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Creak.
The wooden floor groaned under Neji's weight as he pushed himself upright, his hands still pressed against the ground. The alarm clock read 2:00 AM, and the room remained cloaked in dim, murky light.
He instinctively turned toward the window — only to freeze at the sight of a figure standing there, motionless, exuding an aura of deep solitude.
Still shaken from his dream, Neji flinched slightly — then relaxed as he recognized the familiar face bathed in moonlight, its expression filled with quiet sorrow.
"Father?"
At the sound of his son's voice, Hizashi snapped out of his trance, shifting his gaze from the night sky to look at Neji.
"Did you have a nightmare?" Hizashi asked gently, offering a faint smile as he reached out and ran a hand through Neji's hair.
"I don't know… maybe not," Neji muttered, frowning slightly as he pressed his fingers to his throbbing temples.
He tried to recall the details, but like snow melting beneath morning sunlight, the memories slipped away — like sand between his fingers, vanishing into the wind before he could hold onto them.
He opened his palm, staring at what little remained.
The eerie nursery rhyme in the ruined shrine.
The terror of becoming the scapegoat.
Those breathtakingly beautiful blue eyes.
And finally, the golden light that tore through the night.
"Father."
Clutching those fragments tightly, Neji lifted his gaze.
"Is it possible for someone in the Hyūga clan to have eyes other than the Byakugan?"
Hizashi blinked, surprised by the question, but answered calmly.
"If one's bloodline is impure, they may never awaken the Byakugan — just ordinary eyes, like any commoner's."
He paused, as if recalling something.
"Actually, there's a branch family known as the 'Small Hyūga' — their blood has thinned so much that no one among them can activate the Byakugan anymore." (From Uchiha Sasuke's Storybook of Life)
Of course, should any of them ever awaken the Byakugan, they would immediately be brought back into the main family, branded with the Caged Bird Seal, and placed under the branch family's control.
"So…" Neji murmured, lips dry, "was it really just a dream?"
Everything told him it was.
Yet the image of that figure emerging from the flames, carrying a severed head, and those mesmerizing blue eyes burned behind his eyelids.
He could even remember the swirling light within them — the golden beam slicing through the sky, bringing death in its wake.
"What happened before that?"
Frowning, Neji tried to recall, but nothing came. Just a vague sense that it had been important.
This dream felt too real — too vivid — to simply fade away.
If I could wield such terrifying power…
Neji didn't finish the thought aloud.
Hizashi didn't press him.
For a moment, silence stretched between them — heavy with unspoken words.
Each man lost in his own tangled thoughts.
One stirred by a strange new determination and longing he hadn't yet acknowledged.
The other haunted by the memory of fleeting freedom, yearning for more.
And both, unknowingly, shaped by the same hand.
---
[Ding!]
[Your lie has been identified as [False Bravado][Mind Manipulation][Trapped Within], triggering intense emotional fluctuation in Hizashi, reaching the level of [Obedience]. Gained 600 Reality Points]
[Ding!]
[Your lie "[Death of the Hyūga]" has been identified as [Fabrication][Fantasy], triggering intense emotional fluctuation in Neji, reaching the level of [Delusional Yearning]. Gained 1600 Reality Points]
[Remaining Reality Points: 11,193]
"Wait — getting two achievements gave me more points than three combined?"
Inside the room, the clone popped into smoke, dispersing into a dark mist. The black cloak flowed like liquid, sinking into the shadow beneath Unkawa's feet, revealing his thoughtful face.
"Turns out, only the most absurd lies earn the highest rewards."
After manifesting the Shadow Cloak, Unkawa had 10,293 Reality Points left. Removing the Caged Bird Seal for ten seconds cost only 300 points — but planting the illusion in Neji's mind had cost a full 1000.
Still, this time, Unkawa didn't complain about the system being unfair.
Only by projecting a fragment of the Tenseigan's power could he have burned that scene so deeply into Neji's subconscious — and set the stage for even greater deceptions to come.
"At least I broke even. Not a loss — a profit."
Dressed now, Unkawa sat at his desk, pulling out his "diary" from the drawer.
As he scribbled down unrelated entries, he also reflected on whether anything had gone wrong, and how best to spend the remaining points.
His current strength still wasn't enough.
Don't be fooled by how obedient Hizashi seemed around Hiashi — in truth, Hizashi was among the strongest in the clan, far surpassing Hiashi in combat experience.
Probably the only one reckless enough to appear directly before Hizashi, challenge him, manipulate him, and nearly break him entirely — was Unkawa himself.
If he hadn't chosen the location so carefully —
If he hadn't projected calm dominance —
If he hadn't crafted the atmosphere with precision —
If not for knowing Hizashi's love for Neji —
One mistake, and everything would have collapsed.
Even now, reviewing the encounter, Unkawa couldn't help but admire his own audacity — and feel a quiet thrill at the danger.
"I'll be more careful next time. Need to get stronger first."
Unkawa nodded to himself.
Yeah. Next time, for sure.
[Ding!]
[Your lie has been identified as [Self-Denial], triggering minor emotional fluctuation in Unkawa, reaching the level of [Saying One Thing, Thinking Another]. Gained 1 Reality Point]
"…I'm not even going to dignify that with a response, you brainless thing."
A vein twitched on Unkawa's forehead as the system prompt echoed in his mind. He muttered, "Manifest Technique – Lightning Release Armor."
[Spend 1000 Reality Points. Confirm manifestation?]
"Too expensive… I'm almost below ten thousand again?" Unkawa gritted his teeth.
It wasn't that he was cheap — more like a squirrel hoarding nuts. Seeing his balance drop below ten thousand always made him uneasy.
He hesitated, considering whether to develop the technique himself instead.
But before he could respond mentally, a soft mewing reached his ears.
Meww…
Just another stray cat call buried beneath the chorus of chirping insects — normal, expected.
Yet Unkawa paused.
Then, slowly, a faint smile curled his lips.
Well now — looks like his next source of points had come knocking.
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