What was happening?
Did the wizarding world also know about the Caged Bird?
Or was he under a genjutsu!
Jeremy suddenly became alert, narrowing his eyes as he surveyed his surroundings, and after no result, he formed hand seals to dispel the genjutsu.
Dispelling genjutsu did not necessarily require a jutsu; if he caused the chakra inside his body to burst into chaos, it could also be undone.
Those from the Hyuga clan generally used this method, after all, they specialized in the body's meridian system and chakra flow.
The trace amount of chakra inside Jeremy fell into chaos for a moment, yet his surroundings did not change. After pondering for a moment, he decided not to bother with it further and continued reading.
[That damned Dark Wizard harmed Jeremy. I absolutely cannot let Jeremy become material for a Dark Wizard. I must, I will definitely kill him!]
This sentence had been written furiously by Lawrence at the very beginning, and between the lines was nothing but rage.
It was only after Jeremy continued reading that he understood what had happened.
Originally, their family had lived very well in the Muggle world, far from the influence of wizarding society, and were very safe.
But when Jeremy was six years old, a Dark Wizard being pursued by Death Eaters had inadvertently fled into the Muggle world and saw Jeremy, who was attending kindergarten.
He recognized at a glance that Jeremy was a young wizard with abundant magical power and great potential.
The Dark Wizard assumed Jeremy's parents were both Muggles, conceived malicious intent, secretly abducted him, and planned to take him back to refine him into his own magical materials.
When Lawrence didn't pick up Jeremy after work and discovered the Confusion Charm placed on the teacher, he immediately sensed something was wrong and timely used a Tracking Charm to find Jeremy.
But it was already too late; the Dark Wizard had already branded a mark onto Jeremy, which was the Caged Bird on his forehead.
During the confrontation between the Dark Wizard and Lawrence, the Dark Wizard smugly told Lawrence that this was a type of contract curse. Any person or creature branded with the Caged Bird was under his complete control over life and death, and if he wished, he could instantly destroy Jeremy's brain.
Lawrence was driven mad with rage, but had no choice. He reached an agreement with the Dark Wizard: the Dark Wizard would not activate the curse mark, and Lawrence would be responsible for providing materials for the Dark Wizard's magical research.
It was also from that time onward, through his dealings with the Dark Wizard, that Lawrence bit by bit extracted information about the Caged Bird, intending to research it and find a countercurse.
But the Dark Wizard later went back on his word, intending to use Jeremy as an ingredient for a potion, and Lawrence, shocked and enraged, fought back and killed him.
Yet the Caged Bird remained and did not disappear. From the magical notes left behind by the Dark Wizard, it was learned that if anyone learned the method to cast the Caged Bird, they would automatically inherit the curse mark inscribed by the Dark Wizard. Jeremy's life would still be held in someone else's hands.
But as it happened, the casting method was not in the Dark Wizard's possession. No one knew where it was, or whether someone had already learned it.
Thus, Lawrence began racking his brains for ways to eliminate the curse mark on Jeremy's forehead.
However, Lawrence's magical ability was not profound, and he was not particularly proficient in charms or the Dark Arts. He only vaguely ascertained that resolving the curse mark required a high-level coordination of potions and charms.
Just as he intended to continue his research, Death Eaters discovered them. Lawrence and Anne were forced to begin fighting back and fleeing, until last Halloween, when the Dark Lord vanished.
At the very end of the parchment was Lawrence's dying message to Jeremy.
[My dear child, the Dark Lord is dead. You can attend Hogwarts now. Remember to study hard in Charms, Potions, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Hogwarts has the greatest White Wizard presiding over it, the most comprehensive library in the wizarding world, and the strongest faculty. You have been clever since you were young, so I am sure you can find a way to resolve the Caged Bird at Hogwarts.]
[The Caged Bird curse mark involves the soul. I do not yet know which charm or potion can resolve it, but I am certain it must be a charm or potion concerning the soul.]
[Jeremy, you must study diligently. We, the Pringle family, even if we die, we die on a journey of resisting fate.]
[But remember this well: do not easily let others know of the curse mark's existence. Your mother and I, at the cost of our lives, gave you a very powerful protection. As long as you do not actively disclose it, outsiders will only mistake it for some kind of pattern and will not know it is a curse mark. Still, you must be cautious; a witch or wizard of extremely profound magical power might be able to detect a clue.]
[Father regrets so much that during his school days, he was too busy pursuing your mother and did not study seriously. I am sorry. Do not blame Father. Father is going to find Mother now. We will bless you from Merlin's pure land.]
[Father and Mother love you forever. Strive to live on, my Jeremy.]
Jeremy furrowed his brow, somewhat puzzled. His perception was very accurate; the mark on his forehead was a genuine Caged Bird jutsu. How, in the wizarding world, did it become a contract curse?
And its effect was so similar to the Dark Mark, both capable of controlling and deciding the life of the one bound by the contract. The only difference was that the Caged Bird could be inherited by another person, whereas the Dark Mark belonged solely to Voldemort.
This matter needed to be resolved as quickly as possible.
Professor Flitwick specialized in Charms, and both Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore were also powerful witches well-versed in Charms.
For Potions, there was Professor Snape, the only Potions Master in Britain this century. If he could study diligently under Professor Snape, perhaps he could research a method.
Defense Against the Dark Arts, ahem, was also Professor Snape.
Jeremy felt a bit guilty about repeatedly taking advantage of the same person, especially for a course he applied for every year and was rejected for every year.
Never mind, he would try anyway. What if, perhaps, maybe, possibly.
Right?
Putting away the parchment, Jeremy found a gray headband and wrapped it around his forehead, covering the Caged Bird.
Oh my, Jeremy looked at himself happily in the mirror, left and right.
Blue-black hair, fair skin, Byakugan. It had a bit of that Hyuga Neji vibe.
Regardless, after years of battlefield experience in the Naruto world, Jeremy had developed a certain admiration for the strong.
Those who weren't strong enough hadn't survived when the four great ninja villages besieged Konoha during the Second War.
Young Neji's talent was truly remarkable.
Jeremy himself had only reached the level of a Jōnin after developing several taijutsu techniques based on the similarity between Gentle Fist and Tai Chi.
Neji, without his own foreknowledge, had still managed to break free from the Branch House's constraints through talent and insight. That was truly impressive.
Too bad Kishimoto was ruthless and insisted on writing him to death.
So during his time as Jeremy, he was always thinking about how to survive, striving to live long enough to witness Hyuga Neji's birth and watch him grow.
Everyone understood the joy of raising a character.
After amusing himself for a while, Jeremy returned to his room, sat cross-legged on the bed, and prepared to extract chakra.
Regardless, gaining an extra source of power was gaining an extra advantage. One's own strength being formidable was the ultimate truth.
A night passed. The next morning, as birds chirped outside the window, Jeremy opened his eyes.
He gently exhaled a breath of turbid air, smiled faintly, and as he looked at the scene within his room, his gaze sharpened.
Byakugan, activate!
Several veins bulged around Jeremy's eye sockets, and his pupils suddenly became markedly deeper, seeming to show chakra flowing within his eyes.
The room was filled everywhere with the glow of magical power, and according to the density of the magic, the light varied in intensity.
After a few breaths, the veins around Jeremy's eyes trembled slightly and then subsided.
Yet Jeremy, sweeping his gaze around, could still perceive the light within the room.
Excellent, Jeremy cheered inwardly.
He had long disliked the bulging veins that appeared when activating the Byakugan; it was too revealing. Wouldn't anyone be able to tell he had activated the Byakugan? There was no stealth at all.
Jeremy looked down at himself and, as expected, saw chakra flowing slowly like a small stream throughout his entire body.
Just as Jeremy was feeling satisfied, he suddenly realized something was wrong.
Wait, I can see the magical light inside the house, so why can't I see my own magic, only my chakra?
Jeremy was a bit bewildered. What did this mean? Chakra really is magic?
As he was pondering, the doorbell rang from outside, along with a serious, low female voice.
"Mr. Pringle, I am a professor from Hogwarts. Please open the door."
Oh my!
Jeremy sprang up, jumping high.
Cat...
No, Professor McGonagall?
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