"Watching the Hyuga main family being humiliated with my own eyes?"
Neji Hyuga listened to Choryū Hyuga's words and couldn't help but sneer coldly. A chill flickered in his eyes.
"When you tried to kill me back then, did you ever consider the bonds of our clan? When your main family branded me with the Caged Bird Curse Seal, making my life unbearable, did you ever think about our kinship?"
Each question was like an outburst of his pent-up resentment.
Neji's hatred for the Hyuga main family was barely contained. His father was forced to die, and his mother and he suffered countless humiliations at the hands of the main family.
But those high and mighty members of the main family never saw their struggle.
They treated the abuse as mere amusement. How laughable.
Now, just the thought of taking his eyes made them afraid?
If that was the case, then the pain Neji had endured all these years was far more than they realized.
He had even once thought, if he could choose his birth, he would never be born into the Hyuga clan.
Being a caged bird was a lifetime disgrace for him — not just a caged bird, but the shame the main family had inflicted was something he would never forget.
"Neji Hyuga, you traitor, how can I compare to you?" Choryū Hyuga scolded fiercely upon hearing Neji's bitter words.
"I am from the main family. The main family represents the honor of the Hyuga clan. Your words are nothing short of blasphemy!"
"Heh. If you say it's blasphemy, then so be it!" Neji smiled faintly, but his eyes quickly turned sharp and cold again.
"If I get the chance, I will make all of you main family members suffer the pain of the Caged Bird Curse Seal, and then I will kill you all!"
As he spoke those last words, murderous intent erupted from him.
Even Choryū Hyuga, who was shouting fiercely, felt a chill run down his spine, touched by the coldness Neji emitted, and dared not continue his argument.
Choryū realized Neji was no longer under control. If he continued to argue, Neji might kill him right then and there.
"Enough. Bring him inside and prepare for the eye transplant!" Genya didn't want to waste time arguing with Choryū, so he waved his hand, signaling Hikari and Toshi to start the surgery.
Toshi and the others nodded. After Genya finished speaking, his hand touched a stone wall.
A low rumbling sound echoed.
A stone door opened in the wall, revealing an operating room filled with precise medical instruments.
Toshi and Hikari entered directly, followed by Kimimaro.
Finally, Jugo hefted Hyūga Choryū into his arms and stepped through the stone doorway.
Choryū's heart pounded as he felt the chamber's chill. His eyes—no longer his own—supported the weight of betrayal. He swallowed hard, striving for composure, but his voice trembled.
"Uchiha Genya," he cried, voice echoing off the walls, "does your clan truly wish to challenge the Hyūga? You've taken my eyes—know this: the Hyūga will pursue you until every drop of vengeance is sated!"
He struggled in his bindings. "Release me, and I swear I won't betray your secret!"
"Uchiha Genya—let me go!"
Rage twisted to desperation. His final roar cracked the silence: "You will not die in peace!"
Genya merely smiled. "You will not die in peace," he echoed softly.
With a slow groan, the stone door slid shut, sealing off all sound.
Genya settled into an ornate chair at the chamber's center, lifting a porcelain cup to his lips. He sipped tea with the ease of a man untroubled by fate.
"Genya, are you certain this is wise? The Hyūga are formidable…"
Neji stood outside the sealed doorway, unease flickering in his eyes. He had no qualms dispatching enemies of the main house—but dragging an Uchiha into their vendetta felt perilous.
If the Hyūga clan discovered Genya's involvement, the consequences could be dire for both him and the entire Uchiha. Neji's chest tightened with regret.
Genya set down his cup and glanced toward the door. "Do not worry. If I feared the Hyūga, I would not have intervened in your troubles."
"But—" Neji began, guilt heavy in his tone.
Genya raised a finger to his lips. "Hush. Surgery is in progress."
Neji fell silent, the echo of distant clinks and hushed murmurs the only sound as they waited.
A cold wind whispered through the corridor, and the chamber remained still—save for the faint hum of destiny unfolding within.
Time slowly ticked by.
The people waiting outside were beginning to grow restless—even Genya himself was getting a little impatient.
He was starting to think that something might have gone wrong.
Boom—
A faint rumble echoed as the stone door slowly opened.
Jūgo emerged, guiding Kimimaro, whose eyes were bandaged and hands restrained.
Behind them was Hyūga Choryū, his gaze hollow, leaning weakly against the operating table with a lifeless expression carved into his face.
"How did it go? How's the eye transplant?" Genya asked, already guessing the outcome from their calm expressions, but still needing to hear the words.
"Everything went smoothly. And surprisingly, Kimimaro is highly compatible with the Byakugan. If he recovers using my special restoration serum, the fusion should reach one hundred percent perfection," Hikari said, a smile finally gracing her face.
Genya and Neji both let out a breath of relief. Kimimaro had succeeded.
"Thank you." Kimimaro gave a faint smile of his own.
"Next is Neji," Genya nodded, confirming Kimimaro was fine before turning to Neji.
This time, Neji would be fusing with the Shikotsumyaku cell serum—a procedure far more dangerous than the previous one.
The moment he agreed to this path, he had already resolved himself to risk half his life.
"I'm ready," Neji said with a firm nod, his eyes sharpening with determination.
"Let's go," Genya said, stepping into the operating room.
Toshi and Hikari followed closely behind.
Neji entered last.
"Jūgo, take that eyesore out of here," Genya frowned as he glanced at Hyūga Choryū inside the room.
He didn't care about Choryū personally, but he was worried that Neji—having grown up bound by the Hyūga main house—might become mentally unstable if exposed to him for too long.
This was a critical operation.
There was no room for the slightest mistake.
"Uchiha Genya, you'll pay for this," Choryū said coldly.
"For doing something like this, not only will the Hyūga clan never forgive you—neither will the village."
Jūgo hefted him without ceremony, and Hyūga Choryū's weak voice trembled through the silent chamber. His once‑proud Byakugan was gone—an absence that felt indistinguishable from death.
"Retribution…" Genya's lips curved into a pale, knowing smile. "Your Hyūga clan will pay for such unforgivable acts."
The room, illuminated by swaying lanterns, fell into deeper silence as every eye fixed on Neji.
"Neji," Genya's tone remained calm, yet carried an unshakable gravity. "Are you truly prepared? You still have time to reconsider."
He paused, gaze unwavering.
"Once the serum enters your body, it will spread within seconds. Even if I manage to expel it later, you will lose most of your life force."
Neji drew a slow breath and lifted his head, meeting Genya's eyes with unwavering resolve.
"My decision is final. I will become stronger—far stronger than before. Proceed. I accept whatever consequences follow."
A flicker of hesitation crossed Neji's features, and he added quietly, "Genya… if I fail… please… look after my mother."
Fear laced his voice: the Hyūga main family had already threatened her once.
Genya's expression did not waver. "I cannot interfere directly in the Hyūga clan's affairs. If you wish to protect your mother, then steel yourself and endure this trial."
With that, he gave a curt nod to Hikari.
The cold tip of the syringe pressed against Neji's arm.
Neji clenched his jaw, closed his eyes, and braced himself as the serum poured into his veins.
****
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