"You... what exactly are you after?"
Neji's voice was hoarse and strained.
Every word seemed forced out from the depths of his throat.
He stared hard at Teizawa.
A complicated light surged in those pale eyes of his.
Gratitude, vigilance, confusion.
And a faint, indescribable tremor.
"I'm only a branch family member. Why would you help me?"
Teizawa leaned against the wall and looked at him.
Neji, who had forced himself to calm down, still had traces of shock lingering on his cool face.
The mark on his forehead had already vanished.
But the instinctive weight of being bound for so many years still remained.
Teizawa smiled.
There was no mockery in that smile.
Only a faint, unreadable appreciation.
"Of course I didn't help you for nothing."
His voice was light.
Neji's fingers tightened until his knuckles turned white.
"What do you want?"
He pressed, then seemed to think of something and added, "If you want me to betray Konoha, I won't do it."
Teizawa shook his head.
"I'm not plotting against Konoha."
He paused, his gaze falling on Neji's face. "I have my eye on you."
Neji froze.
"What do you mean?"
His mind went blank.
Who was he?
A minor member of the Hyuga branch family.
A tool who could not even decide his own freedom.
An unremarkable ninja in Konoha.
What virtue or ability did he have that could make the Kage of an entire village take notice of him?
"I want you to come back to Sunagakure with me."
Teizawa went straight to the point.
His tone was as calm as if he were commenting on the weather.
"What?"
Neji was completely stunned.
His mouth opened and closed, then closed and opened again.
Not a single word came out.
Teizawa gave him no time to process it and continued.
"Your Caged Bird is gone. Do you think the Hyuga main family will let you go?"
Neji's pupils contracted.
"Or do you think..."
Teizawa's voice remained unhurried, like he was stating a conclusion that had already been decided.
"That you can help the other branch family members undo their Caged Bird seals?"
Neji stood frozen in place as if struck by lightning.
In that instant, every hair on his body stood on end.
Cold sweat rolled down his back.
All the scenes he had not dared to imagine, had not wanted to imagine, had desperately buried deep in his heart, were dragged out by Teizawa's words.
They flashed wildly through his mind.
What would happen if the main family found out?
They would not let him go.
They would not let anyone know that the Caged Bird could be undone.
They would seize him.
Plant the curse mark on him again.
Or simply execute him.
And because he was the first branch family member whose Caged Bird had been undone, the rest of the branch family would fight desperately to save him.
They had waited for hundreds of years and finally found one sliver of hope.
How could they watch that hope be snuffed out?
They would resist. They would riot.
They would protect him at any cost.
And then?
The main family would suppress them. Many branch family members would die.
The Hyuga clan would collapse from within.
It would be finished.
Neji's body trembled faintly.
He raised his head and looked at Teizawa's calm face. His lips moved, and his voice was rough as sand.
"You..."
Teizawa met his gaze, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.
Then he said every thought in Neji's mind out loud.
"If you go back, the main family will either plant the Caged Bird on you again, or execute you outright."
"And because you are the first branch family member to break free from it, the Hyuga branch family will do everything they can to save you."
He paused. "A lot of people will die. The Hyuga clan will be done for."
Neji was completely dumbstruck.
He wanted to argue. He wanted to say, "That won't happen," or "The main family wouldn't be that cruel," or "The branch family wouldn't be that reckless."
But every rebuttal was crushed back down by stronger reason the moment it surfaced.
Because when he thought about it carefully, there was no flaw in the Kazekage's logic.
No.
It was not merely possible.
It was inevitable.
Teizawa looked at Neji's deathly pale face and knew the timing was right.
"I will leave Konoha tonight..."
His voice softened. "You still have many choices."
After saying that, he turned and walked toward the mouth of the alley.
Sunlight fell across him.
His dark-gold robe gleamed faintly in the morning light.
His back was tall, straight, and composed as he gradually disappeared into the distance.
Neji stood where he was.
He watched that figure vanish from the alley.
It was as if all the strength had been drained from his body.
He leaned against the wall.
Then slowly slid down to sit on the ground.
A cold wind poured in from the alley entrance.
It lifted his long hair.
It lifted the now-empty forehead protector in his hand.
He lowered his head and looked at his own hands.
These hands had killed countless enemies. These hands had fought with everything he had to protect his comrades.
He had thought this was all his life would ever be.
He had thought the fate of the branch family was death.
He had thought freedom was a dream forever out of reach.
But now, freedom was right in front of him.
The price was leaving Konoha.
Leaving the place where he had grown up.
Leaving the people he had once risked his life to protect.
Was there truly no other path?
Neji closed his eyes. Hinata's face appeared in his mind, followed by Hanabi's.
Then the eternally stern face of his uncle, Hyuga Hiashi.
He remembered his father's smile before his death.
He remembered his mother's reddened eyes from crying.
He remembered all those nights when he had sat alone on the roof, staring at the stars.
He opened his eyes and looked up at the square patch of sky cut out by the eaves above him.
The sunlight stung his eyes.
Something gathered in his eye sockets.
He did not wipe it away.
He only raised his head and remained motionless.
A long time passed.
Then he slowly stood and tied the forehead protector back around his brow.
The metal plate was cold.
It covered where the curse mark had once been.
It covered the empty place where the mark had vanished.
He took a deep breath.
Then stepped out of the alley.
Warm sunlight spilled over him.
He raised his head and looked toward Konoha's gate.
In his heart, he had already made his choice.
...
Meanwhile, Teizawa was leaning against the wall near the alley entrance.
His arms were folded as he looked at the purple-haired woman who had hurried over.
She wore an Anbu uniform.
Her mask was not on, revealing a cool, refined face.
Long purple hair drifted gently in the wind, the ends brushing over her shoulders.
Her breathing was still a little uneven.
Clearly, she had run all the way here.
"I thought you'd forgotten our agreement."
Teizawa's voice was unhurried.
A faint, almost invisible smile hung at the corner of his mouth.
Uzuki Yugao stood in front of him.
Three steps away, as if guarding against something.
Her fingers curled slightly, nails digging into her palms.
Those purple eyes stared hard at Teizawa.
There was expectation in them. Hesitation.
And a kind of indescribable tension.
"You're leaving Konoha already..."
Her voice was a little dry. "The thing you promised me, how..."
"I never promised you."
Teizawa cut her off, his tone as flat as if he were speaking of something irrelevant.
"After all, you never paid me."
Yugao's expression changed slightly.
She remembered what had happened at the inn last time.
That man had held her in his arms, frightening her so badly that she had fled in panic.
That time, she had paid nothing.
Naturally, she had no right to demand that he fulfill anything.
"You..." She bit her lip, forcing the words out between her teeth. "How much money do you want?"
Teizawa shook his head.
"I'm not interested in money."
"You know this. What interests me more is you."
He paused. "I already have seven billion. That will last me quite a while."
Yugao's face became even uglier.
If not money, then what?
Her heartbeat quickened.
Her fingers tightened further, her nails nearly cutting into her flesh.
"Then what do you want?"
Her voice was pressed very low.
Teizawa straightened and took one step toward her.
Yugao instinctively stepped back.
Her back hit the wall, leaving her nowhere to retreat.
He stood in front of her.
Looking down at her.
Her reflection appeared in those deep eyes of his.
"You should know what I want."
His voice was soft, but every word was as clear as if it had been carved into stone.
"Bringing someone back from the dead is not simple. Why should I revive Gekko Hayate for nothing?"
"What, did you think you could get it for free?"
Yugao's breathing grew uneven.
For free?
The phrase made her both ashamed and angry.
But she did not dare flare up.
Hayate's life was in his hands. She could not afford to offend him.
"If you want to make a deal with me..."
Teizawa lowered his head and leaned close to her ear, his voice low like a devil's whisper.
"Then you need to pay a price."
Yugao's body trembled faintly.
She closed her eyes, her lashes shaking.
She bit her lip until it turned pale.
She knew what he wanted.
She had known last time.
She had thought she could escape. Thought he would forget her.
Thought the matter would quietly end.
But he had not forgotten.
He had been waiting.
Waiting for her to come to him on her own.
"I..." Her voice was rough as sand. "I can't..."
Teizawa straightened, took one step back, and looked at her.
"Then there is nothing to discuss."
He turned and walked toward the alley entrance.
"Wait..."
Yugao suddenly opened her eyes.
She reached out and caught the edge of his robe.
Her grip was very light.
So light it seemed a breeze could blow it away, but her fingers were shaking.
Teizawa stopped, but did not turn back.
"I..."
Her voice came in broken pieces, like a stuck recording.
"You... can you really bring Hayate back?"
"Yes."
Teizawa's answer was short and firm.
Yugao fell silent.
The alley was so quiet that only the rustle of wind passing over dead leaves remained.
Along with the two of them breathing, their breaths slowly growing faster and more tangled.
A long while passed before she let go and lowered her head.
"I agree."
Teizawa turned and looked at her.
She stood there.
Her long purple hair covered half her face, hiding her expression.
But her shoulders trembled faintly.
Her hands hung at her sides, clenched into fists.
"Good."
Teizawa reached out.
He gently pinched her chin and lifted her face.
Her face was streaked with tears.
Moisture filled her purple eyes.
But she did not hide.
She only bit her lip and looked at him stubbornly.
"The deal is made."
Teizawa turned and walked toward the inn.
His pace was unhurried.
The dark-gold robe gleamed faintly in the sunlight.
"Follow me."
Yugao followed behind him.
Her head was lowered, and her purple hair covered half her face, hiding her expression.
Her footsteps were very light, as if she were stepping on cotton.
Every step carried hesitation and struggle.
Neither of them spoke along the way.
Only their footsteps echoed over the stone path.
One in front, one behind.
Like hunter and prey.
When they returned to the inn room, Teizawa pushed the door open and sat down on the bed with casual authority.
His hands rested on his knees.
His gaze landed on the stiff figure standing by the doorway.
"I leave Konoha tonight. You still have one afternoon."
His voice was neither light nor heavy.
It sounded like he was stating a simple fact.
Yugao stood at the doorway without moving.
Her hands hung at her sides.
They were clenched into fists, her knuckles white.
She looked at Teizawa. At that young, composed face. At her own reflection in those deep eyes.
Her heart pounded like a drum, and her mind was in chaos.
Teizawa leaned back against the headboard.
His arms folded as he looked at her.
"I don't like forcing women. If you don't want this, you can leave right now. As for the deal..."
He paused. "Treat it as if I never mentioned it."
"No... I can't."
Yugao's voice was rough as sand.
Every word seemed forced from deep inside her throat.
"You promised me... you would bring Hayate back."
Teizawa's expression did not change.
There was even a faint smile still hanging at the corner of his mouth.
"Then it depends on your sincerity."
Yugao fell silent.
She stood at the door like a tree bent by the wind.
On the verge of collapse.
A long time passed before she raised her head.
Her purple eyes were full of tears.
But her gaze was unusually firm.
"You can really bring Hayate back?"
Her voice was very soft, soft enough to sound like a dream.
"Of course," Teizawa answered, brief and certain. "I swear it in the name of the Kazekage before me."
In the name of the Kazekage before him.
Yugao's eyes flickered.
That was a heavy oath.
Ninja valued promises.
A village's Kage would not use the reputation of his predecessors as a joke.
In her heart, she already believed most of it.
Or rather, she had believed him from the start.
Otherwise, she would not have come to him. She would not be standing here. She would not have let herself fall into this impossible position.
"I hope you keep your word."
Her voice was very light, but every word carried weight.
"Otherwise... I will kill you."
Teizawa said nothing. He only looked at her.
Yugao lowered her head.
Tears finally spilled from her eyes.
They slid down her cheeks and dripped onto her clothes, spreading into dark stains.
Her hands moved slowly to her collar.
Every movement was slow, as if she were trying to delay time.
Then she stopped.
Her fingers clenched against the fabric, and her whole body trembled as if she were standing at the edge of a cliff.
For Hayate.
That thought rose in her mind like a blade.
She closed her eyes.
"Hayate, I'm sorry."
She whispered the words silently in her heart as tears blurred her vision.
"Please forgive me."
Teizawa watched her for a moment, then reached out and caught her wrist.
His fingers were not rough.
He only drew her forward and let her fall into his arms.
"Don't cry."
His voice suddenly softened, and he wiped the tears from her face.
"This is a deal. A choice you made yourself."
Yugao bit her lip and said nothing.
She buried her face against his chest.
Her eyes closed as tears slid down soundlessly.
Outside the window, sunlight squeezed through the gap in the curtains.
It fell across the two of them and cast a hazy shadow on the floor.
No one knew what happened inside that room.
Only the quiet afternoon stretched on, heavy with a choice that could not be taken back.
(End of Chapter)
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