Naruto: Reborn as Neji Hyuga After Dying in One Piece-Chapter 61. Meeting Karin

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"AAAHHHHH—!!"

Sasuke's screams pierced the forest, slicing through the storm of confusion in Sakura's heart.

She clutched him as he collapsed, his transformation complete. Sasuke... was no longer him.

"Sasuke!!"

Her voice trembled as she called out to her fallen teammate. He opened his eyes for a brief moment, dazed, his gaze unfocused, void of awareness. Then he slumped forward, unconscious, straight into her arms.

The soft pressure of his body against her chest startled Sakura, but she held her close, lips trembling.

What about Naruto...?

She looked up.

Naruto still hung motionless, pinned to the tree by kunai. The boy who never shut up... who never stayed down... was completely silent.

Was he even alive?

Her breath caught. Panic settled in.

Everyone... everyone I relied on... they're all down.

I'm alone.

Tears rolled silently down her cheeks.

---

Neji watched from the shadows, eyes narrowing as Sakura gently dragged both unconscious teammates toward their shelter and began tending to them with shaking hands.

His disguise faded with a twitch of his fingers [Transformation Jutsu] released. His features returned to normal, long hair swaying as he adjusted his gear.

No need to hide now. He had stayed close in case the situation escalated... but it didn't.

Well, not yet.

Anko—"Potato," as Neji smirked to himself, had already entered the forest. And while Orochimaru was a monster, Neji doubted he'd go so far as to kill her.

Still...

"HELP!! Somebody—!!"

Neji's ears perked up. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

A scream echoed nearby.

Instantly, his [Observation Haki] swept out like a wave.

By a stream not far off, a kunoichi in a Grass ninja cloak was being chased by a towering bear, stumbling as she screamed for her life.

...A trap?

Neji's instincts flared, but a quick scan confirmed she was alone. No ambush team. No enemy chakra signatures.

Strange.

Then the girl tripped. Her hood flew off.

Neji blinked.

"...It's her."

In a blur, he vanished from his perch.

---

The girl, Karin, stumbled, fell, and braced for death.

From above, a white-streaked blur shot down, slicing the air.

[Moonstep]

[Tempest Kick]

A single, graceful arc of compressed wind.

Karin flinched and covered her head 'This is it. I'm gonna die. I'm seriously gonna die...'

But no pain came.

Instead, a heavy thud shook the earth behind her.

She peeked out from behind her fingers.

The massive bear was down, decapitated cleanly.

She gasped.

"Th-The pelt's decent," her savior muttered. "Shame I took the head off. But the paws... yeah. Could be tasty."

She turned slowly.

There, standing amid the corpse, was a tall shinobi with his face half-hidden beneath long hair. Calm, elegant, deadly.

Karin's heart skipped a beat. (Dramatized internally, of course.)

He wiped his kunai with fluid precision.

He saved me... he's so cool.

"Um—thank you! Thank you so much for saving me!" she said quickly, bowing awkwardly.

Neji glanced at her, appraising.

She stood frozen under his gaze, heart pounding.

He wasn't expecting to run into her.

He had completely forgotten this scene from the Chūnin Exams.

To err is human, he thought. Even I forget the details.

Still, this was a golden opportunity.

Karin wasn't just some ordinary Genin; she was a descendant of the Uzumaki Clan. A rare bloodline. Powerful sensory abilities. Regenerative traits. A priceless asset.

And right now?

She was vulnerable.

Neji made his choice instantly.

From his inventory, he withdrew a small porcelain mask.

He pressed a seal onto its surface, one word etched in crimson.

It shimmered, transforming into a pendant.

Karin blinked. "Huh? What is that?"

Neji tossed it to her. She fumbled to catch it.

"My name is Neji Hyuga."

"I've memorized all the Genin profiles for this exam," he lied smoothly. "I know who you are."

"You're smart, Karin. So I'll be brief."

"If you trust me... leave the Grass Village."

"Head to the Land of Waves."

"When you arrive, channel your chakra into that pendant. It will create a mask. Put it on. Everything else will be explained."

Karin stared at him, completely lost.

"Wh-What do you mean?"

But Neji was already gone.

He vanished with a flicker of chakra, no sound, no trace.

"Wha—!?"

She spun around wildly.

He was nowhere in sight.

Karin hugged the pendant to her chest, cheeks flushed.

"So cold... so commanding... so rude... I love it."

A distant scream reminded her where she was.

She blinked, re-wrapped herself in her cloak, and melted back into the forest.

"...Land of Waves, huh? Guess I'll go check it out."

---

High above, Neji crouched on a branch, sensing her departure.

A faint smirk tugged at his lips.

Karin Uzumaki. An unexpected bonus.

He had sealed the pendant. Once she reached the island, the contract would bind her chakra-linked and loyal. Her body, her bloodline, her value... secured.

The perfect recruit.

Now that she was handled, it was time to return focus.

Naruto was still unconscious.

Sasuke... now a girl, bearing Orochimaru's Curse Mark.

And with Lee's absence from this timeline, someone else would have to fill the void against the Sound ninjas.

Neji cracked his neck, eyes narrowing.

"Let's begin."

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