Naruto: Reborn as Neji Hyuga After Dying in One Piece-Chapter 46. From the Start, There Was Only One Choice

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Zabuza's eyes snapped open, instincts flaring as he tried to lunge up—

CRACK!

A sharp, sickening snap rang out as his freshly healed arm broke once again.

Before he could even groan, Neji casually slammed him back onto the bed with a [Gentle Fist] strike.

Flat. Down.

Haku stirred beside him, trying to rise, but her strength failed her chest wound was still far from healed. She could only watch, helpless.

Neji frowned slightly, his voice firm but calm. "Caution is good but charging in without intel? That's not how real shinobi operate."

He turned to Zabuza. "You're making me question whether saving you was even worth the trouble."

Zabuza broke into a cold sweat. Pain shot through his entire body, and his busted arm throbbed with every breath.

"...Who the hell are you?" he growled, panting.

Now more focused, his eyes sharpened. These weren't Mist Hunter-nin. He was sure of it.

But that last strike it felt strangely familiar...

Neji nodded slightly. "Good. You're finally thinking straight."

Zabuza's brain seemed intact. Haku, meanwhile, stayed calm likely letting Zabuza take the lead. It was an interesting relationship. In Neji's eyes, saving one meant getting the other as a bonus.

Just then, Haku spoke softly, her voice uncertain. "You're... Zabuza-san... right?"

Neji paused at that, then chuckled faintly, casting an amused glance between the two.

"I am Zabuza. What kind of question is—?"

He trailed off mid-sentence. The confusion hit him like a kunai to the chest.

"...Wait. Why do I sound like—?"

"You're a woman," Izumi said flatly, dropping the truth like a bomb.

Zabuza froze, as if paralyzed.

Neji smirked. "Let me explain before your brain short-circuits."

"You were dying. I saved you. Both of you. But the process... changed you. Fully and naturally. No surgery. Consider it a fresh start."

He nodded to Izumi. She stepped forward and handed over a large mirror.

Zabuza and Haku slowly sat up. Their reflections stared back at them with elegant features, soft expressions, and radiant femininity. Haku looked almost the same, just more refined. But Zabuza? She looked like a stranger with familiar eyes.

Zabuza scowled. "Stop staring!"

A flare of annoyance bubbled up, but Haku remained composed. Her observant eyes caught the subtle twitches and quirks that betrayed Zabuza's identity.

Zabuza snorted and tried to channel chakra...

Nothing.

She bit her lip.

"Don't bother," Neji said. "It's not a genjutsu."

"I'll give you time to ask questions," he continued. "You can believe it or not it's up to you."

"...Who are you people?" Zabuza asked, narrowing her eyes.

"If you haven't joined us, then just call me [Nian]. And that's Izumi."

Zabuza's mind spun. He'd gathered a few things already they'd been saved, and now they were being recruited.

"So, you want us to join you?"

"Exactly."

"...Why us?"

"We're short on manpower."

Zabuza twitched. "No kidding."

Still, with his situation being what it was... Maybe it was time. Haku didn't deserve to suffer anymore.

Zabuza lowered her gaze. "...What's your goal?"

"To survive."

That answer gave her pause. "That's it?"

"Only by staying alive can you do anything else."

Neji's voice was low and heavy. "Back in the One Piece world, I had ambitions. Dreams. But I died. And when you're dead, nothing else matters."

"If I get another shot, maybe I'll strike back. Maybe the system will help. Who knows?"

Zabuza stared at him. "I get it. I once had dreams too... tried to overthrow the Mizukage... and failed. All that's left now is a husk clinging to pride."

She wasn't ashamed of admitting it anymore. Death does that to a person.

"I tried to earn coin. Ended up dead. What a joke."

The fact that Neji had saved them only meant one thing he knew all of this. He knew their past. Their failure. And still chose to save them.

Because from the start, there had only ever been one choice.

"Master..." Haku's voice broke her thoughts.

She turned to her. "You okay with this?"

"I am your tool, Master. I will obey."

Zabuza gave a wry laugh. "Not anymore."

"But—"

"No 'but.' From now on, you're not just a tool. If you have no objections, we'll join them."

"...Okay."

Neji raised a brow. That was faster than expected. Guess death really was the best teacher.

"Alright then. You're with us now. From today, your codenames are Slash... and Haku."

He pulled two masks from his inventory sleek, featureless, and embedded with tech. Vision enhancement, communication links, projection, night vision. Still a prototype.

He engraved the names [Slash] and [Haku] onto them and tossed them over.

Zabuza is too well known for his own good and Haku doesn't need a codename.

"These are your symbols. Channel some chakra into them to activate the functions. I'll explain more later."

"For now, rest. When you're fully recovered, we'll talk more."

Neji turned and left with Izumi. There was a lot to be done around the base and no time to waste on small talk.

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