What was going on?
Did the wizarding world know about the Caged Bird seal too?
Or was he under a genjutsu?
Jerael instantly snapped to alert, narrowing his eyes as he scanned his surroundings.
Seeing no effect, he formed hand seals: “Genjutsu: Release!”
Dispelling genjutsu didn’t strictly require a specific jutsu; disrupting and surging one’s own chakra worked just as well.
Members of the Hyuga clan usually relied on this method—after all, they specialized in the body’s chakra pathways and chakra flow.
The tiny amount of chakra inside Jerael’s body surged into a chaotic burst, but the surroundings remained completely unchanged.
Pondering for a moment, he decided not to waste any more energy and continued reading.
[“That damned dark wizard ruined Jerael.
I will never let Jerael become raw material for a dark wizard.
I will—I must—kill him!”]
Lawrence had scrawled this line furiously at the very top, every stroke oozing pure hatred and rage.
As Jerael read on, he finally understood what had happened.
Originally, their family had lived peacefully in the Muggle world, far from the influence of the wizarding world and quite safe.
But when Jerael was six years old, a dark wizard fleeing from Death Eaters happened to stumble into the Muggle world and spotted Jerael, who was attending kindergarten.
He had recognized at a glance that Jerael was a young wizard with abundant magic and immense potential.
Assuming Jerael’s parents were ordinary Muggles, the dark wizard hatched a sinister plot: he secretly abducted him, intending to take him back and refine him into magical materials for his own experiments.
When Lawrence failed to pick up Jerael after work and discovered a Confundus Charm placed on the teacher, he realized something was terribly wrong.
Using a Tracking Charm, he located Jerael just in time.
But it was still a moment too late—the dark wizard had already branded Jerael with a mark: the Caged Bird seal on his forehead.
During the standoff between the dark wizard and Lawrence, the dark wizard gleefully boasted that this was a contract curse.
Any person or creature branded with the Caged Bird was under his complete life-and-death control; with a mere thought, he could instantly destroy Jerael’s brain.
Lawrence was driven mad with rage, but having no choice, he struck a deal: as long as the dark wizard refrained from activating the curse mark, Lawrence would supply him with materials for his magical research.
From then on, through his dealings with the dark wizard, Lawrence gradually extracted information about the Caged Bird seal, hoping to study it and lift the curse.
But later, the dark wizard went back on his word, attempting to use Jerael as a potion ingredient.
Driven by shock and rage, Lawrence fought back and killed him.
Yet the Caged Bird seal remained, unvanished.
From the magical notes left behind by the dark wizard, Lawrence learned that if anyone learned how to cast the Caged Bird spell, they would automatically inherit control over the curse mark stamped by the original caster.
Jerael’s life would still be held in someone else’s hands.
Worse still, the method to cast the spell wasn’t in the dark wizard’s possession, and no one knew where it was or whether someone else had already learned it.
Thus, Lawrence began trying everything in his power to remove the curse mark from Jerael’s forehead.
However, Lawrence’s magical abilities were not particularly high, nor was he proficient in charms or Dark Arts.
He managed to deduce only that removing the curse mark would require a sophisticated combination of Potions and spells.
Just as he planned to continue his research, Death Eaters discovered them.
Lawrence and Anne were forced to fight back and go on the run, a life of flight that lasted until the Dark Lord vanished last Halloween.
At the bottom of the parchment were the final instructions written by a dying Lawrence for Jerael.
[“My dear child, the Dark Lord is dead.
You can go to Hogwarts now.
Remember to study hard in Charms, Potions, and Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Hogwarts has the greatest light wizard residing there, as well as the wizarding world’s most comprehensive library and strongest faculty.
You have been clever since you were little; I am certain you will find a way at Hogwarts to resolve the Caged Bird seal.”]
[“The Caged Bird curse mark involves the soul.
For now, I do not know which spell or potion can lift it, but I am certain it must be a spell or potion related to the soul.”]
[“Jerael, please work hard.
We of the Print family, even if we die, will die fighting against fate.”]
[“But remember, do not easily let anyone know of the curse mark’s existence.
Your mother and I gave our lives to provide you with a powerful ward.
As long as you do not reveal it yourself, outsiders will only assume it is an ordinary design and won’t know it is a curse mark.
Still, be careful—a wizard with extraordinarily high magical power might notice something amiss.”]
[“Dad regrets so much that back in school, I spent all my time chasing your mother instead of studying seriously.
I’m sorry.
Don’t blame Dad; Dad is going to join Mum now.
We will bless you from Merlin’s pure land.”]
[“Mum and Dad love you forever.
Try your best to survive, my Jerael.”]
Jerael frowned, somewhat puzzled.
His perception was accurate—the seal on his forehead was undoubtedly the genuine Caged Bird ninjutsu.
How on earth had it become a contract spell in the wizarding world?
What’s more, its effect was strikingly similar to the Dark Mark—both could control and determine the bound person’s life.
The only difference was that the Caged Bird seal could be inherited by others, whereas the Dark Mark belonged solely to Voldemort.
This issue had to be resolved as soon as possible.
Professor Flitwick excelled at charms, while Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore were both powerful wizards adept at spellwork.
For Potions, there was Severus Snape, the only Potions Master in twentieth-century Britain.
If he could study diligently under Snape, maybe he could figure out a solution.
As for Defense Against the Dark Arts…
cough, well, Snape wanted that too.
Thinking about squeezing wisdom out of a single professor for a course Snape applied for every year and was rejected for every year made Jerael feel a bit guilty.
Ah, whatever!
He’d try anyway.
Who knows—maybe, just maybe, it was possible.
Right?
Stowing the parchment away, Jerael found a gray headband and wrapped it around his forehead to cover the Caged Bird seal.
“Oh boy,” Jerael murmured happily, admiring his reflection in the mirror from left to right.
Blue-black hair, fair skin, white eyes—he really looked a bit like Neji Hyuga now.
Truth be told, after years of battlefield experience in the Naruto world, Jerael had developed a slight reverence for strength.
Anyone who wasn’t strong enough wouldn’t have survived the Second Shinobi World War when the four major ninja villages besieged Konoha.
Young Neji’s talent was truly outstanding.
Jerael himself had only achieved Jonin strength after developing several taijutsu techniques based on the similarities between the Gentle Fist and Tai Chi.
Neji didn’t have foreknowledge like Jerael had, yet he still managed to break free from the constraints of the Branch House through sheer talent and comprehension.
He was genuinely impressive.
Too bad Kishimoto was heartless and killed him off.
So back when he was Taka Hyuga, he had constantly pondered how to survive, striving to live until Neji Hyuga was born so he could watch him grow up.
The joy of raising someone—everyone understood that appeal.
After entertaining himself for a bit, Jerael returned to his room, sat cross-legged on the bed, and prepared to extract chakra.
Whatever the case, any extra bit of power was worthwhile.
Personal strength was the ultimate truth.
The night passed, and early the next morning, as birds chirped outside the window, Jerael opened his eyes.
Exhaling a breath of foul air, he smiled faintly, looked around the room, and narrowed his gaze.
*Byakugan, activate!*
Bulging veins pulsed around Jerael’s eye sockets.
His pupils instantly deepened, and chakra flow became visible to his vision.
The room was filled with radiant magic light, glowing with varying degrees of intensity depending on its concentration.
A few breaths later, the bulging veins around his eyes flexed slightly before miraculously smoothing flat.
Yet as Jerael scanned his surroundings, he could still see the glowing magical light in the room.
*Awesome!* Jerael cheered silently.
He had long disliked the way veins bulged whenever the Byakugan was active—it was way too obvious.
Anyone could tell he had activated the Byakugan; it offered zero stealth.
Lowering his head to inspect himself, he saw chakra flowing slowly through his body like a gentle stream, extending to every limb, just as expected.
Just as Jerael felt satisfied, he suddenly noticed something odd.
*Wait…
I can see the magical light in the house, so why can’t I see my own magic?
Why do I only see chakra?*
Jerael was a bit baffled.
*What gives?
Is chakra actually magic?*
As he pondered, the doorbell rang outside, followed by a stern, low female voice.
“Mr.
Print, I am a professor from Hogwarts.
Please open the door.”
*Holy cow!*
Jerael jumped sky-high.
Cat…
no, Professor McGonagall?!