Chapter 157: Stiff
Fate was something Neji understood very well.
He had believed in it for most of his life.
People were different. Some were born to pull carts, others were born to sit in palaces. He had once been convinced that his destiny was to devote everything to the main family and then die a meaningless death, just as the mark on his forehead declared.
He was nothing more than a caged bird.
Bound to the hell known as the Hyuga clan, destined never to be reborn. His fate was to sacrifice everything for his cousin, Hinata.
So during the Chunin Exams, he had wanted to kill Hinata with his own hands, to prove that he could resist this so called destiny, to curse this cruel world in the only way he knew how.
Of course, he failed.
Naruto defeated him.
But to say Naruto's words alone enlightened him was not entirely accurate. More than anything, Neji had simply reached his limit. A caged bird could not escape. Every morning when he woke and felt the mark on his forehead, he was reminded that he was still trapped in that cycle. There was no path out.
In the end, the existence of the Nine Tails Jinchuriki, that impossible contradiction standing before him, had crushed his belief in an absolute, unchanging fate.
It seemed that Hinata would give her life for others in the future. That was her fate.
Yet even with that, Neji no longer sank into despair.
Because he understood that this was the fate of ninjas as a whole. Not just his own, but Konoha's, and the entire ninja world's.
In a world of endless killing, perhaps there was still room for small acts of resistance. Not through murder, but through thought, through saving lives. That too could be called defying fate.
Neji had already mastered the Hyuga clan's secret techniques and filled most of his gaps. His current strength was equivalent to that of a Jonin. With a bit more training within the clan, he would become the youngest Jonin in Hyuga's current generation.
He did not care for such titles.
He preferred to ponder fate itself.
But as a ninja, he was bound to certain duties.
Under Tsunade's summons, his team was called directly to the Hokage's office.
He, Tenten, and Rock Lee were given a single order.
They were to face Nara Shikamaru, Haruno Sakura, Yamanaka Ino, and Aburame Shino.
"This is an order from the Hokage," Tsunade said. "The four of them have been receiving an education and guidance that differs from the current mainstream of Konoha. Now it is time to see the results. I need your team to conduct a simulated match and probe their current level."
Sitting in her chair, Tsunade laced her fingers and rested her chin on her hands. Her golden eyes calmly swept over the three confused faces.
"Konoha has entered a partial cooperation with a certain education specialist," she continued. "For now, I need the three of you to work together and test the progress of those four. If necessary, you are authorized to use any tools and methods. There is no need to hold back."
"Understood."
All three of them understood the weight of those words.
Even Lee, who secretly loved Sakura, straightened his back and shouted his agreement, though his fists were trembling.
Just as Neji often said, the ninja world was always stained with blood. Fate followed them everywhere. Even if the targets were from the same village, even if they were people they liked, once the Hokage gave the order, certain things became inevitable.
There was a very real chance that Rock Lee would kill the girl he loved with his own hands.
Tenten might have to kill a teammate of Sasuke's support squad, a girl she was close to but not particularly friendly with. Neji himself would have to kill comrades he had once fought beside while chasing Sasuke.
That was the fate of ninjas.
During the Chunin Exams, they had been told to show no mercy in the face of a mission.
Nothing had changed now.
They did not know what had happened to those four, or why this situation had arisen. But since the order came directly from Tsunade, they could only nod and accept it.
Compared to the village, personal feelings could be buried.
Every time they were forced to suppress those feelings, it felt as if another hole opened in their souls. Every mission made them question whether their lives had any meaning.
The conclusion was always the same.
Ninjas were beings whose existence was fundamentally meaningless.
It seemed as if only by dying for others, only by building a world no one actually wanted, could they maintain this twisted "truth."
At least, that was how Neji saw it. A world that could not be reversed.
Of course, if they could go all out and still only come back injured, that would be ideal.
That was the best outcome Neji could imagine for all three of them.
Although the Hokage had outwardly ordered them to fight with full force, this was still a test. As long as they experienced the difference in their paths and surrendered honestly to reality, the worst outcome might be avoided.
That was what Neji hoped for.
Then he reached the battlefield and realized something in the briefing had been wrong.
"Our three man team is going to fight one person on the other side," he asked, "and then we rotate through all four of them one by one
"Instead of them teaming up against us three"
"Yes."
Tsunade stood at the edge of the same arena used in the Chunin Exams and looked down at them. Her gaze was solemn, her tone heavy.
"The three of you will face any one of them at a time," she said. "Use all your strength and crush them completely. Do not worry about anything else. Just go all out."
"Even if I am unwilling, this pain is also a part of youth," Lee shouted. "I understand, Lady Tsunade"
"There is nothing technically wrong with the order," Tenten muttered, "but this kind of setup could very easily get someone killed…"
"I do not care," Tsunade replied.
Her two teammates did not fully grasp the meaning behind her words.
Neji did.
Tsunade's true intention was to have them execute these four former friends and former loves. Their role was to be executioners on the stage.
This was not rare in the ninja world.
Sometimes people did not even know when or how they had supposedly betrayed the village. Even then, a clean handed executioner was still needed to drag the world back into its familiar, warped shape.
That was the fate of the ninja world.
And the fate of ninjas themselves.
I had thought we would injure them but not kill them, Neji thought.
But Lady Tsunade's intent is clear. She wants them dead.
This is always the path for ninjas.
Such a tiresome destiny.
After a long silence, under Tsunade's cold yet unwavering gaze, the trio finally bowed their heads and accepted the mission.
Their next task was to kill four former comrades, in broad daylight, on a test field.
Neji did not know what state those four had reached, or what path had brought them here.
But ninjas were not paid to think. They were paid to carry out orders.
He clapped a hand on Lee and Tenten's shoulders, feeling the weight of destiny settling around them, and signaled that it was time to fight.
He had already pictured how this story would begin.
A cruel, merciless, terrifying story, soaked in exhaustion and despair.
To kill former comrades with his own hands.
To use all of his and his teammates' power to cut down the people he loved.
That was the story Neji expected.
Reality did not follow his script.
"Flower Escape, Flower Fairy Powder."
With movements that were almost mechanical, Ino stepped out of a drifting mist. Her body language was stiff, and she glanced down at the three figures sprawled limply on the ground. Her eyes were flat. Her voice held no warmth.
"If you inhale around three micrograms of this compound," she said calmly, "your chakra flow slows down.
"If you inhale more than one milligram, the Flower Fairy Powder completely blocks your chakra, and you lose all ability to use ninjutsu. You become an ordinary person."
"This is a specialized flower escape technique developed from the First Hokage's Flower Tree World," she continued. "In other words, once you smell my scent, you lose the ability to resist me.
"Unless you have Sage Chakra or a stronger form of interference, this technique cannot be overcome."
"It is unfortunate," Ino added, bowing her head slightly, "but please return home. My research was never meant for you three."
"…"
In the first bout, Neji's team faced Ino.
They lost.
She had appeared dressed in fashionable everyday clothes, but everything about her seemed wrong. Her movements were stiff. Her gestures lacked the casual grace she used to show, and she made no effort to adjust her clothing even when her posture shifted.
Like a machine, she had walked into the arena, a delicate fragrance drifting in her wake.
No one noticed the subtle change in the air.
They merely breathed.
The pollen that carried her scent slid into their lungs, and before they understood what was happening, the flow of chakra inside them vanished.
Their bodies dropped like stones.
Fortunately, unlike the team that had received explicit orders, Ino had clearly not been instructed to kill. She turned away and walked off the field with those same awkward, pigeon toed steps.
Her movements were not human.
She did not feel like a kunoichi.
More like something being piloted from the outside.
A chill went down the backs of everyone watching. It felt as if something twisted and alien was wearing Yamanaka Ino's skin.
For now, that was a side issue.
The important point was that the mission's premise had already been shattered.
The changes in those four were far more drastic than anyone had expected.
Still, as long as the next match was approached carefully, there should be no real problem. Ninja battles came down to information and timing. This loss could be blamed on lack of intel. That mistake would not be repeated.
After adjusting their tactics, Neji's team stepped out to face their second opponent.
Nara Shikamaru.
"It is pointless to guard yourself against my shadow," he said. "I do not fight with shadows anymore.
"The Blood Stasis Armor and Holy Body techniques have already surpassed the systems used by ninjas."
Shikamaru stood there with his hair tied up, hands in his pockets, and looked calmly down at the three on the ground. Their faces were pale, drenched in sweat.
"The nature of chakra is that it gathers," he said. "When it encounters a concentrated chakra signal, it is quickly assimilated, accepted, and absorbed.
"As long as I release the right signal, the chakra flowing through your bodies will naturally merge into mine."
"Developing antibody techniques is difficult. But I am, after all, a genius of Konoha. It was only natural for me to create fluid recoil technology.
"As long as an attack does not exceed its upper threshold in a single instant, all the fluids and chakra in my body form a protective arc that continuously buffers the impact.
"The force then spreads, expands, and finally ejects.
"Your defeat is not because I am so powerful," he concluded. "It is simply that I have acquired too much, while you are still stuck in the common sense of the ninja world.
"The gap between us is too wide. Far too wide."
"…"
This was not how it was supposed to go.
Why did one technique after another deny them even the chance to fight back
Yes, the fate of ninjas was cruel, but was it really necessary to deny them any hope at all
Staring at his teammates, drained and collapsed, Neji could only grit his teeth.
In the strategy session that followed, he emphasized that the enemy had clearly mastered strange, specialized techniques.
Their only option in the next match was to seize the initiative and attack before those techniques fully activated.
When Rock Lee declared that he was ready to open the Eight Gates, willing to burn his own life at the peak of youth even if it meant fighting the girl he loved, Neji nodded.
This was the very essence of a ninja's destiny.
There was nothing left to fear.
This time they would succeed.
"Chakra Flip, Heavenly Net. A technique I developed to capture Sasuke kun."
Sakura's expression was blank. Her lips curved into a bright smile as she held an empty vial and looked at the three pinned to the ground.
They were bound by countless branches of chakra, each branch glowing faintly with starlike sparks.
Sakura's eyes shone with satisfaction.
"This is a technique I developed specifically for Sasuke," she said. "Because of the seal on his body, normal chakra erasure methods cannot be used on him.
"So I decided that if we could not capture him by erasing his chakra, we would use a more direct method."
"These branches are chakra given form," she continued. "They are unaffected by external interference.
"The starlight you see are retreat units. When disturbed, the retreat units activate and lock the chakra in place."
"This net can easily withstand small amounts of natural energy and capture Sasuke with pure, overwhelming force."
"I have tested it. Against ordinary strength, there is no way to resist. Rotation techniques and the Eight Gates cannot break it. Ninja tools are useless."
"I am very grateful for the data you have provided," she added cheerfully. "Now that I have it, let me give you some advice.
"You really should not fight Shino Aburame. You will have nightmares."
"…"
Yes.
Something was absolutely wrong here.
Being wiped out three times in a row without managing a proper resistance was not something Neji could accept.
Neji, who had spent several hours struggling inside that strange web of chakra branches, realized that this world was far less forgiving than he had hoped.
He had already understood the tragedy of being a ninja. He knew how hopeless fate could be.
So why had it still ended like this
Was he simply not a genius after all
Or could fate be broken, and he just lacked the power to do so
With those doubts burning in his chest, the three of them dragged their battered bodies back onto the field to face the final opponent.
Shino Aburame.
Just as Sakura had promised, Neji would remember this as a nightmare.
"My form has changed slightly," a layered voice said, "but there is nothing wrong with me overall."
The sound did not belong to a single person.
Tens of millions of resonant tones overlapped and vibrated, becoming a single, unified voice.
It was like a massive hive speaking in unison.
Shino looked at the thing in front of her.
Its eyes were empty.
Its mouth and limbs were encased in swarming insects. Bugs crawled in and out of its flesh, tearing and knitting it over and over.
Shino calmly pushed up her sunglasses.
"My insects may look frightening," she said. "But they are not frightening at all."
"They have many abilities, and countless uses. I checked all of your bodies. I treated your internal injuries and performed minor repairs."
"They will be very useful for your future lives."
"Insects are not only for combat. They can do many things. I hope others will come to like them too. Sooner or later, everyone will accept them."
"I have always believed that. Now my belief has finally borne fruit."
"I think you will be pleasantly surprised by how refreshed your bodies feel when you wake up."
Of all of them, Tenten should be the most grateful.
Shino had even increased the activity of chakra in her body.
Tenten's mouth and eyes were oozing with fluid. Insects crawled in and out of every opening.
Shino, who had long since stepped beyond the boundaries of normal thought, looked down at the collapsed three man team and then slowly lifted her head.
She turned her sunglasses toward the Hokage's platform, where Tsunade stood.
The millions of compound eyes hidden behind those dark lenses were fixed on Tsunade with a silent, chilling attention.
For the first time, Tsunade truly understood something.
Aizen Sousuke was indeed the most powerful educator this world had ever seen.
And a completely irreversible existence.
In the worst possible meaning of the word.
Watching the three bodies being torn open and stitched together again by swarms of insects, skin splitting as they burrowed in and out, Tsunade felt pure fear rising in her chest.
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