Chapter 178: Breaking the Cage

(T/N: There is now a p.atreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early release of up to 30 chapters edited smoothly. https://www.p.atreon.com/INeedRest)

****************

Itachi couldn't hold back his shock.

This guy had such evil plans for him, but he was talking casually before as if there was nothing wrong.

Itachi felt the danger at that moment.

Colt seemed to sense something and swiftly struck out with a wind blade, directly slicing off Itachi's arm.

He also wanted to try something.

As Itachi stood puzzled, his arm began to regenerate through the [Impure World Reincarnation] technique and Colt's healing accelerated that even more.

Colt waited patiently as debris and dust fully restored Itachi's body.

He couldn't wait to hear the system's beep.

But… there was none.

"As I thought" Colt shook his head regretfully.

He then summoned a coffin, placed Itachi inside, and slowly made it sink to the ground.

Itachi stared at him until the last moment.

This way he would stay between death and the living, never to reincarnate.

The people revived by [Impure World Reincarnation] were essentially dead; in a way, they could be regarded as a kind of ninja tool.

Although Colt regretted not being able to gain attributes from Itachi, he had already prepared for this possibility.

Arriving at BBQ Q, Colt joined the Ino-Shika-Cho party, where all the Genin teams, including Neji, were in attendance—except for poor Naruto.

Thinking about Naruto still eating bugs at Mount Myōboku, Colt couldn't help but dedicate three seconds of silence to him.

Just as it was over.

"Colt, over here!" Kiba called out, waving at him, with Shino sitting beside him.

"Long time no see, Kiba, Shino."

"Yeah," Kiba grinned.

"Long time no see, Colt," Shino responded, still dressed in his mysterious attire, covering himself tightly despite Konoha's warm weather.

"What about Ichibi? Why didn't you bring him today?"

Kiba and Akamaru stared at Colt with resentful eyes, as if asking.

"Why are you mistreating your dog so much?" Even Shino looked over, his sunglasses hiding his expression.

If Ichibi didn't come to this party, then he would perhaps be doing a mission…

Hinata had been accepted as Tsunade's disciple and often accompanied Colt in the village.

Over the past two years, Kiba and Shino had completed missions together with the two dogs, relying on Ichibi's strength to make their tasks much easier.

It was no wonder they cared so much about him.

Colt waved his hand dismissively.

"Don't worry about him; Hinata and Ino will take care of him. They have something planned for him later,"

Ino had mentioned yesterday that she was going to treat Ichibi and Hinata joined with her to make it even better.

Colt was worried that Ichibi might eat away all his savings if left alone so he told the two to help him.

Before long, others arrived one after another.

Becoming Chūnin meant becoming a mainstay of the village, and their responsibilities had increased significantly compared to their Genin days.

It was rare for everyone to gather like this.

"Come on, let's congratulate Neji on becoming a Jōnin," Colt raised his glass of juice, gesturing to everyone.

If they were in private, he wouldn't mind everyone having a drink together, but in public, there were rules to follow.

"Congratulations, Neji!" All the young ninjas raised their glasses, congratulating Neji.

Besides Colt, Neji was the first Genin in this group to be promoted to Jōnin.

Neji smiled something that would have been unimaginable in the past.

Shikamaru looked at Colt, who was enjoying the attention with Hinata on his left and Ino on his right, envy clear in his eyes.

At the same time, he felt deep contempt for his own father.

Others, like Colt, had so many girlfriends who handled things willingly that even their mothers couldn't be compared to them.

But his father apparently couldn't even handle his mom…

After the long meal, Colt held Neji back after everyone else had left.

When the two returned to Colt's home, Colt looked at Neji's forehead protector and asked softly.

"Do you want to remove the Caged Bird Seal on your forehead?"

Neji's pupils suddenly contracted as he looked at Colt in disbelief.

"Don't just stare at me—speak something man."

"Co-Colt, what are you talking about?" Neji stammered, wondering if this was some kind of test.

Was Colt trying to see if he was still dissatisfied with the Main House?

Colt didn't overthink it and asked again.

"Just tell me if you want it removed. There's no need to hesitate."

Neji fell silent.

In all fairness, Hiashi treated him no differently than Hinata or Hanabi.

But this only represented Hiashi's attitude and deep resentment toward the Hyūga clan still festered in his heart—a hatred born from the injustice of fate.

Seeing Neji's hesitation, Colt understood.

He spread out his palm, allowing a green branch to grow from it. The branch soon reached Neji's face and plucked off his forehead protector, revealing the Caged Bird Seal underneath.

Though Neji had doubts, he didn't resist.

Colt didn't need to go through so much trouble just to kill him.

The roots of the branch acted like tentacles, grasping the center of the seal. Neji felt the chakra inside him slipping away. Colt, who had become one with the God Tree, naturally had the ability to absorb chakra. As long as all the chakra in the Caged Bird Seal was absorbed, the seal could be removed.

After a few minutes, Colt nodded in satisfaction as he looked at Neij who had no seal now.

"The mirror is over there. See for yourself."

Neji, who had already guessed it, staggered to the mirror.

He looked at his reflection and reached out to touch his forehead with a trembling hand.

There was nothing there.

The nightmare that had haunted his father, himself, and hundreds of Branch House members was finally gone.

Thump!

With a bang, Neji knelt in front of Colt, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Thank you, thank you." Although the words were simple, the emotions behind them were intense.

Colt was stunned to find that Neji's chakra was growing rapidly, soon surpassing the boundaries of a Jōnin and touching the threshold of Kage level.

Was it really that dramatic? He had underestimated Neji's genius.

Without the constraints of the Caged Bird Seal, Neji's future potential would undoubtedly reach the Kage level.

That settled it.

Colt helped Neji up.

"Congratulations, Neij," Colt said.

A young bird that has escaped his cage will eventually soar into the sky.

"Thank you, Colt" Neij was feeling happy at this moment.

"But I have one thing to ask of you," Colt added.

Neji took a deep breath, stopped his tears, and nodded immediately.

"Even if you want me to die right now, that's fine with me."

"Who said anything about dying?" Colt motioned for Neji to sit down and spoke calmly.

"You don't have to hide that your Caged Bird Seal has been removed from now. And as such, I want you to become the head of the Hyūga clan after Hiashi-san."

Neji was surprised.

"What about Hanabi-sama?"

Colt sighed helplessly.

"It was Hanabi who told me that she didn't want to be so old-fashioned like her father and asked me to find some way for her to escape that outcome. That's why I removed the Caged Bird Seal from you."

The current Hanabi had completely turned into a free-spirited woman.

Even Hiashi often sighed that both were his daughters, yet their personalities were so different.

Seeing that Colt had said so, Neji finally agreed.

The two discussed it for a long time before Neji finally left.