Naruto: Reborn as Neji Hyuga After Dying in One Piece-Chapter 162. The Plan Begins!

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Neji retracted the repulsion field, calmly observing the flattened remains of the cannon embedded in the training hall wall like a metal poster pressed into the concrete.

Izumi watched in silent awe. His strength had grown again. And despite being one of the few people who knew him deeply, she still couldn’t see the full height of the mountain he was climbing.

She had trained with him for years. Sparred, fought, bled. And still she had never once pushed him to his limit.

Every time she was left gasping on the ground, Neji stood there barely winded.

As he approached her now, she instinctively handed him a bottle of water, not bothering to ask why the test ended so quickly. She knew he’d sensed something.

Neji drank the water in a single gulp. The towel Izumi had prepared? Unneeded.

"No point continuing," he said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "This facility can’t handle my power anymore. I’ve gauged what I needed."

He turned to her with resolve in his voice.

"It’s time. The plan begins now."

Two and a half years had passed. Naruto’s return from training with Jiraiya was imminent and with him, the Akatsuki’s full-scale movement would begin.

As for Roran, the ancient desert kingdom where the Dragon Vein slumbered Neji had been waiting.

The Tenseigan was now complete, and he suspected the "Lion Head" lock on his chakra system would only release when exposed to temporal energy specifically, the Dragon Vein’s time-space chakra.

The timing hadn’t been right before. But now? It was close.

Still, he wasn’t rushing. Let Naruto meet his father first. That moment mattered.

"Izumi," he said, holding out his hand.

Without hesitation, she reached for it, and their hands clasped.

Teleportation.

With mastery over the Flying Thunder God Technique refined into his own personal version of space-time ninjutsu they vanished instantly.

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Land of Waves – Hidden Base

They reappeared inside their hidden base. No longer needing to conceal his identity, Neji moved freely.

Zabuza and Haku had known the truth since Neji hit Level 45 a year ago.

Strangely, Zabuza had never redeemed his earned contribution points for the "male hormone conversion serum." Not that Neji cared everyone had their own path.

Haku? She was more than content in her current form, and never once asked to return to her former state.

"Boss!"

The first to detect him was Karin. Thanks to Neji’s brutal sensory training, her ability had evolved to the point of absurdity. Especially when it came to Neji’s chakra she could detect even a flicker of it.

With hearts in her eyes, she sprinted toward him.

Izumi, smiling politely, stepped forward.

WHAM!

No one saw her move. But in the next moment, Karin was embedded in the far wall, twitching with swirls in her eyes and foam at her mouth.

The other members barely reacted.

They were used to it.

Still, they were taken aback by Neji’s changed appearance white hair, ethereal blue eyes, and an aura that no longer felt threatening...

It felt godlike.

Not weaker. Just... distant. Intangible.

"Boss!" several called out, saluting.

Neji nodded slightly. Their strength had all improved.

Even Zabuza the old powerhouse was no longer a liability. He’d refined his Water Style techniques and dramatically improved his taijutsu.

Haku and Kimimaro were even more formidable. Both easily at Kage level now.

Karin was... still Karin. But she had her uses. As a sensor and a user of the Uzumaki clan’s [Adamantine Sealing Chains], she remained vital.

"Come with me."

"Yes!"

Even Karin, still groggy from the wall impact, scrambled upright and trotted to Neji’s side. She kept glancing nervously at Izumi. Of all people, Izumi scared her the most.

Despite Neji training her in the past, it was Izumi who had overseen the "brutal sessions."

She was Karin’s teacher. Her tormentor. Her love rival.

And now they were competing for the same man.

A classic betrayal of the master.

Neji noticed the rising tension between the two women and sighed.

"Enough. Stop the staring contest. Everyone, give me your hands."

Reluctantly, both women reached out. The others followed suit.

In a blink, they vanished.

Back in the base, only Neji’s puppets remained to clean up.

---

Somewhere in the Land of Water

They reappeared beside a lake nestled in a remote clearing.

Nearby, a massive tree marked one of Neji’s old "Eye Marker" locations space-tagged for instant recall.

Karin glanced around, sniffing the air. Salty. Earthy. Different from the base.

"Boss? Where are we?"

Neji turned slightly.

"Land of Water."

Three question marks floated over her head.

Why are we here? Is this another mission?

"You’ll know soon enough," he said, handing Izumi a scroll. "But first, we prepare."

He passed out sealing scrolls. Izumi distributed them to Zabuza and the rest.

"You’ll each head to a designated point. Start setting up the barrier formation," Neji instructed. "Karin, you’ll act as the anchor and controller."

Zabuza raised an eyebrow. "Boss, what exactly are we doing here?"

The mist, the humidity it was familiar.

This place had long been considered a no-go zone for most shinobi.

Neji gave him a glance. No secrecy.

"We’re capturing the Three-Tails."

Silence. Then shock.

The Three-Tails? A Tailed Beast?

Could they really pull that off?

Zabuza looked around at the others.

...White, Kimimaro, Izumi, Karin...

He fell silent.

"Yeah... maybe we actually can."

With Ice Release and Shikotsumyaku, two of the most dangerous bloodlines in the Land of Water, they had the tools.

After a long pause, Zabuza nodded. "I understand."

The squad geared up. Each wore a black tactical suit modeled after the classic DNF raid look custom suits packed with chakra threads, tracking seals, and HUD visors linked to satellite overlays.

Neji activated the command module through his mask, issuing instructions as they scattered to their positions.

He stepped forward, entering the lake alone.

As he walked, part of his mind focused inward toward the locked Lion Head panel in his chakra system.

He was curious what collecting all the fragments would truly unlock.

Maybe empowering Zabuza with the Three-Tails would balance the team.

After all, Zabuza had the lowest potential among them strong, but reaching his ceiling.

But one thought nagged at him.

"Are nine Tailed Beasts really enough to complete the fragments?"

"What about the Ten-Tails?"

That presence still lingered in the depths of his mind.

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