Konoha — Hyuga Clan Residence.
Ryun jolted awake in bed, clutching his head as a sharp pain throbbed through his skull.
"Ugh… my head hurts like hell!"
Suddenly, he felt something cold pressed against his forehead.
"Huh? What's this?"
He quickly pulled the hard metal object off his head and held it up in front of his eyes.
What he saw was a forehead protector engraved with an abstract leaf symbol.
"This is…"
To someone who had always loved watching anime, this object was far too familiar.
Konoha.
A ninja headband.
His expression instantly changed. He snapped his head up and scanned his surroundings.
Unfamiliar. Everything was unfamiliar.
Unwilling to accept it, he staggered toward a mirror. The moment he saw the youth reflected back at him—eyes pale and pupil-less, the unmistakable Byakugan—a piercing pain exploded in his head, and an overwhelming flood of memories surged in.
After a brief spell of dizziness, Ryun finally confirmed one undeniable truth.
He had transmigrated.
And not only that—he had transmigrated into Hyuga Neji from Naruto.
According to the memories he had just inherited, Hyuga Neji had attempted to break the Caged Bird Seal by force, trying to overpower it with his own chakra.
The result?
The seal remained intact… and he passed out cold.
And right after that, Ryun took over this body.
What the hell?!
Wasn't this way too targeted?!
Just because his original name was also Ryun, did that mean he had to transmigrate straight into Hyuga Neji's body?
That made absolutely no sense.
Back in his original world, his name was Ryun, and he was nothing more than an ordinary office intern who had just entered the workforce.
Like most interns, he earned a pitiful fixed salary of 2,300 a month, working endlessly day and night.
He woke up earlier than a chicken, went to bed later than a dog.
He ate worse than a pig and worked harder than a donkey.
And now—just like that—he had transmigrated.
Although he had become the genius heir of a prestigious clan, Ryun felt no joy whatsoever.
Anyone familiar with Naruto knew one thing very well:
Hyuga Neji was a tragic character.
His father died when he was young.
He lived his entire life shackled by the Caged Bird Seal.
And even after finally seizing control of his own fate…
He still died in the end.
"Oh come on! If I had to transmigrate, did it really have to be someone this miserable?!"
Ryun stared up at the ceiling, utterly speechless.
The ninja world was a place that devoured people whole. Political schemes, tangled interests—one wrong step, and you wouldn't even know how you died.
Hyuga Neji's talent was good, sure—but at best, he was just a genius.
Look at the later stages of the series. Everyone was practically cheating.
Genius?
The ninja world never lacked geniuses.
But how many geniuses actually reached Kage level? Or even became elite jonin?
Even Kage-level ninja were nothing more than chakra batteries in the end.
Damn it…
My future really is pitch-black.
Neji sat down on a stool, his expression miserable, continuing to process and fuse the memories of this world.
When he recalled Hyuga Neji's near-suicidal attempt to break the seal, the corner of his mouth twitched.
Even Kage-level powerhouses couldn't do anything about the Caged Bird Seal—where did a mere genin get that kind of confidence?
See what happened?
He'd dragged himself straight into disaster.
To make things worse, Neji learned from his memories that the Chunin Exams were approaching.
That piece of information was the final nail in the coffin.
The Chunin Exams—what terrible timing.
During the exams, Orochimaru would launch the Konoha Crush plan.
And after that, Konoha would truly begin its decline.
Walking to the window, Neji glanced in the direction of the Hokage's office in the distance. Then he returned to his bed and lay back down, deep in thought.
Should he go warn the Third Hokage and try to change Konoha's fate?
Impossible.
Anyone who had watched Naruto knew how rotten Konoha's upper ranks were.
The kind of corruption that even four hundred horses couldn't drag back.
Rather than throwing his life away for Konoha, he needed to figure out how to survive first.
Besides, who was to say the higher-ups wouldn't target him instead?
Just thinking about Danzo's personality and methods sent a chill down his spine.
"Since I'm already here, I might as well accept it."
"Now that I've been reborn, I can't just become cannon fodder and wait for death."
"If I want to survive in this world, I have to grow stronger."
With his resolve set, Neji stood up and walked outside.
Once he made up his mind, he acted immediately—that had always been his style.
Entering the Hyuga clan compound with ease, Neji began familiarizing himself with chakra.
Chakra was the source of power for all ninja techniques—ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu, and more.
After molding chakra, most ninja relied on hand seals to perform ninjutsu.
But Neji was different.
He specialized in taijutsu.
Even taijutsu required chakra to unleash its full potential.
For the Hyuga clan, taijutsu was far more practical than ninjutsu.
First, it consumed far less chakra, allowing for prolonged combat.
Second, with the Byakugan and the Gentle Fist style, close combat gave them a decisive advantage.
Compared to that, spending time cultivating ninjutsu was far less efficient.
Just as Neji focused on circulating his chakra, a soft, hesitant voice suddenly came from behind him.
"N-Neji… brother…"
He turned around—and froze.
Standing there was Hyuga Hinata.
The little princess of the Hyuga clan.
He had only ever seen her on a screen before. He never expected her to be even more beautiful in person.
It seemed transmigration wasn't without its perks after all.
Just as Neji was about to smile and greet her, he abruptly remembered his current identity.
Hyuga Neji deeply resented the main family.
There was no way he would treat Hyuga Hinata kindly.
Before he had enough strength to protect himself, he couldn't afford to reveal any inconsistencies.
He needed to move slowly.
Seeing Neji remain silent, Hinata's expression dimmed slightly.
"Neji brother is probably going to turn around and leave again… just like before…"
"What is it?" Neji asked flatly.
Hearing him respond at all, Hinata's face flushed red. At this age, she was still extremely introverted and shy.
So shy, in fact, that Neji was slightly surprised.
What he didn't know was that Hyuga Neji had never paid attention to her before—so even a simple reply was enough to make her heart race.
"Neji brother… a-are you training?" she asked softly.
"Yes," Neji replied calmly.
"Th-then… can I train with you?" Hinata gathered all her courage to ask.
"Do whatever you want."
"Th-thank you, Neji brother." Hinata bowed.
But as she straightened up, she lost her balance and stumbled straight into Neji's arms.
"Oh—!"
Silence fell.
Nestled against his chest, Hinata's face instantly turned bright red. Steam practically rose from her head as she tilted sideways—
—and fainted on the spot.
At the same time, a familiar yet unfamiliar mechanical voice echoed in Neji's mind.
"Activation conditions met. Initializing system…"
"'Spoiling Little Sister System' successfully activated."
"Binding host: Hyuga Neji."
"Host binding complete."