"I'm here on behalf of my master," Dai said, offering a slight bow. "May I come in?"
Neji folded his arms, scrutinising the visitor who had appeared at the Kusagakure hideout. During his time in Lord Orochimaru's service, he had grown all too accustomed to unsettling sorts like the boy before him… much to his dismay. Neji found himself disliking the way the white-faced boy looked at him— there was a smile on his lips, yet it never quite reached his eyes.
"Lord Orochimaru is not receiving visitors at present," Neji replied firmly. "Please return in a few days."
"I see," said Dai, his smile fading a touch. "That is rather unfortunate."
Since his young underling was of the Hyūga clan, Orochimaru had naturally deemed Neji the most suitable candidate to keep watch over the main entrance—and to guard against his old acquaintances, such as the Sannin and the Akatsuki. It was there, by the shadowed entrance, that Neji now spent most of his time… whenever he wasn't training, eating, or sleeping.
Indeed, having never quite earned the full trust of his new master, Neji found himself barred from the heart of the hideout. Confined instead to the upper levels of the vast underground facility, he had only ventured down once, for an experiment concerning eye replacement. The experience had been deeply unsettling for him, especially given the grievous consequences such procedures would ordinarily spell for a member of the Hyūga clan.
But for Tenten's sake, his childhood friend who had freed him from a fate of eternal servitude, Neji was determined to remain strong, and to keep believing that things would turn out all right if he followed her guidance. Ever since their days together at the academy, she had always possessed an uncanny knack for choosing the most favourable course of action, even when it did not appear so at first.
"You're from Konoha, aren't you?" Neji asked bluntly.
Neji found himself vaguely surprised by the words spilling from his own mouth. He was not one to suffer fools lightly, nor prone to speak unless it was to bark out orders or utter something of substance. It was entirely unlike him to reveal information to a complete stranger, even if only by posing a seemingly innocent question.
"You miss her, don't you?" Dai said casually.
Neji's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"She's the one who figured out how to remove the Caged Bird Cursed Seal, isn't she?" Dai continued, tapping his forehead with his forefinger. "I recall reading about her— a genius who could speak in full sentences by the age of two, a Fūinjutsu prodigy by five, and by ten, a revolutionary weapons creator rivalling the finest ninja tools craftsmen of Takumi Village. The previous Hokage had her seal away all her creations, fearing they might escape the village and make the world a far more dangerous place for Konoha's shinobi."
"I don't know what you mean," Neji said bluntly, forcing himself to remain calm. "As I have already told you, Lord Orochimaru is not receiving any visitors today. Please leave."
Thanks to his Byakugan, Neji had naturally sensed that something significant was afoot in the hideout. Even his senpai from the Sound Four, Orochimaru's most trusted subordinates, had been summoned from across the continent to bolster the guard.
"You know, my master isn't exactly pleased with this Tenten girl," Dai went on, unperturbed by Neji's words. "The Hyūga clan's Byakugan is the village's greatest asset in wartime, and if the method to undo the Caged Bird Seal were to leak to the other villages, the consequences would be dire, as you can imagine. You're a living example of that, aren't you?"
Neji remained stony-faced.
Before he had been forced to leave the Hidden Leaf, Neji had heard whispers among the clan members about this Danzō fellow. Apparently, he was known to kidnap promising youths from the Leaf's ninja clans and indoctrinate them, and then they would never be seen again.
Thankfully, such a fate had never befallen the Hyūga clan, all thanks to the protective power of the Caged Bird Seal! Praise be to the main family in their infinite wisdom, for sparing the side family from such a terrible fate!
"All it would take is a drop of poison to end this potential risk once and for all," Dai said nonchalantly. "In the girl's afternoon tea, or perhaps lightly coated on the handle of one of her beloved weapons… and the secret to unlocking the Caged Bird Seal would accompany her to her grave."
In a flash, Neji was upon him, one hand gripping Dai's neck tightly, while with his other pressing two fingers firmly against the latter's temple. All it would take was a slight surge of chakra through those fingertips, and Dai's brain would rupture.
Instant death without even damaging the skull.
"Much better," Dai choked out, his trademark smile unwavering. "It seems we can finally have a proper talk. You're not much of a conversationalist, are you, do you know that?"
"Talk," snarled Neji, shoving Dai up against a wall.
"One thing," Dai croaked. "Help me kill or retrieve Orochimaru's next host body. Do this, and the girl's life will be spared, and you will be welcomed back into the village as a hero."
It had been three years since Orochimaru had taken over Kaguya Kimimaro's body. Having learned of the Living Corpse Reincarnation's looming deadline, Danzō had been silently counting the days, meticulously estimating the precise moment when his old partner's strength would begin to wane. Patiently, he had awaited the opportunity to betray Orochimaru and claim all of his research for himself. And now that he had the power of Hashirama Senju's cells, he no longer needed that snake.
Furthermore, with the enemy's attention focused on Dai and Neji, nobody would notice his other ROOT operatives searching the hideout for the Rinnegan that Orochimaru had stolen from right under Tsunade's nose, three years ago. After witnessing the legendary eyes' power for himself all those years ago, he was certain that their might eclipsed that of even the Sharingan…
"If your master won't even hesitate to double-cross a man as powerful as Orochimaru," Neji asked coldly, "what's the guarantee he won't go back on his word?"
Though it was hard to tell in the gloom of the hideout and through Dai's thick layer of white make-up, his face was beginning to turn purple.
"You'll… just have to take… that chance," wheezed Dai. "Now… do we… have… a deal?"
Neji released Dai's neck, and the slender boy slid down the wall to the floor, coughing harshly. He then watched coldly as Dai struggled to his feet, massaging his neck.
"Good," Dai said, gesturing behind Neji with a flick of his hand. "Very well, then. After you."
Neji turned towards the dimly lit corridor behind him. The wind howled through the passageway, causing the flames of the wall-mounted torches to flicker erratically, casting strange shadows that danced over the spirals engraved into the stone walls and floor.
With his Byakugan activated, Neji could see deep into the hideout, his vision reaching as far as the next-to-last floor. Yet, despite his eyes' penetrating sight, certain key areas remained veiled— most notably, the entirety of the bottommost floor, which seemed meticulously warded against his gaze.
"Right, I nearly forgot— I never did introduce myself, did I?" said Dai. "For this mission, you may call me… Sai. Nice to meet you, Neji."
"I don't care," Neji replied flatly.
Unbeknownst to Danzō, he had made a critical miscalculation due to lack of intel. Yes, the user of the Living Corpse Reincarnation Technique couldn't occupy a body for more than three years… but that was only the case if the host's body was not compatible with the Jutsu's user!