The golden crow had already descended in the west, and the jade rabbit was rising slowly in the east. A faint night breeze whispered through the mountains, carrying with it the fragrance of earth and grass.
Neji and Samui lay quietly on the soft meadow, side by side, their bodies relaxed after an exhausting day.
The sky above them was dazzling. Without the burden of pollution, the stars shone brighter in the Ninja World, countless pinpoints of light scattered like gems across the velvet heavens. The moon glowed brilliantly, bathing the world in a pale silver glow.
Yet behind that beauty, Neji knew a cruel truth. That moon, so peaceful and serene in appearance, was no natural creation. It was forged by human hands, and sealed within its cold prison was the terrifying progenitor of chakra—Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
Samui broke the silence with a small chuckle. The sound was soft, almost vulnerable, and carried with it a rare sense of relaxation. She rarely allowed herself such moments. As one of the Cloud's elite kunoichi, her life was dictated by duties, missions, and responsibilities. To lie here beneath the stars felt foreign, but also liberating.
Her gaze shifted when she felt something unusual. Neji's hand had slid into hers. His fingers toyed with hers gently, as though reluctant to let go.
Samui's first instinct was to frown. For a boy to treat a girl this way was normally very improper. Yet, strangely, she felt no urge to reprimand him. If it had been anyone else, she would have brushed them off coldly. But because it was Neji—this strange, determined boy who carried himself with an aura far beyond his years—she allowed it.
Neji shuffled closer until his arm brushed against hers. His eyes sparkled with curiosity as he asked, "Sister, what's so good about the night sky?"
Samui arched a brow, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "You're the one who insisted we sleep outdoors. If not the night sky, then what else do you expect me to look at? You?"
Neji propped his cheek on his palm, turning to look at her intently. "Of course. Why would I look at the sky when you're here? No scenery could ever be more beautiful than you, Sister."
Anyone influenced by modern flattery would have cringed at the childish cheesiness of his words. But Samui was not used to such things. The simple honesty behind his statement sent a strange tremor through her heart. Her chest tightened in an unfamiliar way.
Before she could stop herself, she leaned forward, pressed her lips lightly to his, and then quickly pulled back.
Neji blinked, stunned. His mind went blank for several seconds, only coming back to reality when he saw Samui's back turned to him, her voice calm but slightly flustered.
"It's late. Let's sleep."
Neji's mouth twitched. Sleep? After that? Who could possibly sleep now?
A wild joy bubbled inside him, like a caged bird breaking free. He wanted to laugh, shout, maybe even sing like a newly liberated serf, but he restrained himself.
Instead, after a moment's hesitation, he slipped into Samui's arms, burying his face against her shoulder. "I can only fall asleep if you hold me, Sister."
Samui neither pushed him away nor embraced him. She simply remained silent. And to Neji, that silence was permission enough.
---
The days of leisure passed swiftly, and their brief holiday came to an end.
Neji plunged once more into his rigorous training. His schedule was relentless: dawn to dusk, sweat and discipline forged his body and spirit.
Ten days later, after finishing fifty laps around Amagumo Mountain, Neji sought out a secluded grove on the mountainside. This was not to rest—rest was a luxury—but to train.
His target was the Tenseigan.
Lightning Release Chakra Mode, Black Lightning, even the Divine Empty Fist—all of these were powerful techniques. But compared to the Tenseigan, they were merely supporting pillars. The Tenseigan was the true cornerstone of his power, the eye that promised dominion over the world.
Every day, without fail, Neji dedicated at least two hours to training his ocular power.
[You performed Tenseigan practice, related insights improved, experience +1]
[You performed Tenseigan practice, related insights improved, experience +1]
The messages repeated steadily as the hours passed. His eyes ached, stinging with fatigue, yet Neji did not stop. This time, he could sense a breakthrough hovering just beyond his grasp.
Clenching his teeth, he poured more chakra into his eyes, pushing past the pain.
[Congratulations, your Tenseigan has advanced to Lv2 (1/1000). You have comprehended the skill: Chakra Rosary.]
[Bloodline Limit: Tenseigan Lv2 (1/1000). Abilities: Curse Wheel Heart Sealing Technique, Chakra Rosary.]
The words lit up his vision, and in that instant, Neji felt the power within his eyes evolve.
He lifted his right hand, and chakra surged outward. A small black sphere materialized above his palm, hovering weightlessly.
A Chakra Rosary.
It resembled the legendary Truth-Seeking Orbs wielded by the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki, yet Neji knew it was not the same. Still, the power radiating from it was undeniable.
Curious, Neji attempted to form a second one. Immediately, his body trembled as his chakra reserves plummeted. The second orb collapsed before it could fully manifest.
He exhaled slowly, regaining his composure. "So, one is my limit for now. My chakra capacity isn't even close to supporting two."
He flicked his wrist, launching the black sphere toward a boulder twenty meters away.
Whoosh!
The orb drilled into the stone, disappearing within its surface. For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then—
Boom!
The rock erupted, shattering into countless fragments that rained across the grove.
Neji's eyes widened with excitement. "So small, yet so destructive… This is a weapon few could defend against."
His mind raced. In time, once the Tenseigan evolves further, I'll awaken the Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion and Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion. Both require Chakra Rosaries as their foundation. Now that I have one… perhaps I can begin forging new techniques of my own.
With that thought, he pulled a long sword from a storage scroll. Though he hadn't practiced swordsmanship in some time, an idea was forming. If he could replace the blade with a Chakra Rosary, perhaps he could forge a new style altogether.
He began practicing, slashing at the air. His Eight Trigrams Sword Style flowed naturally from muscle memory—precise thrusts, clean cuts, fluid slashes.
Yet he was no master swordsman. He knew that. His technique was efficient, but not yet transcendent.
He remembered a quote from his past life: Learning ten thousand moves is not as good as practicing one move ten thousand times.
At first, he thought it wisdom. Later, he thought it foolishness. After all, none of the greatest fighters survived on only one move. But now, with chakra at his command, the words rang true once more.
For a ninja, the essence of every art—ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu—was chakra. And if one had enough chakra, a single perfected move could indeed rule the battlefield.
Neji was far from having such reserves. Compared to true monsters, his chakra was still weak. But he was patient. With time, effort, and his unique system, he would get there.
"Heaven rewards diligence," he murmured. "Let's see what happens after a thousand, ten thousand, or even a hundred thousand slashes."
And so he practiced. Stroke after stroke, the whistle of steel against air filled the grove.
But after some time, Neji's instincts flared. Something was wrong.
The silence pressed in unnaturally. When he had first entered the forest, he'd heard birds chirping, leaves rustling, the wind weaving through branches. Now, none of those sounds remained.
Only the whisper of his blade.
His eyes narrowed. A barrier.
Someone had erected one around him.
Instantly, he activated his Byakugan. His vision expanded in all directions, and what he saw chilled him. Large patches of dense chakra signatures surrounded him.
It was as though his sight was being countered, distorted. It reminded him of another ocular power—the crimson eyes of illusion. Yet as far as Neji knew, the only pair of such eyes did not belong here, not in the Cloud, not now.
He tensed, preparing to withdraw, when movement caught his gaze.
A figure approached slowly from the distance.
Clad in a long cloak, their head covered by a mask that revealed only a pair of dark, unreadable eyes, the stranger moved with quiet confidence.
Not the Red eyes he had feared. But that only deepened the mystery. Many shinobi across the nations wore such disguises.
Neji's jaw tightened. "Are they with the Fourth Raikage?"
No. Impossible.
If not them, then who—?
The answer drew closer with every step.
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