The air trembled.
A violent gale swept through the battlefield, flattening the trees and scattering the broken remnants of the ruined terrain. From above, a column of golden light tore through the clouds like a divine judgment descending upon the earth.
Neji stood in the center of it all, his eyes calm yet burning with an intensity that made even the sun seem dull. The gentle breeze brushed past his long hair, but his chakra pressure distorted the air around him.
Across from him, Pakura stood firm despite the searing heat radiating from his aura. Her once-confident smirk had vanished, replaced by grim focus. She could feel it—an oppressive, almost divine power that dwarfed everything she'd seen before.
"Neji Hyuga…" she muttered under her breath, clutching her kunai tighter. "Just what kind of monster are you?"
Neji didn't answer. His Byakugan had already locked onto her, veins bulging at his temples as golden light began to swirl around his entire body. The chakra wasn't just pure—it was refined to a sacred degree, like the essence of the sun itself.
Pakura took a deep breath and forced her own chakra to the surface. Flames erupted around her, the scorching Sand-style fire that had once reduced entire armies to ash. The air itself shimmered as she summoned her signature technique.
"Scorch Release: Halo of Burning Death!"
The orbs of fire spun around her in perfect circles, glowing with heat so intense that the sand beneath her feet melted into glass.
Neji's gaze didn't waver. "Scorch Release…" he murmured softly. "That's quite the technique."
But even as the fiery halos rushed toward him, he moved with serene precision. His hand extended, palm open, and the golden light intensified.
The next instant—
BOOM!
The halos met his chakra barrier and disintegrated. Not even embers remained.
Pakura's eyes widened. "Impossible…!"
Neji lowered his hand, his expression composed. "Your flames are powerful, but they burn only what's before them. My power—" his voice deepened, "—burns everything, even the air itself."
He clasped his hands together.
The ground cracked beneath him as a brilliant golden circle spread outward, pulsating with divine energy. From that light, a sword began to take shape—a blade made not of steel but of condensed chakra, shimmering with radiance.
Pakura instinctively took a step back. Her instincts screamed danger.
"Golden Wheel…" Neji whispered.
A beam of golden brilliance erupted from his hand, so bright it turned the world to white. For an instant, everything fell silent—the wind, the clash of chakra, even the heartbeat of those nearby seemed to stop.
Then came the explosion.
BOOOOOOM!!!
A wave of raw energy surged outward, slicing through the mountains like paper. The shockwave traveled for miles, uprooting forests and vaporizing the sand dunes in its wake.
Pakura screamed as the light engulfed her. Her Scorch Release flared desperately in defense, but it was futile. The golden energy swallowed her flames whole, consuming her in a radiant storm.
When the light finally faded, silence returned.
A deep trench now scarred the battlefield, stretching far beyond the horizon. The clouds above had been parted, revealing a clear, endless sky.
Neji stood at the center, his robes fluttering in the hot wind. The golden sword in his hand slowly dissolved into motes of light.
Behind him, Sasori and Kakuzu watched in disbelief. Even they—hardened veterans of countless wars—couldn't comprehend the scale of destruction they had just witnessed.
Kakuzu broke the silence first. "That… wasn't human."
Sasori's expression was unreadable, but his puppet eyes flickered. "So that's the power of the Hyuga prodigy," he muttered. "Divine arts… truly terrifying."
Neji exhaled slowly, lowering his gaze to where Pakura had once stood. Only a faint scorch mark remained. "It's over."
He turned, walking past the stunned Akatsuki members without another word. His chakra had already begun to fade, the divine glow receding as calm returned to his features.
But within him, the aftershock of the technique still echoed. The Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion—a divine art that surpassed mortal ninjutsu—demanded immense chakra control. Even with his mastery, it drained him to the core.
He could still hear Pakura's last whisper carried away by the fading wind:
"So bright… like the sun…"
Neji closed his eyes. "Rest in peace," he murmured.
A soft rustle came from behind as Sasori spoke again. "Your power could rival the gods themselves. But tell me, Hyuga… what are you fighting for?"
Neji paused, his silhouette framed against the golden horizon.
"For peace," he said quietly. "Even if I have to destroy everything standing in its way."
Sasori tilted his head. "Peace, through destruction… You sound just like Lord Madara."
Neji didn't answer, but his expression darkened slightly. "Coincidentally," he said after a moment, "Madara thinks the same as me."
The words hung heavy in the air.
Kakuzu frowned. "If that's true, then perhaps the world's already doomed."
Neji looked toward the distance, where faint chakra signatures still flickered across the vast battlefield. "No," he said. "This world still has a chance. But only if those with power stop hiding behind ideals and start taking responsibility."
He began walking again, the sand crunching softly beneath his feet. The sun had started to set, its orange glow painting the world in a melancholic hue.
Behind him, Sasori muttered quietly, "The Hyuga genius… a man blessed by heaven and cursed by fate."
Kakuzu snorted. "Blessed or cursed, it doesn't matter. As long as he's alive, he'll change everything."
Neji's figure grew smaller as he disappeared into the horizon, the faint shimmer of golden light trailing behind him like a dying star.
---
Hours later, deep within the remnants of a hidden cave, a shadow stirred.
It was Pakura—barely alive, her body burned and battered, but not entirely gone. The golden light had nearly erased her, but a thin film of Scorch chakra had shielded her heart at the last moment.
She gasped weakly, blood trickling down her lip. "That… was no human power…"
Her eyes trembled as she recalled the sight of Neji standing in the light, calm and divine, like a god descending from the heavens.
"…Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion," she whispered, half in awe and half in fear.
And with that, she fell unconscious.
---
Far away, in a darkened hall within the Akatsuki hideout, Madara Uchiha opened his eyes.
Through the threads of chakra that connected him to his Black Zetsu, he had felt it—the immense surge of divine energy that had torn through the land.
"So, it has finally manifested…" Madara murmured. "The power of the Sage."
Zetsu emerged from the wall like a shadow. "Lord Madara, should we intervene?"
Madara's lips curved into a faint smile. "No. Let him walk his path. Whether he realizes it or not, Neji Hyuga's power will pave the way for our true dream."
He gazed out toward the horizon where the golden light had faded. "The world will soon witness the dawn of a new era. And when it comes… even the gods will bow."
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)