Naruto: Reborn as Neji Hyuga After Dying in One Piece

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"Let go."

Sasuko's voice was cold as she pulled away from Orochimaru's hand, treating him less like her master and more like an inconvenience.

Orochimaru only smiled, indulgent as ever, but Kabuto bristled instantly. "How dare you speak to Lord Orochimaru like that?"

Sasuko's eyes cut toward him, flat and sharp. "I don't need a reason to act."

Kabuto adjusted his glasses, light flashing off the lenses. "You should understand why Lord Orochimaru stopped you. You know what Akatsuki is planning."

He explained with a calm, calculating tone: "Let the Leaf shinobi fight Akatsuki. The more enemies they eliminate for us, the smoother your path to revenge will be."

Sasuko gave a derisive laugh. "That's your excuse?"

"It's logic," Kabuto pressed. "Every obstacle removed is another step closer to Itachi."

She didn't reply. But silence was as good as acceptance. Orochimaru's smile widened. "Then it's settled. Let's go."

Sasuko lowered her arm, her gaze lingering briefly on Naruto below. She didn't speak again, turning with Orochimaru and Kabuto as they vanished into the shadows.

"…Sasuke…"

Naruto's lips formed her name, his body shaking before he collapsed to his knees.

"I couldn't stop her…" His fists clenched, striking the earth until his forehead pressed against the dirt. "I'm still too weak!"

Beside him, Sakura's eyes brimmed with tears. If you're too weak… then what am I? She bit her lip, fists trembling. "Then I'll get stronger too. Strong enough to stand with you."

Sai and Yamato exchanged a glance. They didn't share these bonds, but they understood their weight.

Sai gave a small shrug. "Two people will never compare to three. And… I'm not exactly weak."

Naruto met his eyes. "Thanks."

Yamato folded his arms, nodding with quiet resolve. As a jonin, he couldn't let Kakashi down. "Enough. Let's head back."

…

Above, Neji gathered the remnants of his floating "spectator's seat," sealing away the cloud-island and half-finished food.

"Timing lines up," he muttered. "If I'm right, the next arc should take me to Rōran… the timeline of the Queen and the Sands of Time."

His Tenseigan pulsed as he considered the paths ahead. The past is immutable. Touching it changes nothing in this worldline. Only the future can shift.

His thoughts broke when his gaze fell below. Something unusual stirred in the forest. A figure. Half-hidden.

A pale, plantlike form.

"…Well, what do we have here?" Neji smirked. "A pitcher plant."

He blurred forward.

…

Below, Zetsu had been preparing to withdraw. Recon was his mission to track Sasori, report movements, and collect secrets. He hadn't expected to stumble across such valuable intelligence.

"So Sasori betrayed us… siding with the D-Organization and even clashing with Orochimaru. And Uchiha Sasuko… using Konoha to chip away at Akatsuki. Hmph. A report like this will delight him…"

He turned to leave only to freeze as a hand clamped down on his shoulder.

"Not so fast. We need to talk."

Glowing blue eyes stared into his face. Zetsu's white half stiffened. "…You're from the D-Organization. Codename: Nian!"

"Correct."

Neji smiled and tapped his finger against White Zetsu's face, putting that half to sleep, leaving only the black half awake.

"Relax. I'm not here to kill you. In fact… I might even help you."

Black Zetsu's voice hardened. "Help me? You know about Kaguya. You know my goal."

Chakra swirled around Neji as two beastly signatures flickered into his palm fragments of the Two-Tails and Three-Tails.

Black Zetsu's thoughts raced. He knows about Mother. He knows the plan to gather the Tailed Beasts. He even has them…

Its tone grew wary. "Who are you?"

Neji's expression was calm, amused. "That doesn't matter. What matters is this if I choose to stop you, your dream of reviving Kaguya ends here."

A wave of power pulsed outward. His body shimmered with emerald light as the Tenseigan Chakra Mode ignited. Three black Truth-Seeking Orbs hovered in his palm, humming with destructive potential.

The sheer pressure made even Black Zetsu falter. "This chakra… this power… it's like Hagoromo himself… or even—"

Its thoughts trembled. Hamura. Could he be… one of his descendants? Has the Byakugan evolved?

No answers came. Only Neji's faint smile.

"You want the Ten-Tails. You want to break the seal and free your mother. I know all of it Madara, Obito, the Rinnegan you pin your hopes on. Every step of your little script."

Black Zetsu stiffened. Every attempt to mask its fear was useless the man before it saw through everything.

"What do you want?"

Neji's smile widened. "What do I want? Simple…"

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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter

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