NOVPUB
Chapter 76 - 76. You Want His Life?
◉◉◉◉◉
A few more days passed quietly in Konoha.
On the surface, everything seemed peaceful.
But deep beneath the village's tranquil mask, things were far from calm.
Orochimaru and Kabuto were roaming freely. ANBU patrols were everywhere. Paranoia simmered just beneath the surface.
Fortunately, Neji's hidden lab was far off the beaten path, technically a repurposed farmland. No one came close.
And Neji had reinforced its security. Since mastering barrier jutsu, he'd been perfecting the defenses. Now, they were nearly impenetrable.
---
Underground Laboratory
Neji injected chakra into a cluster of seals, activating a half-dozen [Byakugan] lenses, but chose not to continue deeper.
Turning to Izumi, he spoke calmly:
"Konoha's been unstable lately. Don't push your training. Take this as a mandatory break."
"...Alright."
"But—I do have a mission for you. Consider it a test run."
Intrigued but cautious, Izumi followed him to a pitch-black room.
"Neji, what are you doing?"
"You'll see."
Neji pressed a hand on the control terminal. Suddenly, a holographic projection lit up on the far wall, a live feed of a lush forest, the camera steadily moving through the canopy.
In the upper-left corner was a map with a glowing red dot marking movement.
"...Didn't expect her to make it this far," Neji muttered, mildly impressed.
Izumi studied him quietly. He's tracking someone.
The feed zoomed in.
A cloaked girl came into focus, muttering to herself in a hushed voice, the sound gradually sharpening through audio filters.
> "Ugh, so annoying! Everyone in Grass Village is dead... But hey, now I can finally escape. Hehe."
> "Hope the Land of Waves isn't as dangerous as it sounds. It's so far... But that Neji guy? So cool! Even if he's blind still hot!"
> "If I can make it safely, this pendant better do something awesome..."
Izumi blinked.
Neji sighed. "She talks to herself a lot."
The girl in question was Karin, a red-haired Uzumaki he had rescued during the Chunin Exams. Apparently, she hadn't forgotten him.
Izumi's eyes landed on the pendant she wore. "So... this is our potential recruit?"
"Yeah. Her name's Karin. Uzumaki bloodline. Weak in combat, but decent potential. I saved her during the exams, figured she might be worth grooming."
"She's headed to the Land of Waves. Not exactly an easy route, but not impossible either."
Neji toggled the feed; this drone was one of several he'd set up during past missions. No chakra signature, pure tech, for stealth.
"This one's just a scout drone, visual and audio only. No combat capabilities."
"If something happens to her...?" Izumi asked.
"We can't intervene."
Izumi nodded, taking the assignment seriously.
No chakra tracking. No backup. Just surveillance.
Still, Neji didn't seem worried.
"She survived Grass Village. That alone says a lot."
People who grew up in hellish places didn't live long by being kind or lucky. They were clever, cautious, and ruthless when necessary.
Survival is the only rule.
Izumi's gaze shifted. "She's still wearing her Grass headband." 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝒑𝙪𝒃.𝒄𝒐𝙢
"Exactly. One look at it, and most people will avoid her. Smart girl."
Even after the wars, most civilians feared ninja headbands. To them, shinobi were monsters, bringers of destruction.
"She's using reputation as a shield. If she makes it to the rendezvous point, we'll have Zabuza's crew pick her up."
"Understood."
Neji nodded. "No need to watch her constantly. Just check in once a day. Focus on your own rest."
---
End of the Month – Konoha Hospital
Neji approached Lee's hospital room, only to hear shouting from inside.
"Bastard! Why are you even here?! Say something!"
Neji's expression hardened. In a blink, he entered the room.
Inside, three figures stood: Naruto, Shikamaru, and Gaara.
At that moment, Shikamaru had Gaara restrained with his [Shadow Possession Jutsu], sighing in frustration.
"Dude... Naruto, if you hit him again while I'm holding him, I get hit too, you know?"
"Sorry, Shikamaru!" Naruto winced.
He'd just landed a punch on Gaara, through Shikamaru's binding, out of pure instinct.
"What the hell is going on here?" Neji asked sharply.
"Neji!"
Naruto turned. "We were just about to ask him! What does he want with Bushy Brows?!"
Neji stepped past them to check on Lee he was fine. Resting.
Still, this confrontation... it wasn't in the original plan. He couldn't remember every detail, but this felt off.
Naruto's voice rose again.
"Answer me, Gaara! What do you want with him?!"
"...I want his life."
The room fell silent.
Naruto's fists clenched.
Neji, however, smiled coldly. The temperature in the room seemed to plummet.
A heavy aura of killing intent radiated from him, calm, sharp, focused.
Even Gaara tensed.
Naruto shivered, sweat beading on his forehead.
'Uh-oh' Shikamaru swallowed hard 'He's pissed'
◉◉◉◉◉
~Uploading Schedule= 2 Chapters/day
~Support with 100 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
◉◉◉◉◉
For early access to advanced Chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
(Just remove the - hyphen to access Patreon normally)
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!
