Chapter 559: Isolating the Caged Bird
At this moment, the Byakugan in Neji's eyes had been replaced. They were now a faint blue, filled with what looked like countless dim stars.
Ishiro had a feeling that while the shape had changed, this was just an empty shell. He was still a long way from truly awakening the Tenseigan.
Neji, hearing Ishiro, reached up to touch his own eyes. He then took off his headband and used the metal plate as a mirror.
After a moment, he asked, "Lord Tsuchikage, did I awaken the Tenseigan?"
Ishiro shook his head. "Not yet. Your eyes are too dim. It's just a shell. It will take time... and probably several more 'quickenings.'"
Neji nodded.
Ishiro added, "I suspect the change in shape is because you used the giant Tenseigan's dōjutsu. Your connection to it is closer, which accelerated the change. Continue to practice communicating with it; that should speed up the evolution."
Neji nodded excitedly.
When he had calmed down, Ishiro asked, "Sense it again. How is the Caged Bird seal?"
At the mention of the seal, Neji's joy vanished. He quieted his mind and sensed it with his soul.
A moment later, his eyes snapped open, wide with surprise and joy. "Lord Tsuchikage, I... I can feel it! I'm free from it! As long as I'm connected to the giant Tenseigan, the seal on my forehead is... isolated! The Tenseigan can temporarily sever the link between my eyes, my soul, and the Caged Bird!"
Ishiro's eyes lit up. "Good. Excellent. What about the Yata Mirror? Can you wedge it between your soul and the seal right now?"
Neji closed his eyes and tried, but soon shook his head. "Lord Tsuchikage, my Yin Release level isn't high enough. I can't control the Yata Mirror."
"Then let me," Ishiro said.
He formed the seals for the Spirit Infiltration Jutsu, and his soul entered Neji's body, appearing next to Neji's soul-form.
Compared to the nearly-transparent wisp he'd seen the first time, Neji's soul was now much more substantial. It no longer looked like it would disperse in a stiff breeze.
Neji's soul-form floated, wearing the Iwa headband Ishiro had made for him from the Yata Mirror.
Ishiro noticed faint, shimmering threads connecting Neji to... somewhere. He knew it must be the Tenseigan; they hadn't been there last time.
The biggest difference, however, was his eyes. Neji's soul-form now had the same dim blue Tenseigan, and this Neji could see Ishiro's soul.
Seeing Ishiro, Neji's soul-form was happy. He began to communicate with the giant Tenseigan.
The threads around him brightened, and his soul visibly solidified even further.
The next moment, there was a... stirring... at his forehead.
Ishiro quickly moved forward and carefully removed the Yata Mirror headband.
Without the headband, Ishiro could once again see the Caged Bird seal on Neji's soul.
But the energy from the Tenseigan was pushing the Caged Bird seal away from his soul.
Soon, the seal was completely detached... or rather, it was being held at bay by a layer of energy.
Ishiro knew Neji couldn't hold this for long. He quickly jammed the Yata Mirror into the gap.
As the mirror slotted into place, the energy from the Tenseigan was cut off. The Caged Bird seal snapped back, trying to re-envelop Neji's soul.
But it was too late. It latched onto the Yata Mirror instead, branding its "X" mark over the Iwa symbol on the headband.
Neji's soul-form moved, as if trying to touch his forehead, but his Yin Release wasn't strong enough.
Ishiro smiled and exited Neji's body.
The moment he was back, he heard Neji's voice. "Lord Tsuchikage! I can feel it! My soul is completely free from the Caged Bird!"
Ishiro said, "Yes. The Yata Mirror is a spirit weapon. With it acting as a barrier, your soul is safe. Now for your eyes. That's the easy part. I will place a seal on the physical mark on your forehead. It won't remove it, but it will buy you time if the main family ever tries to activate it."
"The Caged Bird's main difficulty is that it binds both soul and body. Now that the soul aspect is solved, with the Tenseigan and my seal, you have nothing to worry about."
Neji nodded vigorously, so excited he couldn't even speak.
Ishiro patted his head. "The Caged Bird seal is resolved. Konoha is in for a big change soon. You'll come with me when it happens."
Neji's eyes shone. He nodded firmly.
Ishiro then said, "After two quickenings, your Yin Release has improved. You should be able to move your soul-form. The fact that you couldn't means you haven't adapted to the rapid increase in power. When we get back, you need to train your Yin Release and adapt."
Neji looked down, ashamed. He had, in fact, been slacking on his Yin Release training in favor of taijutsu.
Ishiro wasn't concerned. "Your power has spiked again. Let's practice."
Neji immediately stood up, kunai in hand, eager to try.
Ishiro found this amusing. Neji was in that state... I am invincible.
Ishiro didn't go easy on him. He immediately unleashed his five-element ninjutsu and porcelain. In just one hour, he had knocked Neji down dozens of times, completely shattering his "invincible" feeling.
Then, Ishiro began to seriously instruct him.
Neji's progress was astonishing. He quickly adapted, and perhaps because the threat of the Caged Bird was gone, his entire mindset had changed. His old, rigid habits began to magically fade.
He started to instinctively use the Tenseigan's power (Imperial Wheel) in combat, and his movements became more fluid, no longer bound by the Gentle Fist framework.
A few days later, they finished. Ishiro flew the exhausted Neji-kun back on his platform.
Ishiro analyzed Neji-kun's current level: his base strength was now Elite Jonin. With his Tenseigan abilities, he was at the top of the Elite Jonin tier.
One or two more quickenings, and he would be Kage-level.
Unfortunately, Danzō's plan is almost ready. Neji-kun probably won't have time for a third quickening before then.
As Ishiro was pondering, he noticed Neji-kun kept glancing at him, looking like he wanted to say something.
"Just say it, Neji-kun."
Neji-kun started, then took a deep breath. "Lord Tsuchikage... I want to ask you to be my shishō (master)."
Ishiro blinked. "Why? I'm not your teacher, but... you know Riori-neechan is just a front, right? She was 'accepting disciples' on my behalf. I'm the one who's been guiding you, Kurotsuchi, and Karin."
Neji-kun looked down. "I... I want to be able to call you 'Sensei,' just like Karin-chan does."
Ishiro paused, realizing Neji-kun was genuinely moved. He nodded. "Alright. From now on, you are my disciple."
Neji-kun was overjoyed. "Ishiro-sensei!"
Ishiro replied lightly, "Mm. And from now on, Karin-chan is your senpai (senior disciple)!"
Neji-kun: "..."
Katsumata-shishō and Natsuki-sensei were right. Ishiro-sensei is a total goofball.
Ishiro said, "You've been Riori's student for almost a year. The Chunin Exams are coming up. You'll pass, no problem. But have you thought about which department you want to join afterward?"
Neji-kun thought. "I want to join the ANBU. I need more combat experience. I've been so focused on training, I haven't been on enough missions."
Ishiro considered it. "Alright. I'll make sure you get plenty of assignments."
When they returned to the Land of Snow passage, Ōnoki was shocked by Neji-kun's new eyes. "Ishiro! His Byakugan... it evolved! Is it like the Uchiha's Mangekyō?"
Ishiro nodded, then shook his head. "It's called the Tenseigan. He's not finished evolving; it's just a shell right now. But you're right about one thing. It's a higher-level eye, superior to the Mangekyō, probably on par with the Rinnegan. When he's finished, his power will definitely surpass Izumi-san's."
Ōnoki was ecstatic. "Good, good! A transcendent Kage! We must train him well!"
"Don't worry, Lord Third," Ishiro said. "I've already made him my disciple."
That put Ōnoki's mind at ease.
After leaving the Land of Snow, Ishiro gave Neji-kun a pair of goggles to hide his eyes.
Iwa held an internal Chunin Exam. Neji-kun, Kurotsuchi, and Karin all passed.
The day after their promotion, however, they didn't go to learn new jutsu. They reported, with Riori, to Ishiro's office.
Ishiro glanced at the goggle-wearing Neji-kun, then at an angry-looking Kurotsuchi. "What's wrong, Kurotsuchi?"
Kurotsuchi pointed at Ishiro. "Lord Tsuchikage! Why is Neji-kun your disciple now, too?"
Ishiro was confused. "What's wrong with that?"
Kurotsuchi fumed. "Now, of the three of us, Karin-chan and Neji-kun are your disciples! Why am I the only one who isn't?!"
Ishiro paused, then put on a warm smile.
He was in a good mood. His "ride-along" with Neji-kun had improved his chakra control. He still hadn't finished the fifth layer, but he felt it was no longer a major obstacle.
He decided to tease her. "Ah, that. Kurotsuchi, you just have to accept that they are more outstanding than you. It's only natural I'd choose them."
Kurotsuchi was furious. "How am I not as good as them?!"
Ishiro looked surprised. "Have... have you not sparred with Neji-kun lately?"
Kurotsuchi's expression froze. She had. The moment she heard about his eyes, she had challenged him.
Her talent was high, and she could hold her own against a Jonin now. But against Neji-kun... she'd realized with dawning horror that if he wasn't holding back, she wouldn't last a single exchange.
Ishiro's exaggerated surprise shut her down. She felt cornered. "Then... what about Karin-chan?! Her combat power is lower than mine! And you took her as a disciple when she was just a kid! Am I... am I worse than she was?"
She glared at Ishiro, as if she'd pounce if he nodded.
Ishiro didn't nod. He said, in a long-suffering tone, "Kurotsuchi, do you not know why I took her as a disciple? Her medical ninjutsu is already among the best in the village. By the hospital's standards, she's already earned a Jonin title. And she's a sensory-type, second only to me in the entire village. I wouldn't be out of line to give her an Elite Jonin's salary."
He let out a heavy sigh. "Neji-kun has Elite Jonin strength. Karin-chan is arguably Elite Jonin in utility. The only reason I haven't promoted them is because I was worried about your self-esteem. I was... I was holding them back... for you.
"Kurotsuchi... how can you not understand how much I've sacrificed for you?"
Neji-kun and Karin-chan exchanged a look. They weren't stupid. They knew Ishiro was messing with her.
Riori-sensei, hearing her students were being held back, was about to argue, but Neji-kun quickly pulled her back.
Kurotsuchi, however, was in too deep. She bought it.
Her eyes welled up with tears. "So... so... I'm really... that useless? And I thought I was a genius..."
Ishiro, seeing he'd "broken" her, switched tactics. "Kurotsuchi, do you know why you're not at their level?"
She looked up, sniffling.
"Because you don't work hard enough!" Ishiro declared. "Karin-chan has to study medical and sensory ninjutsu on top of her regular training! Neji-kun has to study Yin Release, Caged Bird seal data, and develop his own dōjutsu! How can you compare your effort to theirs?"
This was an exaggeration. Kurotsuchi trained very hard. She lived in a house full of geniuses—Sōkai, Haku, Neji-kun, Yakumo. Deidara was always over. Her own teammate was Karin. Her friends were Sakura and Shion. She was drowning in pressure.
But it was true... her pressure wasn't the "threat of death from a seal on my soul" pressure.
Kurotsuchi was silent. Then she said, "Lord Tsuchikage... from today on... I will train as hard as they do. No, harder! Please... give me a strict training plan!"
Ishiro smiled, his eyes full of "pride." "Good, Kurotsuchi. You've finally grown up. I promise you, when you've reached a level that satisfies me, I will take you as my disciple."
He took out a piece of paper and wrote out an insane training schedule, which he handed to her.
Kurotsuchi took it, read it... and tucked it away, her eyes burning with determination, not fear.
After dealing with Kurotsuchi, Riori immediately stepped forward. "Ishiro-sensei! Now that they're all Chunin, can I take them on A-rank missions?"
Ishiro looked at her with pity. "Riori-chan... did you forget? Now that they are Chunin... your squad is disbanded. They'll be assigned to other departments, or join ANBU, or..."
Riori was stunned. She just stared at him, speechless.
She remembered! He had promised! He had said... when they became Chunin...
How could he go back on his word?! And... if they were disbanded... she'd be all alone again!
Ishiro didn't give her a chance to argue. "And so, Squad Riori is officially disbanded. Neji-kun, Karin-chan, Kurotsuchi, train hard. You'll receive your new assignments soon."
"Yes!" the three of them shouted, not giving Riori a chance to speak.
Riori looked at Ishiro... then at her three students... and even her dense nerves finally sensed something was wrong.
I've been... abandoned!
My teacher... and my students... have abandoned me!
Ishiro-sensei bullying me is one thing... but... Neji-kun? Karin-chan? Kurotsuchi? I taught them the Multi-Shadow Clone! I taught them the Fire Row! I was so patient!
The three of them kept their heads down, unable to look her in the eye.
Just then, Ishiro said, "Riori-chan, you did an excellent job this past year. You not only produced three Chunin, but two of them are at an Elite Jonin level. The village has credited you with two S-rank missions. You can pick up the reward at the Mission Office."
Riori was confused. I... I did a good job?
Ishiro pressed on. "In fact, Riori-chan, in light of your superb teaching ability, the village has decided to assign you three new students."
"You'll be in charge of another team of graduates. What do you say? Are you confident you can make them grow as fast as Neji-kun's team?"
Riori's chest puffed out. She said, "Yes, Ishiro-sensei! I'm confident!"
Ishiro smiled. Simple kids are the best.
Neji-kun, Karin-chan, and Kurotsuchi secretly looked up. Riori-sensei... you have to be smarter... you're going to be bullied for your entire life...
Ishiro nodded. "Excellent. Riori-sensei, here is the roster for your new team."
He scribbled three names on a piece of paper.
Riori took it. The other three peeked over her shoulder.
On the list were three names:
Haruno Sakura
Shion
Kurama Yakumo
Karin-chan sent a silent prayer for Sakura. Neji-kun and Kurotsuchi sent their apologies to Yakumo.
(End of Chapter)
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