Neji’s Choice (3/5)

After bidding Danzō farewell, Allen returned to his residence in high spirits.

The moment he pushed open the door, he spotted someone sitting inside waiting for him. He immediately removed his mask and asked with a smile, "Are you usually this free? You’re still awake this late, and you even went out of your way to wait for me here."

"Why? Why did you do this?" Kakashi stepped out of the shadows and demanded.

"Why? Don’t you think that question is ridiculous? The Third Hokage was the one who violated the ninja code. All I did was expose it. Yet instead of questioning him, you came to question me. What kind of logic is that?" Allen asked meaningfully.

Unable to refute that, Kakashi’s expression immediately darkened. He lowered his voice and explained, "You don’t understand! This is compensation for Naruto Uzumaki! After all, he is…"

"After all, he’s the son of the heroic Fourth Hokage, so the rules can be ignored for him, right?"

Before the other man could finish, Allen cut him off mercilessly.

"If that’s the case, why not make his identity public? Why let him suffer all kinds of cold looks and hostility throughout his childhood instead? Do you know what that means to a child? Sometimes, I’m really curious how Naruto Uzumaki hasn’t come to hate and despise this village after enduring so much pressure and exclusion. If it were someone else, they would probably have long since begun thinking about destroying Konoha. People must take responsibility for their actions. If they make a mistake, they should have the courage to bear the consequences, not constantly conceal it, run from it, and shift the blame. Especially the Kage of a village."

"So that’s why you were dissatisfied with the Third Hokage and chose to side with Danzō?"

Kakashi felt that he finally understood something. A complicated light flickered in his eyes.

"Partly. In truth, Lord Danzō was right. The upper ranks of this village have already completely decayed. And have you ever heard this saying? Peace has never been something that can be obtained through yielding. Use war to promote peace, and peace will endure. Use peace to avoid war, and peace will perish. Think carefully about the decisions the Third Hokage has made since the Nine-Tails’ Rampage. He stopped being a qualified leader long ago, and he’s even less worthy of sitting in that position."

After saying that, Allen clearly adopted the posture of seeing a guest out.

"Danzō is no different! His methods are even more despicable and filthy!"

Realizing that nothing he said would matter anymore, Kakashi could only offer that helpless reminder before turning and leaving the tiny house, vanishing into the vast night.

Watching his retreating figure, Allen chuckled. "Of course I know what kind of person Danzō is. But the problem is, what he can provide me now far exceeds what the Third Hokage can offer."

The moment his words fell!

He immediately shut the doors and windows, took the copy of the Scroll of Seals from his backpack, and quickly opened it to begin copying.

In just over ten minutes, countless forbidden techniques invented by the Second Hokage became his.

But before he could begin training, a rapid knock came from outside. Neji’s voice followed through the crack in the door. "Allen, are you back?"

"Ah! I’m back. Hold on!"

Allen swiftly put away both the copy of the Scroll of Seals and his notes before calmly opening the door.

In an instant!

The two former teammates stared at each other.

More than ten seconds passed before Neji finally spoke. "You told me to come find you after I returned to the village!"

"I know. Come in and let’s talk." Allen stepped aside and made a gesture inviting him in.

Without wasting words, Neji stepped over the threshold and entered the small room, which was much like a typical public housing unit.

More precisely, as long as someone became a genin and did not have a residence of their own, they could receive a place like this from the village as a home.

After glancing around at the shabby furnishings, he immediately asked impatiently, "I came as agreed! Can you tell me how I can become stronger quickly now?"

Allen smiled and waved a hand. "Don’t be hasty. Before that, I need to confirm one thing: are you prepared to pay any price in pursuit of strength?"

"Any price?" Neji’s pupils suddenly widened.

"That’s right! Any price! Strength is not something one can obtain so easily. And… I can remove the Caged Bird curse mark on your forehead."

Allen casually dropped a bombshell more than enough to make the other man’s heart race.

For Neji Hyuga, what were the two things he found most unacceptable?

The first was naturally that his father had died in place of someone from the Hyuga Main Family. The second was that after his father’s death, he had immediately been branded with the Caged Bird curse mark, completely reduced to a tool person who had to obey others and could not resist in any way.

Now that he suddenly heard someone claim they could remove the Caged Bird, Neji became completely agitated. His hands even trembled faintly beyond his control. "Really? Can you really do it?"

Allen directly took out a bottle of Nourishing Potion and placed it on the table. "This is a special potion. As long as you drink it, the Caged Bird will disappear immediately. But I have one condition in exchange! You must join my team."

"Join your team?"

Although Neji’s eyes never left the potion on the table, which gave off a faint glow, he still sensed that something was unusual.

"Well! I’m already tired of staying in Konoha, this enormous cage. I’m even more tired of following all those endless rules and restrictions. So I’m preparing to defect from the village and form a small team of my own. If you’re willing to join, I’ll do everything in my power to help you become stronger. I can even help you take revenge on the Hyuga Main Family."

Allen did not conceal anything. He openly stated his intentions while secretly observing the other man’s reaction.

"Leave… Leave the village?!"

Neji was clearly stunned by the shocking news. He looked up, his face filled with disbelief and confusion.

But he soon realized that he did not actually feel much attachment to Konoha. On the contrary, he was filled with disgust and hatred toward it.

It was the village’s weakness and compromise toward the Cloud Ninja that had forced his father to commit suicide, leaving his own childhood full of tragedy.

Having figured that out, he immediately gritted his teeth and replied, "I’ll join! As long as I can break free of the Caged Bird curse mark! As long as I can gain the strength to take revenge! What does it matter if I become a rogue ninja?"

"Very good. Now you can drink it." Allen gently pushed the Nourishing Potion toward him.

Without another word, Neji tilted back his head and drained it in one gulp. Then he removed the forehead protector covering his curse mark and stared fixedly at his reflection in the mirror.

In just a few seconds, the highly visible marking on his forehead slowly faded away.

At the same time, the Byakugan’s visual blind spot caused by the curse mark was completely restored.

Just as Allen had expected, the curse mark counted as a kind of curse and could be removed by the effects of the Nourishing Potion.

Otherwise, he would have had no choice but to mutilate himself once more and use the power of rejection to drive out the Caged Bird.