A chance to shatter destiny?
Neji Hyūga lowered his head, the question grating on his very soul.
"Destiny is immutable," he declared, clenching his fists until his knuckles turned white, forcing his voice to remain flat and controlled. "The fate one is born with is fixed. It is a fate no one, absolutely no one, possesses the power to alter."
The elders of the Hyūga Clan, witnessing this exchange, felt a complex mix of emotions. Normally, such words—an expression of submission to the Branch Family's curse—would be a source of perverse satisfaction.
But now, they were directly in the presence of Shen Mo.
"Neji." One elder tried to intervene, compelled by years of authoritarian habit. Yet, the moment the name left his lips, he was horrified to find his voice, his muscles, his entire being utterly paralyzed.
He wasn't merely silenced; it was as if his very consciousness was disconnected from his body. His expression, his slight movement, even the desperate flicker in his eyes, became completely uncontrollable. This paralysis was universal among the elders.
Terror, confusion, and panic raged internally. Yet, on the surface, they remained perfectly composed, frozen in benevolent, unmoving smiles.
"Destiny is immutable. From your vantage point, those words are entirely accurate," Shen Mo conceded, nodding slightly as if in agreement with Neji's fatalism. "It is precisely like a bird imprisoned within a cage, utterly incapable of escaping its confines."
Tsunade looked at Shen Mo with surprise. This narrative directly contradicted the Merchant Guild's philosophy of defying fate, which she had understood to be his core principle.
Neji's gaze remained fixed on the ground. Caged Bird. The name of the cursed seal etched onto his forehead was a brutal, self-fulfilling prophecy, locking his life, and his father's memory, inside an inescapable prison.
There is no resistance. There is no change!
Hatred, thick and bitter, welled up in his young heart. These people—the elders and Hiashi Hyūga—had been the arbiters of his fate from the moment he drew his first breath.
"A caged bird cannot overcome the power that imprisoned it, whether that power is a mere human or the concept of destiny itself," Shen Mo continued, his voice even, then introduced a dramatic turn. "But what if a power exists that is greater than all of it? An existence that can effortlessly unlock the cage, permitting the imprisoned bird to soar toward the vast sky and claim a destiny of its own choosing?"
"..."
Neji slowly raised his head.
This man. These words.
What impossible reality was he proposing?
"You have likely never even dared to imagine such an impossible scenario," Shen Mo said, his smile widening slightly, his eyes holding an ancient, knowing light.
Then, one of the elders—the one who had tried to speak moments before—suddenly lurched forward.
Thud.
He dropped straight to his knees, kneeling directly before Neji.
"Elder, what are you doing?" Hiashi Hyūga exclaimed, recoiling in shock.
Neji instinctively stumbled backward two steps.
Everyone present—Tsunade, Hiashi, Hinata, and the tiny Hanabi, whose hand flew to cover her mouth—was utterly stunned.
An elder, the very embodiment of clan status and power, was kneeling before a mere Branch Family Genin?
The elder, trapped within his own body, was beyond shame. His sole sensation was paralyzing terror. He could only 'watch' helplessly as his face dissolved into ancient tears, and his mouth involuntarily poured out a confession. "Neji, I am deeply sorry. It was I who suggested your father be sacrificed in Hiashi's place all those years ago. The fault is entirely mine, mine alone..."
Shen Mo had not made the man lie. He had indeed proposed the substitution, though Hizashi Hyūga had ultimately volunteered.
Neji stared at the weeping, supplicating elder, a tidal wave of disbelief washing over him.
Why?
He had spent years obsessively fantasizing about this exact moment: making the architects of his father's death suffer, regret, and repent. But how could such an utterly unrealistic fantasy suddenly, violently, materialize before his eyes?
Is this a technique? A dream?
"No..."
"It's you!" Neji abruptly spun, looking at Shen Mo, trembling from head to foot. "But you... how is this even possible...?"
He couldn't discern if the tremor was excitement, terror, or a profound, overwhelming relief. Everything unfolding defied his constructed reality.
The high-and-mighty elder was truly kneeling, genuinely weeping over his father's memory.
"Something you deemed utterly impossible, has it not occurred with startling simplicity?" Shen Mo spread his hands in an expansive gesture. "It is because my power is great, profoundly great. Strong enough to easily dismantle your prison and redefine your fate. Now, Hyūga Neji, do you still believe the opportunity I offer is merely an illusion?"
Gulp.
Neji's throat convulsed. He looked at the silent Clan Head, the other two elders trapped in their benign, horrific smiles, and finally, at the faintly amused Shen Mo.
He was forced to accept the undeniable truth.
This bewildering man truly possessed the might to free him from the Caged Bird—to grant him a tangible path to his own destiny.
"Answer me now!" Shen Mo raised his voice slightly, the question echoing with finality. "Do you wish to fly?"
Do you want to fly?
This choice, this monumental question, was the first he had ever been given in his life.
"I... I want to fly!" Neji shouted the words, pushing them out with every fiber of his being. His eyes were bloodshot, his face a mask of distorted emotion. "I want to break the curse of the Caged Bird!"
He knew the gravity of the words he was shouting in front of his Clan's power structure, but at this moment, he was beyond caring. His belief that destiny was fixed was merely the shell of his despair. Seeing real hope, he seized it instinctively, determined to escape the tragic end of his father.
"Neji... Brother," Hinata whispered, a profound mix of fear and confusion in her voice. She had never witnessed this raw, desperate side of her cousin.
"It seems you possess the authentic desire to alter your destiny," Shen Mo said, lowering his arms, clearly satisfied. "Next comes a far more important question: where is it that you wish to fly?"
"...⊙_⊙..."
Neji's face went utterly blank, the dramatic tension from his shouted declaration suddenly dissolving into a moment of pure bewilderment.
Where to fly?
He had never allowed himself to contemplate the possibility of flight; how could he possibly know the destination?
"Hahaha," Shen Mo let out a soft chuckle at the boy's comical confusion. He shook his head gently. "Simply wanting to change your fate is not enough. You must actively choose the destiny you wish to pursue. Will you soar into the heavens like a majestic eagle, or will you remain grounded, living the existence of a common domestic fowl? Different choices yield profoundly different results."
Shen Mo's focus now was on Neji's decision. Would he pursue true, absolute freedom by leaving the clan, or even Konoha? Or, like his redeemed fate in the original timeline, would he choose to stay and protect the Main Family?
The choice was critical. It would dictate the specific rewards and arrangements Shen Mo would set up for him. The outcome was profitable either way. Giving Neji this choice was partly out of genuine curiosity, and partly a recognition that the narrative's intended "redemption arc" had been irrevocably altered the moment the Merchant Guild entered the world.