For the first time in his young life, Neji Hyūga held the power to choose his own destiny.
Despite the surreal nature of the situation—the paralyzed elders, the merchant's impossible power—one fact was brutally clear. The man before him had proven the opportunity was real.
However, having just voiced his deepest rebellion, he knew his place within the Hyūga Clan was shattered. He was faced with the agonizing realization that choosing freedom meant abandoning his teammates, Tenten and Lee, and his sensei. The complexity of self-determination was overwhelming for a boy who had only ever known obedience to fate.
He looked at the smiling man who had initiated this seismic shift. He looked at the elders, who were subdued and terrified. A fierce, sudden ambition surged through him.
"Can I become your disciple?" Neji asked, his voice ringing with newfound intensity. "A caged bird without true ability, even if released, will eventually be captured again. Although I do not understand the motive behind this opportunity, I demand the power to shatter the cage as easily as you do!"
The gravity of an important choice often reveals the true potential of a character. Shen Mo was genuinely impressed. In the aftermath of intense emotional turmoil, Neji had centered himself and begun thinking strategically within minutes.
"There is no shortage of those who wish to follow me," Shen Mo replied, shaking his head with a slight smile. He gestured toward Himari. "At this moment, you cannot even best a mere pet."
Himari, still perched regally on Hanabi's head, extended one paw and settled it on the highest point of the little girl's forehead, mimicking the iconic cliff scene from The Lion King.
"Meow—"
The sound was soft, pleasant, and incredibly endearing. Yet, the accompanying bloodline aura—a pressure akin to an ancient, powerful beast—erupted without restraint, a dizzying contrast to her miniature body.
Neji, directly facing the aura, involuntarily flinched.
Hiashi Hyūga and Tsunade, along with the others, stared in disbelief. They had only vaguely sensed the cat's power before, but now it was undeniably manifest.
Even the cat is terrifying?
"Who... who exactly are you...?" Neji swallowed hard again. This merchant defied every known law of existence.
"I am merely a traveler, a merchant," Shen Mo stated casually. "Choose. Your decision now dictates a destiny entirely divorced from your past."
Neji fell silent, grappling with the imposition of immediate choice. Yet, his hope of breaking the Caged Bird seal resided entirely with this man.
He swept his gaze across Hiashi Hyūga, the elders, and even Hinata, a flicker of deep resentment still in his eyes. Should I seek vengeance against the family that forced my father's sacrifice?
"Neji!"
At that precise moment, Hiashi Hyūga finally broke the invisible control, his own paternal anxiety overriding his caution toward Shen Mo.
"Whatever you decide, I urge you... to read this first," Hiashi said, extracting a sealed scroll from his clothing. "It was left for you by your father."
Shen Mo watched the exchange with great interest, choosing not to interfere. The scroll's revelation was inevitable. However, since Neji hadn't yet been defeated by Naruto, nor had he witnessed Hinata's profound efforts, how effective would this final message truly be?
Neji took the scroll, his hands trembling at the sight of his father's familiar script.
The message confirmed the elder's confession: Hizashi Hyūga had not been forced to die in Hiashi's place. He had made a conscious, willing choice, driven by fraternal affection and a sense of duty to the Main House.
"The initial suggestion was indeed mine," the kneeling elder confessed through gritted teeth, released from the paralysis. "But Hiashi refused it. Hizashi's sacrifice... was voluntary."
"Silence!" Neji roared, the scroll shaking violently in his grip.
His father. He had willingly died for this family. Had he abandoned his son?
Confusion, blazing anger, and crushing disappointment roiled in Neji's chest.
Finally, he shut his eyes, and a single tear traced a path down his cheek.
Then, he snapped his eyes open, his gaze now unnervingly steady.
"I choose to leave the Hyūga Clan!" Neji declared, looking directly at Shen Mo. The tear tracks were still visible, but his tone was resolute. "I want the Caged Bird removed, but I will not leave Konoha. I must remain here to witness with my own eyes if this Main House, this family, is truly worthy of my father's sacrifice!"
This was his destiny: a deliberate, complex choice. He would pursue strength to monitor and judge his family. If the Main House proved worthy, he would honor his father's final wish and protect them. But if they betrayed that sacrifice...
"Not returning to the cage, nor choosing exile or vengeance, but deciding to patrol the perimeter?" Shen Mo mused, slightly surprised by the nuanced decision.
Yet, upon reflection, it was perhaps the most logical conclusion for a proud, dutiful shinobi given the circumstances.
Shen Mo extended his palm, reaching slowly toward Neji.
He gently touched the boy's forehead protector.
The metal shield fell to the ground.
Under the stunned gaze of everyone present, the dark, swirling symbol of the Caged Bird seal slowly faded from Neji's forehead.
It was utterly gone.
The elders stared at the vanishing mark—a seal they knew was inherently irreversible—broken with a single, casual touch.
Neji, too, was stunned. He stared at Shen Mo, seeing his own face, now unblemished, reflected in the merchant's dark eyes.
The curse, the cage, was truly gone.
"This is your reward," Shen Mo said with a gentle, sincere smile. "I seldom grant favors. Do not disappoint the faith I have placed in your potential. Your genuine destiny begins now."
Tsunade, standing beside him, observed Shen Mo's smile, then the kneeling, overwhelmed elders.
As expected... she thought with a sigh.
In Shen Mo's cosmos, people were defined by their capacity and potential. To be granted his attention, one had to prove they were worthy of transcending fate itself.
At that moment, Hiashi Hyūga took several rapid steps forward. "Neji," he asked, his voice strained but formal. "Do you choose to establish a new Branch Family line?"
Neji looked at his uncle, the man his father had died for, with a lingering complexity in his gaze.
"If you choose to establish a new line, then as Clan Head, I must impose specific stipulations," Hiashi continued, his expression hardening into one of official duty. "Firstly, you and your descendants must never betray Konoha or allow the Hyūga bloodline to be stolen by any foreign power.
Secondly, the Hyūga's deepest secret techniques must remain confidential. If you adhere to these two points, I will not only sanction your new line but will also restore the full property and assets that originally belonged to your father's lineage."
The elders' expressions flickered with renewed outrage at the concept of sacrificing family assets. But they looked at Tsunade, who was watching with fierce attention, and then furtively glanced at Shen Mo.
They subsided into reluctant silence. It was clear their power to object had been nullified.