A/N: In remembrance of Hyuuga Neiji (even if I don't trust Kishimoto when I comes to leaving the dead actually staying dead).
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and I don't make any money with this.
Freedom
When you die the seal dissolves.
Neji has always known that. It is the main purpose of the Hyuuga cursed seal after all, to seal away the Byakugan, to not have it fall into the hands of the enemy. There are only two ways to remove the mark on his forehead, and in the end they are the same.
A Hyuuga without his eyes is a dead Hyuuga.
The sentence rings true not matter what, because there are no blind Hyuuga. A blind Hyuuga could be taken advantage off, they could be used in many ways, one of which is breeding the bloodline outside the clan. They can't allow for that to happen.
Better die at the hands of your enemy than those of you own.
It is not cruel, not really. It's what they have to do to survive, to keep the clan alive and well. He understands that now, probably better than all the others. Having only moments left his vision starts to clear, and he sees it all.
There is freedom in death.
He chose this. Neji is dying but it's his choice. When life starts to leave your body others can no longer force their will on you, he realizes. This moment is his, however short and painful it may be. Nobody can take it from him.
You can chose your own destiny.
Years ago, when he still mused over things like that, he expected it to be painful. Death is of course, but when the seal starts to dissolve it doesn't hurt. It's like a pleasantly cool breeze tickling his skin on a hot summer day.
In the end he can see it all.
Far away he can see an eagle take off into the sky. One day the Hyuuga will be like this bird, soaring high into the air, finally free of the chains that bind them... and maybe a man will lead them, with dark hair and pale eyes and a laugh that can change the world.
All birds are free in the sky.
It is the last thing Hyuuga Neji sees, a smile on his bloodstained lips.