Naruto: Reborn as Neji Hyuga After Dying in One Piece-Chapter 53. That’s… a Very Philosophical Question

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"You want more?" Neji's voice came through the projection, level but sharp. "What exactly are you asking for?"

The masked figure known as [Nian] already knew the answer; he was just buying time.

The Chūnin Exams were approaching fast. If Orochimaru followed the original timeline, the assassination of the Fourth Kazekage was only days away.

Across the projection, Orochimaru licked his lips slowly, eyes gleaming.

"Research," he rasped. "Genetic theory. Foundational work."

Of course. Neji smiled behind the mask. He wants the framework behind it all. The 'why' beneath the miracle.

"Fine," [Nian] replied casually. "You'll have it."

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed in amusement. "Very cooperative. How do you propose we handle the exchange?"

"Simple. Press the seal at the back of the [Mono-Eye], and place the item. Or, if you don't trust my method, suggest your own."

Neji's tone was playful, but there was a subtle tension beneath it. A mutual warning.

Both of them knew:

Break the deal, and neither walks away unscathed.

"I trust your method," Orochimaru replied with a smile. "After all, my goods aren't cheap either."

Neji chuckled. "Likewise."

Orochimaru lifted his hand, and Kabuto emerged from the shadows with two items:

A sealed vial containing cells from the First Hokage

A tightly wrapped scroll labeled: Soul Projection Technique

Both were held up to the projection for inspection.

Neji, in turn, revealed his own:

Two vials of hormones [Regeneration Hormone] and [Estrogen Hormone]

A scroll marked Genetic Theory – Foundation Model

He'd prepared the items long ago, expecting this day.

He flipped the [Mono-Eye] over and pressed the hidden seal. Crimson threads spread from the device, tracing an elaborate summoning array across the table like spreading veins.

Orochimaru mirrored the action, raising a thin brow at the seal's elegance. It resembled a standard summoning pattern... but heavily modified.

His eyes gleamed. Kabuto furiously copied the glyphs into a notebook beside him.

"Go ahead," Neji said smoothly.

"Before we proceed," Orochimaru murmured, "how should I address you?"

"Call me [Nian]. I represent the D-Organization."

"D-Organization..." Orochimaru echoed, thinking. No records. No history. Completely off-grid.

Naturally.

The 'D' came from a game Neji used to play—DNF—but it just so happened to carry weight in the One Piece world, too.

"Interesting name," Orochimaru said. "I hope your organization has more to offer."

"If you've got something I want," Neji said plainly, "I'm sure we'll talk again."

Kabuto gave a hand signal, recording complete. Orochimaru gave a friendly nod, placed the items in the seal array, and stepped back.

Neji smirked behind his mask. "Let's make it official."

[Summoning Swap Technique]

A small-scale transposition fuinjutsu. Slower than Flying Thunder God, but ideal for... transactions.

Poof.

In an instant, both sides' items switched places.

The glyphs faded. The [Mono-Eye] closed.

Orochimaru inspected his haul: two vials, both real, and the scroll of raw theoretical genetics. His grin widened.

"Kabuto?"

"Recorded, but the core glyph was located inside the [Mono-Eye] itself. Untraceable and unrecoverable."

"Expected," Orochimaru said. He toyed with the device. "But clever. Very clever."

"So this is the D-Organization," he mused aloud. "And this man... [Nian]. Odd naming sense."

"No tracking markers. Their base is far beyond any sensory range," Kabuto added.

"Let them hide," Orochimaru replied. "Anyone with this much subtlety wouldn't leave a trail. For now, we have more pressing matters."

His eyes turned toward the west. Toward the Leaf.

"Sensei... I hope you enjoy the farewell I've prepared."

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Meanwhile – Konoha, Personal Lab

Neji examined the traded items one by one.

Unsurprisingly, Orochimaru had left traces behind sleeper seals, concealed inks, and low-tier chakra pings.

He cleared them with a flick of the wrist.

"Try to mess with me and you can forget your little schemes succeeding," he muttered.

He placed the First Hokage's cells under a scope. Within minutes, the results confirmed themselves.

"Genuine. And highly invasive. No wonder these things are so dangerous."

Next, he unsealed the scroll: [Soul Projection Technique].

A rare, S-rank forbidden jutsu. No clear author, but as with many such things, it had been retroactively attributed to Tobirama Senju.

A technique to sever the soul from the body, allowing full spiritual projection.

It was dangerous. It was hard to master.

But it was also the origin point of Orochimaru's body-hopping immortality technique, which takes over a host, overwrites their soul, and lives on.

The first confirmed user?

Dan Katō—Tsunade's lover.

A shinobi who died tragically in the war.

"Man had the nerve to bag Tsunade," Neji muttered. "Gotta respect that."

He leaned back, holding the scroll with a distant look in his eyes.

"Soul techniques... huh."

He'd always wondered: when he left his body, what would he look like?

Would his soul appear as his first life?

His second?

Or as the Neji he was now?

Was he just a bundle of memories inhabiting flesh? Or was he truly the same soul, reborn again and again?

"...Am I still me?"

He stared at the scroll, expression unreadable.

"That's... a very philosophical question."

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