Naruto: Reborn as Neji Hyuga After Dying in One Piece

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The moment the golden tiger's claw formed entirely from energy, it filled Isobu's vision.

The overwhelming power behind the strike bore down like a mountain.

The lake plummeted several meters in depth from the sheer pressure. Towering waves slammed into the edges of Neji's barrier dome.

CRACK!

A pained roar echoed across the battlefield.

Under the golden tiger's claw, Isobu's massive shell splintered, deep cracks tearing through its armor. Its resistance crumbled in an instant.

Chains of lightning rained down from above, wrapping around the Tailed Beast and pinning it in place. Struggling was futile.

Atop the tiger's head, Neji watched with calm precision. He stepped forward, hovering down through the rain.

"Let's not drag this out. Cooperate, and I won't make this painful. You know others are watching you already."

Isobu growled weakly, trying to shake free but it was no use. The damage was severe, and the golden lightning chains kept their chakra locked down.

"Human..."

The deep voice rumbled with anger but also fear.

Neji ignored the protest. He extended his hand and plunged it directly into the beast's chest.

From within Isobu, something began to stir.

Particles of light swirled into Neji's consciousness. In the blackness of his mental plane, they converged floating like embers.

A fragment of pure primordial energy condensed in his system.

The chaos faded, leaving behind a gray shard the fourth piece.

So far, Neji had collected:

One from Fū of Takigakure, host of the Seven-Tails

One from Han, the Five-Tails Jinchūriki

Combined with earlier samples, he now had four fragments

His mind visualized the shape of the whole. At first, the pattern was obscured. But now that four pieces had formed, the design was beginning to clear.

And with it came a realization.

"It's not nine… It's ten."

There was a central shard missing.

The Tenth.

The Ten-Tails.

Neji's smile faded slightly.

If the center piece was the core, then it could only be the Ten-Tails.

"So the original plan's scrapped."

He had once considered giving Isobu to Zabuza powering him up to round out their team's strength. But now?

"This changes everything."

If he was going to deal with the Ten-Tails eventually, then he couldn't afford to hand off Tailed Beasts to others. He had to keep them.

With the energy extracted, Neji activated his Tenseigan.

A spiral of gravitational pull tore through the air. Isobu's eyes widened in horror.

"Not again… I won't be sealed again!"

But resistance was meaningless.

Neji's chakra swallowed the beast entirely.

Absorbed.

No long incantations. No intricate sealing matrix. Just raw force and total control.

To Neji, Isobu was now nothing more than a walking chakra battery.

The moment the Three-Tails vanished, the golden tiger and protective dome dissolved. Rain ceased. Clouds cleared.

Sunlight returned.

Neji tapped the comm inside his mask.

"Mission complete. Group up."

The barrier team dropped the seal and regrouped, appearing at Neji's side.

"Boss!" they saluted.

"Good work. We're done here. And no doubt… they've noticed. I want to see how they respond."

Without questions, the team nodded. They took his hand and vanished.

---

Moments later…

From the tree line, a Venus flytrap-shaped creature emerged silently from the bark.

White Zetsu scanned the battlefield, sensing the remnants of Tailed Beast chakra, battle residue, and unfamiliar sealing energy.

"This is bad. Isobu just revived… and it's already been sealed again?"

He turned toward the black half of his body. "Was it Kirigakure?"

"No," Black Zetsu said flatly. "They have no idea Isobu came back."

White Zetsu frowned. "Then who? Akatsuki was supposed to move on the Tailed Beasts soon. We already missed the Seven-Tails and Five-Tails. Both were intercepted."

He growled, frustrated. "And then there's that weird group in suits… the so-called 'D-Organization.'"

"They appear… interfere… and vanish. No chakra trail, no footprints. Nothing."

Black Zetsu's face remained unreadable, but inwardly, he was unsettled.

They had only shown themselves twice and now a third time.

They had even sensed his presence during the Seven-Tails operation.

"Something's wrong," he muttered. "Ever since Itachi and Kisame went to Konoha two and a half years ago, it's like... there's a force actively working against us."

"Let's report back. Pain will decide our next move."

But even as he said it, Black Zetsu's mind was racing.

"This time… something is really off."

"We've been set back before, but now we're being countered. Every step."

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Meanwhile… back in the base.

Neji sat at a table, fingers tapping slowly against the surface.

From his mask interface, he had watched the entire conversation between White and Black Zetsu. Clear visuals. Crystal audio.

He smiled.

"If I let you catch me back then… I'd be an idiot."

Back during the Seven-Tails mission, he had no Tenseigan. No awakened chakra system. Barely enough power to fend off pursuit.

But he had stepped in anyway just enough to save Fū and pull out a fragment.

Han of the Five-Tails? Less interesting. Neji only extracted what he needed and left him to fate.

"She was cute," he mused. "He wasn't. Simple math."

He leaned back in his chair, studying the four collected fragments now glowing in his interface.

The shape was undeniable. Ten shards in total. Meaning the Ten-Tails was inevitable.

"Time to abandon Plan A," he said quietly. "Stopping their collection won't work."

Plan A had been simple: sabotage Akatsuki's progress, scatter the Tailed Beasts, and prevent the resurrection of the Ten-Tails.

But now?

That path was gone.

"Guess it's time for Plan B."

Plan B would get him more experience. More chakra. And possibly more access to Edo Tensei battle simulations.

But it also meant risking something far greater the outbreak of the Fourth Great Ninja War.

"I really didn't want it to come to this…"

Still, the plan had its upsides.

At least with Plan B, he could ensure Kaguya's loyal little puppet Black Zetsu was erased permanently.

He snorted.

"Honestly, the whole backstory? It's just classic mythology nonsense."

"The adored older sons seal their mother, while the unloved third child spends a thousand years trying to rescue her."

"He's literally a tragic protagonist in a Korean drama."

"And me? I know this plot."

He smirked.

"Fine. You want to save mommy dearest? I'll give you a hand."

And with that, he turned his gaze toward the next target:

"Two-Tails Jinchūriki—Yugito Nii."

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