Neji Hyuga was born into the Hyuga clan's branch house as the son of Hizashi Hyuga. At age three, when the main house heiress Hinata Hyuga turned three, his uncle Hiashi Hyuga branded Neji's forehead with the Hyuga's cursed seal, enforcing the branch house's subservience. Neji demonstrated exceptional talent in the clan's techniques from a young age, causing his father to resent the seal's limitations. Hiashi activated Hizashi's cursed seal to inflict pain when sensing this resentment, traumatizing Neji. Shortly after receiving the seal, a Kumogakure Head Ninja exploited a peace treaty to kidnap Hinata for the Byakugan's secrets. Hiashi killed the kidnapper, triggering the Hyuga Affair where Kumo demanded Hiashi's body to avoid war. Hizashi volunteered as Hiashi's body double, knowing his cursed seal would destroy his Byakugan upon death. Too young to understand, Neji grew up believing his father was forced to die for the main house, fueling hatred toward the main house, particularly Hinata, and a belief in unchangeable destiny. Graduating top rookie from the Academy at age 12, Neji joined Team Guy under Might Guy alongside Rock Lee and Tenten. His fatalism clashed with Lee's determination. During the Chunin Exams' preliminary match, Neji fought Hinata, sealed her chakra points, and nearly killed her after she suggested his fixation on destiny stemmed from inner suffering. An enraged Naruto Uzumaki vowed to defeat him. In their finals match, Neji overwhelmed Naruto with the Gentle Fist and Eight Trigrams techniques, declaring destiny immutable. Naruto, drawing on the Nine-Tails' chakra, used a shadow clone to land a decisive uppercut and defeat him, arguing destiny could be changed through choice. Afterwards, Hiashi revealed Hizashi's voluntary sacrifice and gave Neji a letter from his father expressing love and hope for Neji's freedom. This revelation, coupled with Naruto's victory, led Neji to apologize to Hinata, reject fatalism, resolve to "never lose again," and choose his own path. In Part II, Neji became a Jonin and reconciled with the main house, training under Hiashi. He grew protective of Hinata, prioritizing her safety. During the Sasuke Recovery Mission, he fought Kidomaru of the Sound Four. Despite Kidomaru exploiting the Byakugan's blind spot to gravely injure him, Neji used chakra-threaded kunai to disable Kidomaru's organs and won with Sixty-Four Palms, surviving after extensive surgery. Neji participated in critical missions: the Kazekage Rescue, breaking a barrier seal and fighting self-clones; the Akatsuki Suppression, aiding Shikamaru against Hidan and Kakuzu; and Pain's Assault, combating the Animal Path. In the Fourth Shinobi World War, assigned to the Second Division with Hinata, he fought exhausted against White Zetsu clones until Naruto's shadow clone reinforcements arrived. During a Ten-Tails' attack, as Hinata leaped to shield Naruto from wooden spikes, Neji intercepted them, suffering fatal wounds. In his final moments, he told Naruto his sacrifice was his own choice, like his father's, and urged Naruto to protect others. Neji mastered the Byakugan, granting near 360-degree vision and chakra pathway sight. Forbidden as a branch member from learning advanced techniques, he independently mastered clan secrets like Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven and Sixty-Four Palms, developing original variations. Hiashi acknowledged him as the strongest Hyuga in history. His Gentle Fist style targeted chakra points to disrupt internal systems. He used Fire, Water, and Earth Release natures. Birds symbolized his journey: he once described himself as a "caged bird" bound by fate and the cursed seal. After changing his philosophy, he noted birds flying freely. During training, he observed eight birds but could never spot the one in his blind spot until overcoming limitations. The Allied Shinobi Forces later honored him with a bird formation. In a time-travel incident documented in *Boruto*, Neji encountered a young Boruto Uzumaki. Sensing Boruto's turmoil about Naruto, he shared how Naruto defied his predetermined fate as a jinchuriki, helping Boruto reconcile with his father.