Chapter 208: New Start (2)
—
Neji Hyuga was born within the branch family of the esteemed Hyuga Clan of the Leaf Village, one of the five great hidden villages.
However, although a branch member he was, he was special. He didn't have the pale white eyes of the Hyugas, no. Even though he was a pureblooded Hyuga, he didn't have the clan's Byakugan.
In the beginning of his life, he was viewed as a disappointment, a disgrace to the Hyuga clan for not having the Byakugan even though he was the child of the branch head. So much so that he was ordered to wear a blindfold every time he went out of the clan compound in order to hide his "shameful eyes".
However, things changed on the 8th birthday of the Hyuga princess, Hinata Hyuga. She was attempted to be kidnapped by a Lightning Village ninja, however the nine-year-old Neji Hyuga managed to kill the enemy Jounin by snapping his neck with an unknown "telekinesis jutsu", therefore saving Hinata's life.
Soon the Lightning Village demanded for the Head of the Hyuga clan because everyone assumed it was he who killed the assassin, not Neji because it wouldn't make sense for an untrained 9-year-old to be that strong.
In the end, the Head's twin brother, who was also Neji's father, agreed to be sent in his brother's spot since it was his son's "fault" to begin with.
However, even after the saving of his daughter and sacrifice of his brother, the Hyuga head only saw the young Neji as a treasure vault, someone who was born with… the legendary eyes of reincarnation.
As it turned out, Neji wasn't born without the Byakugan, no. He was born with a pair of eyes that were the evolution of that eye, something that only the Head knew the story of.
The mythical Tenseigan.
Now that Neji was an orphan, his mother having died while giving birth to him and his father sacrificed, he didn't have anyone to protect him when the clan head demanded his eyes to be transplanted onto himself.
Doctor announced the operation of the eye transplant will kill Neji, but the Head didn't care for the boy's life. However, fortunately, it turned out that the receiver of the eye would need to be at the end of adolescence, meaning more than 19 years old. Any more or any lower than that age would cause the receiver to receive consequences too.
Angry as he was, the head kept a cool demeanour and came out with a solution. He wouldn't receive the eyes, instead his eldest daughter would. Meaning that Hinata Hyuga, the same person that Neji saved, would take his life on her 20th birthday, December 27th.
This was the month of October, date 27th. Meaning that incident would happen in exactly 2 more months. To that day, Neji Hyuga was ordered to wear blindfolds to hide his mythical eyes, unable to disobey because of the curse seal on his forehead.
—-★-—
['The Will of the Omniverse's Blessing' has detected the Hyuga Curse Seal placed on you and devoured it. You have learned how to cast the Hyuga Curse seal.]
[You have received a memory package!]
[Do you want to accept it?]
[Y/N]
Neji wasn't surprised at the first message. Now that the primordial curse didn't exist, the omniversal blessing would save him from any curse and ill effects. Hyuga Curse Seal was too insignificant for it to even be a consideration for it. Though he appreciated the knowledge to cast the seal onto others now. That was basically an enslavement spell, initiating great pain to a target with this seal if they disobeyed him.
As for the second set of messages, he clicked 'Yes'. There was no flashy effect, no brain-numbing pain. Just- he lived through the memories of 'Neji Hyuga' in a short instant, blinking rapidly as he understood this world a bit more.
Most of the things were the same as the canon timeline, with the biggest change being that everything was 5 years ahead, for example the Academy started at the age of 12 and ended at 17.
That's why even though Naruto was possibly 20 years of age right now, the 4th Great Ninja War hadn't taken place yet. However, the "time-skip" did happen, and from what Neji could see in his memories, Naruto had returned to the village just today, a few hours ago.
"Also. Bullshit." Neji looked at his oceanic blue eyes with cosmic details. "This isn't Tenseigan. Not entirely anyway."
Looking at his blue eyes, he didn't notice any of the flower petals that the Tenseigan is supposed to have. So, he just opened his 'Quirk Page' to make sure of things.
-.-.-.--.-.-.-
=[Genome Abilities Page]=
Details: You are a world hopper, so the page name begged for a change. This page consists of all your quirks, bloodline powers, and any other meta abilities.
List of your gnome abilities:
1. (Evolved) Surge - Level 2
2. (Evolved) Lord's Eye - Level 2
3. Mine - Level 9
4. Big Show - Level 7
5. Aquatic Breathing - Level 10
6. Multitasker - Level 10
7. Bloodcurdle - Level 9
-.-.-.--.-.-.-
"..."
Only seven quirks. Fucking goddammit.
'It's fine… it's fine… All of the elemental abilities can be imitated by most Jutsus. Most, if not all, others can be imitated by Magic. This isn't that bad… calm. Deep breaths.'
Unsurprisingly, he was angry. Very super angry. He had of course seen this outcome in the future sight before, but this hit had. Obviously, knowing the future he had taken precautions for this scenario too or at least tried to do so, but they didn't work.
Losing quirks wouldn't have been a problem if he gave a copy of his quirks to someone, which he did by giving a few powerful quirks to his girls and Kurai. The girls were gone, and Kurai lost all her quirks. He had also planned to keep a backup by giving a few quirks to someone from the Arcane Plane. However, giving any quirk to Yue didn't work because her passive skill [Regenation] considered the quirks as an outside ailment, an 'injury' to her genes, so it acted up and regenerated her body to a state where these 'injuries' didn't exist. Always.
On the other hand, Raven just didn't trust him enough to accept any "bodily modifications", as she liked to call it. That was fair, but it hurt Neji's feelings the first time he heard it.
As for the others, their bodies simply weren't strong enough to withstand quirks that were [Level 70] and beyond, not even one of them. When tried, the quirks simply overwhelmed their DNA and accordingly destroyed their bodies. If taken a Health Potion, the transference of the Quirk was simply reverted.
Neji has seen many similar possibilities of his tries to keep the quirks stored somewhere using his [Future Sight], such as putting them into dead bodies. However, that didn't work either and the body just decomposed.
In short, nothing worked. This was just his fate (he wouldn't blame his luck).
To calm down and look away from this frustrating situation, he took a deep breath in and clicked on his "Lord's Eye" which was clearly the evolution of Eyes of the Lord, though he didn't recall it ever evolving.
[Lord's Eye - Level 2
Details: The merge between your quirk [Eyes of the Lord - Level 9] and this body's bloodline limit [Byakugan Level - 1], causing the quirk to evolve into [Lord's Eye].
-When activated by pouring mana into the eyes, causing them to glow majestically, the user has a complete-360º field of vision around himself, and can see as far as 10-kilometres in the distance.
-The user's vision, when activated, can penetrate almost any object, allowing him to see through thick walls, peer underground, and even examine the contents of a person's body
-While activated with mana, the user can copy any fighting style, accent, body language, and abilities up to the rank of [low-divine] just by seeing it. (An example of a low-divine technique would be the Infinite Tsukuyomi jutsu). However, these copied techniques aren't permanent, unless the user trains with them.
-Telekinesis. Can be used without activating the eyes. However, it can be resisted if the user doesn't concentrate fully or if the target has either great chakra control or too much chakra.
-Flight. Can be used without activating the eyes. However, the flight speed depends entirely on the mana spent while using it.]
"Hmmm…." Neji scratched his chin. "The last two abilities are indeed that of the Tenseigan, though I lack its true powers."
Such as the Truth Seeking Orb, Tenseigan Chakra Mode and Gravity Manipulation. And possibly some more, that the show never covered.
Hearing his complaints, Sisty replied in his mind.
[Master, I think this can already be considered a knockoff tenseigan. One that is potentially stronger than the original because of its copying abilities.]
He actually agreed with her on that. This copying ability was far greater than the Sharingan, as this could potentially copy Mangekyou, and even Izanami and Izanagi aspects of those red eyes.
[As for why you don't have the original one, that's certainly because a true Tenseigan can only be gained by an Ōtsutsuki who is implanted with a pair of Byakugan from a Hyuga. You aren't an Ōtsutsuki, are you? I believe the only reason you even gained the aforementioned abilities is because of the Eyes of the Lord itself, which is sort of a divine power. I say sort of because it doesn't actually need divinity to be used, though it shows divine effect. It's just that type of power.]
That's true too. If not, neither he nor the original user, Adam, would have been able to use it. And Adam clearly copied Divine abilities with it, though at the cost of his life.
[Either way, that divine aspect of the eyes might have fooled your Hyuga blood to assume you were some direct descendant of Ōtsutsuki yourself because they are also divine beings, albeit low-divine.]
[Though I do think once you level-up, more and more abilities will pop up.]
That's a surprisingly well-thought-out conclusion, Neji decided. Meaning she deserved a big thank you.
[I- it's okay. That's my job, anyway.]
Ahh, he couldn't have enough of this helpful little Sisty.
'Though speaking of level up, this dude – who is me – managed to level up his eyes only once in the last 21 years?' Neji complained. Though the other details of the eye made him shrug his shoulders. With such abilities, he could understand why it should be hard to level it up, more so since Neji Hyuga lacked the gamer system.
'It's fine, isn't it? The lone fact that I can copy the fucking Infinite Tsukuyomi (and everything below it, which was virtually every jutsu in naruto) I am already more than delighted, despite knowing the dangers of copying such high-level techniques.'
Though fortunately, "Neji Hyuga" hadn't shown the copy ability in his entire life, though he was aware of it. He was smart to do so too, as things would have become harder for him otherwise.
"Enough of that. M'lady, I know you are listening. Now, why don't you explain what's all of this?"
He heard a distant 'Ehh?' in his mind, sounding innocently confused.
["Hey, be grateful, okay? I gave you a chance to commit incest again."]
"..." Lady Luck's clear voice flowed into his mind. Really, as she promised she could clearly communicate with him now.
Also, she had a point. Being Neji Hyuga meant he was Hinata's cousin. …That was tempting. But Neji had grown, this little trick wouldn't work on him.
"And the real reason?"
["Wow. Rude."] She whimpered in his mind. ["Alright, you got me. The reason iiiis-! The Primordial would have most probably found you immediately if I had sent you the normal way. That's why I did this. With you replacing an existing character who shares your name, it would be hard for even him to notice your existence."]
But not impossible. Meaning sooner than later, he would figure out.
["I rewrote reality, to the best of my current abilities, and erased the real Hyuga boy's existence. Then I placed a rough model of you in his place and then rewrote his story in a way that'd match your personality slightly. That's why, you'd notice in your new memories that although most actions this Neji committed were the same until his fight with Naruto in the Chunin exams, he had recently become slightly more charming and flirtatious.
Oh also, I tried my best with the flirting lines, be grateful."]
'...Ooh, is that why Neji Hyuga became a playboy wannabe after Naruto left for training with Jiraiya? Also, yes, the lines aren't half bad.' Neji gave her credit for her efforts.
Her explanation matched the new set of memories too. Everything, except for him saving Hinata, had been the same as canon until the day when Naruto left with Jiraiya. After that though, there have been slight changes in his personality, showing signs of himself in there. That's good, now even these trained Ninjas wouldn't be able to realise that the Neji Hyuga wasn't exactly Neji Hyuga.
["Hehe, grateful aren't you?"]
"I want to say yes, but no, not really." Neji shrugged, hearing an annoyed grunt in his head. "Hey, I don't plan to camp in this village for long. I want to go on a killing spree right away, in fact. Why would their suspicion of me matter at all?"
He heard blinking sounds in his head.
["Huh? Really? It's true that I can only keep you hiding for 6 months before Primordial realises you're alive and in this exact world, but hey take it slow and enjoy yourself! You don't have to annihilate every world you go to."]
Neji slumped down on his bed and facepalmed. "So I will be found out in 6 months? And you thought it wasn't important enough to let me know?"
["Hey, six months is a long time. For example, the 4th Ninja war will occur in 2-years naturally. I am sure you can pull it down to 3 months with ease, and treat the other three months as a vacation. Besides, quickening the end wouldn't change things that much since 6 months here would only mean a few hours in the Primordial's plane, [Nowhere]. So, darling, just relax for now and enjoy yourself."]
"..."
["Okay, fine. You stubborn brat."] He heard an annoyed growl in his head. ["Here is a quest for me then."]
"Brat? Not really a compelling insult since you were jumping on this brat's cock a few hours ag-"
[Ding! You have received a quest from "Lady Luck"!]
[Quest: Rise of a God
Details: You are strong enough to become a God, but you lack divinity. The easiest way to gain divinity is to create a cult with devoted followers.
Objective: Gain 5 loyal subjects who would serve you as a God.
Reward: Divinity- [Luck Eater].
Failure (or reject): Lost affection with Lady Luck.]
[Y/N]
"...This is blackmail." Neji stared at the air in bafflement.
["But hey, come on. You are getting rewards for it, right? Click yes, sweety. You are a proper, smart gamer, not a disgusting speedrunner, right? Right, right? Enjoy the story, too. What's the fun in just killing and levelling up?"]
…She had a point.
["You are wise and cool-headed. Don't run after the ending, enjoy the process too. The process, my love."]
She most certainly just wanted some entertainment, that's why she was trying to make him accept her offer so bad. But… she had a point.
In the end, Neji sighed and opened his inventory.
He scrolled to the slots that were taken by his "Pokemons" where he saw Toga, Nagant, and… Midnight.
His "Mature women I want to fuck" list wasn't doing so good. Things didn't end well with Midnight, even though he kidnapped her before the world could end. He actually quite liked her, so he obviously didn't let her die in vain. However, he was pretty sure their relationship wouldn't recover. Not anytime soon anyway. That's why he felt reluctant to give up on his next "MILF" target.
Tsunade Senju, one of the S-grade MILFs in all of fiction.
"...Nice Quest, I am only accepting your offer for that. Remember that. And who knows, if I gain Divinity myself I might unlock the original Tenseigan." Neji mumbled, accepting the quest. He heard a cheerful giggle in his mind, but ignored it, deep in thought.
He already had Toga, she would accept him as a God any day any second. Also, did Kurai count here? Even if she didn't, he was sure he could work around with Nagant too. That meant he needed three more people. Tsunade was one of them, of course. Then there was Hinata… as for the last, he had no idea. Maybe Karin? She deserved better. Maybe, but he wasn't sure. But taming them enough to call him "God" would take a while, like two months or so…
'Alright, that's not too bad.'
Neji quickly sketched out a plan in his head and nodded. Omitting the details, he would first conquer Tsunade and Hinata in the upcoming two months, and destroy the world in the month after.
"M'lady, thank you." Neji said, receiving an 'It's fine~' as a reply, he stood up and snapped his finger.
A gust of smoke happened in the air in front of him immediately. As it cleared, it revealed a black cat with golden eyes who jumped on his face.
"Paapa!"
"Hey, cutie."
"You are not dead!" Kurai hugged him. "We are not dead!"
Kurai. In this world's background, she was set to be his "Summoned Beast", a very convenient excuse.
After conversing with her for a bit, it seemed she had regained her consciousness around the same time as him and was waiting to be summoned. This situation worked really well since that meant now he had the additional ability to summon her beside him (without any need to keep using Chakra/Mana to keep the summon active like the other Ninjas).
All in all, he was actually grateful to Lady Luck for making this background for him. He gained some instant benefits like this ability right here, Lord's Eye, the jutsus in his memories, and Kurai gained some Jutsus too, and they both would just gain more in the upcoming few days.
"Alright. But now," patting Kurai on his shoulders as she rubbed her cheeks with his, he walked out of the Japanese slide door. "Let's go to the hot spring."
…Before the real Neji regained consciousness, the Neji Hyuga was ordered to bring Hinata and then greet the clan head for an "important meeting", a meeting that he knew the contents of all too well since Hinata's 20th birthday was approaching soon.
The hot spring. Using the Byakugan aspect of his eyes, he figured that's where Hinata Hyuga was at the moment.
—
However,
-Slap!
…Neji wasn't expecting to get slapped there, a test not by someone like this girl in front of him.
"And here I thought better of you, Neji Hyuga!"
Neji felt a tick of irritation rise to his head as he looked down on the pink-haired naked girl, covering her nonexistent breasts with a towel.
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Master4thWall Note: Sakura vs Neji 🤥 vote power stones for Neji!