"Mother~~"
Neji tried to hold onto his mother again, but it was too late.
He never expected that his frail mother would suddenly erupt at this moment, and that she would even attempt suicide.
And she did it so decisively, without any hesitation!
She… truly wanted to die.
Pft~~
The kunai pierced her chest, and in an instant… blood soaked through her already tattered clothes.
The entire kunai was buried in Neji's mother's chest, and she spat out a mouthful of blood.
The blood sprayed directly onto the face of Hyuga Zushi, who was standing across from her.
"Th-this…" Hyuga Zushi's hands trembled, and he quickly loosened his grip on the kunai's handle and stepped back a few paces. "It's not me! She ran into it herself—sh
He was afraid that Neji would suddenly lose control and kill himself.
If Neji's mother were still there to restrain him, he could act recklessly without fear. But now that she was gone, it was uncertain whether anyone could stop this raging Neji.
The more he thought about it, the more afraid he became, and he instinctively stepped back.
"Mother—!"
At that moment, Neji, who had been standing still all along, suddenly shouted and rushed forward, catching his mother before she could collapse.
His hand trembled as he tried to touch the wound, but the kunai felt like a barrier, keeping Neji from getting too close.
Regardless of whether the injury was near her heart, his already weak mother would have a hard time enduring another wound, and Neji's heart began to sink into despair.
Cough, cough—
At that moment, the mother in Neji's arms coughed up two mouthfuls of fresh blood and slowly opened her eyes again.
Her gaze was dull, but her eyes never left Neji's.
"Neji, do you want me to die and be unable to face your father in the Pure Land? Cough, cough…"
Neji's mother gasped for breath. Her voice was weak, but it carried a clear note of anger.
"Mother—" Neji understood what she wanted to say and quickly interrupted. "Don't speak! Your injuries are the priority. I'll have someone take you to heal and recover immediately!"
"Neji… do you want me to die without closure?" His mother's tone was heavy, full of seriousness. "Neji, listen to me. If you were to harm yourself because of me, then even if I survive, I would immediately take my own life. Cough, cough…"
The more she spoke, the more agitated she became.
Finally, she said, "If you are truly my son, don't make things harder for me. I have suffered enough. Your father is still waiting for me in the Pure Land."
"Mother, don't say anything, don't say anything!"
Neji's mother's weak voice trembled, tears streaming down her face.
"Listen to me, listen to me," she continued, her gaze fixed on Neji, still weak. "Leave this place quickly, take me with you and leave this place!"
"Yes, Mother! I understand!" Neji nodded seriously.
"I'm a little tired… I want to rest for a while," his mother said, and her hand slowly fell.
Huh?
Neji grasped his mother's hand, but his body still trembled.
Byakugan activated instinctively, and he saw the chakra within his mother's body fading bit by bit. It was clear she was at the very edge of life.
"No, no!" Neji began to pour his chakra frantically into her, trying to keep her alive.
But still, the chakra continued to fade.
"Neji, we should leave!" Hyuga Aomatsu looked at Neji's desperate state, worry crossing his mind.
Could Neji really be about to lose control?
"Leave? Why would I leave?" Neji's cold words echoed, sending a chill through everyone present.
He slowly stood up, chakra surging through his body.
Bone spikes erupted from his body, spreading through the gaps in his skeleton. At that moment, Neji looked like a monster—a complete, terrifying monster.
"Hmph, as expected, breaking the Caged Bird Seal comes with side effects," the Great Elder said coldly, watching Neji.
Through his Byakugan, he saw the spikes piercing through Neji's skin from his bones. It must have been painful.
Another elder spoke up beside him: "Neji has succumbed to the curse. He is no longer the Neji of the Hyuga clan!"
"Can you continue to lock onto Neji's mother's soul imprint?" the Eighth Elder asked seriously, turning toward the Great Elder and the others.
Actually, right now, the Eighth Elder was the only one thinking rationally.
If Hyūga Neji truly went berserk, the only way to stop him would be to threaten his mother.
But at this moment, he couldn't sense the caged bird seal marking Neji's mother.
"The spiritual imprint of Neji's mother?" The Great Elder, following the Eighth Elder's question, began probing into it.
However, his perception yielded the same result as the Eighth Elder's.
Neji's mother's seal had become almost imperceptible, impossible to lock onto.
It was almost certain—Neji's mother was about to die.
Yet, Neji had suspended her life using chakra.
"Die~~ You will all die!" When Neji looked up again, his body was covered in cursed marks.
Even the pure white lotus had completely fused with the curse marks.
Neji now looked like a demon.
"Neji… Are you trying to go against the clan?"
At that moment, another reckless elder stepped forward.
"You better think about the consequences. Anger the Hyūga clan, and you'll regret it!"
He was the Seventh Elder of the Hyūga. Seeing Neji's emotions spinning out of control, he intended to use the clan's authority to suppress him.
"The people of the Hyūga clan? All of you deserve to die!" Neji's voice was hoarse, but he immediately focused on the Seventh Elder.
"Since you stepped up, then you'll pay some interest to the clan first!"
As he spoke, the bone-spike chains shot forward like lightning, aiming straight for the Seventh Elder's chest.
The Seventh Elder, having some skill, dodged to the side, but two chains attacked simultaneously.
This time, he had no chance to escape. One chain pierced through his shoulder blade, and the other locked onto his ankle.
"How dare you, Neji! You dare strike me? I—"
The Seventh Elder panicked as the chain pierced him, but he still tried to maintain his elder's authority.
Before he could finish, the chains dragged him to the ground, pulling him toward Neji.
At the same time, he felt his vision starting to blur.
No… The chakra in his Byakugan was being drained, bit by bit!
What was happening?
In a panic, his vision blurred to the point he could barely see.
Then, in front of him, a shadowy figure appeared.
And he heard a voice:
"You tormented my mother. Today, I will break every inch of your bones!"
****
Support me on my patreon and read upto 15 early chapters.
https://www.patreon.com/AniScout