Chapter 68: The True Byakugan
"It's you?"
The instant he saw Li Jie Xuan, Kidomaru didn't hesitate at all. He swung his bow around and fired an arrow straight at Li Jie Xuan. "Hand over Lord Sasuke!"
The spider-gold arrow tore through space itself, whipping up a violent tornado-like airflow…
The spider-gold arrow fired by Kidomaru in Curse Mark Stage Two—its speed and power alike—were enough to plunge anyone into despair! Yet what shocked Kidomaru was that Li Jie Xuan didn't dodge or evade at all, instead charging straight toward it.
"Pfft…"
The golden arrow punched brutally through Li Jie Xuan's chest, blood spraying wildly!
But the very next second—with another "pfft"—Li Jie Xuan's corpse abruptly turned into a mass of air…
"A clone?"
Just as Kidomaru froze in shock, a strange "zzzt zzzt" sound suddenly rang out beside his ear! Parting the grass, both palms lowered, terrifying pale-blue arcs of lightning twisted into blade-like shapes. Li Jie Xuan slightly parted his lips and silently mouthed a farewell: "Goodbye!"
"Lightning Blade!"
With a gentle push of his palm, lightning flared violently. Li Jie Xuan became like a berserk bolt of lightning flowing through the void, ruthlessly piercing straight through Kidomaru! "Zzzzz—"
When the lightning finally stopped, residual arcs still crackled across Kidomaru's chest.
Within the massive hole that had been blasted through his torso, the heart was already gone, even the internal organs reduced to charred husks by the current.
The Sound Four—Kidomaru—dead!
Li Jie Xuan chuckled softly and shook his head. Under normal circumstances, he would never have succeeded so easily.
But with a deliberate ambush, Kidomaru—who had already exhausted every trick he had—didn't even last a single move…
"You're a Konoha ninja? Why have I never seen you before!"
Hyuga Neji slowly stepped out from the shadows, staring warily at Li Jie Xuan. "Where's Sasuke? Where is he now?"
"Of course you've never seen me."
Li Jie Xuan smiled and shook his head. "In this timeline, this body of mine froze to death before the age of two…"
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Sensing danger, Hyuga Neji raised his kunai. "Hand Sasuke over right now!"
"Hand him over?"
Li Jie Xuan smiled and gently shook his head. "That won't do—he's my biggest bargaining chip!"
At that point, Li Jie Xuan suddenly thought of something.
Orochimaru—that was a greedy man. Would a single Sasuke really be enough to satisfy his appetite?
Maybe it was time to raise the stakes!
Li Jie Xuan calmed himself and asked, "System, if I'm injured here, what happens after I return to reality?"
"Whether death or mission completion, the power of time will reverse. All death and injuries will be fully restored!"
Hearing this, Li Jie Xuan suddenly burst out laughing.
As expected—there are no useless rewards, only useless ways of using them!
A new bargaining chip—secured!
"Who exactly are you? If you don't hand Sasuke over now, I'll make my move!"
Hyuga Neji stared tensely at Li Jie Xuan, even though he knew his chances of victory might not be high.
But he had a reason he absolutely could not lose! He was Konoha's acknowledged genius—he could not be defeated. That was the duty that came with bearing the title of genius! "A pitiful genius!"
One look at Hyuga Neji, and Li Jie Xuan knew exactly what he was thinking. In the anime, Hyuga Neji had defeated Kidomaru while clinging to the same belief.
But…
Genius? What a tragic name.
Without power, the title of genius is nothing more than an empty word…
"You really want to know?"
Li Jie Xuan smiled and raised a single finger. "If you help me with a small favor, I might consider telling you!"
"What favor?"
Seeing Li Jie Xuan's attitude soften, Hyuga Neji couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. If Sasuke could be saved without fighting, that would naturally be better.
"It's very simple."
Li Jie Xuan smiled and nodded. "You just need to die!"
"Madman!"
Hyuga Neji's hair stood on end as he instinctively hurled his kunai.
"Clang!"
Li Jie Xuan knocked the kunai aside and gently shook his head with a smile. "If you don't die, my heart won't be at ease!"
The space-time kunai flew out, followed closely by the Kusanagi Sword. Li Jie Xuan surged toward Hyuga Neji like a streak of lightning!
"Byakugan!"
Hyuga Neji activated his Byakugan and effortlessly avoided Li Jie Xuan's kunai and Kusanagi Sword.
"Oh? The Byakugan?"
Li Jie Xuan nodded lightly with a smile. "But I wonder—which one is stronger, your Byakugan or mine?"
"What?"
"Claim Byakugan!"
Li Jie Xuan sneered as he claimed the reward.
In that instant, two warm currents suddenly burst forth from Li Jie Xuan's pupils. Visible to the naked eye, a wash of white light slowly spread through his eyes until it covered the entire eyeball!
The Byakugan—acquired! "T-this… how is this possible?!"
At that moment, Hyuga Neji was so terrified he could barely speak.
"Surprised?"
Li Jie Xuan blinked lightly, as though a nearsighted person had just put on glasses for the first time. The world became clearer! "The bloodline your Hyuga clan tore brothers apart to protect—now it's appeared in the body of an outsider like me!"
"No… impossible!"
Hyuga Neji went almost mad, flinging shuriken in a desperate attempt to kill Li Jie Xuan.
Unfortunately, under the three-hundred-and-sixty-degree vision of the Byakugan, Hyuga Neji's resistance was utterly meaningless. Li Jie Xuan strode arrogantly through it all as if cheating, untouched by a single leaf!
Li Jie Xuan slowly walked up to Hyuga Neji and lightly tapped the glaring Caged Bird seal on his forehead. "Now… do you understand?"
"Genius!?"
Li Jie Xuan smiled as he tightened his grip around Hyuga Neji's throat. "This—this is the true Byakugan!"
Hyuga Neji had completely lost the will to fight. When the Caged Bird seal made him realize that what he had guarded his entire life was utterly meaningless, suicide became his only choice!
Li Jie Xuan gently twisted Hyuga Neji's neck, then clenched his fist with a cold smile. "In this lifetime, I will never again bear the title of genius!"
Danzo… just wait.
I will make you pay the price!
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