Naruto: Reborn as Neji Hyuga After Dying in One Piece

Chapter 110 - 110. Well... That’s Embarrassing!

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After Guy took Sasuke back to the village, Neji reluctantly dragged himself to his feet the next morning.

He was still bitter.

Not just because he had to walk but because even Guy-sensei had betrayed him.

Wounded, exhausted... and now being asked to ride piggyback on Naruto?

Absolutely not.

Death was preferable to that indignity.

---

Several days later...

The trio arrived at a bustling festival town, filled with colorful lanterns, streamers, and the joyful clamor of celebration.

Neji, fully embracing his "still-in-recovery" persona, moved slowly with a walking stick, eyes closed putting on the perfect performance of a blind traveler.

Children raced through the crowds with wooden swords and painted masks, giggling. Vendors shouted from food stalls. Couples in Yukatas strolled under paper lanterns.

Naruto, of course, was immediately swept up in the fun, shouting, exploring, trying every food, and dragging Jiraiya along with him like an excited puppy.

Neji trailed behind, amused.

At least they're sharing the snacks.

Every time they found something good, they brought him a portion. It was unexpectedly... heartwarming.

Funny, Neji mused. 'I never got this feeling back in the One Piece world. But here? This festival... it almost feels like home.'

Still, he sighed dramatically.

The only thing ruining it? I'm flanked by two dudes. This would be a lot nicer with some actual romance involved.

He bit into a skewer of grilled squid.

'Okay. This is pretty damn good.'

Truth be told, Neji hadn't stopped eating since they arrived. He moved from stall to stall like a bottomless pit.

Thankfully, Jiraiya and Naruto were too distracted to notice.

But then—

A commotion ahead.

Naruto had bumped into someone.

"Watch it, punk!" A thug grabbed his collar. "You got sauce on my limited edition designer cloak! That thing's worth 100,000 ryo!"

"What?! That ugly rag's worth what?!"

A classic street scam.

Neji grinned behind his skewer. 'Oh, we're really doing this. Perfect festival flavor.'

Cue the hero moment.

Jiraiya stepped forward.

"That garbage you call clothing isn't worth a fraction of that," he said casually. "Trying to scam a kid? Shameful."

The thugs narrowed their eyes. "Oh? You wanna get involved, old man?"

"Our boss was a Chūnin from Iwagakure! Known as the Dark Ninja of Legend! Everyone feared him!"

"PFFT...."

Neji lost it.

That was it. He couldn't hold it in anymore.

He let out a loud, unfiltered laugh.

The thug turned, glaring. "What's so funny, blind boy?"

"You trying to help him pay the fine, huh? We'll happily take double!"

Neji, still chuckling, shook his head. "No thanks. Just couldn't help myself. I'm with them."

The thug growled. "Then I hope you're ready to get hurt!"

Jiraiya's hand rose, chakra flaring. "Perfect time for a demonstration."

Neji blinked.

Wait—what?

He's gonna teach me the Rasengan?!

He looked at Jiraiya like he'd lost his mind.

Are all my father figures like this? Why do they all want to pass on the spinning death ball?!

"Watch closely."

A swirling orb of chakra formed in Jiraiya's palm.

BAM.

He slammed it into the thug's chest. The guy went airborne, spiraling like a top, crashing into his buddy as they both rag-dolled into the alley.

Jiraiya grinned. "Impressed?"

...

...

Naruto scratched his nose. "...Meh."

Neji tilted his head. "...Kind of small."

Jiraiya blinked.

"What?! This is an A-rank ninjutsu! No hand seals! Pure chakra mastery! Do you know how hard this is?!"

Naruto shrugged. "Neji's version was bigger. He used it to smack Gaara's big-tailed transformation into the dirt."

He stretched his arms to demonstrate. "Like, this big!"

Jiraiya paused.

Turned to Neji.

"...Wait. You used a Rasengan?"

Neji just smiled.

---

Later, just outside town...

The three sat by a stream. Jiraiya plopped down on a rock, sighing.

"Alright. Time to explain. Who taught you that?"

Naruto tilted his head. "Why's that weird?"

Jiraiya gave him a flat stare. "Because no one was supposed to know this technique."

He turned to Neji. "Go on. Don't worry—I'm not accusing you. Just... curious."

Neji raised a hand.

He gathered chakra and something else into a glowing sphere. But it wasn't a Rasengan.

It was denser. More refined. More dangerous.

"This isn't Rasengan. It's something I developed myself, derived from [Rotation]. I call it the [Energy Orb]."

He gently tossed it.

It hit the ground and instead of exploding, it created a powerful vacuum, pulling nearby debris into itself before dissipating.

Jiraiya's eyes widened.

That wasn't a Rasengan. It was... something else entirely.

"You adapted [Rotation]... into that?"

Neji nodded. "And what I used against Gaara was an advanced variant. I'm currently too injured to perform it again."

Jiraiya felt his mouth twitch.

Minato had spent years perfecting the Rasengan.

And this kid just went off and invented his own version.

This is insane.

"Right... okay..." Jiraiya cleared his throat. "Well, thanks for clarifying. And, uh... sorry for assuming."

He bowed his head slightly.

"Honestly, if you're willing I'd still like you to train with me. Who knows, you might find some inspiration."

Neji smiled politely. "Thank you, Jiraiya-sama."

Jiraiya chuckled weakly.

This is so embarrassing.

---

Elsewhere...

Far from the lights of the festival, a man hissed in pain.

Orochimaru clenched his bandaged arms, trying every technique he knew.

Nothing worked.

His limbs remained dead. Useless.

"...No matter what I do..."

He looked up, eyes slit and dangerous.

Only one name came to mind.

Tsunade.

His forked tongue flicked out.

"Time to visit the Town..."

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