"What's going on? Who are you?" Neji asked warily, his face a mix of coldness and suspicion.
Looking at his son's clear forehead, Hyuga Hizashi spoke in a low, excited tone, "Neji, it's me!"
Neji's body froze, his eyes widening in disbelief. Shin's hands emitted a dark mist, enveloping Hizashi's head. A moment later, Hizashi's original appearance was restored.
"Father… this…" Neji stammered, confusion filling his gaze.
First, he'd been abruptly brought out by members of his clan and handed over to an intimidating stranger, then absorbed into a dark place. Now, he discovered that this terrifying man was working with his father. His mind struggled to make sense of it all.
"I asked this ninja to help bring you out and remove the Caged Bird mark on your forehead," Hizashi said, his voice thick with emotion. "From today on, you're no longer part of the Hyuga branch family."
Neji touched his forehead, astonished to feel the mark of the Caged Bird was indeed gone.
Although still young and without a deep understanding of the Hyuga family's customs, Neji felt a sense of relief at the absence of the restrictive mark. Being only four years old, his attachments were minimal, revolving mainly around his father rather than any allegiance to the Hyuga family or Konoha.
Shin knew that Neji's mother had passed away shortly after his birth. For the father and son, Konoha was simply a place they lived rather than a place they felt bound to protect. Removing the Caged Bird seal was a severance from the life they'd known, and their only option was now to follow Shin.
Meanwhile, in the underground base:
"Come on, one more time! This time, I'll win for sure!" A loud, blonde ninja slammed the table, her face flushed with determination as she eyed her opponent, Sara, who chuckled in response. Off to the side, Jiraiya shook his head in resignation.
Shin observed the scene as he returned to his underground base.
"They're all prisoners, yet they still manage to gamble like this," he remarked, rolling his eyes.
"I think Tsunade is using her luck in gambling as a way to predict future events," Orochimaru commented, emerging from the shadows.
Shin raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Thinking back, he remembered how Tsunade seemed uneasy whenever she won a bet. Could it be that she gambled with the intention of losing to foresee bad luck? It's a rather costly form of divination but oddly accurate.
No wonder she continued gambling despite constant losses.
"Darn it! I refuse to believe I can't win even once!" Tsunade's voice echoed through the room, filled with frustration.
She seemed genuinely displeased when she lost and equally dissatisfied when she won—a rather tormenting state to be in.
On the other hand, Sara had taken quite a liking to Tsunade, eagerly sitting by her side. After Shin told her that Tsunade uses the Yin Seal to maintain a youthful appearance, Sara became an ardent admirer.
"All right, Sara put down the cards. We have more pressing matters to handle," Shin interjected.
Reluctantly, Sara set down her cards. While she wasn't naturally inclined to gamble, she was clearly enjoying the feeling of defeating Tsunade.
Tsunade's demeanor shifted as she noticed Shin, along with Hyuga Hizashi and Neji, behind him. She scowled, but Jiraiya stepped forward with a slightly embarrassed grin, saying, "So, Hizashi, I take it you went to Konoha Village and successfully brought Neji out?"
Hizashi forced a smile, recognizing Jiraiya's hidden motives, and replied, "It went smoothly. At least, not many Konoha ninjas were harmed."
'Well, apart from that canyon outside the village…' Hizashi thought, slightly amused but keeping that detail to himself.
"That's… good to hear," Jiraiya said with relief. Judging from Hizashi's response, he assumed Shin and Hizashi had been stealthy about Neji's extraction.
Shin gave Jiraiya a brief look before waving his hand to release the chakra seal on Jiraiya's body. "All right, you can leave with the other two Konoha ninjas now."
Jiraiya stretched his shoulders, a wry smile crossing his face, aware that Shin hadn't taken him seriously.
Still, with Shin's power as he had witnessed, it was hard to dispute his confidence. The ability to extract bloodline abilities directly was formidable. Jiraiya couldn't help but wonder how much Shin had amassed in terms of Konoha's knowledge and jutsus. The man's strength was likely now far beyond that of any single village.
Jiraiya unsealed the other two captured ninjas, one from the Inuzuka clan and one from the Aburame clan. Turning to Shin, he asked, "What about Tsunade? How do you plan to manage her?"
"Don't worry about that. You should go." Tsunade, arms crossed, scoffed defiantly.
Shin glanced at her, sensing her concern about her freedom. But he hadn't planned on keeping her here indefinitely.
While Jiraiya possessed specific valuable skills—most notably Sage Mode—Shin didn't need him. Given his vast chakra reserves and sage body, he could learn Sage Mode from Ryuchi Cave himself. Orochimaru had already introduced him to Jugo, who had the innate ability to absorb natural energy. Shin was confident he could master Sage Mode without any assistance from Jiraiya.
Jiraiya was aware that Konoha's resources were stretched thin and knew Shin posed a real threat. For now, Konoha had no choice but to leave him alone.
After Jiraiya left with the other two Konoha ninjas, Shin escorted Hizashi and Neji further into the base.
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