The soft morning light filtered through the window cracks, illuminating the silent room. Li Shang slowly opened his eyes, feeling the warmth of the sun touch his face.
"Sleeping is truly relaxing."
For the past three months, he hadn't slept a single day. His nights were spent in meditation, absorbing spiritual energy and stabilizing the internal flow of chakra. But, the night before, something had changed. After breaking through the Core Realm, he finally allowed himself to rest like a mortal again.
Outside, the village was bustling in chaos. Post-invasion repairs were still far from over, hospitals were overflowing, and the air carried the weight of mourning and reconstruction. But Li Shang remained indifferent to it all. The the village's fate didn't affect him — what truly mattered was his own path.
With slow movements, he removed his clothes and went to the bathroom. The hot water running over his skin seemed to revitalize him more than any cultivation.
When he came out, still drying his hair, he found a civilian woman preparing breakfast on the kitchen table.
"Good morning, Neji-sama."
She greeted him naturally, without averting her eyes, even in the face of his nudity.
Li Shang blinked, surprised.
'I guess this is becoming a pattern.'
He ate breakfast in silence and, shortly after, walked towards the Hyuuga clan training ground.
There, under the clear sky, he stood motionless for long minutes, concentrated. His spiritual sense expanded, probing every detail of his own body. The energy flowing within him was now completely different.
'The body has reached the perfect state for cultivation. Impurities have disappeared. But... my eyes...'
The flow of energy in his eyes was something he still didn't understand. The mutation of the Tenseigan proceeded slowly, refining itself every day. He could activate the Byakugan normally, but the veins that once bulged around his eyes had disappeared.
'This is great. Now I can use the vision effect without attracting attention. Unless it's a sensory ninja, no one will be able to notice.'
While testing his perception, a presence approached silently. Hiashi had been observing his nephew for a few minutes, without interrupting. The way the boy breathed, the way chakra flowed — everything about him exuded serenity and power.
But there was something... different.
"Neji?"
The patriarch's firm voice pulled him from his thoughts.
"Hiashi-sama."
Li Shang turned and bowed slightly.
"Do you need something?"
Hiashi kept his gaze fixed on him for a moment. His nephew seemed like another man — the calm posture, the tone of voice, the air of natural authority. The patriarch felt a mixture of pride and uneasiness.
'The clothes, the way he acts, and now the Tenseigan... what happened to this boy after that day?'
He sighed and got straight to the point.
"I wanted to talk about your eyes."
Li Shang maintained a neutral expression.
"Do you have anything to say? Do you feel anything different? Or do you know why these eyes manifested?"
The silence stretched for a few seconds. The wind rustled the pine leaves around them, and the distant sound of the village seemed to fade.
Li Shang closed his eyes for an instant and replied calmly:
"I don't know exactly why, Hiashi-sama. I just feel that they... awakened something that had always been dormant within me."
Hiashi frowned, intrigued by the boy's serenity.
'Even in the face of something beyond our comprehension, he shows no fear... only control.'
The patriarch took a slight step forward.
"These eyes are a blessing... and a responsibility. The history of our clan will change with your awakening."
Li Shang looked up, and the Tenseigan shone briefly, like a fragment of sky in his eyes.
"Blessing, responsibility... or destiny."
Hiashi suppressed the urge to continue the dialogue. Something in his nephew's voice made him feel that this was no longer the same Neji he had known — and that perhaps his path was beyond anything any Hyuuga had ever walked.
And, as the wind swept across the field, Hiashi realized: the sparkle in Li Shang's eyes didn't just reflect power.
It reflected the horizon of someone who already looked beyond the human world.
'Is this the effect of these eyes?'
Hiashi observed his nephew in front of him, feeling something he had never experienced before — a kind of instinctive reverence. Li Shang, standing in the morning light, seemed untouchable. The air around him had weight, and the translucent blue glow of the Tenseigan made him seem more like an entity than a man.
Hiashi took a deep breath and tried to keep his tone firm.
"Neji, I came to inform you that I met with the elders. From now on, you no longer need to follow the rules of the branch family. No clan member is allowed to activate the seal on you."
His voice hesitated for an instant, his gaze shifting from the young man's eyes.
"Damaging your eyes would be the greatest sin of the Hyuuga clan."
Li Shang slightly arched an eyebrow, the corner of his lips curving into a discreet smile.
'The young masters I always hated... it seems I've become one of them. What irony.'
It was amusing to see the same people who once treated him as a servant now avoiding eye contact out of fear and respect. But he didn't let the thought show — he maintained the serenity that characterized him.
Hiashi took a step closer, choosing his words carefully.
"Do you have any requests for your uncle? Anything you need, the clan will provide."
Li Shang looked away at the clear sky and replied after a brief silence:
"If it's not taking advantage of the clan, I would just like a good sword for practice."
Hiashi frowned, surprised by the unexpected request.
"Sword?"
The patriarch crossed his arms, thoughtful.
"I don't think it's a problem, but... the Hyuuga clan has never excelled in this field. We don't have anyone proficient in Kenjutsu. Our tradition has always been focused on taijutsu and chakra flow. The Gentle Fist style is our heritage. There are no records of a Hyuuga specializing in weapons."
For an instant, Li Shang had to suppress a laugh. The thought of seeing those proud warriors limiting themselves to a single style amused him.
'These ridiculous traditions... what was meant to be pride became a prison. A clan with the most refined dojutsu in the world, reduced to trackers with sharp vision.'
But he didn't let any criticism escape. He just maintained a tranquil expression and replied in a calm, almost contemplative voice:
"In fact, since my eyes changed, I feel like I'm about to touch something... almost reaching an enlightenment. However, something is missing. And I feel it's related to Kenjutsu."
The phrase fell like a stone into a calm lake.
Hiashi stared at him in silence, and for an instant, the air seemed to become denser. The Hyuuga deeply believed in the connection between body and spirit — and the serene and convinced way Li Shang spoke directly touched the patriarch's ancestral faith.
'Achieving enlightenment... through a sword?' Hiashi thought, intrigued. 'Perhaps the awakening of these eyes has truly opened something that we, Hyuugas, will never understand.'
Finally, he nodded slowly.
"I understand. I will have one of Konoha's best swords forged for you. I will have the blade reinforced with pure chakra and a channeling fuuinjutsu, so it can withstand your power."
Li Shang bowed slightly.
"I will be grateful, Hiashi-sama."
The patriarch smiled for the first time in a long time.
"You are treading a unique path, Neji. Perhaps the destiny of the Hyuuga will truly change through you."
Li Shang kept his gaze firm, but didn't reply.
'Destiny?' he thought, turning and starting to walk away. 'Destiny is just the name the weak give to their own inability to evolve.'