Destiny be Damned!

The chunin went about as expected… though surprisingly I was included, with me facing two opponents, Kankuro at first, who gave up without a second thought, and his original opponent who gave up after an unfortunate accident that involved him hitting a wall at 100 miles per hour… though I may have helped. The "randomized" draw wasn't so randomized after all as the other matches went about as expected except for one.

Sasuke struggling somewhat less to win,

Shino still took his win,

the fangirls both went to sleep,

Temari won against Tenten who had very deep pockets,

Shikamaru used his brain,

Naruto being Naruto and farting on Kiba,

…Neji ruthlessly beat up Hinata, but the arrogance from him was missing. He stared at me most of the time, something I believed to be about either 'destiny' or something else I didn't know about. He beat up Hinata ruthlessly but didn't continue after she was clearly beaten.

And my personal favorite until now, Lee opening the gates… and not because of how 'cool' it looked nor how 'amazing' it was. Because it was the same moves Guy used albeit at a speed I could barely catch up to. Using my Sharingan I could catch every movement on Lee's body. It was the same as glimpses I caught watching Guy albeit less skilled and in slow motion in comparison.

"What do you think you're doing?" – I heard a voice speak to me from behind.

I responded without even turning my head, the voice told me all I needed to know that Kakashi didn't approve of my actions… and that he knew exactly what I was doing.

"Getting a little bit stronger. Why, is something wrong?" – I asked as I continued to observe the match.

"There is nothing wrong with seeking power, the problem stands if you do it the wrong way." – Kakashi continued to speak as the match was nearing its end.

It wasn't long now, Lee had run out of fumes and was on his last legs.

"Kakashi… let me tell you something I've learned these past few years. If you worry about gaining power the wrong way… which depends on perspective altogether… then you will end up one of two ways. Either too weak… or too dead to do anything." – I turned towards him, my eyes displaying my Mangekyou blazing red in both eyes.

His gaze faltered and hardened as he seriously looked at me.

"Power is not everything." – Kakashi said slowly.

"On that note, we agree." – I responded as his eyebrows rose, surprised that I actually agreed with him.

"Then…" – he started, but I interrupted.

"BUT… with power, you can achieve everything." – I said as his eyes hardened once again, the result of me reminding him of someone I suppose.

He slowly shook his head.

"Not everything can be gained through power." – he shook his head.

"Hahaha… you speak as if you've ever had that much power. It would be the same as me lecturing you about love. Till now everything I have achieved has been through my prowess, be it sheer power or cunning, and that is what gives me the right to speak like this. You once sought strength like me did you not?"

"I did, but I changed."

"So, you once trod the road I now walk on… but I have already walked further than you. So… what gives you the right to question my way of doing things? This will be my first and final warning Kakashi, do not lecture me again. You're lucky this time though, I'll go easy on you for being disrespectful towards a clan head, You are one of my favorites after all." – I said as I smiled lightly my eyes closed.

As I stopped talking, I walked by Kakashi and lightly poked him in the shoulder, before flickering away.

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As Kakashi stood there, he suddenly noticed Neji standing next to him with wide eyes.

"Kakashi-sensei… that right now!" -Neji said his eyes wide and Byakugan activated.

"Indeed… it would seem he copied the gentle fist you presented in your fight. I can't move my arm at all." – Kakashi said as he flicked his arm with his other hand.

"That is not right. You need the Byakugan to see the location of the tenketsu in the body in real-time… and since he doesn't have it he would have to memorize and locate those points, manually compensating for how the body is positioned. In theory, as long as he can compensate for the outfit of the person, the enemy's body movement, and find the correct location of the points in the body he can use it with no problem. It would require enormous focus in the middle of the battle though. I can't tell if he can pull it off or not in a real battlefield."

"Probably not… for now at least. He would be blind to attacks outside from his field of view. On any of us though… yea, we'd be training dummies. " – Shikamaru commented.

"Wait… Kei can now do the same thing as that damn Neji?" – Naruto asked agape.

"I would have given up anyway… such a pain." – Shikamaru commented from the side, leaning on the rail.

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Moving outside the village was easy enough, all I needed to do was inform the Hokage, and as long as I said it was for training everything would be well… or so I thought. I didn't count on was Hiruzen sticking me with one of the Rookie 9 to train.

"Well… Neji, it seems you are stuck with me." – I said to the Hyuga boy standing in front of me.

He must have been notified beforehand by Guy. That must have been why he was staring at me during the exam. Well, that was one mystery out of the way.

"So it seems Uchiha-sama. I look forward to learning from you." – He bowed and said respectfully, making me freeze a little.

…. Or not.

"Huh… Neji would you answer a question of mine… what is your opinion of me?" – I asked.

He immediately raised his head and looked at me seriously.

"I greatly admire you Uchiha-sama. You rose up from an orphan without anything to one of the most powerful men in the village. You defied destiny and took the position of clan head. I just hope I can learn something from you during this training time that will help me change mine."

Ah… crap... Canon, where are thou? It made sense now. I had done what Neji dreamed of every night and every day he was alive. To him, I had done the impossible…But this could also be an opportunity.

"I see… I also know of you, Neji. How they forced your father to die for the sake of the village. How they brand and dispose of the branch family when it is convenient for them, how they treat you as servants because they think that they are superior. But it isn't completely the main family fault."

"What? I know it isn't the young lady's fault but how can it not be the main family's fault? They forced him to give up his life. To give up his family."

"Indeed… but the branch family didn't do anything either. They just accepted it and continued without a word, didn't they? Because your father was once part of the head family."

"No, they…"

"Did they even try to stop it?"

"No…"

"Continue as you are and you eventually will end up dying either for the main family, for the village, or for both as they drag you from whatever life you might have created. Or follow me and I'll give you the power to change your destiny. The power to dictate your own fate, to tear down destiny and continue on past it." – As I said that my Mangekyou rotated and shined redder than blood as I opened my arms, my shadow falling over him, a small smile on my lips.