Chapter 37: Tenseigan Upgrade, Chakra Receiver Rosary
The sun set in the west, and the moon rose in the east.
A gentle night breeze blew across the plains.
Neji and Samui lay on the grass, looking up at the sky.
The shinobi world was free of environmental pollution, and the night sky was a breathtaking sight, with a bright, clear moon hanging high above.
Who would have thought that the moon was man-made, and that sealed within it was the progenitor of all chakra, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya?
Samui let out a soft laugh, a sense of nostalgia washing over her. It had been a long time since she had been able to relax like this.
Just then, she felt Neji take her hand, his fingers playing with hers. She didn't say anything. For a boy to treat a girl like that was, under normal circumstances, quite rude. But with Neji, the rules of propriety didn't seem to apply.
Neji shifted closer, his side pressing against her arm. "Onee-san, what's so interesting about the night sky?"
"You're the one who insisted on camping out. What else am I supposed to look at? You?" Samui rolled her eyes at him.
Neji propped his head up with his hand and turned to face her. "I'm not looking at the sky. The sky isn't nearly as beautiful as you, Onee-san."
For someone who had grown up with the internet, such a cheesy pickup line would have been cringe-worthy. But for the innocent Samui, it made her heart flutter.
Looking at his youthful face, she leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.
Neji was completely caught off guard. By the time he had processed what had happened, Samui had already turned her back to him.
"It's late. Let's get some sleep."
"..."
Who could possibly sleep now? Neji thought. He wanted to pounce, to turn the tables on her. But he didn't dare.
Instead, he snuggled up against her. "I can only sleep if you hold me, Onee-san."
Samui didn't resist, nor did she say anything. Neji took her silence as a yes.
The leisurely vacation came to an end, and Neji threw himself back into his intense training regimen.
Ten days later, after running fifty laps around Mount Kumokumo, he found a quiet spot in the woods halfway up the mountain. He wasn't there to rest, but to train his Tenseigan.
The Lightning Release Chakra Mode, Black Lightning, even the Divine Air Strike—none of them were as important as the Tenseigan. It was the foundation upon which he would build his dominance of the shinobi world.
Ever since awakening it, Neji had spent two hours a day training his eyes. The progress was slow, but with his system, every session brought tangible results.
[You have practiced with the Tenseigan. Your understanding has increased. EXP +1]
[You have practiced with the Tenseigan. Your understanding has increased. EXP +1]
...
After two hours, his eyes were sore and tired. Normally, he would have stopped, but he was on the verge of a breakthrough. He pushed through the pain, channeling even more chakra into his eyes.
[You have practiced with the Tenseigan. Your understanding has increased. EXP +1]
[Congratulations! Your Tenseigan has advanced to Lv2 (1/1000). You have learned the skill: Chakra Receiver Rosary.]
[Kekkei Genkai: Tenseigan Lv2 (1/1000), Abilities: Cursed Mandala Sealing Heart, Chakra Receiver Rosary]
With the update to his status panel, Neji's Tenseigan had reached its second level, granting him a new ability.
He held out his right hand, and a blue aura of chakra erupted from his body. A single, black rosary bead of pure chakra materialized, hovering in his palm.
The rosary bead was visually similar to the Truth-Seeking Orbs used by the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, but it was not the same thing. (Even I find it strange, but the official databooks clearly state "Chakra Receiver Rosary.")
When Neji tried to create a second bead, his chakra was instantly depleted, and the nascent orb dissipated before it could fully form.
"Still a bit of a stretch," he murmured. "I have more than enough chakra for one, but not nearly enough for two."
He flicked his wrist, and the small black sphere shot out, embedding itself in a large rock twenty meters away.
Boom!
At first, nothing happened. Then, a few seconds later, with a dull thud, the rock shattered into a million pieces.
"Who would have thought such an unassuming little black ball could be so destructive? It's a perfect weapon for a surprise attack."
"When my Tenseigan levels up further, I'll be able to awaken the Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion and the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion. Both of those techniques use the Chakra Receiver Rosary. Now that I have it, perhaps I can develop other techniques as well."
After a moment of thought, Neji decided to pick up his kenjutsu training again, using the rosary beads in place of a sword. He took out a standard-issue katana from his storage scroll and began to practice.
Swordsmanship, at its core, was just a combination of thrusts, slashes, and cuts. Neji had once created his own "Eight Trigrams Sword Style," and he was quite proficient with a blade. But he wouldn't call himself a master.
In his past life, Neji had heard a martial arts philosopher say, "It is better to practice one technique ten thousand times than to learn ten thousand techniques." At first, he had thought it made sense. Later, he had thought it was nonsense. After all, no great fighter only knew one move.
But now, it made perfect sense. Especially for a shinobi who could use chakra. Ninjutsu, taijutsu, even genjutsu—they were all, at their core, just different applications of chakra. If your chakra was strong enough, you could conquer the world with a single technique.
Neji's chakra was not strong, not compared to the true monsters of this world. But that didn't stop him from trying to master one technique first, and then, once his chakra was stronger, conquering the world.
This was something only he could do. Because he had a cheat.
"Divine Diligence. Effort will always be rewarded. I wonder what will happen if I slash at the air a thousand times, ten thousand times, a hundred thousand times."
He began to practice in earnest, cutting through the air with one precise slash after another.
The forest was silent. No one disturbed him.
After a long time, Neji suddenly stopped. Something felt wrong.
It was quiet. Too quiet.
When he had first come here to train, he had been able to hear the birds chirping and the leaves rustling in the wind. Now, there was nothing but the sound of his own sword cutting through the air.
A barrier!
Someone had erected a barrier around him.
The realization made his expression change. He immediately activated his Byakugan and scanned his surroundings.
But to his surprise, his vision was filled with a massive, swirling image of chakra. It was similar to the effect of another dōjutsu, the Ketsuryūgan, but as far as Neji knew, the only pair of those eyes in existence were nowhere near the Hidden Cloud.
He was about to cautiously make his way out of the forest when he stopped.
Someone was walking toward him.
The figure was cloaked, their head covered by a hood and mask, with only a pair of deep-set eyes visible.
Not the Ketsuryūgan, then. Many ninja from the Five Great Nations dressed like this. It was impossible to tell his affiliation from his clothes.
One of the Raikage's men?
Unlikely.
Then, it could only be...