"Morning Peacock!"
Lee launched his ultimate attack, clenching his fists and swinging them rapidly.
Punch after punch flew out, each accompanied by bursts of crimson flames.
The flames resembled a peacock spreading its feathers—dazzling and mesmerizing—but brimming with deadly intent.
Neji, seeing this, could no longer maintain his earlier composure.
Lee's ultimate technique posed a significant threat to him.
"Curse Mark: Release!"
The power of the curse mark spread through Neji's body in an instant, transforming him drastically.
His body became clad in white robes, and a V-shaped bone-like headpiece tightly encased his forehead.
In mere moments, his strength surged to an entirely new level.
"Eight Trigrams Consecutive Palms!"
The moment the curse mark activated, Neji unleashed rapid palm strikes.
Each strike manifested as a blue chakra palm imprint, shooting toward the fiery punches Lee hurled.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The fiery fists clashed against the blue palm strikes, resulting in deafening explosions.
In an instant, the area filled with smoke and dust, obscuring the battlefield.
Yet, the continuous sound of blows indicated that the fight was far from over.
"Hinata, what's happening?"
Tenten, unable to see through the dust cloud, anxiously turned to Hinata, who had activated her Byakugan.
Hinata's eyes remained fixed on the fight, clearly shaken by what she witnessed.
"Lee and Neji are evenly matched. Neji's chakra suddenly increased dramatically, but it feels completely different from his usual chakra—similar to the curse mark Orochimaru gave Sasuke."
"What?! A curse mark? That explains Neji's transformation! Damn it! That snake bastard! How could he do this to Neji?"
Tenten's heart filled with fury as she cursed Orochimaru for what he had done to Neji.
Unbeknownst to her, Orochimaru had unwittingly earned blame for yet another misdeed.
Lee's Morning Peacock attack finally reached its limit, but he was still unable to defeat Neji, growing more frustrated by the second.
"Why?! Why can't I beat Neji even with this power?"
After opening the Sixth Gate of the Eight Gates, Lee had felt as though he'd brushed against the threshold of Kage-level strength. To him, it was an unparalleled power.
Yet, he hadn't anticipated that Neji had already achieved Kage-level abilities.
The gap between them was beyond what the Sixth Gate could close.
"Lee, this ends here."
Neji dispersed the last of the flames with a palm strike, placing his right hand directly in front of Lee.
Those pale, emotionless eyes now seemed to hold a glimmer of warmth and solace.
Lee, ever perceptive, caught this subtle change immediately.
A wave of joy surged through him.
He knew that this expression meant Neji hadn't truly abandoned the Leaf Village or their bond as comrades.
Something else was going on—there had to be a reason Neji chose to stay with Orochimaru.
"Neji! You..."
Lee tried to speak, but Neji's palm strike flared with power once again.
"Pressure Point Strike!"
The powerful technique targeted Lee's chakra points, instantly cutting off his flow of chakra and closing all six opened gates.
"Ugh..."
Lee let out a muffled groan and collapsed, powerless, onto the ground.
"Lee!"
As the dust settled, Tenten and Hinata rushed forward to catch Lee, one on each side, helping him up.
"You're still such a weakling," Neji said coldly.
"Neji! How can you say that about Lee? Do you know how hard he's worked to save you?!"
Tenten's voice trembled with anger and sorrow.
"Lee's training has always been relentless, but ever since you left, he's doubled his efforts! If not for Lady Tsunade regularly healing him, he would've ruined his body by now. Thanks to that, he finally unlocked the Sixth Gate. But you! You..."
Tenten's words trailed off into grief. The Neji she loved couldn't possibly be this cruel.
For a brief moment, Neji's eyes flashed with hesitation, but he quickly regained his cold demeanor.
"If all that effort only got him this far, it just means his talent is lacking. And for the record, I never asked any of you to come find me. Everything you've done is pointless."
"Neji-nii-san, saying such things to Lee is too much," Hinata chimed in, unable to remain silent any longer.
"Hmph. That's just how I treat failures," Neji replied, his tone devoid of emotion, as if the warmth he'd shown moments earlier had been a mere illusion.
"No... that's not true... Tenten, Hinata, I can tell—Neji's still the same person he was before."
Lee, slowly regaining consciousness, spoke weakly.
His words startled both Tenten and Hinata, while Neji frowned, almost deliberately.
Lee lifted his head, his gaze steady and full of determination as he looked at Neji.
"Neji didn't want to kill me. He didn't even want to hurt me. I could tell he was proud of the strength I've gained. Deep down, he's still our comrade—Hyuga Neji."
"Lee, is that true?"
Tenten, who had almost given up hope in Neji, now clung to this newfound possibility.
In her heart, Neji couldn't possibly be this heartless person before her.
"It's true!"
Lee nodded firmly, as if affirming it to himself as well.
"Neji, what are you trying to do? Can't you just tell us? The Leaf is different now. Lady Tsunade is a great Hokage. If what you're aiming for doesn't harm the village, I'm sure she'd support you."
Lee's voice carried conviction. After years of being under Tsunade's care, he had come to admire her deeply. Compared to the Third Hokage, she seemed far more reliable and compassionate.
He truly believed Tsunade would help Neji achieve his goals.
Neji remained silent.
At that moment, a loud crash echoed as a green-clad figure plummeted from the sky, landing before them with a heavy thud.
It was Might Guy!
Bruised and battered, he had been kicked down by Kimimaro.
"You're stronger than I expected. That mysterious Kaguya clan member from the Chunin Exams was already tough, but you're on another level," Guy said, panting.
He failed to connect Kimimaro to the earlier Kaguya clan fighter, having always been notoriously face-blind.
Even Kisame's distinctive appearance hadn't left a lasting impression—only Kakashi's face ever stuck in his memory.
"Guy-sensei!"
Lee and the others were stunned to see Guy in such a state.
"Don't worry about me. This one's mine. Sixth Gate: Open!"
Guy pushed his limits, unleashing the Sixth Gate again to take on Kimimaro.
"Finally, something interesting," Kimimaro remarked with a slight smile as the fight resumed.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru appeared, his sinister presence filling the air.
"Heh, Neji, you're too soft. Wasting this much time on three small fry?"
Orochimaru's icy voice and terrifying aura sent chills down Tenten and Hinata's spines.
"Lord Orochimaru, I wasn't wasting time. I just felt they were too weak to be worth killing."
Neji immediately denied the accusation.
"So that's how it is. I actually think you'll only truly say goodbye to the past if you kill them."
Orochimaru looked at Neji with amusement, then shifted his gaze to Tenten and the others.
"Orochimaru! Don't even think about controlling Neji! We won't let you succeed!"
Tenten shouted angrily.
"Heh, what an interesting little girl. You must be Neji's former teammate, right? Neji, go ahead. Kill them and prove your heart is no longer with Konoha. Only then can you fully commit to destroying Konoha and avenging your father."
Orochimaru's words, like a devil's whisper, continuously strengthened Neji's murderous intent.
"Kill!"
As Neji spat out that word filled with killing intent, the last traces of hesitation in his eyes gradually disappeared.
"Brother Neji! It was all a misunderstanding! Konoha and the Hyuga Clan didn't kill Uncle Hizashi."
Hinata tried again to reason with him.
"Stop lying! I'll start with you, Hyuga princess!"
Neji swiftly closed the distance and struck with a palm attack.
He moved so fast that Hinata couldn't react. His palm landed directly on the chakra point in front of her chest.
Thud!
A mouthful of blood spurted from her lips, splattering onto the ground in crimson blossoms. Some even landed on Neji's face.
The sight of blood brought Neji back to his senses.
"Hinata!"
Tenten and Lee were both shocked and tried to step forward, but Orochimaru's overwhelming aura immobilized them.
"You're not going anywhere," Orochimaru said, smirking. "This is a crucial moment for Neji—his chance for transformation."
Orochimaru licked his lips, his gaze drifting toward Kimimaro, who was battling Guy in the distance.
"Kimimaro, you've got quite the twisted sense of humor. Even if you wanted Neji to regain Konoha's trust, you didn't have to stage this whole sibling and teammate betrayal drama. Neji's performance has already gone beyond acting—he's completely immersed in the role."
Orochimaru thought to himself.
Indeed, all of this was part of Kimimaro's plan. Neji was following Kimimaro's script, but it seemed he had taken it too far and was fully absorbed in the act.
Cough... cough... "Brother Neji... I know you bear a deep grudge against the main house and think Uncle Hizashi's death was forced upon him. But it's not true… This was given to me by my father when I left the village. He said this scroll was Uncle Hizashi's last message to you. Once you see it, you'll understand everything."
Using her bloodied right hand, Hinata pulled a scroll from her tool pouch. Neji's expression grew complicated as he accepted it.
He slowly unrolled the scroll, which indeed contained Hizashi's handwriting. It explained that he had willingly sacrificed himself for his brother, not because he was forced to.
Hizashi's decision wasn't driven by the branch-main house system but by his deep love and respect for his elder brother. He willingly chose to die so Hiashi could live.
"It was family, not rules," Neji murmured, momentarily dazed.
"Brother Neji… Father said that no matter what you've done, as long as you're willing to come back, the Hyuga Clan will always welcome you home..."
After saying these words, Hinata, severely injured, could no longer stand and began to collapse.
But the expected pain of hitting the ground never came. Instead, she felt someone catch her.
The one who caught her was Neji.
"Brother Neji..."
Hinata forced a faint smile, knowing that Neji had finally returned.
"I'm sorry, Lady Hinata. I shouldn't have hurt you."
Neji's tone softened significantly.
"It's okay, Brother Neji..."
Tears welled up in Hinata's eyes. They had succeeded.
"Neji, what are you doing?"
Orochimaru realized it was time for him to step in as the villain. His voice carried an icy edge.
"Orochimaru, I'm grateful for the care you've shown me these past three years. But now, I want to make my own decisions. My father's dying wish was for me to support the Hyuga Clan. I can't let him remain uneasy in the afterlife."
Neji spoke with determination.
"What a foolish notion. Do you really think Konoha will take you back now?"
Orochimaru's words turned colder.
"They will," Neji replied, unleashing his own powerful aura. The clash of their energy instantly filled the space.
Tenten and Lee, previously paralyzed by Orochimaru's presence, regained their ability to move.
Seeing Neji turn back, both of them were overjoyed, though Hinata's injuries worried them.
Neji flicked a finger, releasing chakra that unblocked Lee's internal flow. In a low voice, he said, "Lee, Tenten, take Lady Hinata and leave. I'll handle Orochimaru."
"No, I'm staying to fight with you! This time, I won't let you face a powerful enemy alone!"
Lee refused to leave, unlocking the Sixth Gate once again.
Neji smiled. "Alright, we'll fight together."
"The old Team Guy can't reunite without me!" Tenten said, pulling out her weapons. But Neji's next words crushed her hopes.
"Tenten, take care of Lady Hinata. Her injuries need immediate attention. You know what to do."
Realizing the truth of his words, Tenten reluctantly abandoned the idea of joining the fight. This was not a battle she could handle.
"Neji, you've disappointed me. Fine. Let me see how much you've improved over these three years!"
Orochimaru sneered, and the battle was about to begin.
Meanwhile, the fight between Kimimaro and Guy had reached a fever pitch.
Noticing Neji's situation, Guy flashed a dazzling smile.
"Hinata and the others succeeded in bringing Neji back. You've lost, Kimimaro!"
"Losing Neji isn't a big deal. Defeating you is enough," Kimimaro replied calmly. "Konoha's Blue Beast, you've already used Morning Peacock. What else do you have left?"
After dispersing the flames of Morning Peacock, Kimimaro stood composed.
"What a tough opponent," Guy said. "In that case, I'll try this! Seventh Gate—Gate of Wonder, open!"
Blue steam burst from Guy's body.
"Here it comes!" Kimimaro prepared himself as Guy unleashed the ultimate Seventh Gate technique.
Daytime Tiger!