caring heart, a protective shield, and a bond.

"Let's go home." Neji, supporting Karin, led the way toward the mine's exit. Sasuke and Kimimaro followed behind. The sound of their footsteps echoed through the vein, no longer the solitary echoes of each fighting their own battles, but a warm rhythm that echoed each other.

In the distance, the lights of Otogakure Village shone brightly. Ototake stood at the village entrance, watching the four returning people, a relieved smile playing across his lips. On the system panel, the message "Ningji Bond Value: 100% (Complete Trust)" shone with a golden light—this young man, once trapped by fate, had finally found his "home," a companion worth protecting for a lifetime.

Neji looked up at the lights of Sound Village, then looked at his companions around him, a smile on his lips.