After taking over the snake uncle's foundation, Sasuke came to surrender on his own initiative.

Chapter 269 Guarding

The bone training grounds of Otogakure Village were bathed in dusk, the ground littered with shimmering pale green fragments, like scattered stars. Neji sat beside the thickest bone pillar, his eyes half-lidded, unfocused, as he gazed at the distant lights of Otogakure. His fingertips unconsciously rubbed the chakra in his palm—the empty touch left by revenge. Footsteps echoed behind him, so soft they were almost muffled by the evening breeze. Kimimaro held a bone crystal with a warm sheen, the blade retracted so shallowly in his palm that only the pale green tip was visible, fearful of disturbing the silent figure before him. He walked over to Neji, saying nothing, but gently placing the crystal on the ground between them. It was crafted from the energy of the Hyuga clan's mixed bone mineral veins, capable of stabilizing chaotic chakra. It had been specially forged for him by Otogakure when he broke through the Mangekyō. Finally, Neji's gaze shifted, settling on the crystal. Tiny chakra lines could be faintly seen within the crystals, reminiscent of the meridian diagram his father had drawn on his palm when he taught him the Gentle Fist. "Before, I thought bone blades were only for destruction," Kimimaro's voice was soft, with the characteristic deepness of the Hyuga clan, yet without a trace of coldness. "Orochimaru said my bones were the perfect weapon, capable of shattering anything. I believed it, until I lost control for the first time and nearly cut Haku." Neji's fingertips paused, but he didn't respond, but he leaned slightly, clearly listening. Kimimaro crouched down, his fingertips brushing against the bone fragments on the ground. The fragments coalesced into a small bone stump in his palm, marked with two shallow scars. "One from when I lost control, and the other from the kunai I received from the village children when I was later helping them with target practice." He looked up at Neji, his eyes no longer sharp, only calm. "Destruction is easy, but knowing 'why to wield a weapon' is difficult." These words were like a stone, piercing Neji's empty heart. He remembered his father's words as he tucked the Gentle Fist manual into his arms before leaving: "Ningji, practicing Gentle Fist isn't about hitting people; it's about protecting those you want to protect." He also remembered how, in Otogakure, when he was teaching the children Baguazhang, the youngest child clutched the hem of his shirt and said, "Ningji-sama, I want to be like you and protect the people of this village." Memories, temporarily obscured by hatred, suddenly became clear. "I killed them, but I didn't feel happy." Neji's voice was a little hoarse. This was the first time he had spoken of his feelings since his revenge. "It's like... when I was a kid, I lost the kunai my father gave me. I found the person who stole it, but the kunai is gone forever." Kimimaro spun the bone stake in his palm and suddenly held it out to Neji. "Then change the 'kunai' to something else." The two marks on the stake shimmered in the twilight. "For example, this training target. When the children practice Baguazhang, use it. You teach them how to absorb force, and I'll help them strengthen the stake. That way, they won't have to grope in the dark like we did when we were kids." Neji looked at the stake and suddenly reached out to take it. The stake was warm, not like a weapon, but rather a personal keepsake. His atavistic Byakugan flickered softly as he scanned the stake—Kimimaro had carved tiny chakra channels into it to cushion the impact of the children's punches, preventing injury. This meticulousness was a stark contrast to his usual sword-wielding devastation. "There's been some small groups of ninjas trying to spy on the village's mineral vein lately." Kimimaro stood up, retracting the bone blade in his palm, leaving only a faint green glow. "Ototake said that next time we guard the mineral vein, we should cooperate. You use your Byakugan to see through their disguises, and I'll use the bone formation to trap them, so that Karin and Haku don't have to take risks." Neji stood up, holding the bone stake. In the twilight, his atavistic Byakugan finally gained focus, no longer blank, but filled with a hint of anticipation. He remembered the children at the village entrance, standing on tiptoe around the wooden stakes in the training ground, waiting for him to teach them boxing. He remembered Karin, holding healing medicine, smiling and saying, "Ningji, after next training, I'll make you red bean soup." He remembered the heat-clearing soup Haku had made him using his Ice Release technique, the ice crystals on the rim of the bowl still flickering before his eyes. These were the warmth he had thought he'd "never find again" after his revenge, but in fact, it had always been there. "Okay," Neji's voice finally warmed up. He placed the bone stake into his ninja tool bag. "Starting tomorrow, I'll teach the children Bagua: Empty Palm. Your bone stake will be perfect as a target." Kimimaro's lips curled up ever so slightly, a rare smile without a hint of sharpness. "I'll reinforce it beforehand." The two walked side by side toward the village, their shadows stretched long and close together in the twilight. Kimimaro would occasionally pick up bone fragments from the ground, saying, "This will make a kunai handle for the children." Neji would scan the road ahead with his Byakugan, warning him, "There's a loose rock ahead, be careful." His words were few, yet more powerful than any words of comfort. As they reached the village entrance, Karin's voice rang out from afar: "Ningji! Kimimaro! Kabuto made some herbal soup to nourish you!" Haku stood beside Karin, holding two warm rice balls and waving at them. Looking at the two familiar figures, Neji suddenly felt the emptiness in his heart gradually fill. He gripped the bone pile in his ninja tool bag and touched the fate-defying seal on his forehead—the burning sensation was gone, replaced by a hint of warm chakra. Kimimaro seemed to sense his emotions and whispered, "Father, if he knew you look like this now, he'd be happy." Neji looked up at Kimimaro, his eyes no longer filled with the melancholy they'd seen before, only with determination: "Yes." The evening breeze blew through the cherry blossoms at the village entrance, petals falling on their shoulders. Neji knew that revenge wasn't the end, and his father's wish wasn't for him to live in hatred. He clenched his fists, no longer for revenge; he opened his eyes, no longer to seek out enemies. From now on, his strength would be to protect his friends, to allow the children of the village to practice their martial arts in peace under the sun, and to live up to his father's wish: "a strong man who protects others." And beside him, Kimimaro, a man once bound by fate like him, would accompany him, transforming his "weapons of destruction" into "bonds of protection."