Naruto: Reborn as Neji Hyuga After Dying in One Piece
Chapter 152. I’d cut it out

Chapter 152: 152. I’d cut it out

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"Neji!"

He stopped in his tracks and turned. The voice belonged to Shikamaru, who looked unusually conflicted like he was doing something he really didn’t want to.

"You need something, Shikamaru?"

"Yeah. It’s important."

Neji arched a brow. So it begins.

Between Danzo’s veiled threats earlier and now this, the game board was moving. Clearly, Danzo wasn’t acting on impulse. This had been planned.

The man had been too quiet lately. That alone was suspicious. Danzo was the kind of person who didn’t breathe easily unless he was stirring the pot.

"...Alright. I just finished eating, so I could use a walk. Where to?"

"Not the training grounds," Shikamaru said instantly, waving his hands in protest. "And we’re definitely not sparring."

Neji chuckled. He remembered what happened last time. Shikamaru had tried to skip training, and Neji suggested mimicking his movements using the Shadow Possession Jutsu instead.

One set of mirrored reps later, Shikamaru was a walking cramp. Neji had to heal him afterward.

"Fine, fine. Lead the way."

---

They arrived at the Nara compound’s courtyard. Neji rarely came here being part of the Hyuga Clan, he was always cautious about appearing too close to other political factions.

Shikamaru led him to the inner gardens, where his father Shikaku sat studying a half-finished shogi board.

"Dad, Neji’s here."

"Neji," Shikaku greeted with a warm smile. "Don’t stand on ceremony. Sit. We don’t do formalities around here."

Shikamaru brought out tea and snacks, including some rice crackers. "Help yourself. We always keep these stocked Choji practically lives here."

Neji popped one in his mouth. Crunchy, savory, and surprisingly satisfying with the tea.

Shikaku studied him quietly, calmly, calculating, like a man comparing blueprints. Neji reminded him of someone.

So much like Hizashi, he thought. But more free. More dangerous, too.

"You play shogi?" Shikaku asked.

"A bit," Neji replied modestly.

"Then let’s play. It’s been a while since I had a real match."

The two began. Shikamaru watched from the side, calling moves as needed.

Each step Neji made was sharp yet fluid every offensive move poised with fallback options. Shikaku’s grin slowly faded into concentration.

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. ’A bit? That’s what you call this?’

Neji eventually won, bowing politely. "Thank you for the match."

Shikaku leaned back, rubbing his temples. "Damn, getting old... Didn’t think I’d get cornered by the younger generation this fast."

He glanced at the teacup in his hand, letting out a low sigh.

Tsunade’s reforms are shifting the whole village. And this kid’s the keystone.

"Neji," he began, voice low. "You’ve seen how fast Lady Tsunade’s changes are happening. It’s making some people... nervous."

Neji smiled faintly. "The world changes. Whether we like it or not. Konoha must change too."

Then, he said it.

"The Will of Fire isn’t about clinging to the past. The leaves fall so the tree can grow. The old branches die to make way for the new."

Shikaku’s eyes glinted with understanding. Neji’s words weren’t just philosophy they were a warning.

A rotting branch can poison the whole tree.

"I see... You’ve given the Third’s teachings some thought," Shikaku said carefully.

"Only as much as they deserve."

Another long pause.

"The problem," Shikaku finally said, "is that old branches don’t fall easily. And cutting them off can scar the whole trunk."

"That’s true," Neji agreed. "But if they’re already hollow... if they’re draining the tree’s strength and blocking new growth..."

He leaned in slightly. "Then they’re not part of the tree anymore. They’re dead weight."

Shikaku sipped his tea. "You think it’s time?"

Neji nodded. "I saw the root today."

Shikaku froze. "...Danzo?"

Neji picked up a rice cracker and bit into it.

CRUNCH.

"The root has rotted."

He let the statement hang.

"It’s leeching off the tree. The fruit is withering. Leaves are falling."

Shikaku sat in silence. Everyone in the council knew Danzo’s hands were all over the Uchiha massacre. But no one ever said it.

"The rot spreads quietly," Neji added. "But it’s spreading. Faster than you think."

Shikaku closed his eyes. He knew Neji was right. He’d seen the warning signs himself. But hearing it out loud?

Was something else.

"...So. Tell me, Neji. You’re a medical ninja. If this tree were a patient... how would you treat it?"

Neji’s expression hardened.

"I’d cut it out."

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