A few days had passed since the incident, and Tenten was weirded out. Neji had become talkative, engaging with people outside his class and even covering his forehead with a bandage. The distant, brooding boy was gone. It was like he had changed overnight.
As she entered the classroom, Neji waved at her with a bright smile. She waved back, though the gesture startled her. There was something unsettling about seeing him act like a normal, cheerful kid.
During class, Neji was intensely focused, even asking questions. Tenten watched it all, but what confused her more was seeing him talk to the teacher after the lesson ended. He did this with every instructor, asking for training tips and even requesting jutsu, the teachers, disarmed by his new attitude, seemed happy to grant. The whole situation felt bizarre to her.
'What happened to him?' Tenten wondered.
She didn't question him outright, though. Neji was more approachable and talkative now, and because of that, more girls and even other boys were drawn to him. Only Rock Lee failed to notice anything strange, simply believing Neji was trying to become a better person.
But Tenten wasn't the only one who noticed the shift. Uchiha Jin, Hyuga Katsuro, and Hyuga Soshu saw it too, and they were creeped out by the drastic change.
Even Hiashi and Hinata observed the difference. Hinata didn't mind, happy to have her cousin acting like a brother again. Hiashi, however, saw something darker lurking beneath the surface of Neji's new demeanor. He chose not to mention it, so long as Neji continued to train hard.
For Neji, it was all an act. He had decided to play the part of the perfect, reformed shinobi to buy time. Time to grow stronger and gather every piece of knowledge and power Konoha had to offer.
On his way home, Neji greeted everyone with a smile, waving and offering polite hellos. People warmly returned his greetings, their own faces lighting up in response.
The moment he arrived home and locked the door behind him, the practiced smile vanished, replaced by a blank, expressionless mask.
He removed his sandals and headed to the kitchen to heat up the meal he had prepared early that morning. After eating in silence, he cleaned his dishes and then himself. With the day's rituals complete, he retreated to his room to begin his analysis of that day's performance.
"Tenten and a few others seemed unsettled by my smile," Neji commented to the empty room. He picked up a hand mirror and practiced the expression again, his face cold and analytical. "I need to practice more to make it flawless."
After reviewing his acting skills, he turned his attention to other materials. On his desk lay an open notebook filled with a long list of names and items:
· Hero Water
· The Box in Blood Prison
· Three-Head
· Gelel Stone
· Zero Tails
· That fake doctor
· Moryo
· That pale guy who wanted Kakashi's body
· The tower that can send you back in time
· The spirit beast from Path of Ninja 2
· Tobirama's blade
· Uchiha Shin
· White Zetsu body
These were just a few of the things he had written down, a catalogue of opportunities. Of course, he had written it all in English, just in case the notebook was ever found. Each item on the list was something he planned to acquire for his own personal use.
. . . .
Before he knew it, a year had passed.
A new batch of students entered the Academy. From a distance, Neji monitored them with his Byakugan, his focus targeting one person in particular: Naruto.
Watching the immense chakra swirling inside Naruto, Neji thought, 'I wish I had even a quarter of that reserves.'
That was his only thought when he noticed Naruto. Neji quickly focused back on the lesson and continued with his day.
After school, he was heading home with a bag full of newly borrowed library books. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Naruto sitting alone on the famous swing, looking sad. Neji barely gave it a second thought; he had more important things to do, like getting stronger.
He walked home, unlocked his door, and stepped inside. After locking the door behind him and removing his sandals, he headed for his room. As he passed the living room, he glanced at the many containers filled with animals: newts, salamanders, centipedes, snakes, cockroaches, lizards, and many poisonous insects.
His home was now filled with books he had bought, lining the shelves. One might wonder how Neji had the money for all this. Hiashi provided a generous allowance, he had inherited his parents' wealth, and he didn't even need to spend money on food as people often gave him meals. This financial freedom allowed him to focus entirely on his goals.
The first thing he did was drop his bag by the wall. Grabbing two wooden swords, he headed to the backyard, formed a single water clone with a series of hand signs, and began practicing his swordsmanship.
Unfortunately, Neji couldn't go all out; the clone was unable to utilize most of his arsenal. Despite this limitation, he trained relentlessly to hone his skill with the blade. The session ended abruptly when the clone was struck and dissolved into a puddle.
Without missing a beat, Neji shifted to training his taijutsu against an imaginary opponent. This time, he held nothing back, as there was nothing to restrict him. Still, he felt the lack of a real opponent; a water clone was a poor substitute, as it would vanish after a single solid hit.
The intense training pushed his muscles to the point of fatigue. However, he immediately channeled a healing technique, a variation of the Mystical Palm Technique that he had developed himself. He called it the Mystical Body Technique. It coursed through him, erasing all exhaustion and leaving his body perfectly restored.
After a few more rounds of kenjutsu and taijutsu, he headed back inside to the living room. A single vial was waiting for him on a table, containing a drop of pale yellow liquid.
Neji drank it in one swift motion and placed the empty vial back.
An instant later, a wave of profound weakness crashed over him. His legs buckled, forcing him to slide down and rest his back against the wall for support. His vision swam and began to blur, but he gritted his teeth, forcing himself to remain conscious through the entire, grueling session.
With his eyes closed, Neji focused his chakra, directing it to heal his entire body. As he suspected, he detected cellular damage, precisely what the poison was designed to do.
'I'll need a few more doses until it no longer affects me,' he thought.
Having endured the ordeal, he willed his body to move, ending his day by collapsing into his futon for a few hours of sleep.
At 5 AM, Neji woke. He neatly folded the futon back into the closet, washed his face, and immediately opened one of the new books he had borrowed, focused on Genjutsu.
He read until 6 AM, then moved to the kitchen to prepare his meals for the day, the book still open on the counter. He also brought out his personal Genjutsu notebook, placing it on the dinner table within easy reach to jot down any sudden insights.
Once the food was ready, he fed his animals first. They were all very well-behaved and didn't try to hurt Neji, even though some were naturally aggressive.
"Good boy," Neji said as he petted the rattlesnake's head.
The snake didn't lunge or attack him at all.
Then he washed up, got dressed, ate a quick breakfast, and packed the rest into a bento. He headed to the Academy, bag in hand, and attended his classes as usual.
He acted like he normally did, and when school ended, he headed back home but this time, he took a different direction, deciding to buy some ramen at Ichiraku.
As he entered Ichiraku Ramen, he thought, 'He's not here.'
The middle-aged owner, Teuchi, greeted him with a smile. "Welcome! What can I get for you?"
Neji took a seat. "Curry ramen, with extra protein."
"Coming right up!" Teuchi said.
As he waited for his ramen, a thought came to him.
'How can I progress faster with Genjutsu?' he pondered. 'I need a teacher.' A sudden realization struck him. 'Wait, the Kurama clan! I could ask Uncle Hiashi to get me a Kurama tutor.'
From behind the counter, Teuchi noticed his pensive expression. "Something on your mind? You look lost in thought."
Neji blinked, pulled from his internal planning. "My training," he replied simply.
"Oh?" Teuchi nodded. He also noted the boy's polite tone, a stark contrast to the arrogance he sometimes saw in main house shinobi. It marked him clearly as a member of the Side Branch.
A flicker of concern crossed Teuchi's face. Despite the boy's reputation, he was still just a child. "I've heard... the Side Branch isn't always treated well within the Hyuga. Is that true?"
"It is," Neji confirmed, his voice even. "But I am under the Clan Head's personal protection. I have been spared from that."
Teuchi was surprised to hear it, but didn't press further.
Changing the subject, Neji asked, "Have you seen an old man who wears a wok on his back?"
Teuchi was momentarily confused by the question. "Yes, he's one of my customers. Why do you ask?"
"Do you know where I can find him?"
"I'm afraid I don't," Teuchi admitted. "But I can pass along a message the next time he visits."
"Please tell him that Hyuga Neji wishes to train under him."
"You've got it," Teuchi said, committing the message to memory.
His curry ramen arrived, steam rising from the rich, fragrant broth. Just as Neji took his first satisfying slurp, the shop's curtain was pushed aside as another customer arrived.
"Yo, Old Man Teuchi!"
Neji didn't need to look up to identify the voice; it was Naruto Uzumaki.
"Ah, Naruto! The usual?" Teuchi asked, his voice warm.
"You know it!" Naruto chirped, sliding onto a stool a few seats away from Neji.
The two boys maintained a silent, mutual distance. Neji kept his focus on his meal, eating. Once he finished the last noodle and drained the last drop of broth, he placed the exact bills on the counter.
"Thank you for the meal," he said politely.
Stepping out of the warm, steamy shop and back into the afternoon air, Neji felt a renewed sense of purpose. The plan was set; now it was time to set it in motion.