Capítulo 30: Chapter 30: Bird in the Cage
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Within the Hyuga clan, Neji had recently become a Genin. His instructor was Might Guy, and his teammates were Rock Lee and Tenten. In just one year, Neji had already completed three D-rank missions and one C-rank mission, showcasing his exceptional talent.
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Today, Neji was training alone at home, using a wooden training dummy. Veins bulged around his eyes as his Byakugan activated, sweat pouring down his forehead. The wooden dummies advanced toward him one after another, but Neji handled them with precision and skill.
However, as the dummies moved faster and faster, Neji began to struggle. The seal of the Caged Bird restricted his vision, creating a blind spot in his otherwise perfect 360-degree field of view.
Suddenly, a wooden dummy attacked from behind, and Neji didn't notice until the last second. Just as he was about to be struck, a powerful force sliced the dummy to pieces.
Neji halted his movements and deactivated the training mechanism. Turning around, he saw Sasuke standing there.
"What are you doing here?" Neji asked, his voice steady despite his surprise.
Sasuke smiled slightly. "Neji, I know a way to help you remove the Caged Bird seal."
Neji's heart leapt with hope, but a shadow of doubt quickly crossed his face. "But… it's a family rule," he said hesitantly.
Sasuke's expression turned serious. "You know that this rule is beyond foolish. Your Byakugan is pure, but the Caged Bird seal is holding you back, introducing flaws in your vision and power."
Sasuke stepped closer, his voice firm. "You need to decide, Neji. Do you want to live for yourself or for the clan?"
Neji's face twisted in pain as he wrestled with the question. Was his life his own, or did it belong to the family?
After a long moment, Neji looked up at Sasuke, determination in his eyes. "I want to… live for myself!"
Sasuke nodded approvingly. "Then come with me."
He led Neji into the woods outside Konoha, to a dilapidated experimental base hidden deep in the forest. The base had once been used by Orochimaru for his twisted experiments.
It was here that Orochimaru had implanted Sharingan into Danzo's arm. Though much of the base had been abandoned, Orochimaru had not been concerned; he knew that Konoha's leaders would be too foolish to understand the true value of what he had left behind.
As they entered the base, Sasuke led Neji to a large room. The walls were lined with tubes and machinery, remnants of Orochimaru's experiments with the cursed seals and the powers of Ryūchi Cave. In the center of the room, a large tank filled with nutrient fluid housed a figure covered in tubes—Jūgo, a child Orochimaru had rescued from Ryūchi Cave.
Orochimaru had extracted Jūgo's blood and transformed it into a viscous black liquid, rich with natural energy. This liquid was the key to Orochimaru's cursed seal experiments. As Sasuke and Neji approached, Orochimaru, who had been injecting himself with the liquid, smiled wickedly.
A small white snake slithered over and disappeared into Orochimaru's sleeve, alerting him to Sasuke's presence. "Ah, Sasuke is here," Orochimaru murmured, his voice smooth and sinister.
Neji looked around the unfamiliar surroundings and asked cautiously, "Sasuke, where are we?"
"This is the only place where I think someone can help you break the Caged Bird seal," Sasuke replied, leading Neji further into the base until they stood before Orochimaru.
Neji activated his Byakugan, instantly noticing the dark, menacing chakra aura surrounding Orochimaru. As the legendary ninja turned to face him, Neji's eyes widened in shock. "Orochimaru!"
He recognized the man immediately—Orochimaru, the S-rank rogue ninja of Konoha, one of the legendary Sannin, and a former disciple of the Third Hokage. Why had this notorious figure returned to Konoha?
Orochimaru's lips curled into a smile. "Ah, the Byakugan brat from the Hyuga clan. I'm quite familiar with your clan. I once had an… interesting encounter with your leader, Hiashi Hyuga."
Neji felt a chill run down his spine. Orochimaru had once attempted to steal Hiashi's Byakugan, and his familiarity with the Hyuga clan made him all the more dangerous.
Sasuke spoke up. "Neji, Orochimaru is the only one I know who might be able to break the Caged Bird seal."
Neji hesitated, but after a moment, he nodded, choosing to trust Sasuke's judgment. Orochimaru then began his examination, his cold hands sending shivers through Neji as he checked the seal.
"The Caged Bird seal is a particularly insidious curse," Orochimaru began, his voice almost clinical. "It damages the nerves and brain of its host, turning the Byakugan into a flawed, incomplete version of itself. Normally, this seal would only disappear with the death of the host, but in my opinion, it's a low-level curse, easily breakable."
"How long will it take?" Neji asked, his voice tense with anxiety.
"Three hours," Orochimaru replied with confidence.
Orochimaru was an expert in curse seals, and as he examined Neji, he removed the forehead protector, revealing the cursed seal of the Caged Bird. Orochimaru worked meticulously, carefully attempting to disable the seal without harming Neji's brain.
Finally, Orochimaru decided to place Neji into Jūgo's containment tank. As the nutrient solution covered Neji's head, he felt a wave of suffocation before losing consciousness.
Orochimaru inserted five tubes into Neji's head, each one drawing out his blood, purifying it, and returning it to his body. Black impurities were slowly extracted from the seal, a delicate process designed to avoid triggering the seal's deadly self-destruct mechanism.
As the process neared completion, Orochimaru turned to Sasuke. "Sasuke-kun, I'll soon have the Caged Bird seal broken for Neji. Now, when will you fulfill your promise?"
Sasuke met Orochimaru's gaze, his expression resolute. "From now on, you are my teacher. What will you teach me first?"
Status de energia semanal
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