Neji Hyûga was a shinobi of Konohagakure's Hyûga clan, born into the branch house as the son of Hizashi Hyûga. From a young age, Neji demonstrated exceptional natural talent, even by the Hyûga clan's standards, and was considered a prodigy. However, as a branch house member, he was branded with a cursed seal on his forehead by his uncle, Hiashi Hyûga, the head of the main house. This mark, applied when the main house heiress Hinata Hyûga turned three, symbolized his subservience to the main house and bound him to their service. Neji's father resented this fate for his son, believing Neji was destined for greater things. The injustice of the branch house's servitude was compounded by the death of Neji's father. During a peace treaty negotiation with Kumogakure, a Kumogakure Head Ninja attempted to kidnap Hinata to acquire the secrets of the Byakugan. Hiashi killed the Head Ninja, leading to the Hyûga Affair, where Kumo demanded Hiashi's body as compensation to avoid war. To protect Konoha and prevent Kumo from obtaining the Byakugan, Hizashi, Hiashi's twin brother, volunteered to be his body double, as his cursed seal would destroy his Byakugan upon death. Neji, too young to understand, grew up believing his father had been forced to die for the main house, fostering a deep resentment towards the main house and its members, particularly Hinata. This resentment shaped Neji's early personality and philosophy. He developed a fatalistic belief that a person's destiny was predetermined and unchangeable from birth. He viewed himself as a genius bound by the limitations of his birth status, which he described as being like a "caged bird." This philosophy often manifested as arrogance and condescension towards those he perceived as weaker, such as his cousin Hinata and his teammate Rock Lee. During the Chûnin Exams, Neji defeated Hinata in a preliminary match, nearly killing her and stating that a failure would always be a failure. He expressed similar sentiments to Naruto Uzumaki during their match, insisting that destiny could not be fought. Neji's defeat by Naruto Uzumaki, whom he had considered a failure, forced him to reevaluate his beliefs. Naruto's refusal to accept a predetermined destiny and his subsequent victory demonstrated to Neji that fate could be overcome. Following the match, Hiashi gave Neji a scroll written by his father, revealing the truth of Hizashi's voluntary sacrifice to protect his brother and the village. This revelation, combined with Naruto's influence, led Neji to abandon his fatalistic worldview. He began to understand that one's destiny is not fixed but is shaped by personal choice and effort. This transformation marked a significant shift in Neji's character. He resolved to become strong enough to never lose again, not just for personal glory but to protect his friends and family. He began mending his relationship with the main house, showing kindness to Hinata and even training with Hiashi. As a member of Team Guy, he became more supportive of his teammates, encouraging Rock Lee to pursue his dream of becoming a great ninja despite his limitations. Neji's demeanor evolved from cold and arrogant to serious, calm, and highly disciplined, with a focus on mission success and team safety. Neji's appearance changed between Part I and Part II of the series. In Part I, he had fair skin, long dark hair often tied in a ponytail, and featureless white eyes when his Byakugan was not active. He wore a beige shirt over a dull blue shirt, mesh armor, dark purple or brown bandages on his right arm and leg, and a black forehead protector that hid his cursed seal. In Part II, he adopted a white kimono-shirt with long sleeves, matching pants, a navy-grey apron, and black shinobi sandals. He no longer wore the face-framing straps, allowing his longer hair to hang loose. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, he wore standard Konohagakure flak jacket and attire. Neji's abilities were exceptional. He possessed the Byakugan, a dôjutsu kekkei genkai granting nearly 360-degree vision, x-ray vision, and the ability to see chakra networks and tenketsu points. His Byakugan was particularly strong, with a range that increased from 50 meters in Part I to over 800 meters in Part II. He was aware of the Byakugan's small blind spot and took precautions to conceal it. Neji specialized in the Hyûga clan's Gentle Fist taijutsu style, which targets an opponent's chakra pathway system to cause internal damage or control chakra flow. Despite being from the branch house and forbidden from learning advanced techniques, Neji mastered them through observation alone. His techniques included the Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven, a defensive technique to repel attacks, and the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, a rapid offensive strike to seal multiple tenketsu. In Part II, he learned the Eight Trigrams Empty Palm, allowing him to attack opponents at a distance. He could also emit chakra from his tenketsu to create a sensory barrier or free himself from restraints, though this rapidly depleted his chakra. Neji also demonstrated proficiency in Fire, Water, and Earth Release nature transformations. Neji participated in several key missions and events. He was part of the Sasuke Retrieval Mission, where he fought and defeated Kidômaru of the Sound Four despite severe injuries. After a two-and-a-half-year time skip, Neji was promoted to jônin, the only one of the Konoha 11 to achieve this rank during that period. He assisted in the Kazekage Rescue Mission, battling Akatsuki members. During Pain's invasion of Konoha, he helped defend the village. In the Fourth Shinobi World War, Neji was assigned to the Second Division. Neji Hyûga died during the Fourth Shinobi World War, sacrificing his life to protect Hinata and Naruto from an attack by the Ten-Tails. He gave his life to ensure their safety, fulfilling his role as a branch house member and demonstrating his complete transformation from a resentful individual to a selfless protector of his family and friends.