Just after their morning training session, Neji and Hinata sat formally in the Training Hall, facing Hiashi. The sun had fully risen, its light streaming into the spacious room.
Hinata glanced at Neji, curious about what he would ask her father.
"Uncle, I have a request," Neji began, his voice respectful. "Could you hire a genjutsu teacher for me?"
"Genjutsu?" Hiashi repeated, surprised. Given Neji's intense focus on kenjutsu during his training, he had expected a request for a sword master.
"Yes. If possible, I would like a teacher from the Kurama clan. I have read they were once hailed as one of the greatest genjutsu clans, second only to the Uchiha," Neji explained.
Hiashi studied his nephew's face for a moment, considering the request, then gave a slow nod. "Alright. I will speak with the Kurama Clan Leader."
"Thank you, Uncle," Neji said.
Right after this, Neji headed home and went straight to the living room. He retrieved the salamander container and placed it on the table, then grabbed his dedicated notebook.
Opening the notebook and setting a pen beside it, he then laid out a silver tray filled with medical instruments. After pulling on a pair of gloves, he brought the salamander out and placed it on the table.
He then picked up a scalpel and made a clean cut on the salamander's leg. The creature didn't react at all. All the while, Neji's Byakugan was active, its pale eyes observing the intricate biological processes deep within the salamander's body.
He removed the glove from his right hand and began meticulously writing down his new observations. With his left hand still resting on the salamander's head, he gently accelerated its natural healing speed.
However, the salamander died midway through the process.
"Looks like I overused this one," Neji murmured. He picked up the dead salamander and its severed limb and fed them to his waiting snake.
After pulling his right glove back on, Neji took another salamander from the same container and began the experiment anew, carefully observing the regeneration process once more.
However, he soon had to stop. A familiar strain told him he had overused his Byakugan's ability to zoom into biological structures. Even at its current limit, which allowed him to see individual cells for a few minutes, the toll was significant.
His findings were frustratingly familiar. It was the same conclusion he kept reaching with every creature he experimented on in his search for the secrets of immortality or advanced regeneration: the risks were always the same. The process carried a severe danger of triggering cancerous growths, and the chakra cost would be insanely massive.
The only new insight from the salamander was a grim one.
'This type of accelerated healing likely carries a risk of memory erosion,' Neji concluded.
"I really need to improve my Byakugan," he muttered to the silent room. "If I can't see deeper, these experiments will never bear fruit."
The results of his experiment were inconclusive. He still needed to understand the fundamental mechanics of regeneration, how DNA replicated, the function of telomeres, and how to replicate it all with chakra.
With a sigh, he cleaned the table and returned the animal container to its place.
'I need to find more animals with abilities I can recreate,' Neji decided, his mind already racing forward. 'Something with a natural defense against cancer, perhaps.'
Stepping into his backyard, he shifted his focus to Nature Transformation.
Focusing his chakra, he willed flame into being. Fire erupted from the tips of his fingers, quickly engulfing both hands up to the wrists. He watched the flames dance, then concentrated, pulling the fire from his skin and shaping it into a volatile ball of chakra-fueled energy.
The effort alone left him sweating; the chakra control required was immense.
With a grunt, he hurled the fireball. It soared through the air before fizzling out a mere few meters away.
"I still don't understand why the Rasengan is easier," he complained to the empty yard. He formed a gun shape with his fingers, and a small, perfect sphere of swirling chakra materialized instantly. He launched the Rasendan, and it shot through the air, easily surpassing the distance of his fireball.
"I need to master Fire Release," he muttered, wiping his brow. "Otherwise, I'll never progress to the other natures."
Meanwhile, at the Kurama Clan Head's mansion, an air of quiet formality filled the main reception room.
Hiashi Hyuga sat in seiza, posture impeccably straight, facing his host, Kurama Murakumo. A low table stood between them, holding a steaming pot of tea. Murakumo finished pouring for his unexpected guest, the delicate clink of the porcelain cup being set down the only sound breaking the silence.
"To what do I owe the honor of a personal visit from the Head of the Hyuga?" Murakumo asked, his tone polite but layered with genuine curiosity. A man of Hiashi's stature did not make social calls without significant purpose.
Hiashi accepted the tea with a slight nod. "I have come to ask a favor," he stated, his voice even and direct.
Murakumo felt a subtle pressure settle in the room. For Hiashi to make this request himself, it could not be a trivial matter. "I am listening."
"I want the best possible development for my nephew, Neji," Hiashi explained, his pale eyes unwavering. "To that end, I wish for you to take him on as a student. Teach him the art of Genjutsu."
The request was not what Murakumo had anticipated. He had braced for a political or financial demand, not this. He took a slow sip of his tea to buy a moment, the hot liquid doing little to ease the sudden dryness in his throat.
"Lord Hiashi," he began carefully, "while I am honored, you must understand... I cannot teach him the secret techniques of the Kurama clan."
"That is acceptable," Hiashi replied without hesitation. "I am not asking for your clan's secrets. I am asking you to made him into a proficient Genjutsu user. To give him the foundation and the insight that only a master of your caliber can provide."
'So, he doesn't want our jutsu, he wants our methodology,' Murakumo realized. The tension in his shoulders eased.
This was not an invasion of his clan's assets, but a recognition of his personal skill, and a tremendous opportunity. To refuse would be an insult and a strategic blunder. Aligning the Kurama clan more closely with the Hyuga was a chance he would be a fool to pass up.
"In that case, I would be pleased to accept the boy as my student," Murakumo said, a formal smile gracing his lips.
As he smiled, a pragmatic thought crossed his mind. 'An alliance through training could be a start. Perhaps I could even introduce him to my daughter, Yakumo... A pity he is of the Side Branch. Were he the heir, this could have been the first step toward a binding marriage.'
The thought was dismissed as quickly as it came. For now, a master-student bond was a valuable connection in itself.
"Excellent," Hiashi said, giving a curt nod that signaled the matter was settled. "I will send him to you tomorrow."
The Next Day,
Neji stood before the imposing gate of the Kurama Clan Mansion, taking a moment to observe the estate. He was impressed not only by the architecture but by the speed of the arrangements; he had only made the request to his uncle yesterday.
His presence was quickly noted. "Are you Hyuga Neji?" one of the guards inquired.
"I am," Neji confirmed.
The guard gave a polite nod and opened the gate. "Please, go right in. Murakumo-sama is expecting you in the main reception room."
Neji followed the path through the well-kept grounds until he arrived at the designated room. Inside, Murakumo was seated calmly, waiting for him.
"Take a seat, Neji," the clan head instructed.
Neji did so, settling on the cushion opposite his new teacher. Murakumo came straight to the point. "From today onward, you will be my disciple. Do you understand the significance of this?"
A wave of surprise washed over Neji. He had asked his uncle for a Jonin from the Kurama clan, not for the Clan Head himself to take on the role. The fact that Hiashi had gone to such lengths was a profound gesture.
"Yes, I understand," Neji said, a respectful smile touching his lips. "What should I call you?"
"You may call me Shishou," Murakumo replied.
"Understood, Shishou," Neji said, his tone shifting to one of readiness. "What is our first lesson?"
"Patience, for one," Murakumo said with a faint smile. "But first, I must assess your foundation. Tell me, how much do you know about Genjutsu?"
"I'd say I have an intermediate understanding of the theory," Neji answered.
"A good starting point. Wait here; I have some materials for you to review." Murakumo rose and left the room to retrieve the texts.
As Neji waited, the silence was broken by another presence. A girl with a quiet grace entered the room, Kurama Yakumo, Murakumo's daughter.
She stopped, her eyes widening slightly in recognition. "Hyuga Neji? What are you doing here?"
Neji was taken aback. "You know who I am?"
"Of course I do," she said, a hint of amusement in her voice. "You're quite famous in the academy circles." Her expression then shifted to one of dawning understanding. "Wait... you're the new student my father agreed to teach?"
"That's right," Neji confirmed.
Yakumo's surprise was palpable. She had never imagined a Hyuga, renowned for their taijutsu and dojutsu, would seek training in the art of illusion.
A moment later, her father returned, his arms laden with books and scrolls. He paused in the doorway, his expression softening slightly at the sight of his daughter with his new student. "I see you've met Yakumo," he said to Neji.
Neji responded with a polite nod and a smile.
Murakumo set the materials down on the low table with a soft thud. "Take these and study them thoroughly," he instructed. "Return tomorrow, and we will begin your practical training."
"Understood," Neji said. He carefully gathered the books and scrolls, stowing them securely in the bag he had brought. "I will see you tomorrow, Shishou." With a final bow to both his teacher and Yakumo, he took his leave.
Once Neji was gone, Murakumo turned his full attention to his daughter. His stern clan-head demeanor melted away, replaced by a father's gentle concern. "Was there something you needed, Yakumo?" he asked.
He studied her face, the determined set of her jaw, the hopeful glint in her eyes and understood. "Have you come to a decision?"
"Otou-san," she began, her voice firm despite her frail physique. "My mind is made up. I still want to become a kunoichi."
Murakumo regarded her for a long, silent moment. He saw not a frail child, but a young woman with a warrior's spirit. Letting out a slow breath, he nodded. "Very well. I cannot promise it will be easy, but I will find you a teacher."
A brilliant smile lit up Yakumo's face. "Thank you! I love you, Otou-san!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug.
A warm, genuine smile spread across Murakumo's face as he held his daughter close, returning the embrace fully.