*Chapter 24: The Start of a Miserable Fate!*

*+10*

The numbers in front of Sasuke's eyes began jumping in real time.

The ramen shop fell silent.

Frozen, even.

Neji, Tenten, Lee, and even Guy—everyone was stuck mid-action, as if time had stopped.

Damn, that hurt.  

No, wait.

That was a critical hit!  

Neji's body trembled violently, his pale cheeks flushing red with anger. His white eyes burned with fury as they locked onto Sasuke.

"Uchiha Sasuke, do you even know what you're saying?!"

Neji's voice quivered—not from fear, but from rage. Uncontrollable anger choked his words, making it difficult to speak. Everyone could feel the oppressive aura surrounding him, like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

"Of course I do," Sasuke replied.

A wicked smile lingered on his lips as his right index finger traced a pattern on his forehead.

The pattern?

The Caged Bird.

"Compared to Itachi, you're just a puppy on a leash—without even the ability to bite your master."

Sasuke's words were like a knife, stabbing straight into Neji's heart.

The Caged Bird Curse Mark was Neji's greatest taboo—a source of deep humiliation and resentment.

*+11*

The numbers jumped again.

When Sasuke mentioned the Uchiha Clan Massacre, he felt oddly calm. He hadn’t experienced it himself and didn’t know those who had perished. As someone who had crossed over into this world, he couldn’t fully empathize with his clan’s pain.

But...

He knew everything about Uchiha Itachi.

Before crossing over, he had watched countless videos, seen endless debates between Itachi fans and detractors.

Just a clash of perspectives.

Sasuke didn’t care about any of that. Now that he was Sasuke, his view was clear: Itachi would never harm him, would always protect him. Itachi was one of his own.

That was enough.

In the ninja world, there was no good or evil—only differing sides. Sasuke understood this with sharp clarity, free from naive idealism.

If you’re on my side, you’re my person. Even if you’re the enemy of the whole world, I’ll have your back.  

But if you’re not on my side...  

Sorry. No matter who you are, don’t think for a second you can act up in front of me!  

Since arriving in this world, Sasuke had divided everyone into two categories:

His people, and everyone else.

He hadn’t yet met Uchiha Itachi, but in his heart, he already regarded Itachi—the man who bore everything to protect him—as one of his own.

"I'll kill you!"

Neji’s voice was hoarse, his words squeezed through gritted teeth. Provoked deliberately by Sasuke, he had completely lost it.

"Give it up. You can't kill me," Sasuke said, shaking his head. Unbothered by Neji’s enraged expression, he chuckled. "This is the fate you can't escape!"

*+12*

The numbers jumped again.

This string of provocations had revealed a trick: Sasuke could now antagonize others with pinpoint accuracy, like applying the right medicine for an illness.

Caged Bird.

Fate.

These were the keywords that struck directly at the most vulnerable parts of Neji’s heart.

"I..."

Neji clenched his teeth so hard it was a wonder they didn’t shatter. He could feel the firm grip on his shoulder—it was Guy-sensei’s hand.

Guy-sensei wouldn’t let him hurt Sasuke here.

No one in Konoha would allow the last Uchiha to be harmed.

Sasuke was right.

Neji could injure him, but he couldn’t kill him.

This was fate.

It had been decided the moment he was born.

No, it had been decided the moment his father was born!

Crack… Crack…  

Neji’s fists clenched tightly, his fingers cracking from the force. His anger toward Sasuke gradually gave way to frustration with himself and his destiny.

"Go back. A Hyuga branch family member shouldn’t try to act tough in front of me," Sasuke said, dismissively waving his hand.

*+13*

The numbers continued to rise. Sasuke was both surprised and delighted, though he knew it wouldn’t last. He had nearly exhausted all the ammunition he could use to show off.

"Uchiha Sasuke!"

Suddenly, Guy stepped forward, pulling Neji behind him. His tall frame became a wall of green, shielding his students.

"I won’t allow you to insult my students like that! You’ll be graduating to genin this March, and on behalf of Neji, I challenge you to a fight after graduation!"

Guy’s face was serious, his tone heavy. He was fiercely protective of his students but had held back, knowing Neji had overstepped. But Sasuke’s words had crossed the line.

"Do you dare accept the challenge?" Neji’s voice was cold as it came from behind Guy.

"Why wouldn’t I?" Sasuke said, his tone calm as his gaze flicked between Guy and Neji. If he were just an ordinary person who had crossed over, he wouldn’t stand a chance against Neji. But now, he had the system—a cheat that made the world his playground. With over a month to prepare, there was nothing to fear.

"So you accept?" Neji asked, surprise flickering in his eyes. He hadn’t expected Sasuke to agree, given the vast gap in their strength.

"Yes," Sasuke said, nodding.

"Heh. Interesting. I’ll wait for you to graduate and show you what a true genius is!" Neji sneered. As Konoha’s strongest genin, he was already relishing the thought of crushing Sasuke.

"Neji, you call yourself a genius, but seeing how hard you work, how much loneliness and pain you endure... you’re not that impressive."

This time, Sasuke wasn’t trying to show off.

He meant it.

In the original story...

This Hyuga genius was defeated by Naruto, the dead-last.

Of course...

Naruto had his own cheats.

*+14*

Sasuke’s genuine sentiment triggered another increase in his system points. The system counted it as showing off, putting a perfect end to this chain of provocations.

"No point in arguing. We’ll see," Neji said, his voice steady. He realized he couldn’t win a war of words with this Uchiha survivor.

One month later, they would settle it with fists and feet.

Neji turned and left Ichiraku Ramen without looking back. He felt this was the most pathetic he’d ever been since receiving the Caged Bird.

But...

Neji had no idea this was just the beginning.

There was no “most pathetic,” only “more pathetic.”

Years later…

Looking back…

Neji would realize the biggest regret of his life was going to Ichiraku Ramen that night.

(End of Chapter)

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