Hey everyone, I'm getting tired of explaining the sa things over and over again in the comnts, so here's a quick clarification addressing most of the common doubts:
~ Neji's Father was never officially labeled a traitor. It was a rumor, plain and simple. You know, the kind of baseless gossip that spreads? Yeah that.
~ The Hotpot Business currently provides the MC with a 10% profit share. As he gains more influence and authority within the Hyuga Clan, that percentage will grow think 10%, then 20%, then 30%, and so on.
~ The Genderbender Elent is a strategic tool in the story used as a weapon and part of a trade deal. There will be no romantic involvent between the MC and any gender-bent characters. That's what this arc is about.
Thanks for reading this little rant appreciate those of you sticking with the story!
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The next morning.
The mission was complete. No unexpected accidents occurred. Their destination was reached, and the handover was swift Guy personally handled the details with Nakata.
Though Nakata was polite, even enthusiastic, he simply couldn't outmatch Guy's overwhelming passion. Whatever little sches he had... evaporated in the face of that blazing "YOUTH."
With the job done, Neji and his teammates finally relaxed, briefly taking in the sights of this foreign land.
But the Land of Fields was no Land of Fire. It was a minor country that was underdeveloped and lacked any real infrastructure.
Still, Neji allowed a small smile to touch his lips. He ford a subtle hand seal activating a [Surveillance Eye].
A secondary [visual feed] flickered into his mind, like a floating window of his experintal [monitoring technique], quietly embedded within the cargo.
Inside one crate was a little surprise of his own design.
If he/she found it good.
If not, it didn't matter.
It was only a matter of ti.
---
On the return trip, halfway back to Konoha, that window suddenly flickered. Movent.
A group of shinobi had entered the fra each wearing a headband marked with an eighth-note symbol.
Neji's smile sharpened.
Jackpot.
It was the Sound Four, They didn't speak much; they simply confird the cargo and began moving it.
Neji shut off the visual stream and triggered a [Remote Self-Destruct] of the [Surveillance Eye].
Now the ga began.
'Will Orochimaru notice? Kabuto, maybe?'
They'd likely trace the cargo route. The chain of handlers. Eventually... they'd reach him.
Or maybe they'll second-guess themselves...
It didn't matter.
Sotis, being noticed was better than being invisible.
Attention is currency.
And in the shinobi world, reputation was leverage.
---
Elsewhere—Sound Village.
The Sound Four had personally delivered the materials to Orochimaru's lab. Kabuto was already there, inspecting the inventory.
"Stop," he ordered sharply.
He adjusted his glasses. A glint of suspicion flashed behind the lens.
"What is it, Lord Kabuto?" One of the Sound shinobi stepped back instinctively.
"Move aside."
"Yes, sir!"
Kabuto stepped forward and began inspecting one of the crates more closely.
"Lift the box. Show the underside."
The shinobi hesitated, his expression twitching as if expecting sothing explosive. But he obeyed, trembling slightly as he nudged the crate aside... and then imdiately darted away.
Nothing happened.
Kabuto raised an eyebrow. "Dramatic much?"
Embarrassed, the shinobi stepped back. But Kabuto's attention was now fixed on a paper tag hidden underneath.
About the size of a palm.
A twisted seal is unmistakably a simple [Sealing Technique].
'Harmless... but interesting.'
'What's inside? And more importantly who placed it here?'
He didn't open it. Instead, he called the Sound Four back.
"Find out exactly who sold this shipnt. Nas, routes, handlers everything."
"Yes, sir!"
They vanished imdiately.
Kabuto turned to the remaining shinobi.
"This item stays. Handle the rest as planned."
"Yes!"
The others resud their duties, leaving Kabuto alone with the sealed slip.
He entered the lab and handed it off to Orochimaru.
The legendary snake Sannin barely glanced at it.
But when Kabuto explained the unusual thod of contact, his curiosity stirred.
A few minutes later, the Sound Four returned with details. The rchant. The Konoha squad provided an escort. The fact that Guy himself had led the team.
Now Orochimaru's slitted pupils glead with amusent.
"A Hyuga boy... with two civilians?" he mused, flipping through the intelligence dossier.
Of the three, only the Hyuga could possibly know his na.
Neji Hyuga...
He skimd the docunt.
Self-enucleation at age four.
Mastery of [Gentle Fist] without Byakugan.
High sensory aptitude.
"So... Hizashi's son," Orochimaru murmured.
"That stiff old man sired quite the interesting child."
Kabuto nodded. "Do you think he's the one who placed the seal?"
"Possibly," Orochimaru rasped.
Kabuto made a ntal note he'd need to Monitor Target more closely.
"Don't engage him directly," Orochimaru warned. "If it was him, and you act too soon you'll expose yourself."
Kabuto froze. Cold sweat beading at his temples. "Understood."
"Observe him discreetly," Orochimaru added. "Even if he's not the one, a Hyuga child outside the seal's control is... valuable."
He looked down again.
A boy who had bartered away his Byakugan using his father's sacrifice... to avoid the [Caged Bird Seal].
'That was cunning. Calculated manipulation of clan politics? Even Itachi wasn't this bold at that age...'
Orochimaru's mind briefly drifted to Itachi Uchiha and the hunger in his eyes deepened.
'Those eyes... I still want them.'
Shaking off the thought, he turned to Kabuto. "Bring it to . Let's see what's inside."
"Yes, my lord."
Kabuto returned shortly with the sealed item.
Three objects appeared in a puff of smoke after a [Basic Unsealing Technique]:
A chanical eye
A sheet of paper
A conch shell
---
Back in Konoha, Neji sipped his tea calmly.
His gaze turned east toward the Sound Village.
They opened it.
The fish has taken the bait.
A knowing smile touched his lips.
---
Sound Village – Laboratory
Kabuto ran a [Detection Technique] for poisons, but none were found.
He picked up the paper and began to read.
> "Do you want to know the aning of life?"
Kabuto paused, side-eyeing Orochimaru, who was now smiling.
He read further:
> "Press the [Sound Shell], and you will know."
> "Activate the [Mono-Eye]... and we'll speak more deeply."
He placed the paper down slowly. That was all.
The rest lay within the [Mono-Eye] and the [Sound Shell].
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