Chapter 89: Chapter 89: Leaving the Leaf - Take Me to Orochimaru
"Host tucked in Karin Uzumaki. Reward granted: [Perfect Sage Body]."
Perfect Sage Body: One of the powers inherited from the Sage of Six Paths. Unlike the spiritual energy of the Sage Eyes, the Sage Body enhances physical energy to extraordinary levels. The bearer possesses immense vitality, regenerative ability, and a vast chakra reserve strong enough to suppress even a Tailed Beast.
The moment the system's voice rang out, Neji felt a warm current flowing through his limbs and bones, nourishing every inch of his body. It was like undergoing a complete transformation, as if he'd been reforged in fire. His chakra reserves surged to terrifying new heights.
From now on, he was no longer plagued by chakra deficiency. That label 'always running low' was finally gone.
"What a pleasant surprise," Neji murmured, even he unable to hide his astonishment.
He had long since deciphered the system's temperament: the more valuable the reward, the more intimate the required interaction.
The Sage Body and not just any Sage Body, but the perfect variant was a reward that could be considered one of the highest tier in the entire shinobi world. Neji had expected he'd have to go a lot further with Karin to earn it, but in the end, all it took was pulling a blanket over her.
"See you in three years."
Back in reality, he glanced at the three girls sleeping soundly before quietly turning to leave, without disturbing a soul. His next destination: the Hokage's office.
The night was silent, the sky a deep and solemn black. Most of the village's elite shinobi had been drawn away by Root's operations; those who remained were ordinary jonin and chunin.
Neji made his way into the Hokage's office with ease and placed a letter he'd prepared in advance on the desk. Then, he pulled a necklace from inside his robes, stared at it for a moment, and gently set it down beside the letter.
A breeze swept through the room.
In the next instant, he was gone vanished without a trace.
All that remained were a few new items on the desk, proof that someone had been there.
It was a night destined to be restless.
Two of the Twelve Konoha Genin, both hailed as bloodline prodigies, had left the village one after the other each choosing his own path.
Rustle… rustle…
Neji raced through the dense forest beyond the village, chasing faint clues left behind by Sasuke and his group. His first stop: Orochimaru's hidden base.
If you help someone, see it through to the end. And if you're going to exploit someone, drain them completely.
Orochimaru's techniques were a treasure trove he had every intention of plundering. As the final villain to survive the entirety of the Naruto world, there was much Neji could learn from him.
"System, open the status panel."
[Host: Hyūga Neji]
Age: 13
Chakra Affinities: Fire, Earth, Water, Wind, Lightning
Bloodline Limit: Byakugan (Purified)
Taijutsu:
Gentle Fist
Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation
Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms
Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm
Twin Lion Fists
Eight Trigrams Guard
Sakura Rush
Eight Trigrams: Mountain-Crushing Strike
Ninjutsu:
Clone Techniques (Transformation, Substitution, Shadow Clone)
Fire Style: Great Fireball
Medical Ninjutsu: Healing Palm
Summoning: Tools, Slug
Intimidation
Ash-Killing Bone
Mental Sphere
Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu
Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet
Earth Style: Earth Wall
Flame Bullet
Hidden Shadow Snake Hands
Snake Clone
Eight-Headed Technique
Great Snake Substitution
Chakra Scalpel
Mind's Eye of the Kagura
Rabbit Hair Needle
Creation Rebirth
Strength of a Hundred Seal
Yin Seal
Wood Style: Wood Clone
Earth Style: Earth Spear
Earth Style: Stone Lodging Destruction
Earth Style: Falling Clay
Earth Style: Petrification
Earth Style: Mud Pill
Byakugan: Astral Form
Genjutsu:
Byakugan: Illusion Technique
Physique: Perfect Sage Body
Overall Strength: Beyond Kage Level
"Beyond Kage Level…" Neji whispered to himself as he sped through the forest, not at all surprised by the system's evaluation. "At least now, I can survive in this dangerous world."
Progress beyond the Kage tier didn't come easily. Reaching this point was thanks to an arsenal of overpowered abilities. But even so, at this stage, the gap between fighters at the same level could be enormous practically worlds apart.
At the very pinnacle of this rank were none other than Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha shinobi who had touched upon the powers of the Sage of Six Paths. Their strength was on a completely different scale from the rest.
Just then, Neji caught the heavy scent of blood on the wind.
"…Hmm? So, someone found them already."
Landing softly, he examined the battlefield before him.
Exploded tags lay torn and scattered across the ground, the earth blackened and scorched. Shuriken and kunai were embedded deep in the soil. A few corpses were sprawled nearby, blood still leaking from fresh wounds. It was clear a brutal battle had just taken place.
Neji paused for only a moment before vanishing again into the forest.
Meanwhile, deep within the woods, four figures were moving at high speed one of them carrying a large barrel on his back.
"Damn! Someone's caught up to us!" Kidōmaru's expression tightened as he spun around to scan the trees.
But all he got in response was a sharp rebuke.
"Why do you always say dumb crap like that?!" Tayuya snapped at him, her face full of irritation.
"What?! When did-?!"
Before he could finish, Kidōmaru froze.
Somehow, Tayuya was already being held hostage. Sakon and Jirōbō were collapsed on the ground, eyes rolled back, clearly unconscious.
"This… this can't be real!" Panic flared in Kidōmaru's eyes. The four of them were strong. Even if they faced a jonin, they could usually overwhelm them together.
But now? Everything had changed in an instant. Without a sound, three of them had been taken down and only he remained.
The one holding Tayuya captive was, of course, Neji.
Why take her hostage instead of just knocking her out?
Simple because the system would reward him.
And sure enough, a new ability had just been added to his list: Demonic Flute: Phantom Sound Chains.
Demonic Flute: Phantom Sound Chains: A genjutsu technique cast through flute music that traps the target in a phantom realm. Their body becomes paralyzed and gradually eroded from within.
It was a decent genjutsu. The victim remained conscious but unable to move a powerful form of restraint. Even more impressively, the sound could penetrate Susanoo. That's how Kabuto managed to ensnare both Itachi and Sasuke during their confrontation.
Still, the technique had obvious flaws: you needed a flute, and your target couldn't be wearing earplugs.
In short, the technique's usefulness depended entirely on whether your gear was in place.
But Neji didn't mind. A free power was still a free power.
"What do you want?" Kidōmaru asked, forcing himself to speak despite his fear.
Neji stood tall, gazing down at him with cold eyes. "Take me to Orochimaru."