That was more insight than he'd expected to gain, and as Kakashi had explained his reasons for joining the mission to him quite clearly, Neji wondered if perhaps he was one of the few that saw both sides of the matter. But it still wasn't his place to interfere- Gai and Kakashi were grown men, they could reach that understanding themselves. He hoped.
"You could say I did do it to escape Hyuuga," he agreed with a slight smile, arms uncrossing and falling to lean back against the countertop. "I understand my life is a delicate balance of power, so I chose a new keeper by placing myself under Hokage-sama's direct authority. If they compromise me in any way, they'll have to answer to him, and given the unofficial capacity in which I function, Hyuuga will have a difficult time proving or pursuing any false information he might feed them to protect me. It's only unfortunate that this engagement doesn't qualify as 'compromising field integrity'."
His expression twisted into one of annoyance, but he waved it off with a shrug and finally crossed the room to sit properly on his futon. "What I didn't expect, was for ANBU to make me reinvent myself. As a member from a prominent clan with a distinctive fighting style, everything had to change in order to maintain anonymity.
I'll admit the thought petrified me for a few days. All my life, as much as I disliked my clan, I'd always been Hyuuga. Every time I caught my reflection, fought, or observed through the Byakugan, I was reminded. It's an integral part of myself and ingrained so deeply that I couldn't have told you who I was without it if I was ever asked."
And that sounded so pathetic that he laughed a short, almost self-deprecating note. "Anyway, it took awhile, but then I realized that Swan could be anyone I wanted him to be. It didn't require deconstruction so much as recreation. I could choose to be the person I wanted behind that mask, without fear of dire repercussion because no one has absolute power over me. I can make my own decisions and fight my own battles, and that's freedom. Even if I do marry Hinata-sama, Hyuuga can never take that from me, and I could never thank Hokage-sama enough for such an opportunity."
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"You could say I did do it to escape Hyuuga," he agreed with a slight smile, arms uncrossing and falling to lean back against the countertop. "I understand my life is a delicate balance of power, so I chose a new keeper by placing myself under Hokage-sama's direct authority. If they compromise me in any way, they'll have to answer to him, and given the unofficial capacity in which I function, Hyuuga will have a difficult time proving or pursuing any false information he might feed them to protect me. It's only unfortunate that this engagement doesn't qualify as 'compromising field integrity'."
His expression twisted into one of annoyance, but he waved it off with a shrug and finally crossed the room to sit properly on his futon. "What I didn't expect, was for ANBU to make me reinvent myself. As a member from a prominent clan with a distinctive fighting style, everything had to change in order to maintain anonymity.
I'll admit the thought petrified me for a few days. All my life, as much as I disliked my clan, I'd always been Hyuuga. Every time I caught my reflection, fought, or observed through the Byakugan, I was reminded. It's an integral part of myself and ingrained so deeply that I couldn't have told you who I was without it if I was ever asked."
And that sounded so pathetic that he laughed a short, almost self-deprecating note. "Anyway, it took awhile, but then I realized that Swan could be anyone I wanted him to be. It didn't require deconstruction so much as recreation. I could choose to be the person I wanted behind that mask, without fear of dire repercussion because no one has absolute power over me. I can make my own decisions and fight my own battles, and that's freedom. Even if I do marry Hinata-sama, Hyuuga can never take that from me, and I could never thank Hokage-sama enough for such an opportunity."