Chapter 9: The Giant Tenseigan and Hyūga Tenjin
A's expression was firm as he looked at Neji, his words ringing with conviction.
Neji was momentarily stunned. It wasn't the fact that the Raikage had accepted him that was so surprising, but the incredibly generous terms he was offering.
To raise him as a breeding stud would have cost them almost nothing, and in twenty years, they would have an elite clan of Byakugan users. To raise him as a Kumo shinobi, on the other hand, was not only a drain on resources, but if he were to die prematurely, they would be left with nothing.
From Neji's perspective, simply being accepted into the Hidden Cloud as an ordinary shinobi was already more than he could have hoped for. He had never dreamed of receiving such privileged treatment.
Unconditional access to all resources and all secret jutsu? That was a privilege reserved for only the highest echelons of the Cloud's leadership.
Why?
Could the grand picture I painted have truly moved him so much?
"Lord Raikage, is this truly appropriate?" Dodai, standing beside him, was equally bewildered.
"My mind is made up, Dodai!" A said, his gaze unwavering as he looked at his advisor.
Dodai opened his mouth to protest, but seeing the resolute look on the Raikage's face, he held his tongue. The Fourth Raikage was a wise leader who knew how to delegate and was open to advice, but once he made a decision, not even ten bulls could drag him back. With a helpless smile, Dodai said no more.
"Thank you, Lord Raikage!"
Seeing that A was not joking, a smile finally broke across Neji's solemn face. He knelt and bowed deeply.
A's expression suddenly turned grave. He took out the letter containing Hizashi's last words and handed it to Neji. "Neji," he said with a sigh, "your father, Hyūga Hizashi, took his own life in place of his brother. These were his final words."
Neji took the letter, but without even looking at it, he tore it into shreds.
"Why did you do that?" A asked, confused.
Tears welled in Neji's eyes, his voice thick with hatred. "From the day the Caged Bird was placed upon him, my father was no longer a free man. His life was imprisoned. He never lived a single day for himself."
"In life, he lost his freedom to speak. In death, he lost even the freedom to remain silent."
"The debt that the Hyūga and Konoha owe him... I will collect it from them, piece by piece."
Looking at the tear-streaked face of the four-year-old, Dodai sighed inwardly. This child was an avenger, destined to walk a path lined with thorns.
A's large hand clamped down on Neji's shoulder, lifting him up as if he were a kitten. "Neji. From now on, think of the Hidden Cloud as your new home."
Even the normally stern Dodai managed a small smile. "That's right, kid. We're all your family now. I'm sure you'll come to like it here."
Then, A tossed Neji to Samui. "Samui, I'm leaving this boy in your care from now on."
"Yes, Lord Raikage."
Neji's face was buried in a sea of soft, white peaks as Samui carried him from the office.
After they had left, Dodai immediately turned to the Raikage. "Lord Raikage, why?" He had expected A to raise Neji as a Kumo shinobi, but he had never imagined he would grant him the highest possible privileges.
"There is no other reason," A said, his voice low and serious. "The boy is worth it."
"?" Dodai's brow furrowed in confusion.
A looked at the portrait of the Third Raikage on the wall. "Dodai, the potential of an ordinary shinobi is set from birth. No matter how hard they train, they can never reach the level of a Kage in their lifetime."
"The rank of Kage is the pinnacle for thousands of shinobi."
"And yet, in the face of true power, even a Kage is as weak as an ant."
Dodai's eye narrowed. The "Kage" the Raikage spoke of included himself, and even the Raikage of past generations. The strongest of them all was undoubtedly the Third, who had fought the Eight-Tails to a standstill and battled tens of thousands of Iwagakure shinobi. If the Third Raikage was as weak as an ant, then the "true power" A spoke of could only refer to the two legends of the shinobi world: Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara.
There were disparities between ninja. But the gap between those two and a Kage was likely as vast as the gap between a Kage and an ordinary shinobi. According to the stories passed down by the village elders, even the slightly weaker of the two, Uchiha Madara, had been powerful enough to take on all five Kage at once. And Senju Hashirama, hailed by all as the "God of Shinobi," was on another level entirely. The Nine-Tails, the strongest of the Tailed Beasts, was like a mere chick in his hands.
Thinking of this, Dodai asked in disbelief, "Lord Raikage, you can't possibly believe that boy has the potential to become a shinobi on the level of Hashirama and Madara?"
A nodded, his conviction absolute. "Dodai, I firmly believe that one day, Neji will give me a great and wonderful surprise."
"It's far too early to say that!" Dodai shook his head, clearly unconvinced. "Lord Raikage, have you actually fallen for that boy's tall tales?"
"Sigh." A walked over to his desk and poured a glass of water for Dodai. "Dodai," he said, his tone heavy with meaning, "the Tenseigan and Hyūga Tenjin... as unbelievable as they sound, they are real."
"And what is the basis for this conclusion, Lord Raikage?"
A looked out the window at the swirling clouds. "The feud between my Yotsuki clan and the Hyūga clan can be traced back to the Warring States Period."
"Over two hundred years ago, the Yotsuki clan produced a genius named Yotsuki Unkan. He had an incredible aptitude for Lightning Release, and after more than a decade of arduous training, he developed the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, greatly increasing his power."
"Full of confidence, Unkan used his strength to subjugate several smaller shinobi clans."
"Then, he set out to challenge the man widely acknowledged as the strongest shinobi of that era: Hyūga Taketatsu."
"This Taketatsu is the 'Tenjin' that Neji spoke of. 'Taketatsu' was his given name. 'Tenjin'—'Heavenly Shinobi'—was the title of respect the Hyūga gave him."
A paused to take a long drink of water.
Dodai's brow furrowed. Acknowledged as the strongest shinobi?! Konoha's Third Hokage was hailed as the strongest Hokage in history. Suna's Third Kazekage was called the strongest Kazekage. Both villages were fond of using political propaganda to build their leaders into objects of worship for their people. But the other three great villages scoffed at such claims. For Hyūga Tenjin to be acknowledged as the strongest meant that he had earned the recognition of even the Senju and the Uchiha. He was a true master of the highest caliber.
"What happened then, Lord Raikage?" Dodai asked.
"He was defeated. Utterly crushed." A sighed. "Unkan returned to the clan, and after much soul-searching, he continued to refine his Lightning Release Chakra Mode. Four years later, having perfected the technique, he once again sought out Hyūga Tenjin for a rematch."
"But by then, Tenjin had no desire to fight. After ensuring his clan was settled, he left the Hyūga, alone."
"Driven by curiosity, Unkan followed him."
"And then... he witnessed it. He saw Hyūga Tenjin holding a giant 'eye' in his hands. He then passed through a mysterious spatial portal and vanished from the shinobi world."
"Several days later, a meteorite fell from the sky. The Hyūga clan announced to the world that Hyūga Tenjin had died from a severe illness."
Author's Note: In the original story, the Lightning Release Chakra Mode was developed by the Third Raikage. I have two side stories from the Warring States Period to write. One is about Hyūga Tenjin, and the other is about Uchiha Hikari. Therefore, I've given the credit for the Lightning Release Chakra Mode to Yotsuki Unkan.